Key management
Managed Keys

Edit the Futurex PKCS #11 configuration file

16min

The fxpkcs11.cfg file enables you to set the FXPKCS #11 library to connect to the KMES Series 3. To edit the file, run a text editor as an Administrator on Windows or as root on Linux, and edit the configuration file accordingly. Most notably, you must set the fields described in this section inside the <KMS> section of the file.

Our PKCS #11 library expects to find the PKCS #11 config file in a certain location (C:\Program Files\Futurex\fxpkcs11\fxpkcs11.cfg for Windows and /etc/fxpkcs11.cfg for Linux), but you can override that location by using the FXPKCS11_CFG environment variable.

To configure the fxpkcs11.cfg file, edit the following sections of the partial file sample:

Text


Field

Description



<SLOT>

Can leave set to the default value of 0.



<CRYPTO-OPR>

Specify the name of the identity created on the KMES.



<KEYGROUP-NAME>

Specify the name of the key group created for this integration.



<ADDRESS>

Specify the IP address of the KMES to which the PKCS #11 library should connect.



<LOG-FILE>

Set the path of the PKCS #11 log file.



<PROD-PORT>

Set the PKCS #11 library to connect to the default Host API port on the KMES, port 2001.



<PROD-TLS-ENABLED>

Set the field to YES. The only way to connect to the Host API port on the KMES is over TLS.



<PROD-TLS-ANONYMOUS>

Set this value to NO because you're connecting to the Host API port by using mutual authentication. This field defines whether the PKCS #11 library authenticates to the KMES.



<PROD-TLS-CA>

Define the location of the CA certificates with one or more instances of this tag. In this example, there is only one CA certificate.



<PROD-TLS-CERT>

Set the location of the signed client certificate.



<PROD-TLS-KEY>

Set the location of the client private key. Supported formats for the TLS private key are PKCS #1 clear private keys, PKCS #8 encrypted private keys, or a PKCS #12 file that contains the private key and certificates encrypted under a password.



<PROD-TLS-KEY-PASS>

Set the password of the PKCS #12 file, if necessary.



<FX-LOAD-BALANCE>

Set this field to YES if you use a Guardian to manage KMES Series 3 devices in a cluster. If you don't use a Guardian, set it to NO.



For additional details, see the Futurex PKCS #11 technical reference on the Futurex Portal.

After you edit fxpkcs11.cfg, run the PKCS11Manager file to test the connection against the KMES, and check the fxpkcs11.log for errors and information. For more information, see our Administrator Guide.

Configure special compatibility mode

The HashiCorp Vault Managed Keys integration requires you to add the following definitions to the <CONFIG> section of the fxpkcs11.cfg file:

Text


This configuration forces specific usages for the symmetric and asymmetric keys that Vault creates on the KMES Series 3.