Java in a Nutshell, 5th Edition

Name

policytool — Policy File Creation and Management Tool

Synopsis

policytool

Description

policytool displays a Swing user interface that makes it easy to edit security policy configuration files. The Java security architecture is based on policy files, which specify sets of permissions to be granted to code from various sources. By default, the Java security policy is defined by a system policy file stored in the jre/lib/security/java.policy file and a user policy file stored in the .java.policy file in the user’s home directory. System administrators and users can edit these files with a text editor, but the syntax of the file is somewhat complex, so it is usually easier to use policytool to define and edit security policies.

Selecting the policy file to edit

When policytool starts up, it opens the .java.policy file in the user’s home directory by default. Use the New, Open, and Save commands in the File menu to create a new policy file, open an existing file, and save an edited file, respectively.

Editing the policy file

The main policytool window displays a list of the entries contained in the policy file. Each entry specifies a code source and the permissions that are to be granted to code from that source. The window also contains buttons that allow you to add a new entry, edit an existing entry, or delete an entry from the policy file. If you add or edit an entry, policytool opens a new window that displays the details of that policy entry.

With the addition of the JAAS API ...