Configuring Common Secure Interoperability Version 2 (CSIV2) inbound and outbound communication settings

WebSphere® Application Server enables you to specify Internet Inter-ORB Protocol (IIOP) authentication for both inbound and outbound authentication requests. For inbound requests, you can specify the type of accepted authentication, such as basic authentication. For outbound requests, you can specify properties such as type of authentication, identity assertion, or login configurations that are used for requests to downstream servers.

1. Determine how to configure security inbound and outbound at each point in your infrastructure.

   For example, you might have a Java™ client communicating with an Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB) application server, which in turn communicates to a downstream EJB application server.

   The Java client uses the sas.client.props file to configure outbound security. Pure clients must configure outbound security only.

   A CSIv2 Java client uses a configuration file that is specified by the com.ibm.CORBA.ConfigURL Java property to configure outbound security.

   The upstream EJB application server configures inbound security to handle the correct type of authentication from the Java client. The upstream EJB application server uses the outbound security configuration when going to the downstream EJB application server.

   This type of authentication might be different from what you expect from the Java client into the upstream EJB application server. Security might be tighter between the pure client and the first EJB server, depending on your infrastructure. The downstream EJB server uses the inbound security configuration to accept requests from the upstream EJB server. The two servers require similar configuration options as well. If the downstream EJB application server communicates to other downstream servers, the outbound security might require a special configuration.

2. Specify the type of authentication.

   By default, authentication by a user ID and password is performed.

   By default, the server supports authentication with a user ID and password.

   Both Java client certificate authentication and identity assertion are disabled by default. If you want this type of authentication that is performed at every tier, use the CSIv2 authentication protocol configuration as is. However, if you have any special requirements where some servers authenticate differently from other servers, consider how to configure CSIv2 to its best advantage.

3. Configure clients and servers.

   Configuring a pure Java client is done through the sas.client.props file, where properties are modified.

   Configuring a pure Java client is done through a properties file that is specified by the com.ibm.CORBA.ConfigURL Java property.

   Configuring servers is always done from the administrative console or scripting, either from the security navigation for cell-level configurations or from the server security of the application server for server-level configurations. If you want some servers to authenticate differently from others, modify some of the server-level configurations. When you modify the server-level configurations, you are overriding the cell-level configurations.