# Creating a connection using client certificate authentication

The Rational Developer for System z remote systems environment supports client certificate authentication for users who need to connect to a remote system using a device such as an integrated circuit card (like Smart Card).

About this task
To create a connection to a remote system using client certificate authentication, do these steps:

1. Ensure that you have connected your security device to your workstation and logged on to your local system according to your site requirements.
2. Set preferences for client certificate authentication.
3. Create a new connection to the remote system and select certificate from the Authentication method list.

- Setting preferences for client certificate authentication
  Use the Client Certificates preference page to specify the Java Cryptographic Service Provider (Java CSP) and the keystore type used by the Java CSP for retrieving the certificates stored in the Microsoft Cryptography API (MS-CAPI) key store.
- Creating a new connection to a remote system

Parent topic: z/OS Integrated Development Environment (zIDE)
Related tasks
Creating a new connection to a remote system