Device Import fails with PAM-CMN-0653 error

Products

• CA Privileged Access Manager - Cloakware Password Authority (PA)
• CA Privileged Access Manager (PAM)

Issue/Introduction

We are trying to use the import/export feature for devices to import new Linux and Windows devices into PAM. The .csv import file contains the correct list of columns, but when we try to import the devices we get error messages "PAM-CMN-0653: Invalid task name specified: ." and the two devices are not imported.

Environment

Observed with PAM 3.1.1, but should be the same for any 3.X release.

Cause

The access methods were entered incorrectly in the import CSV file. For the Linux device the "Access Methods" column only contained string"SSH", and only "RDP" for the Windows device.

Resolution

An access method in a device definition has four settings: Name, Custom Name, Port and a possible (X11) property for SSH. The following are correct entries for the Access Methods column in the import file:

"name=SSH custom_name= port=22 property=x11forwarding"   (SSH with X11 forwarding checked)
"name=SSH custom_name= port=22 property="                         (SSH w/o X11 forwarding)
"name=RDP custom_name= port=3389 property="                     (RDP)

You will find entries like these if you export existing devices to a CSV file.
Also be aware that the list of columns may change from PAM release to PAM release. It is prudent to manually configure a sample device in the PAM release you are working on, export it, and then use this export file as a starting point for importing new devices.