+

Search Tips   |   Advanced Search

Associate a Secure Sockets Layer configuration dynamically with an outbound protocol and remote secure endpoint

After creating an SSL configuration, you must associate a secure outbound management scope with the new configuration. In this release, we can associate one SSL configuration with one remote secure endpoint and a different SSL configuration to another remote secure endpoint. Both endpoints can use the same outbound protocol, if appropriate. This task describes how to create the association dynamically.

Dynamic outbound selection requires that you provide only the outbound protocol name, the target host, and the target port so that WAS can make a connection between the SSL configuration and the outbound protocol or remote secure endpoint. The dynamic outbound selection method takes precedence over other selection methods, such as central management and direct selection, but is second to the programmatic method, that is, setting an SSL configuration on the running thread. For more information about the selection types and precedence rules, see Secure communications using SSL.

Complete the following steps in the console:

  1. Click Security > SSL certificate and key management > Manage endpoint security configurations > Outbound.

  2. Select the management scope to associate with an SSL configuration on the topology tree.

  3. Under Related Items, click Dynamic outbound endpoint SSL configurations. The default dynamic outbound configuration name, the target protocol, host, and port connection information, and the SSL configuration name display.

  4. Click New to create a new dynamic outbound configuration.

  5. Type a dynamic outbound configuration name. Use a name that is descriptive of the purpose of the dynamic selection configuration.

  6. Optionally, type a dynamic selection configuration description.

  7. Type the connection information to associate with the configuration that is displayed in the SSL configuration drop-down list. The connection information must be in the format protocol name, target host, target port. We can substitute an asterisk (*) for any value, as in the following examples, where 443 is a port, www.mycompany.com is a host, HTTP is a protocol, and .hometown.mycompany.com is a target host. We can add multiple connections, but each additional connection can affect outbound performance.

    • *,*,443

    • *,www.mycompany.com,443

    • HTTP,.hometown.mycompany.com,*

    • *,*,*

      Avoid trouble: Do not use this configuration because it matches all outbound specifications. Therefore, no other SSL configuration is used for outbound connections. gotcha

    Avoid trouble:

    • Unless the intention is to set the protocol property through the JSSEHelper API, the protocol filter should be set to * (as in the first two examples). See "Dynamic Selection" in Secure communications using SSL for more information.

    • The connection protocols used for dynamic outboud SSL configuration selection, that are illustrated in the preceding examples, which are not corresponding the protocol name of the URL. To use one of these protocols from a user-written application, programmatic SSL configuration selection must be implemented.

    gotcha

  8. Click Add to add the new connection to the set of SSL configuration connections. To remove a connection, select it and click Remove.

  9. Select an SSL configuration from the list.

  10. Click Get certificate aliases to refresh the certificate aliases contained in the associated key store.

  11. Choose a certificate alias from the list.

  12. Click OK and Save.


Results

WebSphere Application Server is ready to connect one or more SSL configurations to one or more remote secure endpoints.


What to do next

We can return to the outbound tree and select another management scope to associate with the same or a new outbound configuration.


Subtopics


Related concepts

  • Secure communications using SSL
  • Dynamic outbound selection of Secure Sockets Layer configurations
  • Central management of SSL configurations
  • SSL configurations

  • ssl.client.props client configuration file