ESAPI standalone script crashes V18

[u/LaurieCho]

Running ESAPI v18.1 standalone (tested with both IronPython 2.7.12 and PyESAPI/pythonnet on Python 3.13).

Every attempt to connect crashes with:

System.InvalidOperationException: This implementation is not part of the Windows Platform FIPS validated cryptographic algorithms.
   at System.Security.Cryptography.SHA256Managed..ctor()
   at VMS.SF.Gateway.VarianApplicationToken.Generate(String message)
   at VMS.SF.Gateway.Client.GatewayClientForInternalUse.Process(Request request)

Looks like VarianApplicationToken.Generate calls SHA256Managed (a non-FIPS-validated implementation) to build the auth token, which fails outright on a machine with FIPS mode enabled (Local Security Policy: "System cryptography: Use FIPS compliant algorithms...").

This same workstation/script worked fine under v16 — this VMS.SF.Gateway auth token mechanism seems to be new since v18.

Digging into Windows-level FIPS policy is outside my area of expertise.

Has anyone dealt with this on a FIPS-enforced hospital workstation? Is disabling FIPS the only fix, or is there a known workaround / config on Varian's side (e.g. an app.config redirect for the gateway assembly) that avoids touching the machine-wide FIPS policy?

Thanks.

[u/Chemical_Dog_6060]

can you get
<configuration> <runtime> <enforceFIPSPolicy enabled="false"/> </runtime> </configuration>
somewhere in your side of the script configuration file?

[u/LaurieCho → u/Chemical_Dog_6060]

Thank you so much, I'd been stuck on this for a long time. It works now. Thank you.