Bus-enabled Web services default configuration for accessing a secure bus

In WebSphere® Application Server Version 6.0, you had to set the security configuration to allow the bus-enabled Web services component to work in a secure bus. In this version of the product, the bus-enabled Web services component can access a secure bus by default. This topic describes the WebSphere Application Server Version 6.1 and later default configuration, and also the effect of modifying or overriding this configuration.

Note: To use bus-enabled Web services when bus security is enabled, your Web services clients must provide suitable credentials when making requests. Your clients can provide credentials either using WS-Security or using HTTP basic authentication, as described in Authenticating Web services clients using HTTP basic authentication. For HTTP basic authentication, application security must also be enabled and, depending on which of these authentication schemes you use, the endpoint listener application must be appropriately configured as described in Password-protecting inbound services. When you use HTTP basic authentication, you map the AuthenticatedUsers role to the special "AllAuthenticatedUsers" group (or to some other suitable authenticated group or user); when you use WS-Security you do not need to map the endpoint listener AuthenticatedUsers role unless Application Security is enabled, in which case you map the AuthenticatedUsers role to the special "Everyone" group. For more information, see Assigning users and groups to roles.
The default configuration that bus-enabled Web services use to access a secure bus is as follows:
  • Access to a bus is configured through the bus connector role. By default, every bus connector role includes a group called server. Members of this group are authorized to connect to the bus.
  • The service integration technologies resource adapter uses a J2C activation specification to communicate with the bus. By default, this activation specification has a boolean custom property useServerSubject that is set to "true". This property allows the service integration technologies resource adapter to connect to the bus as a subject (a member) of the server group.

The server group in the bus connector role

This group controls whether a user is authorized to connect to the bus. The server group can be added or removed using the administrative console:

Security > Bus Security > your_bus > [Additional Properties] Security > [Additional Properties] Users and groups in the bus connector role

This group can also be set using the following wsadmin command scripts:

addGroupToBusConnectorRole
removeGroupFromBusConnectorRole

The useServerSubject property

This boolean property is found in the custom properties panel of the J2C activation specification associated with the service integration resource adapter:

Resources > Resource adapters > SIB_RA > J2C activation specification > SIBWS_OUTBOUND_MDB > [Additional Properties] J2C activation specification custom properties

This property can also be set using wsadmin command scripts.

Disabling and overriding the default configuration

To disable the default configuration, set the useServerSubject property to "false" rather than removing the server group, because the service integration resource adapter is not the only system resource that uses the server subject. If you remove the server group from the bus connector role, then no system resources can use the server subject.

You can also override the default configuration by defining an authentication alias that the service integration resource adapter uses to access the bus.Using an authentication alias does not make your configuration more secure. However, you might want to use an alias for consistency of approach if you have other application servers running under WebSphere Application Server Version 6.0, or to support your internal business controls for use of IDs and passwords.

If you configure an authentication alias you need not also disable the default configuration. If an authentication alias exists, it overrides the default configuration. However if you subsequently remove the authentication alias from the activation specification, the default configuration will again take control and (if not disabled) will allow the service integration resource adapter to continue to access the bus.

The following chart shows whether the service integration resource adapter can connect to the secured bus, depending on the state of the different properties:

Table 1. Summary of expected behavior for accessing a secure service integration bus
Valid authentication alias useServerSubject Server group on bus connector role resource adapter can connect?
Yes No No Yes
No Yes Yes Yes
No No Yes No
No No No No
No Yes No No
Yes Yes Yes Yes (using the authentication alias)



Related tasks
Overriding the default security configuration between bus-enabled Web services and a secure bus
Reference topic Reference topic    

Terms and conditions for information centers | Feedback

Last updatedLast updated: Aug 30, 2013 4:53:43 PM CDT
http://www14.software.ibm.com/webapp/wsbroker/redirect?version=pix&product=was-base-dist&topic=rjw_security_defaults
File name: rjw_security_defaults.html