Setting server options

You can configure server options to encrypt communication between the license server and other applications, set a communications password, allow usernames to be changed, and enable external authentication.

1. Click Server Options.

The Server Options dialog box opens.

2. Select the Server category.

3. Select or enter any Communication Settings.

• Encrypt communication between the license server and other applications encrypts all communication between the license server, admin utility, API, and other Helix ALM product servers. Encryption scrambles data to prevent interception by hackers, or eavesdropping, as it passes between the license server and other applications. Encryption increases security, but may slightly affect performance. Select this option if you organization’s network is secure and no license server client or Helix ALM server applications outside of the network communicate with license server. See Securing communication between the license server and other applications for information about encryption, authentication, and key exchange methods used by the license server.
• Use RSA key exchange provides strong key exchange for communication between the license server and license admin utility applications. RSA is a public key encryption algorithm that uses separate keys for encryption and decryption. Select this option if your organization stores sensitive information in the license server and users log in to client applications outside of your network using a username and password. If you use RSA, the public key must be added to all license server admin clients that access the license server. See Configuring RSA key exchange for information about setting up RSA. This option is only available if Encrypt communication between the license server and other applications is selected.

• Listen for messages on port specifies the port number the license server uses to communicate with Helix ALM products. The default port is 5100.
• Communications password provides additional security by requiring Helix ALM product servers to use the specified password to communicate with the license server. If you change the communications password, you must also change the password in the other products or users cannot log in.

4. Select Enable renaming of usernames to allow administrators to change usernames.

Only select this option if you have a specific reason to change usernames, such as corporate security restrictions that require a standard username format. See Changing usernames.

5. Select Enable external authentication to allow users to log in to Helix ALM products using credentials for your external authentication system. See Using external authentication.

6. Click OK to save the changes.

Changing key exchange options

If you change key exchange options, license server client applications and the web server that hosts the license server web admin client must be updated. The following scenarios require further action after changing security settings.

If you use:	And you change it to:	You need to:
No encryption	RSA key exchange	Download a settings file that native server admin utility users need to import in the server connection settings. If you use the web server admin utility, import the file from the License Server CGI Configuration utility on the web server computer. See Changing web server admin utility CGI settings
RSA key exchange	No encryption or basic encryption (Encrypt server communication between the license server and other applications is selected)	Remove the public key fingerprint from any clients that connect to the server. Click Remove in the Edit Server Connection dialog box in native clients and in the License Server CGI Configuration utility for web clients.

See Configuring RSA key exchange for information about adding and removing keys for the server admin utilities.