System SSL

System SSL is a set of generic services provided in the IBM® i Licensed Internal Code (LIC) to protect TCP/IP communications using the SSL/TLS protocol. System SSL is tightly coupled with the operating system and the sockets code specifically providing extra performance and security.

System SSL is accessible to application developers from the following programming interfaces and JSSE implementation:
  • Global Security Kit (GSKit) APIs
    • These ILE C APIs are accessible from other ILE languages

  • Integrated IBM i SSL_ APIs
    • These ILE C APIs are accessible from other ILE languages
    • The use of this API set is not recommended. GSKit is the recommended C interface.

  • Integrated IBM i JSSE implementation
    • The IBM i JSSE implementation is available for JDK 1.6 and JDK 7.

SSL applications created by IBM, IBM business partners, independent software vendors (ISV), or customers that use one of the three System SSL interfaces listed above will use System SSL. For example, FTP and Telnet are IBM applications that use System SSL. Not all SSL enabled applications running on IBM i use System SSL.