nShield Edge v12.81 User Guide (Linux)
Introduction
Read this guide if …
Read this guide if you need to configure or manage:
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An Entrust nShield Solo or nShield Solo XC or nShield Edge (Linux platforms only) Hardware Security Module (HSM).
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An associated Security World. nShield hardware security modules use the Security World paradigm to provide a secure environment for all your HSM and key management operations.
All nShield HSMs support standard cryptography frameworks and integrate with many standards based products.
This guide assumes that:
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You are familiar with the basic concepts of cryptography and Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)
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You have read the Installation Guide.
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You have installed your nShield Solo or nShield SoloXC, nShield5s or nShield Edge.
| Throughout this guide, the term Installation Guide refers to the particular Installation Guide for your product. |
Model numbers
Model numbering conventions are used to distinguish different nShield hardware security devices. In the table below n represents any single-digit integer.
| Model number | Used for |
|---|---|
nC3nnnE-nnn, nC4nnnE-nnn |
nShield Solo PCIe |
nC30n5E-nnn, nC40n5E-nnn |
nShield Solo XC PCIe |
nC30nnU-10, nC40nnU-10 |
nShield Edge |
Security World Software
The hardserver software controls communication between applications and Entrust nShield product line HSMs, which may be installed locally or remotely. It runs as a daemon on the host computer.
The Security World for nShield is a collection of programs and utilities, including the hardserver, supplied by Entrust to install and maintain your nShield security system.
The Edge is supplied with the latest version of the HSM firmware installed. For more information about:
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Upgrading the firmware, see Upgrading firmware.
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Installing and configuring the software on each client computer, see the Installation Guide and Client Software and module configuration.
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The supplied utilities, see Supplied utilities.
Software architecture
The software, firmware and utilities have version numbers and there is also a version number for the World which refers to the World data that is stored in encrypted form on the client computer, typically in the NFAST_KMDATA directory or on the RFS.
This data includes information concerning the World itself and also concerning each key that was created within that World.
The World version created is determined by the version numbers of the software and firmware used when it was first created, see Creating and managing a Security World.
The latest World version is version 3. You can query the version of the World loaded on your system by using the command kmfile-dump.
Default directories
The default locations for Security World Software and program data directories on English-language systems are summarized in the following table:
| Directory name | Default path |
|---|---|
nShield Installation |
|
Key Management Data |
|
Dynamic Feature Certificates |
|
Static Feature Certificates |
|
Log Files |
|
User Log Files |
|
| Dynamic feature certificates must be stored in the directory stated above. The directory shown for static feature certificates is an example location. You can store those certificates in any directory and provide the appropriate path when using the Feature Enable Tool. However, you must not store static feature certificates in the dynamic features certificates directory. |
The instructions in this guide refer to the locations of the software installation and program data directories by their names (for example, Key Management Data) or
absolute paths (for example, /opt/nfast/kmdata).
If the software has been installed into a non-default location, you
must create a symbolic link from /opt/nfast/ to the directory where the software is actually installed. For more information about creating symbolic links, see your operating system’s documentation.
Utility help options
Unless noted, all the executable utilities provided in the bin subdirectory of your nShield installation have the following standard help options:
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-h|--helpdisplays help for the utility -
-v|--versiondisplays the version number of the utility -
-u|--usagedisplays a brief usage summary for the utility.
Further information
This guide forms one part of the information and support provided by Entrust.
If you have installed the Java Developer component, the Java Generic Stub classes, nCipherKM JCA/JCE provider classes, and Java Key Management classes are supplied with HTML documentation in standard Javadoc format, which is installed in the appropriate
nfast/java
directory when you install these classes.
Release notes containing the latest information about your product are available in the release directory of your installation media.
| We strongly recommend familiarizing yourself with the information provided in the release notes before using any hardware and software related to your product. |
Security advisories
If Entrust becomes aware of a security issue affecting nShield HSMs, Entrust will publish a security advisory to customers. The security advisory will describe the issue and provide recommended actions. In some circumstances the advisory may recommend you upgrade the nShield firmware and or nShield Connect image file. In this situation you will need to re-present a quorum of administrator smart cards to the HSM to reload a Security World. As such, deployment and maintenance of your HSMs should consider the procedures and actions required to upgrade devices in the field.
| The Remote Administration feature supports remote firmware upgrade of nShield Solo, nShield Solo XC, nShield Connect and remote ACS card presentation. |
We recommend that you monitor the Announcements & Security Notices section on Entrust nShield Support, https://nshieldsupport.entrust.com, where any announcement of nShield Security Advisories will be made.