A valid password or passphrase is essential to log in to the mainframe host. Rational Business Developer (RBD) supports password integration within the EGL-COBOL project.
For a successful program generation in RBD, ensure that the password configured matches exactly with the one used on the Host.
Here’s what you need to know about your password:
· It must be exactly 8 characters long.
· It should include a mix of alphabets, numbers, and special characters.
· Spaces are not allowed within the password.
· Passwords are case-sensitive, so uppercase and lowercase letters must be used carefully.
Why Passphrase?
A passphrase is a memorable sequence of words or text used for authentication. Unlike traditional passwords, passphrases are typically longer, making them stronger and more secure. They are crafted to be easy for users to remember while being difficult for attackers to crack.
In fact, most of our customers prefer using passphrases as their authentication method when logging into the host system. The RBD 9.7 release implements a passphrase support feature for using them in RBD.
To meet this evolving security standard, the RBD introduces passphrase (max 100-byte string) authentication for seamless integration within RBD environments.
Prerequisites:
Before you start:
· Ensure passphrase authentication is enabled on your host side.
· If your system is not yet set up for passphrases, contact your Mainframe Administrator to configure it.
· Passphrases can also be enabled at the individual user level if needed.
Passphrase Specifications:
· Passphrase length should be minimum 9 characters and maximum 100 characters.
· Spaces are not supported in the passphrase. Ensure your passphrase is a continuous string without any gaps.
· Passphrases are case sensitive.
· Passphrases allow special characters.
Examples:
· G%tw@R&Kd!O
· A@#$234HrYzE
Note: There should not be any Spaces in the passphrase.
How to Use it on Host side: (Passphrase Enabled)
1. Connect to the Host side using the Host IP address.
2. Provide the Passphrase type password in the Password field and press Enter.
3. If everything is correct, you will be successfully logged in.
Note: Ensure that the passphrase used on both the Host side and the RBD Client side exactly matches. Any mismatch will prevent successful program generation.
How to Use it on the Client Side:
1. Launch the RBD.
2. Create an EGL-COBOL project as follows:
a. Right-click under the Project Explorer and navigate to New à EGL Project.
b. Enter the Project Name.
c. Select the General Project under the EGL project types and click Next.
d. Select COBOL as the target runtime platform, then click Finish to complete the setup.
e. The COBOL project gets created in the project explorer.
3. Create a new program in the EGL-COBOL project as follows:
a. Right-click on the EGLSource and navigate to NewàProgram.
b. Enter the Package name and the EGL source file name, and then click Finish.
c. A sample program gets generated.
d. Write your required program as shown in the image below and save it.
4. Now open the .eglbld build descriptor and fill in the required options in the COBOL build options and provide the passphrase at the place of destPassword as shown. This passphrase should match the host-side passphrase in order to generate the program successfully.
Advantages of Passphrase:
· Strong security
· Less chances for anyone to guess or manipulate.
Author
Mounika Neyyala
QA Engineer – RBD
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