Netezza Performance Server enhanced cryptography support

You can enable support for cryptographic standard SP 800-131a.

Special Publication 800-131a (SP 800-131a) is an information security standard of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). SP 800-131a is a recommendation that provides guidance for the use of stronger cryptographic keys and connection settings. Netezza Performance Server offers the ability to configure a system to support the SP 800-131a recommendations. If you enable enhanced cryptography support, you must adhere to specific requirements for the host keys that you use for cryptography, for the authentication modes that are used for all connections to the Netezza Performance Server databases, and for the digitally signing the audit history configuration and database (if you use the audit history feature).

Note: The SP 800-131a cryptographic support is not offered on other IBM Performance Server system models.

Client Prerequisites

If you install and use the Netezza Performance Server client packages to connect to Netezza Performance Server systems that are configured to support the SP 800-131a cryptography standards, note the following requirements:

  • If you use JDBC to access the Netezza Performance Server system, your JDBC client must have Java Runtime Environment 1.7 or later, which includes SP 800-131a cryptography support.
  • If you connect to the Netezza Performance Serversystem using Secure Shell (SSH) protocols, you must obtain and install an SP 800-131a-compliant SSH client program. IBM does not provide the SSH client libraries. Refer to the operating system vendor and product information for more details on the available SSH clients and how to install the client.
  • If your client system uses an older Red Hat release such as 4.0, you must obtain and install GLIBC 2.4 or later to support the 7.1 Netezza Performance Server clients. This is a requirement for the 7.1 Red Hat clients regardless of whether the Netezza Performance Server system is configured to use SP 800-131a support.

As a best practice, upgrade your client systems to the latest Netezza Performance Server client packages. Older clients can connect to the Netezza Performance Server SP 800-131a compliant host using any security level setting except onlySecured. The preferredUnSecured, preferredSecured, or onlyUnSecured security levels are supported. If the Netezza Performance Server system is not using SP 800-131a support, all four levels are supported.