Kerberos error PROCESS_TGS

When trying to sign into MIT SAPgui I got an error "PROCESS_TGS"

What might Kerberos error PROCESS_TGS mean?

Answer

This answer is not exhaustive - it only lists a cause of Kerberos error PROCESS_TGS which came to our attention. The error might also have other meanings besides what is listed here.

One situation that can result in Kerberos error PROCESS_TGS is:

• Your computer's clock is at least five (5) minutes wrong, fast or slow.
• You have a computer with Heimdal Kerberos, such as Mac OS X 10.7 or greater.
• You try to connect to a service that uses kerberos, such as SAP.

In that situation, you can get a PROCESS_TGS error. In SAPgui the error text looks like this:

java.lang.Exception: Error: GSS-API(maj): Miscellaneous failure (see text)
GSS-API(min): PROCESS_TGS
target="p:sap/zuben.mit.edu@ATHENA.MIT.EDU"

Fri Mar 1 11:14:46 2013
Release 720
Component SNC (Secure Network Communication), version 5
rc = -4, module sncxxall_mt.c, line 3345
Detail SncPEstablishContext
System Call gss_init_sec_context

Action

The first action is to check the clock on the computer and fix the clock if needed.

On a Mac, you can fix your clock with these steps:

• Go to System Preferences > Date & Time
• Turn ON the checkbox for "Set date and time automatically"
  • MIT affiliates can set their time from time.mit.edu
  • It is also fine to use a global internet server such as time.apple.com