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Configure security for message-driven beans that use listener ports

For non-Java EE Connector Architecture (JCA) messaging providers, the association between connection factories, destinations, and message-driven beans is provided by listener ports. In this case, we can configure resource security and security permissions for message-driven beans by setting the container-managed alias. The MDB listener's security information is established when the MDB listener's JMS Connection is created.

A listener port allows a deployed message-driven bean associated with the port to retrieve messages from the associated destination. For more information about listener ports, see Message-driven beans - listener port components.

For WAS v7 and later, listener ports are stabilized. We should plan to migrate the IBM MQ message-driven bean deployment configurations from using listener ports to using activation specifications. For more information about how to configure activation specifications for non-ASF mode, see Configure activation specifications for non-ASF mode. However, we should not begin this migration until we are sure the application does not have to work on application servers earlier than WAS v7. For example, if we have an application server cluster with some members at v6.1 and some at a later version, we should not migrate applications on that cluster to use activation specifications until after we migrate all the application servers in the cluster to the later version.

In most respects, the security for an MDB is identical to security for any other enterprise bean. For instance, access to JDBC resources and JCA resources (for example CICS, IMS™) is handled in the same way as for an entity or session bean. Access to other JMS resources is also handled in the same way as for other enterprise beans.

To secure an MDB which has been deployed on a listener port, we configure authentication and authorization for the server to connect to a JMS provider and a destination so that a message can be retrieved from the destination for processing by the onMessage() method of the MDB.

With some DBs, the onMessage() method attempts to access additional JMS resources after the initial JMS connection has been made. In this case, security is handled identically to JMS calls made by an entity or session EJB.

The security information for an MDB which has been deployed onto a listener port is required when the initial JMS connection is created. When an MDB is deployed on a listener port, the security information for the MDB is determined by the values specified for the connection factory which the listener port is using. The user ID used by the listener port to create the JMS connection, is determined by the type of authentication alias which has been specified on the queue connection factory:

  1. If a container-managed alias has been defined for the connection factory, the user ID associated with the container-managed alias is used in the connection creation call, for example createQueueConnection(userid,password).

  2. If a component-managed alias has been defined for this connection factory, the user ID associated with the component-managed alias is used for the connection creation call.

  3. If neither alias is specified and the connection factory is defined in bindings mode (that is, TransportType = "BINDINGS" ), the server identity is used. (ZOS) The server identity translates more specifically into the servant identity in the servants, and the controller identity in the controller. Therefore, for a listening-in controller, the controller identity is relevant and the servant identity is relevant. For related information about listening-in controllers, see (ZOS) Message listener service on z/OS.

The authentication aliases referred to here are the authentication aliases associated with the connection factory defined by the administrator. No application resource reference is associated with the MDB or the listener port, therefore no authentication alias must be set at that level.

To set the container-managed alias (if you elect that option), use the administrative console to complete the following steps:


Tasks

  1. Display the listener port settings, by clicking Servers > Server Types > WebSphere application servers > application_server > [Communications] Messaging > Message listener service > [Additional properties] Listener ports > listener_port

  2. Get the name of the JMS connection factory, by looking at the connection factory JNDI name property.
  3. Display the JMS connection factory properties. For example, to display the properties of a queue connection factory, click...

            Resources > JMS->Queue connection factories->queue_connection_factory.

  4. Set the "Container-managed authentication alias" property.

  5. Click OK


What to do next

Invoking other EJBs

Messages arriving at a listener port have no client credentials associated with them. The messages are anonymous. To call secure enterprise beans from a message-driven bean, the message-driven bean must be configured with a RunAs Identity deployment descriptor. Security depends on the role specified by the RunAs Identity for the message-driven bean as an EJB component.

For more information about EJB security, see Secure enterprise bean applications. For more information about configuring security for the application, see Secure applications during assembly and deployment.

  • Configure security for message-driven beans that use activation specifications
  • Manage message listener resources for message-driven beans