Creating a custom trust manager configuration for SSL

You can create a custom trust manager configuration at any management scope and associate the new trust manager with a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) configuration.

Before you begin

You must develop, package, and locate a Java™ Archive JAR file for a custom key manager in the was.install.root/lib/ext directory on WebSphere® Application Server. For more information, see Example: Developing a custom trust manager for custom SSL trust decisions.

About this task

Complete the following steps in the administrative console:

Procedure

  1. Decide whether you want to create the custom trust manager at the cell scope or below the cell scope at the node, server, or cluster, for example.
    Important: When you create a custom trust manager at a level below the cell scope, you can associate it only with a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) configuration at the same scope or higher. An SSL configuration at a scope lower than the trust manager does not see the trust manager configuration.
    • To create a custom trust manager at the cell scope, click Security > SSL certificate and key management > Trust managers. Every SSL configuration in the cell can select the trust manager at the cell scope.
    • To create a custom trust manager at a scope below the cell level, click Security > SSL certificate and key management > Manage endpoint security configurations > {Inbound | Outbound} > ssl_configuration > Trust managers.
  2. Click New to create a new custom trust manager.
  3. Type a unique trust manager name.
  4. Select the Custom implementation setting.
    The custom setting enables you to define a Java class with an implementation of the javax.net.ssl.X509TrustManager Java interface and, optionally, the com.ibm.wsspi.ssl.TrustManagerExtendedInfo WebSphere Application Server interface.
    Note: The standard implementation setting applies only when the trust manager is already defined in the Java security provider list as a provider and an algorithm, which is not the case for a custom trust manager.
  5. Type a class name, for example, com.ibm.test.CustomTrustManager.
  6. Select one of the following actions:
    • Click Apply, then click Custom properties under Additional Properties to add custom properties to the new custom trust manager. When you are finished adding custom properties, click OK and Save, then go to the next step.
    • Click OK and Save, then go to the next step.
  7. Click SSL certificate and key management in the page navigation.
  8. Select one of the following actions:
    • Click SSL configurations under Related Items for a cell-scoped SSL configuration.
    • Click Manage endpoint security configurations to select an SSL configuration at a lower scope.
  9. Click the link for the existing SSL configuration that you want to associate with the new custom trust manager.
    You can create a new SSL configuration instead of associating the custom trust manager with an existing configuration.
  10. Click Trust and Key managers under Additional Properties.
    If the new custom trust manager is not listed in the Additional ordered trust managers list, verify that you selected an SSL configuration scope that is at the same level or below the scope that you selected in Step 8.
  11. Click Add.
    This action adds the new trust manager to the list of custom trust managers.
  12. Click OK and Save.

Results

You have created a custom trust manager configuration that references a JAR file in the install directory of WebSphere Application Server and associates it with an SSL configuration during the connection handshake.

What to do next

You can create a custom trust manager for a pure client. For more information, see the TrustManagerCommands command group for the AdminTask object topic.