Configure trust anchors using the administrative console

This document describes how to configure trust anchors or trust stores at the application level. It does not describe how to configure trust anchors at the server or cell level. Trust anchors defined at the application level have a higher precedence over trust anchors defined at the server or cell level. For more information on creating and configuring trust anchors at the server or cell level, see either Configuring the server security bindings using the Application Server Toolkit or Configuring the server security bindings using the administrative console.

You can configure an application-level trust anchor using the Application Server Toolkit or the administrative console. This document describes how to configure the application-level trust anchor using the administrative console.

A trust anchor specifies key stores that contain trusted root certificates, which validate the signer certificate. These key stores are used by the request receiver (as defined in the ibm-webservices-bnd.xmi file) and the response receiver (as defined in the ibm-webservicesclient-bnd.xmi file when Web services is acting as client) to validate the signer certificate of the digital signature. The keystores are critical to the integrity of the digital signature validation. If they are tampered with, the result of the digital signature verification is doubtful and comprised. Therefore, it is recommended that you secure these keystores. The binding configuration specified for the request receiver in the ibm-webservices-bnd.xmi file must match the binding configuration for the response receiver in the ibm-webservicesclient-bnd.xmi file.

The steps in this document assume that you have already created a Web services-enabled Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE) with Java Specification Requests (JSR) 109 enterprise application. If you have not created a Web services-enabled J2EE with JSR 109 enterprise application, see Developing Web services. Also, see either Configuring the server security bindings using the Application Server Toolkit or Configuring the server security bindings using the administrative console for an introduction on how to manage Web services security binding information for the server.

The following steps are for the client-side response receiver, which is defined in the ibm-webservicesclient-bnd.xmi file and the server-side request receiver, which is defined in the ibm-webservices-bnd.xmi file.

1. Click Applications > Enterprise Applications > enterprise_application.

2. In the Related Links section, click either EJB Modules or Web Modules and then click the Web services-enabled module in the Uri field.

3. Under Additional Properties, click Web Services: Client Security Bindings to edit the response receiver binding information, if Web services is acting as a client.

   1. Under Response Receiver Binding, click Edit.

   2. Under Additional Properties, click Trust Anchors.

   3. Click New to create a new trust anchor.

   4. Enter a unique name within the request receiver binding for the Trust anchor name field. The name is used to reference the trust anchor that is defined.

   5. Enter the key store password, path, and key store type.

   6. Click the trust anchor name link to edit the selected trust anchor.

   7. Click Remove to remove the selected trust anchor or anchors.

      When you start the application, the configuration is validated in the run time while the binding information is loading.

4. Return to the Web services-enabled module panel accessed in step 2.

5. Under Additional Properties, click Web Services: Server Security Bindings to edit the request receiver binding information.

   1. Under Request Receiver Binding, click Edit.

   2. Under Additional Properties, click Trust Anchors.

   3. Click New to create a new trust anchor

      Enter a unique name within the request receiver binding for the Trust anchor name field. The name is used to reference the trust anchor that is defined.

      Enter the key store password, path, and key store type.

      Click the trust anchor name link to edit the selected trust anchor.

      Click Remove to remove the selected trust anchor or anchors.

      When you start the application, the configuration is validated in the run time while the binding information is loading.

6. Save the changes.

This procedure defines trust anchors that can be used by the request receiver or the response receiver (if the Web services is acting as client) to verify the signer certificate.

 

Usage Scenario

To complete the signing information configuration process for request receiver, complete the following tasks...

1. Configure the server for request digital signature verification: Verifying the message parts

2. Configure the server for request digital signature verification: Choosing the verification method

To complete the process for the response receiver, if the Web services is acting as client, complete the following tasks...

1. Configure the client for response digital signature verification: Verifying the message parts

2. Configure the client for response digital signature verification: Choosing the verification method

 

See Also

Default binding
Trust anchors
Securing Web services using XML digital signature
Configuring the server security bindings using the Assembly Toolkit
Configuring the server security bindings using the administrative console
Developing Web services based on Web Services for J2EE
Configuring the server for request digital signature verification: verifying the message parts
Configuring the server for request digital signature verification: choosing the verification method
Configuring the client for response digital signature verification: Verifying the message parts
Configuring the client for response digital signature verification: choosing the verification method
Trust anchors collection
Trust anchor configuration settings

 

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