Kerberos Security in a Client-serversystem Management Application: the Implementation of an Authentication Mechanism Using the Generic Security Services Api

Heterogeneity of distributed computing systems has taken root in most companies at the end of thelast century. The effort for administration has increased dramatically due to the plurality of differentsolutions for System Management. The Web Based Enterprise Management initiative establishes aninfrastructure for such kind of System Management Applications with a common and standardizedinterface. From the security point of view there is a strong need to protect these sensitive management datafrom unauthorized access. The Authentication Service Kerberos provides a system for authenticationwithin distributed and open networks where the principle of a trusted third party is used. This Bachelor Report gives an overview how to describe management information using the CommonInformation Model and how it is embedded into the entire framework of Web Based EnterpriseManagement. The Authentication Protocol Kerberos is described, which is used to enable a sophisticatedand scalable authentication mechanism for this architecture and also provides a Single-Sign-Onenvironment. The integration of Kerberos into this architecture using the Generic Security Service ApplicationProgramming Interface is analyzed and the problems between the Linux and the Windows implementationare discussed.