LCAS

The Local Centre Authorization Service. This component makes binary ('yes' or 'no') authorization decisions at the site and resource level. In making this decision, it can use a variety of inputs: the 'grid' name of the user (the Subject Distinguished Name), any VO attributes the user has (like VOMS (https://twiki.cnaf.infn.it/cgi-bin/twiki/view/VOMS) FQANs), the name of the executable the user intends to execute. It supports basic black and white list functionality, but also more complex VOMS-based expressions, based on the GACL (http://www.gridpp.ac.uk/authz/gacl/) language.

User Guide

The configuration file, /opt/glite/etc/lcas/lcas.db by default, contains the list of plugins to be executed. A positive 'allow' decision is only reached if all modules allow the user (it's a simple logical AND). An example configuration file might be

# LCAS database/plugin list
#
# Format of each line:
# pluginname="<name/path of plugin>", pluginargs="<arguments>"
#
pluginname=lcas_userban.mod,pluginargs=ban_users.db
pluginname=lcas_voms.mod,pluginargs="-vomsdir /etc/grid-security/vomsdir/ -certdir /etc/grid-security/certificates/ -authfile /etc/grid-security/grid-mapfile -authformat simple -use_user_dn"

When used with a service that can provide arguments to LCAS, the location of the file can be changes. Otherwise, the build-in default must be used (for example in the GT4 callout). Others, like gLExec, can make the configuration for LCAS explicit:

lcas_db_file                 = /opt/glite/etc/lcas/lcas-glexec.db
lcas_log_file                = /var/log/glexec/lcas_lcmaps.log
lcas_debug_level             = 0
lcas_log_level               = 1

If you want to use LCAS with GT4, use the AuthZ call out, configured in /etc/grid-security/gsi-authz.conf:

globus_mapping /opt/glite/lib/liblcas_lcmaps_gt4_mapping_gcc32.so lcmaps_callout

Plug in modules

userallow.mod

userban.mod

voms.mod

timeslots.mod

the most useless plugin ever

check_executable.mod

restrict the user in the programs that can be invoked

Installation

LCAS is usually (dynamically) linked to your service or application. It is shipped by default with all gLite versions, but can also be installed from the etics repository. On a, say, GT4 gatekeeper node, or a GT GridFTP server, you might find:

glite-security-lcas-1.3.7-2.slc4
glite-security-lcas-interface-1.3.6-3.slc4
glite-security-lcas-lcmaps-gt4-interface-0.0.14-2.slc4
glite-security-lcas-plugins-basic-1.3.2-3.slc4
glite-security-lcas-plugins-check-executable-1.2.1-3.slc4
glite-security-lcas-plugins-voms-1.3.4-5.slc4

Developer Guide

The details of most modules (except check-executable) are available here.