Set server variables with encryption

Server variables can be provided encrypted in a separate file that can then be imported by a system administrator into a server alias configuration without knowledge about the provided server variable value. The server variable value will be displayed encrypted in the server alias editor.

To make encrypted editing of server variables available to other system administrators:

  1. In the Alfabet Administrator, click the Aliases node.
  2. Select the server alias that you want to define server variables for in the table and click the Edit  Edit button.
  3. In the server alias editor, open the Variables tab and click the New button.
  4. Define a name for the server variable in the Variable Name field and a dummy value in the Variable Value field. The variable value will be overwritten later in the external editor. Repeat this for as much server variables as needed.
  5. In the Variables tab of the server alias editor, select all server variables that shall be edited externally in the list of server variables, click the Export button select a file name and location and click OK. The output file must have the extension.alfams.
  6. It is recommended that the command line tool AlfaVariablesEditor.exe is removed from the Programs folder and exclusively made available to persons which are responsible for adding the server variables to the alfabetMS.xml file. The tool must be run in a folder containing the *.alfams file that shall be changed or read as well as AlfaCore.dll and AlfaCommon.dll files from the Programs folder of the Alfabet installation.
  7. External administrators can run the tool AlfaVariablesEditor.exe with one of the following command lines to change the server variables:
    • To list the encrypted server variables in an alfabetMS.xml configuration file, start the command line tool with:
      • AlfaVariablesEditor.exe -list <Path to the *.alfams server variable file>
    • To add server variables encrypted to an alfabetMS.xml configuration file, start the command line tool with:
      • AlfaVariablesEditor.exe -update <Path to the *.alfams server variable file> -<variable name> <plain text variable value>

      Multiple variables can be defined with one command. To clear a value for a variable, specify: -<variable name> null

  8. To import the server variables in the changed file, open the server alias editor for the server alias in the Alfabet Administrator and open the Variables tab.
  9. Click the Import button, select the *.alfams file containing the data and click OK.

Variables that have been imported cannot be edited in the server alias any longer and the value is not displayed.