WAS v8.5 > Develop applications > Develop web services - Security (WS-Security) > Configure Web Services Security during application assembly > Configure signature authentication for v5.x web services with an assembly tool

Configure the client for signature authentication: specifying the method

Signature authentication, the use of an X.509 certificate to login on the target server, can be configured. There is an important distinction between v5.x and v6 and later applications. The information in this article supports v5.x applications only used with WebSphere Application Server v6.0.x and later. The information does not apply to v6.0.x and later applications.

This task is used to configure signature authentication. A signature refers to the use of an X.509 certificate to login on the target server.  For more information on signature authentication, see Signature authentication method.

To specify signature as the authentication method:

1. Launch an assembly tool. For more information, read about assembly tools.
2. Switch to the Java EE perspective. Click Window > Open Perspective > J2EE.

3. Click Application Client Projects > application_name > appClientModule > META-INF .
4. Right-click the application-client.xml file, select Open with > Deployment descriptor editor.

5. Click the WS Extension tab, located at the bottom of the deployment descriptor editor within the assembly tool.

6. Expand the Request sender configuration > Login configuration section. The following login configuration options are valid for a managed client and Web services acting as a client are:

   BasicAuth

   Use this option for a managed client.

   Signature

   Use this option for a managed client.

   IDAssertion

   Use this option for web services acting as a client.

7. Select Signature to authenticate the client using the certificate used to digitally sign the request.

Results

For more information on getting started with the web services client editor within the assembly tool, see Configure the client security bindings using an assembly tool.

After we specify signature as the authentication method, specify how to collect the authentication information. See Configure the client for signature authentication: collecting the authentication information for more information.

Subtopics

• Signature authentication method
  Signature authentication refers to an X.509 certificate sent by the client to the server. The certificate is used to authenticate to the user registry that is configured at the server. When using the signature authentication method, the security token is generated with a ds:Signature and a wsse:BinarySecurityToken element.

Related concepts:

Development and assembly tools

Related

Configure the client for signature authentication: collecting the authentication information
Configure the client security bindings using an assembly tool

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