May 2, 2007
SSH Tectia Newsletter Vol.31 - SSH Tectia Server 5.4 for IBM z/OS Has Been Released!
SSH Communications Security >> http://www.ssh.com
======================================================
[ SSH TECTIA NEWSLETTER (VOLUME 31) ] < 2 May 2007 >
======================================================
* Product News - SSH Tectia Server 5.4 for IBM z/OS Has Been Released!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SSH Tectia Server 5.4 for IBM z/OS was released on April 16. Customers with a current maintenance and support agreement can download it from the SSH Customer Download Center.
With this release, SSH Tectia is the perfect solution for performing secure file transfers in a heterogeneous network with Windows, Linux, Unix and IBM z/OS machines.
Version 5.4 contains the following new features and enhancements:
* Support for Generation Data Groups (GDG)
* Support for System Management Facility (SMF) - Login and file transfer information can now be collected and stored as SMF type 119 records.
* OpenSSH key format support - SSH Tectia Server for IBM z/OS now supports the legacy OpenSSH public-key format used by IBM Ported Tools, eliminating the need for manual key conversions in multi-vendor Secure Shell environments. The OpenSSH key format is supported in both client and server modules.
* FTP compatibility mode for 'put' and 'get' commands - The 'put' and 'get' commands of sftp2 can now be configured to work similar to FTP.
For a full list of the new features, please see the release notes at http://www.ssh.com/support/documentation/release_notes/
For more information on SSH Tectia Server 5.4 for IBM z/OS, please visit http://www.ssh.com/products/server-zos/
* Special Feature Topic - eBook: The Shortcut Guide to Securing Automated File Transfers, Chapter 4 - AVAILABLE NOW!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Realtime Publishers, the leader in corporate sponsored ePublishing, and SSH Communications Security have released the eBook: "The Shortcut Guide to Securing Automated File Transfers". The new eBook, authored by 24-year computing veteran Ed Tittel, offers a consolidated explanation of the techniques that you need to know when choosing a technology or application for secure file transfer.
Chapter 4 compares and contrasts secure file transfers using SFTP, FTPS, and IPSEC. It is now available for download!
Read more about how to download the eBook at http://www.ssh.com/campaign/ebook/promo.html
* Tips & Tricks: Initializing Non-interactive Shells in Unix
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When a user opens a terminal session to an Unix or Linux host, the user's shell is started and shell specific initialization files for an interactive login shell (such as $HOME/.profile for ksh and bash) are read and executed. But when running remote commands, or transferring files using scpg3 or sftpg3, the session is launched using a non-interactive shell. Most shells do not read any initialization files when started in non-interactive mode, unless there is a specific environment variable set. Here we show how to initialize non-interactive bash and ksh shells. For other shells, please see the shell's documentation for how to do initialization in non-interactive mode.
The man page for bash tells us that when bash is started non-interactively, it looks for the variable BASH_ENV in the environment, expands its value, and uses the expanded value as the name of a file to read and execute. The Korn shell (ksh) behaves similarly, except that it looks for the variable ENV.
These environment variables can be set in /etc/environment and they will then be effective when SSH Tectia Server starts a shell in non-interactive mode.
Example: Setting the default umask value for transferred files on the server side
1) First, we modify the /etc/environment file. If the file does not exist, we create it.
# /etc/environment:
BASH_ENV=$HOME/.profile
ENV=$HOME/.profile
If all users have ksh as their default shell, the BASH_ENV setting is not needed, and similarly the ENV is not needed if all users have bash as their default shell. Naturally, it is possible to use some other file than $HOME/.profile as the value. Note that the variables should not be exported.
2) Modify (or create) the file that the variable is pointing to:
# $HOME/.profile
umask 033
Now the umask on the server side is set to 033, and the setting is also effective for non-interactive shells. Remember that the umask setting affects only new files created on the server, and the client can override the default permissions using chmod.
* Most Popular Documents Available at SSH Resource Center
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
** Compatibility Note: Secure TN3270 Application Connectivity
http://www.ssh.com/documents/50/SSHTectia_TN3270_CompNote.pdf
** White Paper: Selecting Secure FTP and Telnet Replacement - Minimizing TCO
http://www.ssh.com/campaign/ftpwp/newsletter.html
* Trade Shows & Events
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Come and see us to hear the latest news at the following upcoming events: :
* SSH Headlines
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
April 25, 2007
SSH Interim Report for January 1- March 31, 2007
http://www.ssh.com/company/news/article/834/
April 18, 2007
SSH Continues to Enhance its File Transfer Solution for IBM Mainframes Based on Customer Demand
http://www.ssh.com/company/news/article/830/
======================================================
# SSH Tectia Newsletter Mailing List #
------------------------------------------------------
This e-mail has been sent to evaluators of SSH products and others who have been in contact with us in the past and who have agreed that we send you the SSH Tectia Newsletter.
To unsubscribe from the mailing list, send a blank e-mail to from the e-mail account you wish to unsubscribe, or visit http://www.ssh.com/company/newsroom/unsubscribe.mpl.
# SSH Security & Release Alert Mailing List #
-------------------------------------------------------
If you would like to receive security alerts and notices about new version releases of SSH products, please subscribe to SSH Security & Release Alert mailing list at http://www.ssh.com/company/newsroom/subscribe.mpl.
=======================================================
Sincerely,
SSH Communications Security >> http://www.ssh.com
======================================================
[ SSH TECTIA NEWSLETTER (VOLUME 31) ] < 2 May 2007 >
======================================================
- Product News - SSH Tectia Server 5.4 for IBM z/OS Has Been Released!
- Special Feature Topic - Shortcut Guide to Securing Automated File Transfers, Chapter 4 is now Available!
- Tips & Tricks
- Most Popular Documents at SSH Resource Center
- Trade Shows & Events
- SSH Headlines
- Subscribing & Unsubscribing to Mailing Lists
* Product News - SSH Tectia Server 5.4 for IBM z/OS Has Been Released!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SSH Tectia Server 5.4 for IBM z/OS was released on April 16. Customers with a current maintenance and support agreement can download it from the SSH Customer Download Center.
With this release, SSH Tectia is the perfect solution for performing secure file transfers in a heterogeneous network with Windows, Linux, Unix and IBM z/OS machines.
Version 5.4 contains the following new features and enhancements:
* Support for Generation Data Groups (GDG)
* Support for System Management Facility (SMF) - Login and file transfer information can now be collected and stored as SMF type 119 records.
* OpenSSH key format support - SSH Tectia Server for IBM z/OS now supports the legacy OpenSSH public-key format used by IBM Ported Tools, eliminating the need for manual key conversions in multi-vendor Secure Shell environments. The OpenSSH key format is supported in both client and server modules.
* FTP compatibility mode for 'put' and 'get' commands - The 'put' and 'get' commands of sftp2 can now be configured to work similar to FTP.
For a full list of the new features, please see the release notes at http://www.ssh.com/support/documentation/release_notes/
For more information on SSH Tectia Server 5.4 for IBM z/OS, please visit http://www.ssh.com/products/server-zos/
* Special Feature Topic - eBook: The Shortcut Guide to Securing Automated File Transfers, Chapter 4 - AVAILABLE NOW!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Realtime Publishers, the leader in corporate sponsored ePublishing, and SSH Communications Security have released the eBook: "The Shortcut Guide to Securing Automated File Transfers". The new eBook, authored by 24-year computing veteran Ed Tittel, offers a consolidated explanation of the techniques that you need to know when choosing a technology or application for secure file transfer.
Chapter 4 compares and contrasts secure file transfers using SFTP, FTPS, and IPSEC. It is now available for download!
Read more about how to download the eBook at http://www.ssh.com/campaign/ebook/promo.html
* Tips & Tricks: Initializing Non-interactive Shells in Unix
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When a user opens a terminal session to an Unix or Linux host, the user's shell is started and shell specific initialization files for an interactive login shell (such as $HOME/.profile for ksh and bash) are read and executed. But when running remote commands, or transferring files using scpg3 or sftpg3, the session is launched using a non-interactive shell. Most shells do not read any initialization files when started in non-interactive mode, unless there is a specific environment variable set. Here we show how to initialize non-interactive bash and ksh shells. For other shells, please see the shell's documentation for how to do initialization in non-interactive mode.
The man page for bash tells us that when bash is started non-interactively, it looks for the variable BASH_ENV in the environment, expands its value, and uses the expanded value as the name of a file to read and execute. The Korn shell (ksh) behaves similarly, except that it looks for the variable ENV.
These environment variables can be set in /etc/environment and they will then be effective when SSH Tectia Server starts a shell in non-interactive mode.
Example: Setting the default umask value for transferred files on the server side
1) First, we modify the /etc/environment file. If the file does not exist, we create it.
# /etc/environment:
BASH_ENV=$HOME/.profile
ENV=$HOME/.profile
If all users have ksh as their default shell, the BASH_ENV setting is not needed, and similarly the ENV is not needed if all users have bash as their default shell. Naturally, it is possible to use some other file than $HOME/.profile as the value. Note that the variables should not be exported.
2) Modify (or create) the file that the variable is pointing to:
# $HOME/.profile
umask 033
Now the umask on the server side is set to 033, and the setting is also effective for non-interactive shells. Remember that the umask setting affects only new files created on the server, and the client can override the default permissions using chmod.
* Most Popular Documents Available at SSH Resource Center
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
** Compatibility Note: Secure TN3270 Application Connectivity
http://www.ssh.com/documents/50/SSHTectia_TN3270_CompNote.pdf
** White Paper: Selecting Secure FTP and Telnet Replacement - Minimizing TCO
http://www.ssh.com/campaign/ftpwp/newsletter.html
* Trade Shows & Events
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Come and see us to hear the latest news at the following upcoming events: :
- Las Vegas, Nevada, USA: Interop Las Vegas, May 22 - 24
- Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA: Techno Security 2007, June 3 - 5
- Tokyo, Japan: Interop Tokyo, June 13 - 15
- Singapore: CommunicAsia 2007, June 19 - 22
* SSH Headlines
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
April 25, 2007
SSH Interim Report for January 1- March 31, 2007
http://www.ssh.com/company/news/article/834/
April 18, 2007
SSH Continues to Enhance its File Transfer Solution for IBM Mainframes Based on Customer Demand
http://www.ssh.com/company/news/article/830/
======================================================
# SSH Tectia Newsletter Mailing List #
------------------------------------------------------
This e-mail has been sent to evaluators of SSH products and others who have been in contact with us in the past and who have agreed that we send you the SSH Tectia Newsletter.
To unsubscribe from the mailing list, send a blank e-mail to from the e-mail account you wish to unsubscribe, or visit http://www.ssh.com/company/newsroom/unsubscribe.mpl.
# SSH Security & Release Alert Mailing List #
-------------------------------------------------------
If you would like to receive security alerts and notices about new version releases of SSH products, please subscribe to SSH Security & Release Alert mailing list at http://www.ssh.com/company/newsroom/subscribe.mpl.
=======================================================
Sincerely,
SSH Communications Security >> http://www.ssh.com