Set CSIv2 outbound communications
The following choices are available when configuring the CSIv2 outbound communications panel. Outbound communications refers to the configuration that determines the type of authentication that is performed for outbound requests to downstream servers. Several layers or methods of authentication can occur. The downstream server inbound authentication configuration must support at least one choice made in this server outbound authentication configuration. If nothing is supported, the request might go outbound as unauthenticated. This situation does not create a security problem because the authorization runtime is responsible for preventing access to protected resources. However, if we choose to prevent an unauthenticated credential from going outbound, we might want to designate one of the authentication layers as required, rather than supported. If a downstream server does not support authentication, then when authentication is required, the method request fails to go outbound.
The following choices are available in the Common Secure Interoperability Version 2 (CSIv2) outbound communications panel. Remember that we are not required to complete these steps in the displayed order. Rather, these steps are provided to help you understand the choices for configuring outbound communications.
- Select Identity Assertion (attribute layer). When selected, this server sends an identity token to a downstream server if the downstream server supports identity assertion. When an originating client authenticates to this server, the authentication information supplied is preserved in the outbound identity token. If the client authenticating to this server uses client certificate authentication, then the identity token format is a certificate chain, containing the exact client certificate chain from the inbound socket. The same scenario is true for other mechanisms of authentication. Read theIdentity Assertion topic for more information.
- Select User ID and (message layer). This type of authentication is the most typical. The user ID and password (if BasicAuth credential) or authenticated token (if authenticated credential) are sent outbound to the downstream server if the downstream server supports message layer authentication in the inbound authentication panel. Refer to the Message Layer Authentication article for more information.
- Select SSL Client certificate authentication (transport layer). The main reason to enable outbound SSL client authentication from one server to a downstream server is to create a trusted environment between those servers. For delegating client credentials, use one of the two layers mentioned previously. However, we might want to create SSL personal certificates for all the servers in the domain, and only trust those servers in the SSL truststore file. No other servers or clients can connect to the servers in the domain, except at the tiers where you want them. This process can protect the enterprise bean servers from access by anything other than the servlet servers.
CSIv2 outbound communications settings
Related tasks
Set CSIv2 inbound communications
Set CSIV2 inbound and outbound communication settings
Related
Identity assertion to the downstream server
Message layer authentication
Set session management
We can choose either stateful or stateless security. Performance is optimum when choosing stateful sessions. The first method request between this server and the downstream server is authenticated. All subsequent requests reuse the session information, including the credential. A unique session entry is defined as the combination of a unique client authentication token and an identity token, scoped to the connection.
Example
Typically, the outbound authentication configuration is for an upstream server to communicate with a downstream server. Most likely, the upstream server is a servlet server and the downstream server is an EJB server. On a servlet server, the client authentication that is performed to access the servlet can be one of many different types of authentication, including client certificate and basic authentication. When receiving basic authentication data, whether through a prompt login or a form-based login, the basic authentication information is typically authenticated to from a credential of the mechanism type that is supported by the server, such as the LTPA. When LTPA is the mechanism, a forwardable token exists in the credential. Choose the message layer (BasicAuth) authentication to propagate the client credentials. If the credential is created using a certificate login and you want to preserve sending the certificate downstream, we might decide to go outbound with identity assertion.
Next steps
Save the configuration and restart the server for the changes to take effect.
Related tasks
Set CSIV2 inbound and outbound communication settings