xcom.glb file parameter XCOM_USERID and userid "xcom"

Products

• XCOM Data Transport
• XCOM Data Transport - Windows
• XCOM Data Transport - Linux PC

Issue/Introduction

This article covers guidance on using configuring the XCOM_USERID and XCOM_PASSWORD parameters in the Windows or UNIX/Linux xcom.glb file.
After the installation, the values of those 2 parameters in the xcom.glb file are set as:
XCOM_USERID=xcom
XCOM_PASSWORD=

What does the XCOM_USERID parameter do?
What is the significance of the userid "xcom"? Is it relevant to the running of the xcomd service?
Should the default values be changed?

Resolution

NOTES:
1. During an XCOM installation the userid "xcom" is used for the value of the parameter setting XCOM_USERID in the xcom.glb file, but is not created as a userid in the Operating System.
2. The xcomd service must be run under an administrator/superuser userid. The userid "xcom" is not normally involved in running the xcomd service unless the system administrator/superuser has created that userid, given it administrator/superuser(sudo) access and it is being used to run the xcomd service.

There are two different choices on how to set up XCOM_USER and XCOM_PASSWORD depending on how incoming transfers are required to be handled.

• If all incoming transfers must specify a userid and password
  If want to force the use of valid transfer userids for every transfer, specify an INVALID user id in parameter XCOM_USERID, and restart the xcomd service. This way, for any incoming transfer with missing user credentials, XCOM will use this value and it will fail with the message "XCOMN0287E error setting remote userid" or "XCOMU0287E Error setting remote user id: Incorrect uid/pwd". This is the default behaviour if the default value of XCOM_USERID=xcom is left "as is" and the userid "xcom" is not created as a valid userid in the Operating System.
  
  
• If incoming transfers may omit the userid and password and use the credentials specified in the xcom.glb file
  For parameters XCOM_USERID and XCOM_PASSWORD, use VALID userid and password values for a userid that has been created in the Operating System and restart the xcomd service. This way, any incoming transfer with missing user credentials will use the userid and password specified in XCOM_USERID and XCOM_PASSWORD.
  
  

NOTES:
1. If choose to specify XCOM_PASSWORD in xcom.glb, this parameter value can be encrypted.
See Windows doc. page: Encrypt Parameter Values in Configuration Files or Linux doc. page: Encrypt Parameter Values in Existing Configuration Files
2. XCOM allows the administrator/superuser to set XCOM_USERID and XCOM_PASSWORD to blank in the xcom.glb which will result in transfers running as the owner of the xcomd service (administrator/superuser) - see related comments in the xcom.glb file.