Use this page to specify the shared keys and configure the authentication mechanism that is used to exchange information between servers. You can also use this page to specify the amount of time that the authentication information remains valid and specify the single sign-on configuration.
Specifies groups of public, private, and shared keys. These key groups enable the application server to manage multiple sets of Lightweight Third Party Authentication (LTPA) keys.
Specifies whether to generate a new set of LTPA keys in the configured keystore, and to update the runtime with the new keys. By default, LTPA keys are regenerated on a schedule every 90 days, configurable to the day of the week.
Each new set of LTPA keys is stored in the keystore associated with the key set group. A maximum number of keys (or even one) can be configured. However, it is recommended to have at least two keys; the old keys can be used for validation while the new keys are being distributed.
This step is not necessary during security enablement. A default set of keys is created during the first server startup. If any nodes are down during a key generation event, the nodes should be synchronized with the Deployment Manager before restart.
Specifies the time period during which the authenticated credential in the cache is valid. This time period must be less than the time period specified for the Timeout value for forwarded credentials between servers field.
If the application server infrastructure security is enabled, the authentication cache timeout can influence performance. The timeout setting specifies how often to refresh the security-related caches. Security information pertaining to beans, permissions, and credentials is cached. When the cache timeout expires, all cached information not accessed within the timeout period is purged from the cache. Subsequent requests for the information result in a database lookup. Sometimes, acquiring the information requires invoking a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP)-bind or native authentication. Both invocations are relatively costly operations for performance.
Data type | Integer |
Units | Minutes and seconds |
Default | 10 minutes |
Range: | Greater than 30 seconds |
Specifies the period of time during which the server credentials from another server are valid. After this time period expires, the server credential from the other server must be revalidated.
Specify a value for this field that is greater than the value specified for the Authentication cache timeout field.
It is also recommended that the value for this field should be set higher than the orb request timeout value.
Data type | Integer |
Units | Minutes and seconds |
Default | 120 minutes |
Range: | An integer between 5 and 35971 |
Enter a password which will be used to encrypt and decrypt the LTPA keys from the SSO properties file. During import, this password should match the password used to export the keys at another LTPA server (for example, another application server Cell, Lotus Domino Server, and so on). During export, remember this password in order to provide it during the import operation.
After the keys are generated or imported, they are used to encrypt and decrypt the LTPA token. Whenever the password is changed, a new set of LTPA keys are automatically generated when you click OK or Apply. The new set of keys is used after the configuration changes are saved.
Data type | String |
Specifies the confirmed password that is used to encrypt and decrypt the LTPA keys.
Use this password when importing these keys into other application server administrative domain configurations and when configuring SSO for a Lotus Domino server.
Data type | String |
Specifies the name of the file that is used when importing or exporting keys.
Enter a fully qualified key file name, and click Import Keys or Export Keys.
Data type | String |
Specifies the server ID that is used for interprocess communication between servers. The server ID is protected with an LTPA token when sent remotely. You can edit the internal server ID to make it identical to server IDs across multiple application server administrative domains (cells). By default this ID is the cell name.
This internal server ID should only be used in a Version 6.1 or higher environment. For mixed-version Cells, you should convert to using a server user ID and server password for interoperability.
Data type | String |
Specifies whether the server imports new LTPA keys.
Specifies whether the server exports LTPA keys.
To support single sign-on (SSO) in the WebSphere product across multiple application server domains (cells), share the LTPA keys and the password among the domains. Use the Export Keys option to export the LTPA keys to other domains.
To export the LTPA keys, make sure that the system is running with security enabled and is using LTPA. Enter the file name in the Fully qualified key file name field and click Export Keys. The encrypted keys are stored in the specified file.
Specifies the Simple WebSphere Authentication Mechanism (SWAM). Unauthenticated credentials are forwarded between servers. When a caller process invokes a remote method, its identity is not verified. Depending upon the security permissions for the EJB methods, authentication failures might occur.
SWAM is a deprecated feature and will be removed in a future release. It is recommended that you use LTPA for authenticated communication between servers.