Authorizing users to IBM Flex System Manager

Authorization is the process that determines whether an authenticated user or group has the necessary privileges to access specific resources. With user authorization, IBM® Flex System Manager users can perform tasks on specific resources by using IBM Flex System Manager Web interface. You must use IBM Flex System Manager to configure the authorizations that provide access to IBM Flex System Manager tasks and resources.

About this task

Using IBM Flex System Manager, you can create and manage the roles that control authorization for IBM Flex System Manager users.

  • User authorization
    User authorization occurs when an authenticated user uses IBM Flex System Manager to perform a task on a resource. The authorization mechanism compares the user account, or the group to which the user belongs, to the role-based access control (RBAC) settings for that user or group. If a role exists that contains the authorizations necessary to complete that task on that specified resource, then the task proceeds.
  • Roles
    You can assign roles to IBM Flex System Manager management software users to control their access to resources and limit the tasks that they can perform on those resources. The authorities that you configure for a role determine the level of access that is granted to each user who is assigned to that role. Each user or group of users that access management software must have a user-role assignment.
  • Permissions and roles required to run smcli commands
    A user ID must be authorized with certain permissions and roles to run the smcli commands.
  • Authorizing users to manage resources
    To log in to IBM Flex System Manager Web interface and manage the resources that are discovered by IBM Flex System Manager, a user must have a user account that is associated with a role that has the appropriate authority.
  • Assigning a role to a user or user group
    The roles that are assigned to a user or user group determine the tasks that the user has permission to access. From the Users page, you can assign one or more roles to a user or user group. When you assign a role, you also associate specific resources to which the role will apply for the selected user.
  • Copying a role to another user
    The roles that are created in IBM Flex System Manager to control access to tasks and resources can be applied to one or more users or groups. Use the Users page to copy the task and resource assignments in an existing role from one user or group to another user or group.
  • Creating a role
    With the Roles page, you can create new roles on your system.
  • Managing roles
    Use IBM Flex System Manager to work with roles and assign individual users and user groups to those roles. From the Roles page, you can view, copy, edit, or delete a role.
  • Ending the session for another user
    You can choose to end the session for another active user if you have sufficient authority to do so.
Parent topic: Users, user groups, and roles