What's New in Oracle Access Manager?

This section describes new features of Oracle Access Manager release 10.1.4. This includes details for 10g (10.1.4.0.1), 10g (10.1.4.2.0), and 10g (10.1.4.3).

The following sections describe the new features in Oracle Access Manager that are reflected in this book:

• Product and Component Name Changes

• Access Manager SDK Support for .NET 2

• Authorization Plug-in API

• Corrections

• Globalization

• Linux Native POSIX Thread Library (NPTL)

• Sample Web Services Code

• Updates to IdentityXML

• WebGate Rewrite

Note: For a comprehensive list of all new features and functions in Oracle Access Manager 10.1.4, and a description of where each is documented, see the chapter on what's new in the Oracle Access Manager Introduction.

Product and Component Name Changes

The original product name, Oblix NetPoint, has changed to Oracle Access Manager. Most component names remain the same. However, there are several important changes that you should know about, as shown in the following table:

Item	Was	Is
Product Name	Oblix NetPoint Oracle COREid	Oracle Access Manager
Product Name	Oblix SHAREid NetPoint SAML Services	Oracle Identity Federation
Product Name	OctetString Virtual Directory Engine (VDE)	Oracle Virtual Directory
Product Name	BEA WebLogic Application Server BEA WebLogic Portal Server	Oracle WebLogic Server Oracle WebLogic Portal
Product Release	Oracle COREid 7.0.4	Also available as part of Oracle Application Server 10g Release 2 (10.1.2).
Directory Name	COREid Data Anywhere	Data Anywhere
Component Name	COREid Server	Identity Server
Component Name	Access Manager	Policy Manager
Console Name	COREid System Console	Identity System Console
Identity System Transport Security Protocol	NetPoint Identity Protocol	Oracle Identity Protocol
Access System Transport Protocol	NetPoint Access Protocol	Oracle Access Protocol
Administrator	NetPoint Administrator COREid Administrator	Master Administrator
Directory Tree	Oblix tree	Configuration tree
Data	Oblix data	Configuration data
Software Developer Kit	Access Server SDK ASDK	Access Manager SDK
API	Access Server API Access API	Access Manager API
API	Access Management API Access Manager API	Policy Manager API
Default Policy Domains	NetPoint Identity Domain COREid Identity Domain	Identity Domain
Default Policy Domains	NetPoint Access Manager COREid Access Manager	Access Domain
Default Authentication Schemes	NetPoint None Authentication COREid None Authentication	Anonymous
Default Authentication Schemes	NetPoint Basic Over LDAP COREid Basic Over LDAP	Oracle Access and Identity Basic Over LDAP
Default Authentication Schemes	NetPoint Basic Over LDAP for AD Forest COREid Basic Over LDAP for AD Forest	Oracle Access and Identity for AD Forest Basic Over LDAP
Access System Service	AM Service State Policy Manager API Support Mode	Access Management Service Note: Policy Manager API Support Mode and Access Management Service are used interchangeably.

All legacy references in the product or documentation should be understood to connote the new names.

Access Manager SDK Support for .NET 2

The Oracle Access Manager 10g (10.1.4.3) software developer kit (SDK) for Windows continues to support .NET Framework 1.1 and Microsoft Visual Studio 2002. AccessGates created using this SDK continue this support.

A new and optional SDK for Windows is also provided which supports .NET version 2 and MSDE Visual Studio 2005. This 10g (10.1.4.3) SDK for .NET 2 is for use only to create custom AccessGates. It can be added to a 10g (10.1.4.3) deployment.

See Also: Appendix D, "Installing the Access Manager SDK"

Authorization Plug-in API

The chapter on the authorization plug-in API contains information on the ability to make an external call for data to be used in authorization. Ordinarily, authorization information flows from the Access Server to the AccessGate. An external call for data can obtain external authorization information that the AccessGate can send to the Access Server. This call does not return an error, however, if the returned value is null.

• A note has been added to the section on the C API.

See Also: "C Constant Definitions".

• A cross-reference has also been added to information on GetRequestContext in the section on managed code.

• In the same chapter, information has been reorganized. The discussion of attribute and search parameters now appears before the discussion of functions.

See Also: "Managed Code Interfaces".

Corrections

Each version of a manual contains corrections if needed. In this guide, corrections with 10g (10.1.4.3) include the following:

• Soap tags

• Namespaces in Web Services Description Language (WSDL)

• ObAnPluginFns with details of SetActionFn

See Also: Chapter 1, "IdentityXML and Identity Web Services" Chapter 6, "Authentication Plug-in API"

Globalization

The support features described in this section reflect the results of the Oracle Access Manager 10.1.4 globalization process with emphasis on multibyte support through the use of Unicode to enable processing of internationalized data and the impact on older environments that you upgrade.

• Multibyte support and XML encoding

  Identifies behavior with this and earlier versions and backward compatibility with encoding in requests and responses; examples are included.

  
  

  See Also: "XML Start Tag" "Types of IdentityXML Functions" "Formatting an IdentityXML Response"

  
  

• Multibyte support and IdentityXML Functions and Parameters

  Illustrates UTF-8 encoding for multibyte support in several examples

  
  

  See Also: "Common Functions".

  
  

• Multibyte support and IdentityXML

  Identifies behavior with this and earlier versions and backward compatibility with XML pages, SOAP/IdentityXML requests, and Identity Event Plug-in data sent to executables.

  
  

  See Also: "About the Identity Event Plug-in API".

  
  

• Multibyte support and the Access Manager SDK, Access Manager APIs, Custom AccessGates

  Identifies behavior with this and earlier versions and backward compatibility with the Access Manager SDK, Access Manager APIs, and custom AccessGates

  
  

  See Also: "Globalization and the Access Manager SDK, Access Manager APIs, Custom AccessGates".

  
  

• Multibyte support and Custom C Authorization Plug-in Interfaces identifies behavior with this and earlier versions and backward compatibility with custom C authorization plug-ins and interfaces

  
  

  See Also: "Globalization and Custom C Authorization Plug-in Interfaces".

  
  

Linux Native POSIX Thread Library (NPTL)

Oracle Access Manager 10g (10.1.4.3) uses either Native POSIX Thread Library (NPTL) or LinuxThreads. The default mode is LinuxThreads for all but Oracle Access Manager Web components for Oracle HTTP Server 11g.

Note: On Linux, Oracle Access Manager Web components for Oracle HTTP Server 11g use only NPTL; you cannot use the LinuxThreads library. In this case, do not set the environment variable LD_ASSUME_KERNEL to 2.4.19.

See Also: "Using LinuxThreads vs. NPTL"

Sample Web Services Code

Information on using IdentityXML to create Web services has been updated.

• Code samples has been provided and explained to illustrate how to use IdentityXML Web services to make calls to a WebPass.

• Two samples have been added, to show how to create a Web service call when a WebPass is protected by a WebGate and when a WebPass is not protected by a WebGate.

• Older information on creating a Java proxy object has been removed.

See Also: "Invoking a WSDL-Based Web Service Using Java".

Updates to IdentityXML

The chapter on IdentityXML functions and parameters contains new information on configuring challenge phrases and challenge responses. Other updates have been made to remove old information and to clarify the remaining information.

• This chapter describes how to configure Add, Delete, Replace, and Replace_All operations on individual and multiple challenge-and-response pairs.

  
  

  See Also: "Syntax for Lost Password Management Attribute Parameters".

  
  

• In the Identity Server globalparams.xml file, you can use the negativeListForEntityAttributes parameter to identify specific attributes that are not read or cached during view and modify profile operations. With IdentityXML, a listed attribute can only be read and cached.

  
  

  See Also: "Modify User Attributes" "Modify Group Attributes" "Modify object attributes" The topic on tuning the internal DB agent cache in the Oracle Access Manager Deployment Guide

  
  

• The information on pre-6.5 IdentityXML syntax has been removed.

• In the IdentityXML chapter, information has been reorganized. The discussion of attribute and search parameters now appears before the discussion of functions.

  
  

  See Also: "Search Parameters" "Attribute Parameters"

  
  

• IdentityXML examples have been updated to reflect the post-6.5, WSDL-compatible syntax.

  
  

  See Also: "IdentityXML Functions and Parameters".

  
  

• In the IdentityXML chapter, a new specification on who can search for deactivated users.

  
  

  See Also: "View Deactivated User".

  
  

• With Oracle Access Manager 10g (10.1.4.3), IdentityXML requests for gathering the attribute list pertaining to modifying a profile (modifyUser, modifyGroup, and modifyObject), no longer depend on a panel in the Identity System.

  
  

  See Also: "Attribute Parameters" "Modify User Attributes" "Modify Group Attributes" "Modify object attributes"

  
  

WebGate Rewrite

The code for WebGates has been rewritten so that WebGates and AccessGates share the same code base.

• A new lazyload method has been added to the ObUserSession constructor in the Access Manager API as a result of this rewrite

See Also: "Methods (ObUserSession, C++)" "Functions (ObUserSession, C)" "Methods (ObUserSessionMgd, C#)" "Constructors (ObUserSession, Java)"

• New diagnostics have been added as a result of this rewrite.

See Also: "Methods (ObDiagnostic, C)" "Methods (ObDiagnostic, C#)" "Methods (ObDiagnostic, Java)" "Methods (ObDiagnostic, C++)"

• New status codes have been added as a result of this rewrite.

See Also: "C-Family Status and Error Message Strings" "Java Status and Error Message Fields"