RACF PassTicket support for commands from IMS Connect to IMS OM

RACF PassTickets are one-time-only passwords and are an alternative to RACF passwords and password phrases. RACF PassTickets are also more secure than RACF passwords and password phrases because PassTickets remove the need to send passwords and password phrases across the network in clear text.

Previously, when users sent commands from IMS Connect to IMS OM, the application name field could not be used. This prevented ICON users from using PassTickets for authentication.

With this enhanced support for RACF PassTicket authentication, you can use RACF PassTickets as an alternative to passwords to authenticate user IDs for ICON client connections to IMS OM. The IMS Connect API (ICON API) for Java™ is also enhanced to accommodate this enhancement.

This enhancement is delivered with APAR PH51844 and PH54017.

Changes to programming for IMS

For PassTicket support, you are responsible for all definitions to RACF. You need to establish the RACF PassTicket generation routine and to supply the routine to the distributed platform. To use RACF PassTickets, specify the PassTicket in the IRM in place of the password and also specify the application name.

For IMS Connect API for Java clients, the ICON API does not generate RACF PassTickets. Clients are responsible for generating the PassTickets and setting it in the command request message by issuing the TmInteraction.setRacfPassword() method. Clients must also specify the application name by issuing TmInteraction.setRacfApplName().

For more information, see RACF PassTicket for IMS Connect Client connections to IMS OM.

Documentation changes

The following table lists the publications that contain new or changed topics for the New function name enhancement. Publications that are not impacted by this enhancement are not included in the table.