User authentication

You can configure your installation to authenticate IXIA TEXTML Server users.

Authentication is the process of identifying and verifying IXIA TEXTML Server users when they log in before providing access. MadCap Software supports two authentication schemes.

Note: While you can enable both authentication schemes, but MadCap Software does not recommend it. If you enable both schemes, the authentication sequence uses Kerberos first, and then local.
  • Kerberos authentication is an authentication security protocol that verifies users and trusted host systems on a distributed, untrusted network. TEXTML Server can use the Kerberos protocol to authenticate users and provide secure transactions between itself and a client application.
    Note: For more information about Kerberos, see the Kerberos documentation at http://www.kerberos.org/docs/
  • Local authentication allows TEXTML Server to locally authenticate users accessing the current system. Local authentication passes the username and password in clear by the client application to TEXTML Server, unless a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol secures the communication. If you use SSL, passwords are encrypted.
Table 1. Supported authentication schemes

Authentication scheme

Windows

Linux

Kerberos

Supported only using its Active Directory

Not supported

Local

Supported

Supported

TEXTML Server uses the local operating system to resolve the username and password provided.

If the local machine is a member of a domain/forest, all trusted users of this domain/forest can sign in to TEXTML Server using their Windows username and password. If you use the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol, passwords are encrypted.

TEXTML Server uses pluggable authentication modules (PAM). TEXTML Server can be added to the list of PAM applications, so that users can sign in to TEXTML Server using their Linux username and password.

You control which authentication scheme you enable and the users that can access TEXTML Server through configuration.

  • Disabled — (Default) TEXTML Server still presents users with the standard sign on screen, but accepts any username or password.

  • Enabled — You must configure users who can access TEXTML Server components. See Administration Guide for IXIA CCMS.