Administering File Users

A user is an individual (or application program) identity that is defined in GlassFish Server. A user who has been authenticated is sometimes called a principal.

As the administrator, you are responsible for integrating users into the GlassFish Server environment so that their credentials are securely established and they are provided with access to the applications and services that they are entitled to use.

The following topics are addressed here:

• To Create a File User

• To List File Users

• To List File Groups

• To Update a File User

• To Delete a File User

To Create a File User

Use the create-file-user subcommand in remote mode to create a new user by adding a new entry to the keyfile. The entry includes the user name, password, and any groups for the user. Multiple groups can be specified by separating the groups with colons (:).

Creating a new file realm user is a dynamic event and does not require server restart.

1. Ensure that the server is running.

   Remote subcommands require a running server.

2. If the user will belong to a particular group, see the current groups by using the list-file-groups(1) subcommand.
3. Create a file user by using the create-file-user(1) subcommand.

Example 2-5 Creating a User

This example create user Jennifer on the default realm file (no groups are specified).

The asadmin --passwordfile option specifies the name of a file that contains the password entries in a specific format. The entry for a password must have the AS_ADMIN_ prefix followed by the password name in uppercase letters, an equals sign, and the password. See asadmin(1M) for more information.

asadmin> create-file-user --user admin --passwordfile=c:\tmp\asadminpassword.txt Jennifer
Command create-file-user executed successfully.

See Also

You can also view the full syntax and options of the subcommand by typing asadmin help create-file-user at the command line.

To List File Users

Use the list-file-users subcommand in remote mode to list the users that are in the keyfile.

1. Ensure that the server is running.

   Remote subcommands require a running server.

2. List users by using the list-file-users(1) subcommand.

Example 2-6 Listing File Users

This example lists file users on the default file realm file.

asadmin> list-file-users
Jennifer
Command list-file-users executed successfully.

See Also

You can also view the full syntax and options of the subcommand by typing asadmin help list-file-users at the command line.

To List File Groups

A group is a category of users classified by common traits, such as job title or customer profile. For example, users of an e-commerce application might belong to the customer group, and the big spenders might also belong to the preferred group. Categorizing users into groups makes it easier to control the access of large numbers of users. A group is defined for an entire server and realm. A user can be associated with multiple groups of users.

A group is different from a role in that a role defines a function in an application, while a group is a set of users who are related in some way. For example, in the personnel application there might be groups such as full-time, part-time, and on-leave. Users in these groups are all employees (the employee role). In addition, each user has its own designation that defines an additional level of employment.

Use the list-file-groups subcommand in remote mode to list groups for a file user, or all file groups if the --name option is not specified.

1. Ensure that the server is running.

   Remote subcommands require a running server.

2. List file groups by using the list-file-groups(1) subcommand.

Example 2-7 Listing Groups for a User

This example lists the groups for user joesmith.

asadmin> list-file-groups --name joesmith
staff
manager
Command list-file-groups executed successfully

To Update a File User

Use the update-file-user subcommand in remote mode to modify the information in the keyfile for a specified user.

1. Ensure that the server is running.

   Remote subcommands require a running server.

2. Update the user information by using the update-file-user(1) subcommand.
3. To apply your changes, restart GlassFish Server.

   See To Restart a Domain in Oracle GlassFish Server 3.1 Administration Guide.

Example 2-8 Updating a User

The following subcommand updates the groups for user Jennifer.

asadmin> update-file-user --passwordfile c:\tmp\asadminpassword.txt --groups staff:manager:engineer Jennifer
Command update-file-user executed successfully.

See Also

You can also view the full syntax and options of the subcommand by typing asadmin help update-file-user at the command line.

To Delete a File User

Use the delete-file-user subcommand in remote mode to remove a user entry from the keyfile by specifying the user name. You cannot delete yourself, that is, the user you are logged in as cannot be deleted during your session.

1. Ensure that the server is running.

   Remote subcommands require a running server.

2. List users by using the list-file-users(1) subcommand.
3. Delete the user by using the delete-file-user(1) subcommand.

Example 2-9 Deleting a User

This example deletes user Jennifer from the default file realm.

asadmin> delete-file-user Jennifer
Command delete-file-user executed successfully.

See Also

You can also view the full syntax and options of the subcommand by typing asadmin help delete-file-user at the command line.