Below is a summary of the following security tools, with links to
the more detailed documentation:
keytool,
jar, jarsigner,
Policy Tool, kinit,
klist, and ktab.
All of these tools are command-line tools with the exception of
Policy Tool, which has a graphical user interface.
Use keytool to manage your keystore, for example to
create public/private key pairs
issue certificate
requests (which you send to the appropriate Certification Authority)
import certificate replies (obtained from the Certification Authority
you contacted)
designate public keys belonging to other parties as
trusted
copy entries between two keystores
Keys and certificates are
used to digitally sign your applications and applets (see
jarsigner below). A keystore is
a protected database that holds keys and certificates for an enterprise.
Access to a keystore is guarded by a password (defined at the time
the keystore is created, by the person who creates the keystore, and
changeable only when providing the current password). In
addition, each private key in a keystore can be guarded by
its own password.
The Java ARchive (JAR) file format enables you to bundle multiple files
into a single archive file. Typically a JAR file will contain the class files
and auxiliary resources associated with applets and applications. When you
want to "digitally sign" code, you use the jar tool to place it
in a JAR file and the jarsigner tool to sign the JAR file
(after generating or importing appropriate keys into your keystore using
keytool).
Use the jarsigner tool to sign JAR files, or to verify signatures on
signed JAR files.
The jarsigner tool accesses a keystore that is created and
managed by keytool, when it needs to find
the private key and its associated certificate chain
to use when signing a JAR file. Since accesses to the
keystore and to private keys are protected by passwords, only
people who know the
passwords will be able to access the key and use it to sign
a JAR file. The jarsigner tool prompts for needed passwords.
Use the Policy Tool (invoked by using the policytool
command) to create and modify the external policy
configuration files that define your installation's security
policy.
This tool has a graphical user interface, so you select buttons and
other options rather than type in commands as for the other tools. Please read the Policy Tool Users Guide for details.
kinit is used to obtain and cache Kerberos ticket-granting tickets.
This tool is similar in functionality to the kinit tool
commonly found in other Kerberos implementations, such as SEAM
and MIT Reference implementations.
The user must be registered as a principal with the Key Distribution
Center (KDC) prior to running kinit.
Solaris - Equivalent functionality is available for Solaris users via the
kinit tool that is part of the Solaris operating environment.
Linux - Equivalent functionality is available for Linux users via the kinit tool in any Kerberos 5 installation.
ktab is a command-line tool that allows the user to manage the principal
names and service keys stored in a local key table. Principal and key
pairs listed in the keytab allow services running on a host to authenticate
themselves to the Key Distribution Center (KDC). Before a server can be
setup to use Kerberos, the user must setup a keytab on the host running
the server. Note that any updates made to the keytab using ktab do not
affect the Kerberos database. If you change the keys in the keytab, you
must also make the corresponding changes to the Kerberos database.
Also note that the command line options are not case-sensitive.
Solaris - Equivalent functionality is available for Solaris users via the ktutil or kadmin tool that is part of Solaris operating environment.
Linux - Equivalent functionality is available for Linux users via the ktutil or kadmin tool in any Kerberos 5 installation.