Red Hat Launches Enhanced PKI System
The enhanced PKI solution, announced Wednesday at the RSA Conference in San Francisco, separates the directory server and certificate server into separate release package managers (RPMs), plus provides improved deployment, management and integration of certificates and better smart-card management in a desktop environment, according to Red Hat.
The Raleigh, N.C.-based Linux vendor said Certificate System 7.2 brings a new management infrastructure and interface based on Apache and Tomcat as well as a new security domain that permits every server component to be automatically registered as a component of the system. Also, offering the directory server and certificate system as separate RPMs enables more granular management of upgrades through the Red Hat Network, the company said.
In addition, Certificate System 7.2 provides deeper integration with Red Hat Enterprise Linux, an improved interface for client-side management and better end-user management of smart cards on the desktop. For example, smart cards now can reach out to appropriate servers automatically for enrollment, PIN resets and upgrades, Red Hat said.
The enhanced system also supports 64-bit Intel and AMD Red Hat Linux platforms and new client-side, smart-card management of Mac OS X 32-bit PowerPC, in addition to the current support for Windows and Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
Red Hat's PKI rollout followed Microsoft's announcement at RSA on Tuesday that it plans to ship its first Microsoft-branded Identity Lifecycle Manager 2007 in May. That platform, which Microsoft obtained in its 2005 acquisition of Alacris, offers management of certificates and smart cards.