Users, user groups, and roles

IBM® Flex System Manager management software offers authentication and user administration options that enable you to specify user privileges for specific tasks and resources. User registry integration, integrity, confidentiality, and secure sockets layer (SSL) supported secure data transmission are other key elements of the management software security.

Management software user accounts are subjected to two interdependent processes: authentication and authorization. Authentication is used to determine the identity of the user and verify and validate that identity. Authorization checks the permissions of the authenticated user and controls access to resources according to the roles that are assigned to the user.

If you have admin permissions, you can use the management software to create, edit, and delete user accounts.

Note: The Chassis Manager view in the management software is the primary interface for selecting managed resources and performing management tasks on those resources. However, some of the procedures in this section include steps that instruct you to use the navigation area, which is hidden, by default, in the web interface.

The navigation area provides links to tasks and task categories such as Resource Explorer, Inventory, and Health Summary. To open the navigation area, click the arrow icon on the left side of the window.

Users and Groups page in the web interface
The Users and Groups page in the IBM Flex System Manager management software web interface enables you to create, edit, and delete management software users and user groups.
Authenticating users to Flex System Manager
Authentication is the process that IBM Flex System Manager uses to determine if the identity claimed by a user, a system, or an application is correct. The process of authenticating users involves a user registry and an authentication mechanism. With user authentication, you can access and manage resources with the IBM Flex System Manager Web interface.
Authorizing users
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.
Managing credentials in Flex System Manager
IBM Flex System Manager uses credentials to implement single sign-on authentication. Various forms of credentials are supported.
Managing access
Use IBM Flex System Manager to configure credentials that are used to access managed systems. These credentials enable IBM Flex System Manager to authenticate to and manage target systems by using the protocols and access points available on the managed system.
Managing auditing
Audit infrastructure plays a pivotal role in helping organizations adhere to compliance standards. IT administrators prepare for compliance audits by using event log managers and robust change management software to allow tracking and documenting authentication and controls in IT systems. With IBM Flex System Manager's auditing capabilities, you can track what takes place on an IBM Flex System Manager by viewing four categories of audit data : Security, Task, System Configuration, and System Triggers. In addition, IBM Flex System Manager plug-ins can use these existing categories or define new categories to audit their important events. Use IBM Flex System Manager Server Auditing to enable and disable auditing on IBM Flex System Manager, select which audit records to log (by choosing which categories to enable), view and change the current audit settings, view audit log events, and delete audit log events.
Supported encryption algorithms
The IBM Flex System Manager can communicate with target resources by using a predetermined set of communication protocols. Depending on the type of managed system, these communication protocols support various levels of encryption.

Parent topic: Security