Filetransfers to Java ZO/S fail with User is unknown or an incorrect password was specified post upgrade to v24

Products

• CA Automic Workload Automation - Automation Engine
• Automic Automation
• Automic SaaS
• CA Automic One Automation

Issue/Introduction

After upgrading to z/OS Agent v24.x  (Java-based), File Transfer (FT) jobs fail for specific users while others work correctly. The following errors are observed in the agent logs:

U0200102 User '####' is unknown or an incorrect password was specified.
U02100051 Web Socket connection closed with status code '1005'

In some instances, a `Java ClassCastException` may also appear in the trace files during authentication rejections.

Environment

Release: Automic Automation Engine v21, v24
Component: Java-based z/OS Agent v24.4.1 and higher

Cause

Configuration

Resolution

To resolve this issue, ensure the `askRACF` parameter is compatible with thread-level security settings.

1. Open the Agent INI file.
2. Locate the `[GLOBAL]` section.
3. Verify the `ft_thread_level_security` setting.
4. If `ft_thread_level_security=yes` is required, set `askRACF=0` or `askRACF=1`.
5. Restart the z/OS Agent to apply changes.

Note:  ft_thread_level_security=yes and askRACF values of 2/4/8 are mutually exclusive. In other words, askRACF values from 2 to 15 are not supported when ft_thread_level_security=yes is enabled.

This means that once the thread has been switched to the LOGIN user, there is no additional requirement to validate the user ID/password or perform file access checks against both the LOGIN user and the AGENT user.