Authentication mechanisms and expiration
Use this page to specify the shared keys and configure the authentication mechanism that is used to exchange information between servers. You can also use this page to specify the amount of time that the authentication information remains valid and specify the single sign-on configuration.
To view this console page...
Security | Secure administration, applications, and infrastructure | Authentication | Authentication mechanisms and expiration
After you configure the properties on this page, go to...
Security | Secure administration, applications, and infrastructure
...and verify that the appropriate registry is configured.
Click Apply.
When security is enabled and any of these properties change, return to the Secure administration, applications, and infrastructure panel and click Apply to validate the changes.
Configuration tab
- Key set group
- Specify groups of public, private, and shared keys. These key groups enable the appserver to manage multiple sets of Lightweight LTPA keys.
- Generate Keys
- Generate a new set of LTPA keys in the configured keystore, and update the runtime with the new keys.
By default, LTPA keys are regenerated on a schedule every 90 days, configurable to the day of the week.
Each new set of LTPA keys is stored in the keystore associated with the key set group. A maximum number of keys (or even one) can be configured. However, it is recommended to have at least two keys; the old keys can be used for validation while the new keys are being distributed.
This step is not necessary during security enablement. A default set of keys is created during the first server startup. If any nodes are down during a key generation event, the nodes should be synchronized with the Deployment Manager before restart.
- Authentication cache timeout
-
Timeime period in minutes at which an LTPA token expires. Verify that this time period is less than the value for the Timeout value for forwarded credentials between servers field.
If the appserver infrastructure security is enabled, the security cache timeout can influence performance. The timeout setting specifies how often to refresh the security-related caches. Security information pertaining to beans, permissions, and credentials is cached. When the cache timeout expires, all cached information not accessed within the timeout period is purged from the cache. Subsequent requests for the information result in a database lookup. Sometimes, acquiring the information requires invoking a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP)-bind or native authentication. Both invocations are relatively costly operations for performance. Determine the best trade off for the application, by looking at usage patterns and security needs for the site.
The default security cache timeout value is 10 minutes. If you have a small number of users, it should be set higher than that, or if a large number of users, it should be set lower.
The LTPA timeout value should not be set lower than the security cache timeout. It is also recommended that the LTPA timeout value should be set higher than the orb request timeout value. However, there is no relation between the security cache timeout value and the orb request timeout value.
In a 20-minute performance test, setting the cache timeout so that a timeout does not occur yields a 40% performance improvement.
Data type Integer Units Minutes and seconds Default 10 minutes Range: Greater than 30 seconds - Timeout value for forwarded credentials between servers
-
Period of time after which forwarded credentials expire.
Specify a value for this field that is greater than the authentication cache timeout value.
Default 120 minutes - Password
-
Enter a password which will be used to encrypt and decrypt the LTPA keys from the SSO properties file. During import, this password should match the password used to export the keys at another LTPA server (for example, another appserver Cell, Lotus Domino Server, and so on). During export, remember this password in order to provide it during the import operation.
After the keys are generated or imported, they are used to encrypt and decrypt the LTPA token. Whenever the password is changed, a new set of LTPA keys are automatically generated when you click OK or Apply. The new set of keys is used after the configuration changes are saved.
Data type String - Confirm password
-
Specify the confirmed password that is used to encrypt and decrypt the LTPA keys.
Use this password when importing these keys into other appserver administrative domain configurations and when configuring SSO for a Lotus Domino server.
Data type String - Fully qualified key file name
- Name of the file that is used when importing or exporting keys.
Enter a fully qualified key file name, and click Import Keys or Export Keys.
Data type String - Internal server ID
-
Server ID that is used for interprocess communication between servers. The server ID is protected with an LTPA token when sent remotely. You can edit the internal server ID to make it identical to server IDs across multiple appserver administrative domains (cells). By default this ID is the cell name.
This internal server ID should only be used in a V6.1 or higher environment. For mixed-version Cells, you should convert to using a server user ID and server password for interoperability. To switch back to the server user ID and password for interoperability, complete the following steps:
- Click Security > Secure administration, applications, and infrastructure.
- Under User account repository, click the Available realm definitions drop-down list, select a user registry, and click Configure.
- Select the Server identity that is stored in the repository option and type a valid registry ID and password.
Data type String - Click Security > Secure administration, applications, and infrastructure.
- Import Keys
-
Specify whether the server imports new LTPA keys. To support SSO in the appserver product across multiple appserver domains (cells), share the LTPA keys and the password among the domains. You can use the Import Keys option to import the LTPA keys from other domains. The LTPA keys are exported from one of the cells to a file. To import a new set of LTPA keys, complete the following steps:
- Enter the appropriate password in the Password and Confirm password fields.
- Click OK and click Save.
- Enter the directory location where the LTPA keys are located in the Fully
qualified key file name field prior to clicking Import keys.
- Do not click OK or Apply, but save the settings.
- Enter the appropriate password in the Password and Confirm password fields.
- Export Keys
-
Specify whether the server exports LTPA keys.
To support SSO in the WebSphere product across multiple appserver domains (cells), share the LTPA keys and the password among the domains. Use the Export Keys option to export the LTPA keys to other domains.
To export the LTPA keys, make sure that the system is running with security enabled and is using LTPA. Enter the file name in the Fully qualified key file name field and click Export Keys. The encrypted keys are stored in the specified file.