Introduction to Developing Security Providers for WebLogic Server

The following sections prepare you to learn more about developing security providers:

 

Audience for This Guide

Developing Security Providers for WebLogic Server is designed for independent software vendors (ISVs) who want to write their own security providers for use with WebLogic Server. It is assumed that most ISVs reading this documentation are sophisticated application developers who have a solid understanding of security concepts, and that no basic security concepts require explanation. It is also assumed that security vendors and application developers are familiar with BEA WebLogic Server and with Java (including Java Management eXtensions (JMX)).

 

Prerequisites for This Guide

Prior to reading this guide, you should review the following sections in the Introduction to WebLogic Security:

Additionally, WebLogic Server security includes many unique terms and concepts that you need to understand. These terms and concepts - which you will encounter throughout the WebLogic Server security documentation - are defined in the Terminology" and the Security Fundamentals" sections of Introduction to WebLogic Security, respectively.

 

Overview of the Development Process

This section is a high-level overview of the process for developing new security providers, so you know what to expect. Details for each step are discussed later in this guide.

The main steps for developing a custom security provider are:

 

Designing the Custom Security Provider

The design process includes the following steps:

  1. Review the descriptions of the WebLogic security providers to determine whether you need to create a custom security provider.

    Descriptions of the WebLogic security providers are available under The WebLogic Security Providers" in Introduction to WebLogic Security and in later sections of this guide under the "Do You Need to Create a Custom <Provider_Type> Provider?" headings. <Provider_Type> can be Authentication, Identity Assertion, Principal Validation, Authorization, Adjudication, Role Mapping, Auditing, or Credential Mapping.

  2. Determine which type of custom security provider you want to create.

    The type may be Authentication, Identity Assertion, Principal Validation, Authorization, Adjudication, Role Mapping, Auditing, or Credential Mapping, described in Types of Security Providers" in Introduction to WebLogic Security. Your custom security provider can augment or replace the WebLogic security providers that are already supplied with WebLogic Server.

  3. Identify which security service provider interfaces (SSPIs) implement to create the runtime classes for your custom security provider, based on the type of security provider you want to create.

    The SSPIs for the different security provider types are described in Security Services Provider Interfaces (SSPIs) and summarized in SSPI Quick Reference.

  4. Decide whether you will implement the SSPIs in one or two runtime classes.

    These options are discussed in Understand the SSPI Hierarchy and Determine Whether You Will Create One or Two Runtime Classes.

  5. Identify which required SSPI MBeans extend to generate an MBean type through which your custom security provider can be managed. If you want to provide additional management functionality for your custom security provider (such as handling of users, groups, security roles, and security policies), you also need to identify which optional SSPI MBeans to implement.

    The SSPI MBeans are described in Security Service Provider Interface (SSPI) MBeans and summarized in SSPI MBean Quick Reference.

  6. Determine how you will initialize the database that your custom security provider requires. You can have your custom security provider create a simple database, or configure your custom security provider to use an existing, fully-populated database.

    These two database initialization options are explained in Initialization of the Security Provider Database.

  7. Identify any database "seeding" that your custom security provider will need to do as part of its interaction with security policies on WebLogic resources. This seeding may involve creating default groups, security roles, or security policies.

    For more information, see Security Providers and WebLogic Resources.

 

Creating Runtime Classes for the Custom Security Provider by Implementing SSPIs

In one or two runtime classes, implement the SSPIs you have identified by providing implementations for each of their methods. The methods should contain the specific algorithms for the security services offered by the custom security provider. The content of these methods describe how the service should behave.

Procedures for this task are dependent on the type of security provider you want to create, and are provided under the "Create Runtime Classes Using the Appropriate SSPIs" heading in the sections that discuss each security provider in detail.

 

Generating an MBean Type to Configure and Manage the Custom Security Provider

Generating an MBean type includes the following steps:

  1. Create an MBean Definition File (MDF) for the custom security provider that extends the required SSPI MBean, implements any optional SSPI MBeans, and adds any custom attributes and operations that will be required to configure and manage the custom security provider.

    Information about MDFs is available in Understand the Basic Elements of an MBean Definition File (MDF), and procedures for this task are provided under the "Create an MBean Definition File (MDF)" heading in the sections that discuss each security provider in detail.

  2. Run the MDF through the WebLogic MBeanMaker to generate intermediate files (including the MBean interface, MBean implementation, and MBean information files) for the custom security provider's MBean type.

    Information about the WebLogic MBeanMaker and how it uses the MDF to generate Java files is provided in Understand What the WebLogic MBeanMaker Provides, and procedures for this task are provided under the "Use the WebLogic MBeanMaker to Generate the MBean Type" heading in the sections that discuss each security provider in detail.

  3. Edit the MBean implementation file to supply content for any methods inherited from implementing optional SSPI MBeans, as well as content for the method stubs generated as a result of custom attributes and operations added to the MDF.
  4. Run the modified intermediate files (for the MBean type) and the runtime classes for your custom security provider through the WebLogic MBeanMaker to generate a JAR file, called an MBean JAR File (MJF).

    Procedures for this task are provided under the "Use the WebLogic MBeanMaker to Create the MBean JAR File (MJF)" heading in the sections that discuss each security provider in detail.

  5. Install the MBean JAR File (MJF) into the WebLogic Server environment.

    Procedures for this task are provided under the "Install the MBean Type into the WebLogic Server Environment" heading in the sections that discuss each security provider in detail.

 

Writing Console Extensions

Console extensions allow you to add JavaServer Pages to the WebLogic Server Administration Console to support additional management and configuration of custom security providers. Console extensions allow you to include Administration Console support where that support does not yet exist, as well as to customize administrative interactions as you see fit.

To get complete configuration and management support through the WebLogic Server Administration Console for a custom security provider, you need to write a console extension when:

  • You decide not to implement an optional SSPI MBean when you generate an MBean type for your custom security provider, but still want to configure and manage your custom security provider via the Administration Console. (That is, you do not want to use the WebLogic Server Command-Line Interface instead.)

    Generating an MBean type (as described in Generating an MBean Type to Configure and Manage the Custom Security Provider) is the BEA-recommended way for configuring and managing custom security providers. However, you may want to configure and manage your custom security provider completely through a console extension that you write.

  • You implement optional SSPI MBeans for custom security providers that are not custom Authentication providers.

    When you implement optional SSPI MBeans to develop a custom Authentication provider, you automatically receive support in the Administration Console for the MBean type's attributes (inherited from the optional SSPI MBean). Other types of custom security providers, such as custom Authorization providers, do not receive this support.

  • You add a custom attribute that cannot be represented as a simple data type to your MBean Definition File (MDF), which is used to generate the custom security provider's MBean type.

    The Details tab for a custom security provider will automatically display custom attributes, but only if they are represented as a simple data type, such as a string, MBean, boolean or integer value. If you have custom attributes that are represented as atypical data types (for example, an image of a fingerprint), the Administration Console cannot visualize the custom attribute without customization.

  • You add a custom operation to your MBean Definition File (MDF), which is used to generate the custom security provider's MBean type.

    Because of the potential variety involved with custom operations, the Administration Console does not know how to automatically display or process them. Examples of custom operations might be a microphone for a voice print, or import/export buttons. The Administration Console cannot visualize and process these operations without customization.

In any of the preceding situations, if you do not want to write a console extension that allows you to use the WebLogic Server Administration Console, you can use the weblogic.Admin command to manage and configure your custom security providers instead. For more information about the weblogic.Admin command, see the WebLogic Server Command Reference.

Some other (optional) reasons for extending the Administration Console include:

  • Corporate branding - when, for example, you want your organization's logo or look and feel on the pages used to configure and manage a custom security provider.
  • Consolidation - when, for example, you want all the fields used to configure and manage a custom security provider on one page, rather than in separate tabs or locations.

For more information about console extensions, see Extending the Administration Console and Writing Console Extensions for Custom Security Providers.

 

Configuring the Custom Security Provider

Note that the configuration process can be completed by the same person who developed the custom security provider, or by a designated administrator.

The configuration process consists of using the WebLogic Server Administration Console (or the weblogic.Admin command) to supply the custom security provider with configuration information. If you generated an MBean type for managing the custom security provider, "configuring" the custom security provider in the Administration Console also means that you are creating a specific instance of the MBean type.

For more information about configuring security providers using the Administration Console, see Customizing the Default Security Configuration" in Managing WebLogic Security. For more information about the weblogic.Admin command, see the WebLogic Server Command Reference.

 

Providing Management Mechanisms for Security Policies, Security Roles, and Credential Maps

Certain types of security providers need to provide administrators with a way to manage the security data associated with them. For example, an Authorization provider needs to supply administrators with a way to manage security policies. Similarly, a Role Mapping provider needs to supply administrators with a way to manage security roles, and a Credential Mapping provider needs to supply administrators with a way to manage credential maps.

For the WebLogic Authorization, Role Mapping, and Credential Mapping providers, there are already management mechanisms available for administrators in the WebLogic Server Administration Console. However, do you not inherit these mechanisms when you develop a custom version of one of these security providers; you need to provide your own mechanisms to manage security policies, security roles, and credential maps. These mechanisms must read and write the appropriate security data to and from the custom security provider's database, but may or may not be integrated with the Administration Console.

For more information, refer to one of the following sections:

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