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Status Delivered
Workspace IBM i
Created by Guest
Created on Dec 18, 2019

Allow Kerberos to be specified as primary authentication for QNTC

Users that have SSO/Kerberos/EIM are forced to choose between being enabled for file transfers to the QNTC (windows network) or having local password management. Users should be able to use the system locally and still have file transfer authentication via Kerberos.
QNTC was not created for general use but was narrowly defined for the old FSIOP integrated server. QNTC has worked for many of us but it is not being maintained in consideration of more modern authentication. It uses the local password management attribute of the user profile to determine how to authenticate. If local password management is *no then it will use Kerberos network authentication but this setting prevents local uses of the IBM account. I have 3 examples of this causing problems for us below. If local password management is *yes then QNTC attempts to authenticate using encrypted passwords but then the account name on the windows domain and the IBM must be the same. This is not possible when the corporate standard for windows user names is to use long friendly names like firstname.lastname@domain.com. Providing a means of switching a system value to cause Kerberos to be used preferentially for QNTC would resolve the issues we are having


Use Case:

I have a planner who needs to be able to sign herself on to 5250 emulation somewhere deep in the factory to fix a problem but then because she has local password management *yes to enable that then she cannot upload or download files using QNTC scripted *cl programs in her office to import planning schedules and EDI files from customers. Or I have a AP clerk who needs to be able to sign in to a check writing program to print MICR checks on a laser printer from i data. And just like the planner above because she has local password management *yes she cannot use scripted QNTC in a cl program to upload cash application data, that she gets from the bank, to the i . Or I have a supply chain manager who wants to use her password to sign into a screen scraped GUI version of what we normally see on 5250 emulation and this GUI program is not compatible with SSO so now because she has local password management she cannot download the production schedule to excel anymore. In these cases QNTC is using encrypted password authentication despite the fact that network authentication via Kerberos is available. Note that QNTC has been in use for a long time but with new corporate naming standards forcing us into using EIM and Kerberos, QNTC needs to be updated to keep up with modern authentication.


Idea priority Medium
  • Guest
    Reply
    |
    May 3, 2022
    This is available in IBM i 7.5.
    The QNTC file system has changed the configuration requirements for Kerberos. The user profile local password management option (LCLPWDMGT) is no longer required to be set to *NO. QNTC will now attempt to use Kerberos enablement first but may fall back to use the password.

    See the IBM i Documentation on QNTC for more information.
    https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/i/7.5?topic=qntc-enabling-file-system-network-authentication-service
  • Guest
    Reply
    |
    Jan 13, 2020

    Thank you for submitting this request.

    We agree that the QNTC design to support Kerberos/EIM is restrictive. The development team will investigate options and consider this in our plans.