Managing policy sets and bindings for service providers at the application level using the administrative console

Use this administrative console task to manage policy sets for an application or its services, endpoints, and operations.

Before you begin

Before completing this task, you need to install one or more Java™ API for XML-Based Web Services (JAX-WS) and attach a policy set to each Web service.

About this task

You have developed a Web service that contains all the necessary artifacts and deployed your Web services application into your application server instance. Now, you can attach or detach policy sets and manage the associated bindings.

The policy set information is displayed in the Attached Policy Set column. If a policy set is directly attached, then the policy set name appears; for example, WS-I RSP is displayed. If there is no policy set attached, and a policy set is attached at a higher level, then the word inherited in parentheses is appended to the policy set name, as the following example demonstrates: WS-I RSP (inherited). If there is no policy set attached directly or at a higher level, then None is displayed.

Every attachment of a policy set to a service artifact has an assigned binding. The binding information is displayed in the Binding column. The Binding column can contain the following values:
  • Not applicable. There is no policy set attached, either directly or to a higher level service resource.
  • Binding_name or Default. The binding name is displayed if a policy set is attached directly and an application-specific binding or a general binding is assigned, for example, MyBindings1. Default is displayed if a policy set is attached directly but the service resource uses the default bindings.
  • Binding_name (inherited) or Default (inherited). A service resource inherits the bindings from an attachment to a higher level resource.

In Version 7.0, there are two types of bindings, application specific bindings and general bindings.

Application specific binding

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

When you create an application specific binding for a policy set attachment, the binding begins in a completely unconfigured state. You must add each policy, such as WS-Security or HTTP transport, that you want to override the default binding and fully configure the bindings for each policy that you have added. 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, you can only create application specific bindings by selecting Assign Binding > New Application Specific Binding for service provider resources that have an attached policy set. See service providers policy sets and bindings collection. Similarly, for service clients, you can only create application specific bindings by selecting Assign Binding > New Application Specific Binding for service client resources that have an attached policy set. See service client policy set and bindings collection.

General bindings

General bindings are new for Version 7.0. These bindings can be configured to be used across a range of policy sets and can be reused across applications and for trust service attachments. Though general bindings are highly reusable, they are however not able to provide configuration for advanced policy requirements, such as multiple signatures. There are two types of general bindings:

  • General provider policy set bindings
  • General client policy set bindings

You can create general provider policy set bindings by accessing Services > Policy sets > General provider policy set bindings > New in the general provider policy sets panel or by accessing Services > Policy sets > General client policy set bindings > New in the general client policy set and bindings panel. See defining and managing service client or provider bindings. General provider policy set bindings might also be used for trust service attachments.

Depending on your assigned security role when security is enabled, you 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.

Procedure

  1. Open the administrative console.
  2. Applications > Application Types > WebSphere enterprise applications >Service_provider_application_instance > Service provider policy sets and bindings.

    [Optional] When you are accessing a business-level application, click Business-level applications (BLA) > My_BLA > BLA_instance > Service provider policy sets and bindings. Alternatively, click Services > Service providers > My_BLA > BLA_instance > Service provider policy sets and bindings.

  3. Select the check box next to a service resource of interest.
  4. Click Attach to attach a policy set to an application, service, endpoint or operation.
  5. [Optional] Click Detach to detach a policy set from a list of attached policy sets for an application, service provider, endpoint or operation.
  6. Click Assign Binding to select from a list of available bindings for the selected policy set attachment. All the bindings are listed along with the following options:
    • Default
    • New Application Specific Binding
    • Provider sample

    Default

    Specifies the default binding for the selected service, endpoint or operation. You 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 you attach a policy set to a service resource, the binding is initially set to the Default. If you 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 runtime checks to see if the attachment includes a binding. If so, it uses that binding. If not, the runtime 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 that 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 you create is used for the selected resources. If you 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.

  7. To close the drop down list for the assign binding action, click Assign Binding.

Results

When you finish this task, a policy set is attached or detached, and a binding is assigned to the service artifact.

Example

If you have configured a service provider application instance, app1 and you want, for example, to attach theUsername WSSecurity default policy set to your application, first locate app1 application in the Applications > Application Types > WebSphere enterprise applications. Click app1 > Service provider policy sets and bindings under the Web Services Properties section. Select the check box next to the app1 service application. Click Attach and select Username WSSecurity default policy set. Click Save, to save your changes to the master configuration. You are returned to the Applications > Application Types > WebSphere enterprise applications page.

To assign a binding to the attached policy set, click app1 > Service provider policy sets and bindings. Select the check box next to the app1 service application and click Assign Binding. Select Provider sample binding from the list. Click Save, to save your changes to the master configuration.

What to do next

You can proceed to view service providers at the cell level using the administrative console.




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Last updated: Oct 20, 2010 11:50:58 PM CDT
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