In RACF®, a
profile describes the security characteristics
of a user, a group of users, or one or more computer resources:
- User profiles
- A user profile is a description of a RACF-defined
user. The information in the profile includes the user ID, the user name,
the user's password, the profile owner, user attributes, and other data. The
user profile also contains user-related information for subsystems, including CICS®.
- Group profiles
- A group profile defines a group of users.
The information in the profile includes the group name, the profile owner,
and the users in the group.
- Data set profiles
- A data set profile provides RACF protection
for one or more data sets. The information in the profile includes the data
set profile name, the profile owner, the universal access authority, the access
list, and other data.
Data set profiles can be generic or discrete:
- A generic profile protects several resources
with similar names and identical security requirements.
- A discrete profile protects a single resource.
- General resource profiles
- A general resource profile provides RACF
protection for computer resources, other than data sets. The information in
the profile includes the general resource profile name, the profile owner,
the universal access authority, the access list, and other data. General resources
with similar characteristics belong to the same class.
Like a generic profile, a resource group profile protects several resources with identical security requirements. However,
the resources do not have to have similar names. Resource group profiles
with similar characteristics belong to the same resource
grouping class.
Resource profiles can be generic or discrete:
- A generic profile protects several resources
with similar names and identical security requirements.
- A discrete profile protects a single resource.