WAS v8.5 > Secure applications > Secure communications > Secure communications using SSL

SSL configurations

SSL configurations contain attributes that enable you to control the behavior of both the client and the server SSL endpoints. We can assign SSL configurations to have specific management scopes. The scope that an SSL configuration inherits depends upon whether you create it using a cell, node, server, or endpoint link in the configuration topology.

When creating an SSL configuration, we can set the following SSL connection attributes:

We can manage an SSL configuration using any of the following methods:

Using the dmgr console, we can manage all of the SSL configurations for WebSphere Application Server. From the dmgr console, click Security

SSL certificates and key management > Manage endpoint security configurations > Inbound | Outbound > SSL_configuration. We can view an SSL configuration at the level it was created and in the inherited scope below that point in the topology. If you want the entire cell to view an SSL configuration, create the configuration at the cell level in the topology.

SSL configuration in the security.xml file

The attributes defining an SSL configuration repertoire entry for a specific management scope are stored in the security.xml file. The scope determines the point at which other levels in the cell topology can see the configuration, as shown in the following example: 

<repertoire xmi:id="SSLConfig_1" alias="NodeDefaultSSLSettings" 
managementScope="ManagementScope_1" type="JSSE"> <setting xmi:id="SecureSocketLayer_1" clientAuthentication="false" 
clientAuthenticationSupported="false" securityLevel="HIGH" enabledCiphers="" 
jsseProvider="IBMJSSE2" sslProtocol="SSL_TLS" keyStore="KeyStore_1" 
trustStore="KeyStore_2" trustManager="TrustManager_1" keyManager="KeyManager_1" 
clientKeyAlias="default" serverKeyAlias="default"/> </repertoire>
The SSL configuration attributes from the previous code sample are described in Table 1.

security.xml Attributes. This table lists the security.xml Attributes.

security.xml attribute Description Default Associated SSL property
xmi:id The xml:id attribute represents the unique identifier for this XML entry and determines how the SSL configuration is linked to other XML objects, such as SSLConfigGroup. This system-defined value must be unique. The administrative configuration service defines the default value. None. This value is used only for XML associations.
alias The alias attribute defines the name of the SSL configuration. Direct selection uses the alias attribute and the node is not prefixed to the alias. Rather, the management scope takes care of ensuring the name is unique within the scope.

The default is NodeDefaultSSLSettings.

com.ibm.ssl.alias
managementScope The managementScope attribute defines the management scope for the SSL configuration. Determines the visibility of the SSL configuration at runtime.

The default scope is the node.

The managementScope attribute is not mapped to an SSL property. However, it confirms whether or not the SSL configuration is associated with a process.
type The type attribute defines the Java Secure Socket Extension (JSSE) or System Secure Sockets Layer (SSSL) configuration option. JSSE is the SSL configuration type for most secure communications within WAS. The default is JSSE. com.ibm.ssl.sslType
clientAuthentication The clientAuthentication attribute determines whether SSL client authentication is required. The default is false. com.ibm.ssl.clientAuthentication
clientAuthenticationSupported The clientAuthenticationSupported attribute determines whether SSL client authentication is supported. The client does not have to supply a client certificate if it does not have a client certificate.

When you set the clientAuthentication attribute to true, you override the value set for the clientAuthenticationSupported attribute.

The default is false. com.ibm.ssl.client.AuthenticationSupported
securityLevel The securityLevel attribute determines the cipher suite group. Valid values include STRONG (128-bit ciphers), MEDIUM (40-bit ciphers), WEAK (for all ciphers without encryption), and CUSTOM (if the cipher suite group is customized. When you set the enabledCiphers attribute with a specific list of ciphers, the system ignores this attribute. The default is STRONG. com.ibm.ssl.securityLevel
enabledCiphers We can set the enabledCiphers attribute to specify a unique list of cipher suites. Separate each cipher suite in the list with a space. The default is the securityLevel attribute for cipher suite selection. com.ibm.ssl.enabledCipherSuites
jsseProvider The jsseProvider attribute defines a specific JSSE provider. The default is IBMJSSE2. com.ibm.ssl.contextProvider
sslProtocol The sslProtocol attribute defines the SSL handshake protocol. Valid options include:

  • SSL_TLS - which is SSLv3 and TLSv1
  • SSL - which is SSLv3
  • SSLv2
  • SSLv3
  • TLS - which is TLSv1
  • TLSv1
  • SSL_TLSv2 - which is SSLv3 and TLSv1, TLSv1.1, TLSv1.2
  • TLSv1.1
  • TLSv1.2

The listSSLProtocols command provides more information about which protocol are valid in particular configurations, such as FIPS 140-2 or SP800-131.

The default is SSL_TLS. com.ibm.ssl.protocol
keyStore The keyStore attribute defines the keystore and attributes of the keyStore instance the SSL configuration uses for key selection.

The default is NodeDefaultKeyStore.

For more information, see Keystore configurations.
trustStore The trustStore attribute defines the key store the SSL configuration uses for certificate signing verification.

The default is NodeDefaultTrustStore.

A trustStore is a logical JSSE term. It signifies a key store containing signer certificates. Signer certificates validate certificates sent to WAS during an SSL handshake.
keyManager The keyManager attribute defines the key manager that WAS uses to select keys from a key store. A JSSE key manager controls the javax.net.ssl.X509KeyManager interface. A custom key manager controls the javax.net.ssl.X509KeyManager and the com.ibm.wsspi.ssl.KeyManagerExtendedInfo interfaces. The com.ibm.wsspi.ssl.KeyManagerExtendedInfo interface provides more information from WAS. The default is IbmX509. com.ibm.ssl.keyManager defines a well-known key manager and accepts the algorithm and algorithm|provider formats, for example IbmX509 and IbmX509|IBMJSSE2. com.ibm.ssl.customKeyManager defines a custom key manager and takes precedence over the other keyManager properties. This class must implement javax.net.ssl.X509KeyManager and can implement com.ibm.wsspi.ssl.KeyManagerExtendedInfo. For more information, see csec_sslx509certIDkeyman.html
trustManager The trustManager determines which trust manager or list of trust managers to use for determining whether to trust the peer side of the connection. A JSSE trust manager implements the javax.net.ssl.X509TrustManager interface. A custom trust manager might also implement com.ibm.wsspi.ssl.TrustManagerExtendedInfo interface to get more information from the WAS environment. The default is IbmPKIX, which can be configured for certificate revocation list (CRL) verification when the certificate contains a CRL distribution point. The other option is IbmX509. com.ibm.ssl.trustManager defines a well-known trust manager, which is required for most handshake situations. com.ibm.ssl.trustManager performs certificate expiration checking and signature validation. We can define com.ibm.ssl.customTrustManagers with additional custom trust managers called during an SSL handshake. Separate additional trust managers with the vertical bar (|) character. For more information, see csec_sslx509certtrustdecisions.html

Client SSL configurations are managed using the ssl.client.props properties file. The ssl.client.props file is located in the ${USER_INSTALL_ROOT}/properties directory for each profile. For more information about configuring this file, see the ssl.client.props client configuration file. Specifying any javax.net.ssl system properties will override the corresponding property in the ssl.client.props file.


Subtopics


Related


Create a Secure Sockets Layer configuration
Configure Federal Information Processing Standard Java Secure Socket Extension files


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