OpenAM Open Source Support

We all noticed that Forgerock OpenAM is not really open anymore. It is Open Source but only for customers with a subscription and it changed the OS license which was originally CDDL to something more restrictive. This change was introduced alongside with a renaming of the product to Forgerock Access Management.

If you remember the history of the product. Originally DSAME (Directory Server Access Management Edition), then SUN Java Systems Access Manager / Federation Manager was open sourced under CDDL License in 2008 and received the name OpenSSO Enterprise. After the acquisition of SUN by Oracle in 2010 the product was abandoned and Forgerock was founded to revive the product under the name OpenAM. In 2018 Forgerock decided to discontinue the real open path and follow the path described at the top. We all know the reasons for such a move …

In fact there is still a community version of OpenAM, which was released in 2018 by Forgerock, most probably to feel better about this drastic change. The community version (v11.0) is very stable but lacks some newer features as it isn’t really maintained or updated.

Worth to note: There is still a gap between the community version and the last available CDDL Open Source version (around v13.5). This code base supports a lot of functionality not available in the community product (e.g. OpenID Connect, …). This version proofed to be quite stable as we have seen it with several customers we consult and support.

So what’s our message:
You love OpenAM and the freedom of CDDL Open Source version. You don’t want to go the Forgerock AM way or migrate to other SSO products. You need help either for supporting and maintaining the product, implementing new features or managing or designing your deployment. You are aware that Open Source doesn’t mean, it doesn’t cost a single dollar …

Then you might consider our OpenAM support offering. We have a long long looong (wow, actually since 2002) experience with that product and its predecessors.

Just contact us via the contact form. Thanks.