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Service provider settings

Use the Service provider settings page to manage the settings for our service providers. Attach and detach policy sets to an application, its service, endpoints or operations. Create new bindings, or use bindings that we have already created for an attached policy set. We can view or change whether the service provider can share its current policy configuration.

Use the WSDL document link to view the Web Services Description Language (WSDL) for the service. The Application and Module links provide access to the application and module settings page.

From the admin console, click Services > Service providers > service_provider_instance.

We can also view this page by clicking Applications > Application Types > WebSphere enterprise applications > service_provider_application_instance > Service providers > service_provider_instance.

Depending on the assigned security role when security is enabled, we might not have access to text entry fields or buttons to create or edit configuration data. Review the administrative roles documentation to learn more about the valid roles for the application server.

Bindings Description
Attach Policy Set Click this button to view a list of policy sets available for attachment to the selected service, endpoint, or operation. Select a policy set from the list to attach and it is attached to the selected service, endpoint, or operation. To close the menu list, click Attach Policy Set.
Detach Policy Set Click this button to detach a policy set from a selected service, endpoint, or operation. After the policy set is detached, if there is no policy set attached to an upper level service resource, the Attached Policy Set column displays None and the Binding column displays Not Applicable.

If there is a policy set attached to an upper level service resource, the Attached Policy Set column displays policy_set_name (inherited) and the binding used for the upper level attachment is applied. The binding name is displayed followed by (inherited).

Assign Binding Click this button to select from a list of available bindings for the selected policy set attachment. The options include the following:

Default

Default binding for the selected service reference, endpoint, or operation. We can specify client and provider default bindings to be used at the cell level or global security domain level, for a particular server, or for a security domain. The default bindings are used when an application-specific binding has not been assigned to the attachment. When we attach a policy set to a service resource, the binding is initially set to the default. If we do not specifically assign a binding to the attachment point using this Assign Binding action, the default specified at the nearest scope is used.

For any policy set attachment, the run time checks to see if the attachment includes a binding. If so, it uses that binding. If not, the run time checks in the following order and uses the first available default binding:

  1. Default general bindings for the server
  2. Default general bindings for the domain in which the server resides
  3. Default general bindings for the global security domain

New Application Specific Binding

Select this option to create a new application-specific binding for the policy set attachments. The new binding we create is used for the selected resources. If we select more than one resource, ensure that all selected resources have the same policy set attached.

Provider sample

Select this option to use the Provider sample binding.

Provider sample V2

Select this option to use the Provider sample V2 binding when we are using either the Kerberos V5 WSSecurity default or the TrustServiceKerberosDefault policy sets.

Saml Bearer Provider sample

Select this option to use the Saml Bearer Provider sample. The Saml Bearer Provider sample extends the Provider sample binding to support SAML Bearer token usage scenarios. Use this sample with any of the SAML bearer token default policy sets.

Saml HoK Symmetric Provider sample

Select this option to use the Saml HoK Symmetric Provider sample. The Saml HoK Symmetric Provider sample extends the Provider sample binding to support SAML holder-of-key (HoK) symmetric key token usage scenarios. Use this sample with one of the SAML HoK Symmetric key default policy sets: either SAML11 HoK Symmetric WSSecurity default or SAML20 HoK Symmetric WSSecurity default.

To close the menu list, click Assign Binding.


Service provider

Name of the service provider displayed.


Policy Set Attachments


Service/Endpoint/Operation

Name of the service provider, endpoint, or operation contained in a service.


Attached Policy Set

Policy set that is attached to a service provider, endpoint, or operation.

The Attached Policy Set column can contain the following values:

When the value in the column is a link, click the link to view or change settings about the attached policy set.


Binding

Binding configuration available for a service provider, endpoint, or operation.

The Binding column can contain the following values:

When the value in the Binding column is a link, click the link to view or change settings about the binding.


About policy set bindings

In this release, there are two types of bindings: application-specific bindings and general bindings.

Application-specific bindings

Create application-specific bindings only at a policy set attachment point. These bindings are specific to, and constrained by, the characteristics of the defined policy. Application-specific bindings can provide configuration for advanced policy requirements such as multiple signatures; however, these bindings are reusable only within an application. Also, application-specific bindings have very limited reuse across policy sets.

When we create an application-specific binding for a policy set attachment, the binding begins in a completely unconfigured state. We must add each policy, such as WS-Security or HTTP transport, to override the default binding, and fully configure the bindings for each policy that we add. For WS-Security policy, some high level configuration attributes such as TokenConsumer, TokenGenerator, SigningInfo, or EncryptionInfo might be obtained from the default bindings if they are not configured in the application-specific bindings.

For service providers, we can create application-specific bindings only by selecting Assign Binding > New Application Specific Binding, on the Service providers policy sets and bindings collection page, for service provider resources that have an attached policy set. Similarly, for service clients, we can create application-specific bindings only by selecting Assign Binding > New Application Specific Binding, on the Service clients policy sets and bindings collection page, for service client resources that have an attached policy set.

General bindings

We can configure general bindings to be used across a range of policy sets and they can be reused across applications and for trust service attachments. Although general bindings are highly reusable, they cannot provide configuration for advanced policy requirements such as multiple signatures. There are two types of general bindings: general provider policy set bindings and general client policy set bindings.

Create general provider policy set bindings by clicking...

...or by clicking...

For details about defining and managing service client or provider bindings, see the related links. General provider policy set bindings might also be used for trust service attachments.


Policy Sharing

Specifies whether the service provider can share its current policy configuration.

The Policy sharing column can contain the following values:

When the value in the column is a link, click the link to view or change settings about how the policy configuration can be shared.

For a service, if the policy set is inherited from the parent application, the policy sharing value is also inherited, and we cannot change it. The value is not a link and it is followed by the term inherited in parentheses.

For an endpoint or operation, the value is not a link and it is followed by the term inherited in parentheses. The setting is inherited from the parent application or service and we cannot change it.

  • Manage policy sets and bindings for service providers at the application level
  • View detail of a service client and managing policy sets
  • View service clients at the application level
  • Service provider policy sets and bindings collection
  • Service providers collection at the cell level
  • Service providers collection at the application level
  • Service client settings
  • Service clients collection at the application level
  • Policy sharing settings
  • Enterprise application settings
  • Web module deployment settings
  • Administrative roles