Overview of New Features in Policy Agent 3.0

Policy Agent 3.0 has the following new features and improvements:

• Centralized agent configuration

  The centralized agent configuration feature moves most of the agent configuration properties from a local agent properties file (formerly referred to as AMAgent.properties file) to the OpenSSO Enterprise central data repository. An agent administrator can then manage the multiple agent configurations from a central server location, using either the OpenSSO Enterprise Administration Console or the ssoadm command-line utility.

  The centralized agent configuration feature separates the Policy Agent 3.0 configuration data into two sets:

  • The properties required for the agent to start up and initialize itself are stored in the OpenSSOAgentBootstrap.properties file locally on the system where the agent is installed. For example, the agent profile name and password used to authenticate to the OpenSSO Enterprise server are stored in the bootstrap file.

  • The rest of the agent properties are stored either centrally in the OpenSSO Enterprise data repository (centralized configuration option) or locally in the OpenSSOAgentConfiguration.properties file (local configuration option).

• Agent groups

  You can assign agents of the same type (J2EEAgent or WebAgent) from the Policy Agent 3.0 software set to an agent group. All agents in a group then selectively share a common set of configuration properties. Thus, the agent configuration and management are simplified because an administrator can manage all of the agents within a group as a single entity.

  Although all agents in the same group can share the same properties, defining a few specific properties (for example, the notification URL or agent URI properties) for individual agents is probably necessary. For more information about agent groups, see Creating an Agent Group and Enabling Agents to Inherit Properties From That Group.

• More hot-swappable agent configuration properties

  Agents in the Policy Agent 3.0 software set have more hot-swappable configuration properties. An administrator can change a hot-swappable configuration property value for an agent without having to restart the agent's deployment container for the new value to take effect. Properties in the OpenSSOAgentBootstrap.properties file are not hot-swappable.

• One-level wildcard support for policy-related configurations (such as when creating a policy or adding entries to the not-enforced list)

  While the regular wildcard support applies to multiple levels in a resource, the one-level wildcard applies to only the level where it appears in a resource. For more information, see Appendix C, Wildcard Matching in Policy Agent 3.0 J2EE Agents

• Default agent installation option with minimal questions asked during the installation

  Default or custom installation:

  • Default (agentadmin --install): The agentadmin program displays a minimal number of prompts and uses default values for the other options. Use the default install option when the default option meets your deployment requirements. For more information on the agentadmin --install command, see agentadmin --install.

  • Custom (agentadmin --custom-install): The agentadmin program displays a full set of prompts, similar to those presented by the Policy Agent 2.2 installer. Use the custom install option when you want to specify values other than the default options. For more information on the agentadmin --custom-install command, see agentadmin --custom-install.

• Option to create the agent profile in the server during installation

  The Policy Agent 3.0 installer supports an option to create the agent profile in the OpenSSO Enterprise server during the agent installation so you don't have to create the profile manually using the OpenSSO Enterprise Console or the ssoadm utility. This option is available when you use the agentadmin --custom-install command.

• Option to lock the agent configuration properties

  Changing configuration properties can have unexpected results. Furthermore, hot-swappable properties take effect immediately. Therefore, configuration mistakes are instantly implemented. In the Policy Agent 3.0 release, you have a method for locking the configuration to help prevent such accidental changes. For more information about this option, see Locking J2EE Agent Properties.

• Automated migration support

  You can migrate Policy Agent 2.2 to the 3.0 version using the agentadmin program with the --migrate option. For more information about this option, see agentadmin --migrate.

Note: OpenSSO Enterprise does not support version 2.1 policy agents.