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Altered isbn. Added date. Removed URL that duplicated identifier. Removed parameters. Some additions/deletions were parameter name changes. Upgrade ISBN10 to 13. | Use this bot. Report bugs. | #UCB_CommandLine

← Previous revision		Revision as of 15:11, 18 July 2025
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	{{More citations needed\|date=August 2012}}		{{More citations needed\|date=August 2012}}

	'''Resource Access Control Facility (RACF)''' is an [[IBM]] software security product that provides access control and auditing functions for the [[z/OS]] and [[z/VM]] [[operating system]]s.<ref>{{Cite book \|last=Winnard 1 \|title=IBM z/OS V2R2: Security \|~~year~~=December 2015 \|isbn=~~0738441279~~}}</ref> RACF was introduced in 1976.<ref name="IBMRACF">{{cite web\|url=http://www.ibm.com/eserver/zseries/racf\|title=IBM RACF \|website=[[IBM]] \| accessdate = August 17, 2012 \| ref=IBMRACF}}</ref> Originally called RACF it was renamed to '''z/OS Security Server''' ('''RACF'''), although many mainframe professionals still refer to it as RACF.<ref>{{Cite web\|date=2015-07-02\|title=z/OS Security Server (RACF)\|url=https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/zos/2.2.0?topic=sets-zos-security-server-racf\|access-date=2021-08-06\|website=www.ibm.com\|language=en-us}}</ref>		'''Resource Access Control Facility (RACF)''' is an [[IBM]] software security product that provides access control and auditing functions for the [[z/OS]] and [[z/VM]] [[operating system]]s.<ref>{{Cite book \|last=Winnard 1 \|title=IBM z/OS V2R2: Security \|date=December 2015 \|isbn=978-0738441276}}</ref> RACF was introduced in 1976.<ref name="IBMRACF">{{cite web\|url=http://www.ibm.com/eserver/zseries/racf\|title=IBM RACF \|website=[[IBM]] \| accessdate = August 17, 2012 \| ref=IBMRACF}}</ref> Originally called RACF it was renamed to '''z/OS Security Server''' ('''RACF'''), although many mainframe professionals still refer to it as RACF.<ref>{{Cite web\|date=2015-07-02\|title=z/OS Security Server (RACF)\|url=https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/zos/2.2.0?topic=sets-zos-security-server-racf\|access-date=2021-08-06\|website=www.ibm.com\|language=en-us}}</ref>

	Its main features are:<ref name="IBMRACF" />		Its main features are:<ref name="IBMRACF" />
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	== Books ==		== Books ==
	The first text book published (first printing December 2007) aimed at giving security professionals an introduction to the concepts and conventions of how RACF is designed and administered was ''Mainframe Basics for Security Professionals: Getting Started with RACF'' by Ori Pomerantz, Barbara Vander Weele, Mark Nelson, and Tim Hahn.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book~~\|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/213380831~~\|title=Mainframe basics for security professionals: getting started with RACF\|date=2008\|publisher=IBM Press\|author=Ori Pomerantz\|isbn=978-0-13-173856-0\|location=Upper Saddle River, NJ\|oclc=213380831}}</ref>		The first text book published (first printing December 2007) aimed at giving security professionals an introduction to the concepts and conventions of how RACF is designed and administered was ''Mainframe Basics for Security Professionals: Getting Started with RACF'' by Ori Pomerantz, Barbara Vander Weele, Mark Nelson, and Tim Hahn.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book\|title=Mainframe basics for security professionals: getting started with RACF\|date=2008\|publisher=IBM Press\|author=Ori Pomerantz\|isbn=978-0-13-173856-0\|location=Upper Saddle River, NJ\|oclc=213380831}}</ref>

	== Evolution ==		== Evolution ==

imported>Tai Lale: Reworded intro paragraph and added additional source.

2025-03-14T23:43:29Z

Reworded intro paragraph and added additional source.

New page

{{short description|Standard security product included in the z/OS operating system}}
{{More citations needed|date=August 2012}}

'''Resource Access Control Facility (RACF)''' is an [[IBM]] software security product that provides access control and auditing functions for the [[z/OS]] and [[z/VM]] [[operating system]]s.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Winnard 1 |title=IBM z/OS V2R2: Security |year=December 2015 |isbn=0738441279}}</ref> RACF was introduced in 1976.<ref name="IBMRACF">{{cite web|url=http://www.ibm.com/eserver/zseries/racf|title=IBM RACF |website=[[IBM]] | accessdate = August 17, 2012 | ref=IBMRACF}}</ref> Originally called RACF it was renamed to '''z/OS Security Server''' ('''RACF'''), although many mainframe professionals still refer to it as RACF.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2015-07-02|title=z/OS Security Server (RACF)|url=https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/zos/2.2.0?topic=sets-zos-security-server-racf|access-date=2021-08-06|website=www.ibm.com|language=en-us}}</ref>

Its main features are:<ref name="IBMRACF" />
* Identification and verification of a user via user id and password check (authentication)
* Identification, classification and protection of system resources
* Maintenance of access rights to the protected resources (access control)
* Controlling the means of access to protected resources
* Logging of accesses to a protected system and protected resources (auditing)

RACF establishes security [[policy|policies]] rather than just permission records. It can set permissions for file patterns—that is, set the permissions even for files that do not yet exist. Those permissions are then used for the file (or other object) created at a later time.<ref name=":0" />

== Community ==
There is a long established technical support community for RACF based around a [[LISTSERV]] operated out of the [[University of Georgia]]. The list is called '''RACF-L''' which is described as ''RACF Discussion List''. The email address of the listserv is '''RACF-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU''' and can also be viewed via a webportal at https://listserv.uga.edu/scripts/wa-UGA.exe .<ref>{{Cite web|date=2013-09-28|title=Internet sources|url=https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/zos/2.1.0?topic=osi-internet-sources-1|access-date=2021-08-06|website=www.ibm.com|language=en-us}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=LISTSERV - LISTSERV Archives - LISTSERV.UGA.EDU|url=https://listserv.uga.edu/scripts/wa-UGA.exe?INDEX|access-date=2021-08-06|website=listserv.uga.edu}}</ref>

== Books ==
The first text book published (first printing December 2007) aimed at giving security professionals an introduction to the concepts and conventions of how RACF is designed and administered was ''Mainframe Basics for Security Professionals: Getting Started with RACF'' by Ori Pomerantz, Barbara Vander Weele, Mark Nelson, and Tim Hahn.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/213380831|title=Mainframe basics for security professionals: getting started with RACF|date=2008|publisher=IBM Press|author=Ori Pomerantz|isbn=978-0-13-173856-0|location=Upper Saddle River, NJ|oclc=213380831}}</ref>

== Evolution ==
RACF has continuously evolved<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www-03.ibm.com/systems/z/os/zos/features/racf/racfhist.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110806013534/http://www-03.ibm.com/systems/z/os/zos/features/racf/racfhist.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 6, 2011|title=IBM RACF - The History of RACF | accessdate = August 17, 2012}}</ref> to support such modern security features as [[digital certificate]]s/[[public key infrastructure]] services, [[Lightweight Directory Access Protocol|LDAP]] interfaces, and case sensitive IDs/passwords. The latter is a reluctant concession to promote interoperability with other systems, such as [[Unix]] and [[Linux]]. The underlying [[zSeries]] (now [[IBM Z]]) hardware works closely with RACF. For example, digital certificates are protected within [[tamper-proof]] [[IBM 4764|cryptographic processors]]. Major mainframe subsystems, especially [[IBM Db2|Db2]], use RACF to provide [[multi-level security]] (MLS).

Its primary competitors have been [[ACF2]] and [[TopSecret]], both now produced by [[CA Technologies]].<ref>Jeffrey Yost, "The Origin and Early History of the Computer Security Software Products Industry," ''IEEE Annals of the History of Computing'' 37 no. 2 (2015): 46-58 [https://dx.doi.org/10.1109/MAHC.2015.21 doi]</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/zos/basics/index.jsp?topic=/com.ibm.zos.zsecurity/zsecc_042.htm What is RACF?]
* [https://www.rshconsulting.com/racfinfo/RSH_Consulting__RACF_Overview__JANUARY_2020.pdf RACF - An Overview]

{{Authentication APIs}}

[[Category:IBM mainframe operating systems]]
[[Category:Operating system security]]
[[Category:IBM mainframe technology]]

{{Computer-security-stub}}

Resource Access Control Facility - Revision history

imported>Citation bot: Altered isbn. Added date. Removed URL that duplicated identifier. Removed parameters. Some additions/deletions were parameter name changes. Upgrade ISBN10 to 13. | Use this bot. Report bugs. | #UCB_CommandLine

imported>Tai Lale: Reworded intro paragraph and added additional source.