The information in a voms proxy is a superset of the information in a grid certificate proxy. This additional information includes details about the VO of the user. For users, the potential benefit is the possibility to work as a member of multiple VOs with a single DN and have your jobs accounted accordingly. Obtaining a voms-proxy (if all is well configured) is as simple as “voms-proxy-init -voms star” (This is of course for a member of the STAR VO).

Here is an example to illustrate the difference between grid proxies and voms proxies (note that the WARNING and Error lines at the top don’t seem to preclude the use of the voms proxy – the fact is that I don’t know why those appear or what practical implications there are from the underlying cause – I hope to update this info as I learn more):

[stargrid02] ~/> voms-proxy-info -all
WARNING: Unable to verify signature!
Error: Cannot find certificate of AC issuer for vo star
subject : /DC=org/DC=doegrids/OU=People/CN=Wayne Betts 602856/CN=proxy
issuer : /DC=org/DC=doegrids/OU=People/CN=Wayne Betts 602856
identity : /DC=org/DC=doegrids/OU=People/CN=Wayne Betts 602856
type : proxy
strength : 512 bits
path : /tmp/x509up_u2302
timeleft : 4:10:20
=== VO star extension information ===
VO : star
subject : /DC=org/DC=doegrids/OU=People/CN=Wayne Betts 602856
issuer : /DC=org/DC=doegrids/OU=Services/CN=vo.racf.bnl.gov
attribute : /star/Role=NULL/Capability=NULL
timeleft : 4:10:19

 

[stargrid02] ~/> grid-proxy-info -all
subject : /DC=org/DC=doegrids/OU=People/CN=Wayne Betts 602856/CN=proxy
issuer : /DC=org/DC=doegrids/OU=People/CN=Wayne Betts 602856
identity : /DC=org/DC=doegrids/OU=People/CN=Wayne Betts 602856
type : full legacy globus proxy
strength : 512 bits
path : /tmp/x509up_u2302
timeleft : 4:10:14

 

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In order to obtain the proxy, the VOMS server for the requested VO must be contacted (with the potential drawback that it introduces a dependency on a working VOMS server that doesn’t exist with a simple grid cert. It is worth further noting that either a VOMS or GUMS server (I should investigate this) will also be contacted by VOMS-aware gatekeepers to authenticate the users at job submission time, behind the scenes. One goal (or consequence at least) of this sort of usage is to eliminate static grid-map-files.)

Something else to note (and investigate): the voms-proxy doesn’t necessarily last as long as the basic grid cert proxy – the voms part can apparently expire independent of the grid-proxy. Consider this example, in which the two expiration times are different:

[stargrid02] ~/> voms-proxy-info -all
WARNING: Unable to verify signature!
Error: Cannot find certificate of AC issuer for vo star
subject : /DC=org/DC=doegrids/OU=People/CN=Wayne Betts 602856/CN=proxy
issuer : /DC=org/DC=doegrids/OU=People/CN=Wayne Betts 602856
identity : /DC=org/DC=doegrids/OU=People/CN=Wayne Betts 602856
type : proxy
strength : 512 bits
path : /tmp/x509up_u2302
timeleft : 35:59:58
=== VO star extension information ===
VO : star
subject : /DC=org/DC=doegrids/OU=People/CN=Wayne Betts 602856
issuer : /DC=org/DC=doegrids/OU=Services/CN=vo.racf.bnl.gov
attribute : /star/Role=NULL/Capability=NULL
timeleft : 23:59:58

 

(Question: What determines the duration of the voms-proxy extension - the VOMS server or the user/client?)

Technical note 1: on stargrid02, the “vomses” file, which lists the URL for VOMS servers, was not in a default location used by voms-proxy-init, and thus it was not actually working (basically, it worked just like grid-proxy-init). I have put an existing vomses file in /opt/OSG-0.4.1/voms/etc and it seems content to use it.

Technical note 2: neither stargrid03’s VDT installation nor the WNC stack on the rcas nodes has VOMS tools. I’m guessing that the VDT stack is too old on stargrid03 and that voms-proxy tools are missing on the worker nodes because that functionality isn't really needed on a worker node.