16.8. Managing Tokens Used by the Subsystems

Certificate System managers two groups of tokens: tokens used by the subsystems to perform PKI tasks and tokens issued through the subsystem. These management tasks refer specifically to tokens that are used by the subsystems.
For information on managing smart card tokens, see Chapter 6, Using and Configuring the Token Management System: TPS and TKS.

16.8.1. Detecting Tokens

To see if a token can be detected by Certificate System to be installed or configured, use the TokenInfo utility. 
TokenInfo /var/lib/pki/instance_name/alias
Database Path: /var/lib/pki/instance_name/alias
Found external module 'NSS Internal PKCS #11 Module'
This utility will return all tokens which can be detected by the Certificate System, not only tokens which are installed in the Certificate System.

16.8.2. Viewing Tokens

To view a list of the tokens currently installed for a Certificate System instance, use the modutil utility.
  1. Open the instance alias directory. For example: 
    cd /var/lib/pki/instance_name/alias
  2. Show the information about the installed PKCS #11 modules installed as well as information on the corresponding tokens using the modutil tool. 
    modutil -dbdir . -nocertdb -list

16.8.3. Changing a Token's Password

The token, internal or external, that stores the key pairs and certificates for the subsystems is protected (encrypted) by a password. To decrypt the key pairs or to gain access to them, enter the token password. This password is set when the token is first accessed, usually during Certificate System installation.
It is good security practice to change the password that protects the server's keys and certificates periodically. Changing the password minimizes the risk of someone finding out the password. To change a token's password, use the certutil command-line utility.
For information about certutil, see http://www.mozilla.org/projects/security/pki/nss/tools/.
The single sign-on password cache stores token passwords in the password.conf file. This file must be manually updated every time the token password is changed. For more information on managing passwords through the password.conf file, see Red Hat Certificate System Planning, Installation, and Deployment Guide.