Overview of token types

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Overview of token types

Web services security defines the types of security tokens. The deployment descriptor extension file defines the types of tokens that the message can accept.
There is an important distinction between V5.x and V6.0.x and later applications. The information in this article supports V5.x applications only that are used with WebSphere Application Server V6.0.x and later. The information does not apply to V6.1x and later applications. The types of security tokens that are defined by Web services security are:

User name token

Binary security token

A user name token consists of a user name and, optionally, password information. You can include a user name token directly in the <Security> header within the message. Binary tokens, such as X.509 certificates, Kerberos tickets, LTPA tokens, or other non-XML formats, require a special encoding for inclusion. The Web services security specification describes how to encode binary security tokens such as X.509 certificates and Kerberos tickets, and it also describes how to include opaque encrypted keys. The specification also includes extensibility mechanisms that you can use to further describe the characteristics of the credentials that are included with a message.
WAS V5.0.2 supports user name tokens, which include both user name and password for basic authentication and user name, which is used for identity assertion. The WAS Version 5.0.2 binary security token implementation supports both X.509 certificates and LTPA binary security. You extend the implementation to generate other types of tokens. However, Kerberos tickets are not supported in WebSphere Application Server V5.0.2. Each type of token is processed by a corresponding token generation and validation module. The binary token generation and validation modules are pluggable that is based on the Java Authentication and Authorization Service (JAAS) framework. For example, an arbitrary XML-based token format is supported using the JAAS pluggable framework. WAS V5.0.2 does not support an XML-based token that is used in the SecurityTokenReference. You can define the types of tokens that the message can accept in the deployment descriptor extension file, ibm.webservices-ext.xmi. A message receiver might support one or more types of security tokens. The following example shows that the receiver supports four types of security tokens:
In the following code sample, several lines were split into multiple lines due to the width of the printed page. See the close bracket for an indication of where each line of code ends.
?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<com.ibm.etools.webservice.wsext:WsExtension xmi:version="2.0"  
xmlns:xmi="http://www.omg.org/XMI"
xmlns:com.ibm.etools.webservice.wsext=
"http://www.ibm.com/websphere/appserver/schemas/5.0.2/wsext.xmi"
xmi:id="WsExtension_1052760331306" routerModuleName="StockQuote.war">
  <wsDescExt xmi:id="WsDescExt_1052760331306" wsDescNameLink="StockQuoteFetcher">
    <pcBinding xmi:id="PcBinding_1052760331326" pcNameLink="urn:xmltoday-delayed-quotes"
      scope="Session">        
       <serverServiceConfig         
         xmi:id="ServerServiceConfig_1052760331326"actorURI="myActorURI">          
          <securityRequestReceiverServiceConfig          
           xmi:id="SecurityRequestReceiverServiceConfig_1052760331326">
            <loginConfig xmi:id="LoginConfig_1052760331326">           
              <authMethods xmi:id="AuthMethod_1052760331326" text="BasicAuth"/>   
              <authMethods xmi:id="AuthMethod_1052760331327" text="IDAssertion"/>
              <authMethods xmi:id="AuthMethod_1052760331336" text="Signature"/>
              <authMethods xmi:id="AuthMethod_1052760331337" text="LTPA"/>
           </loginConfig>
<idAssertion xmi:id="IDAssertion_1052760331336" idType="Username" trustMode="Signature"/>
The message sender might choose one of the token types that are supported by the receiver when sending a message. You can define the type of token to be used by the sending side in the client descriptor extension file, ibm-webservicesclient-ext.xmi. The following example shows that the sender chooses to send a UsernameToken to the receiver:
In the following code sample, several lines were split into multiple lines due to the width of the printed page. See the close bracket for an indication of where each line of code ends.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<com.ibm.etools.webservice.wscext:WsClientExtension xmi:version="2.0"  mlns:xmi="http://www.omg.org/XMI"
xmlns:com.ibm.etools.webservice.wscext=
"http://www.ibm.com/websphere/appserver/schemas/5.0.2/wscext.xmi"
xmi:id="WsClientExtension_1052760331496">
<ServiceRefs xmi:id="ServiceRef_1052760331506" serviceRefLink="service/StockQuoteService">
    <portQnameBindings xmi:id="PortQnameBinding_1052760331506"  portQnameLocalNameLink="StockQuote">
      <clientServiceConfig xmi:id="ClientServiceConfig_1052760331506"  actorURI="myActorURI">
          <securityRequestSenderServiceConfig 
xmi:id="SecurityRequestSenderServiceConfig_1052760331506" actor="myActorURI">
          <loginConfig xmi:id="LoginConfig_1052760331506" authMethod="BasicAuth"/>
Sub-topics

User name token

Binary security token

XML token

Related concepts

Security token

Related tasks

Securing Web services for V5.x applications using XML digital signature