SLCS Frequently Asked Questions

User's FAQ

  1. I cannot access the SLCS Service. Who can help me?
  2. How to I get a SLCS certificate?
  3. How do I use the command slcs-init?
  4. I don't know my Identity Provider.
  5. How can I test the access to the SLCS service?
  6. Executing the command slcs-init simply hangs.
  7. Executing the command slcs-init returns an error.

Technician's FAQ

  1. Where is the log file?
  2. How do I change the logging information?
  3. Which configuration files are there?
  4. How do I install the slcs-init command on my host?
  5. Where do I find more information?

1. I cannot access the SLCS service. Who can help me?

  • If you have never accessed the SLCS service before, you must first check your registration status. Click here for details.
  • If you have access the SLCS service before, but you have never accessed from the host, then check whether the slcs-init command is installed on your host (under unix type which slcs-init).
  • If you suspect a problem with your AAI account, then contact your local AAI helpdesk.
  • If you suspect a problem with the SLCS service, contact the SLCS helpdesk.

2. How do I get a SLCS certificate?

You get a SLCS certificate by executing the command slcs-init on the command line of the host, from where you want to access grid resources.

3. How do I use the command slcs-init?

The command line usage is:

    slcs-init –-idp <providerId> [options]

where <providerId> is the Shibboleth Identity Provider of the user, which must be known by the user.

The command slcs-info will list the configured Identity Providers with their respective providerId.

The slcs-init command supports the following arguments:

Command Explanation Default value
--conf <filename> SLCS client XML configuration file /opt/glite/etc/glite-slcs-ui/slcs-init.xml
--storedir <directory> Overwrite the default cert/key-files store directory $HOME/.globus
--prefix <prefix> Optional filename prefix for the cert/key files  
--idp <providerId> ProviderId of the Identity Provider as defined in the SLCS client XML configuration file  
--user <username> Shibboleth user account current user
--password <pwd> User's password for the Shibboleth user acount  
--keysize <size> Size of the private key (512, 1024, 2048) 1024
--keypass <pwd> Private key passphrase  
--help Displays the help  
--verbose Enables verbose output  
--pkcs12 Store the cert/key in PKCS12 user.p12 file  

 

3. I don't know my Identity Provider.

Execute slcs-info and find your institution. The Identity Provider name is given in [] (square brackets).

4. How can I test the access to the SLCS service?

Open a browser to the SLCS Service URL: https://slcs.switch.ch/SLCS.
It can also be found with the command slcs-info or in the configuration file <install-dir>/glite-slcs-ui/slcs-init.xml, the tag <url> value in the element <ServiceProvider>.

You should get a successful XML login response as shown in the figure below after a successful authentication at your Shibboleth Identity Provider:

5. Executing the command slcs-init simply hangs.

Make sure you can access the SLCS service with your browser (see this FAQ). If you cannot access with your browser, then send an email to grid@switch.ch.

6. Executing slcs-init returns an error.

Make sure you can access the SLCS service with your browser (see this FAQ). If you cannot access with your browser, then send an email to grid@switch.ch.

Technician's FAQ

1. Where is the log file?

The default location of the log file is $HOME/slcs-init.log

2. How do I change the logging information?

The command slcs-init uses log4j internally. Edit the file <install-dir>/etc/glite-slcs-ui/log4j.xml according to your taste. Typically, you can change the location of the log file by editing the value parameter of the XML element <param name="File" value="..."/> of the <appender name="logfile" ...> element.

3. Which configuration files are there?

The main configuration file is <install-dir>/etc/glite-slcs-ui/slcs-init.xml. There is also the log4j.xml configuration file as well as the truststore file in the directory <install-dir>/etc/glite-slcs-ui/

4. How do I install the slcs-init on my host?

You have to download the slcs-init java command line tool from https://slcs.switch.ch/download and install it on your local host.

You simply have to decompress the file glite-slcs-ui-<version>-jdk1.5.tar.gz or glite-slcs-ui-<version>-jdk1.5.zip into a directory of your choice (i.e. <install-dir>) and add the <install-dir>/bin directory into your path. The configuration file is already adapted to the SWITCHaai Shibboleth federation.

Detailed installation instructions can be found in the slcs user guide.

5. Where do I find more information?

More information can be found in the