Administering User Security
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2 Administering User Security

This chapter provides instructions for administering user security in the Oracle GlassFish Server environment by using the asadmin command-line utility. GlassFish Server enforces its authentication and authorization policies upon realms, users, and groups. This chapter assumes that you are familiar with security features such as authentication, authorization, and certificates. If you are not, see Administering System Security.

The following topics are addressed here:

Instructions for accomplishing these tasks by using the Administration Console are contained in the Administration Console online help.

Note

JSR-375 defines the concept of an Identity Store, and an SPI interface for writing providers that can authenticate users against Identity Stores. It also provides two built-in providers. This mechanism is conceptually similar to Authentication Realms, but can be configured and managed by applications. See Working with Identity Stores in The Java EE Tutorial for more information about Identity Stores.

Administering Authentication Realms

The following topics are addressed here:

Overview of Authentication Realms

An authentication realm, also called a security policy domain or security domain, is a scope over which the GlassFish Server defines and enforces a common security policy. GlassFish Server is preconfigured with the file, certificate, and administration realms. In addition, you can set up LDAP, JDBC, digest, Oracle Solaris, or custom realms. An application can specify which realm to use in its deployment descriptor. If the application does not specify a realm, GlassFish Server uses its default realm (file).

File realm

GlassFish Server stores user credentials locally in a file named keyfile. The file realm is the initial default realm.

Administration realm

The administration realm is also a file realm and stores administrator user credentials locally in a file named admin-keyfile.

Certificate realm

GlassFish Server stores user credentials in a certificate database. When using the certificate realm, the server uses certificates with the HTTPS protocol to authenticate web clients.

LDAP realm

GlassFish Server can get user credentials from a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) server such as Oracle Virtual Directory (OVD) (http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/middleware/id-mgmt/overview/index.html), Oracle Internet Directory (OID) (http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/indexes/products/index.html), and Oracle Directory Server Enterprise Edition (http://www.oracle.com/us/products/middleware/identity-management/oracle-directory-services/index.html). LDAP is a protocol for enabling anyone to locate organizations, individuals, and other resources such as files and devices in a network, whether on the public Internet or on a corporate intranet.
See To Configure LDAP Authentication with OID for instructions on configuring GlassFish Server to work with an OVD/OID LDAP provider.

Note:

By default, GlassFish Server performs LDAP group search. If you have not created any groups in LDAP, the search fails.

To disable LDAP group search in LDAP user name search, set the com.oracle.enterprise.security.auth.realm.ldap.DISABLEGROUP_SEARCH Java system property to true in the required GlassFish Server instance or cluster configurations:

asadmin> create-jvm-options --target=`target
`-Dcom.oracle.enterprise.security.auth.realm.ldap.DISABLEGROUP_SEARCH=true

where target is the GlassFish Server instance or cluster for which you are disabling LDAP group search. For more information about the create-jvm-options subcommand, see the GlassFish Server Open Source Edition Reference Manual.
JDBC realm

GlassFish Server gets user credentials from a database. The server uses the database information and the enabled JDBC realm option in the configuration file.

Digest realm

Digest Authentication authenticates a user based on a user name and a password. However, the authentication is performed by transmitting the password in an encrypted form.

Oracle Solaris realm

GlassFish Server gets user credentials from the Oracle Solaris operating system. This realm is supported on the Oracle Solaris 9 and Oracle Solaris 10 operating systems. Consult your Oracle Solaris documentation for information about managing users and groups in the Oracle Solaris realm.

PAM realm

A Pluggable Authentication Module (PAM) realm allows applications deployed on GlassFish Server to authenticate users against a native Unix (Solaris/Linux/Mac OS) users list. PAM realms use the class name com.sun.enterprise.security.auth.realm.pam.PamRealm and the JAAS Context pamRealm.
This realm is supported on all Unix Operating Systems, including the Oracle Solaris 9 and Oracle Solaris 10 operating systems

Custom realm

You can create other repositories for user credentials, such as a relational database or third-party components. For more information about custom realms, see the Administration Console online help. For instructions on creating a custom realm, see "Creating a Custom Realm" in GlassFish Server Open Source Edition Application Development Guide.

The GlassFish Server authentication service can govern users in multiple realms.

To Create an Authentication Realm

Use the create-auth-realm subcommand in remote mode to create an authentication realm.

  1. Ensure that the server is running.
    Remote subcommands require a running server.

  2. Create a realm by using the create-auth-realm subcommand.
    Information about properties for this subcommand is included in this help page.

Example 2-1 Creating a Realm

This example creates a realm named db.

asadmin> create-auth-realm --classname com.iplanet.ias.security.
auth.realm.DB.Database --property defaultuser=admin:Password=admin db
Command create-auth-realm executed successfully.

See Also

You can also view the full syntax and options of the subcommand by typing asadmin help create-auth-realm at the command line.

For information on creating a custom realm, see "Creating a Custom Realm" in GlassFish Server Open Source Edition Application Development Guide.

To List Authentication Realms

Use the list-auth-realms subcommand in remote mode to list the existing authentication realms.

  1. Ensure that the server is running.
    Remote subcommands require a running server.

  2. List realms by using the list-auth-realms subcommand.

Example 2-2 Listing Realms

This example lists the authentication realms on localhost.

asadmin> list-auth-realms
db
certificate
file
admin-realm
Command list-auth-realms executed successfully.

See Also

You can also view the full syntax and options of the subcommand by typing asadmin help list-auth-realms at the command line.

To Update an Authentication Realm

Use the set subcommand to modify an existing authentication realm.

Note

A custom realm does not require server restart.

  1. List realms by using the list-auth-realms subcommand.

  2. Modify the values for the specified thread pool by using the set subcommand.
    The thread pool is identified by its dotted name.

  3. To apply your changes, restart GlassFish Server.
    See "To Restart a Domain" in GlassFish Server Open Source Edition Administration Guide.

To Delete an Authentication Realm

Use the delete-auth-realm subcommand in remote mode to delete an existing authentication realm.

  1. Ensure that the server is running.
    Remote subcommands require a running server.

  2. List realms by using the list-auth-realms subcommand.

  3. If necessary, notify users that the realm is being deleted.

  4. Delete the realm by using the delete-auth-realm subcommand.

  5. To apply your changes, restart GlassFish Server. See "To Restart a Domain" in GlassFish Server Open Source Edition Administration Guide.

Example 2-3 Deleting a Realm

This example deletes an authentication realm named db.

asadmin> delete-auth-realm db
Command delete-auth-realm executed successfully.

See Also

You can also view the full syntax and options of the subcommand by typing asadmin help delete-auth-realm at the command line.

To Configure a JDBC or Digest Authentication Realm

GlassFish Server enables you to specify a user’s credentials (user name and password) in the JDBC realm instead of in the connection pool. Using the jdbc type realm instead of the connection pool prevents other applications from browsing the database tables for user credentials.

Note

By default, storage of passwords as clear text is not supported in the JDBC realm. Under normal circumstances, passwords should not be stored as clear text.


  1. Create the database tables in which to store user credentials for the realm.
    How you create the database tables depends on the database that you are using.

  2. Add user credentials to the database tables that you created.
    How you add user credentials to the database tables depends on the database that you are using.

  3. Create a JDBC connection pool for the database.
    See "To Create a JDBC Connection Pool" in GlassFish Server Open Source Edition Administration Guide.

  4. Create a JDBC resource for the database.
    "To Create a JDBC Resource" in GlassFish Server Open Source Edition Administration Guide.


  5. Create a realm.
    For instructions, see To Create an Authentication Realm.

Note

The JAAS context should be jdbcDigestRealm for digest authentication or jdbcRealm for other authentication types.


  1. Modify the deployment descriptor to specify the jdbc realm.
    Modify the deployment descriptor that is associated with your application.

    • For an enterprise application in an Enterprise Archive (EAR) file, modify the sun-application.xml file.

    • For a web application in a Web Application Archive (WAR) file, modify the web.xml file.

    • For an enterprise bean in an EJB JAR file, modify the sun-ejb-jar.xml file.
      For more information about how to specify a realm, see "How to Configure a Realm" in GlassFish Server Open Source Edition Application Development Guide.

  2. Assign security roles to users in the realm.
    To assign a security role to a user, add a security-role-mapping element to the deployment descriptor that you modified.

  3. Verify that the database is running.
    If needed, see "To Start the Database" in GlassFish Server Open Source Edition Administration Guide.

  4. To apply the authentication, restart the server.
    See "To Restart a Domain" in GlassFish Server Open Source Edition Administration Guide.

Example 2-4 Assigning a Security Role

This example shows a security-role-mapping element that assigns the security role Employee to user Calvin

<security-role-mapping>
    <role-name>Employee</role-name>
    <principal-name>Calvin</principal-name>
  </security-role-mapping>

To Configure LDAP Authentication with OID

This procedure explains how to configure GlassFish Server to use LDAP authentication with Oracle Internet Directory.

  1. Install Oracle Enterprise Manager 11g and the latest Enterprise Manager patches, if they are not installed already.
    Instructions for installing Oracle Enterprise Manager are provided in the Oracle Enterprise Manager (http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E11857_01/index.html) documentation set.

  2. Install the Oracle Identity Management Suite (IDM) 11g and Patch Set 2 or later, if they are not installed already.
    Instructions for installing the Oracle Identity Management suite are provided in Oracle Fusion Middleware Installation Guide for Oracle Identity Management (http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E12839_01/install.1111/e12002/toc.html).

  3. Configure SSL for Oracle Internet Directory (OID), if it is not configured already. Configure the OID instance in the server authentication mode and with the protocol version set to SSLv3
    Instructions for configuring SSL for OID are provided in the SSL chapter of Oracle Internet Directory Administrator’s Guide (http://docs.oracle.com/cd/B14099_19/idmanage.1012/b14082/ssl.html).

  4. Using Oracle Wallet Manager, export an SSL self-signed certificate you want to use with GlassFish Server.
    Instructions for using Oracle Wallet Manager to create and export SSL certificates are provided in the "Configure Oracle Internet Directory for SSL" (http://docs.oracle.com/cd/B14099_19/idmanage.1012/b14082/ssl.html#CHDCADIJ) section of the SSL chapter in Oracle Internet Directory Administrator’s Guide (http://docs.oracle.com/cd/B14099_19/idmanage.1012/b14082/ssl.html).

  5. On the GlassFish Server side, use the keytool command import the certificate you exported with Oracle Wallet Manager.
    The keytool command is available in the $JAVA_HOME/bin directory. Use the following syntax:

keytool -importcert -alias "alias-name" -keystore domain-dir/config/cacerts.jks
-file cert-name
where the variables are defined as follows
alias-name

Name of an alias to use for the certificate

domain-dir

Name of the domain for which the certificate is used

cert-name

Path to the certificate that you exported with Oracle Wallet Manager.
For example, to import a certificate named oi.cer for a GlassFish Server domain in /glassfishv3/glassfish/domains/domain1, using an alias called "OID self-signed certificate," you would use the following command:

keytool -importcert -alias "OID self signed certificate" -keystore \
/glassfishv3/glassfish/domains/domain1/config/cacerts.jks -file oid.cer

  1. Restart the GlassFish Server domain.
    See "To Restart a Domain" in GlassFish Server Open Source Edition Administration Guide.

  2. Use the Oracle Enterprise Manager ldapmodify command to enable Anonymous Bind for OID.
    For example:

ldapmodify -D cn=orcladmin -q -p portNum -h hostname -f ldifFile

In this example, the LDIF file might contain the following:

dn: cn=oid1,cn=osdldapd,cn=subconfigsubentry
changetype: modify
replace: orclAnonymousBindsFlag
orclAnonymousBindsFlag: 1

To disable all anonymous binds, you would use a similar LDIF file with the last line changed to:

orclAnonymousBindsFlag: 0

See "Managing Anonymous Binds" (http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E14571_01/oid.1111/e10029/authentication.html#CACJEJDA) in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administrator’s Guide for Oracle Internet Directory (http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E14571_01/oid.1111/e10029/toc.html) for complete instructions on the ldapmodify command.

To Configure LDAP Authentication with OVD

This procedure explains how to configure GlassFish Server to use LDAP authentication with Oracle Virtual Directory.

  1. Create the OVD adapter, as described in the "Creating and Configuring Oracle Virtual Directory Adapters" (http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E12839_01/oid.1111/e10046/basic_adapters.html#BABCBGJA) chapter of Administrator’s Guide for Oracle Virtual Directory (http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E12839_01/oid.1111/e10046/toc.html).

  2. Configure SSL for Oracle Virtual Directory (OVD), if it is not configured already. For instructions on configuring SSL for OVD, see the section "Enable SSL for Oracle Virtual Directory Using Fusion Middleware Control" in SSL Configuration in Oracle Fusion Middleware (http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E12839_01/core.1111/e10105/sslconfig.html#ASADM1800).
    Also, configure the SSL for the OVD listener in server authentication mode.

  3. Export the certificate from JKS keystore you want to use with GlassFish Server. See "Exporting a Keystore Using Fusion Middleware Control" (http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E16764_01/core.1111/e10105/wallets.html#CIHECAIB) for information.

  4. On the GlassFish Server side, use the keytool command to import the certificate you exported from the JKS keystore.
    The keytool command is available in the $JAVA_HOME/bin directory. Use the following syntax:

keytool -importcert -alias "alias-name" -keystore domain-dir/config/cacerts.jks
-file cert-name
where the variables are defined as follows
alias-name

Name of an alias to use for the certificate

domain-dir

Name of the domain for which the certificate is used

cert-name

Path to the certificate that you exported from the keystore.
For example, to import a certificate named ovd.cer for a GlassFish Server domain in /glassfishv3/glassfish/domains/domain1, using an alias called "OVD self-signed certificate," you would use the following command:

keytool -importcert -alias "OVD self signed certificate" -keystore \
/glassfishv3/glassfish/domains/domain1/config/cacerts.jks -file ovd.cer

  1. Restart the GlassFish Server domain.
    See "To Restart a Domain" in GlassFish Server Open Source Edition Administration Guide.

To Enable LDAP Authentication on the GlassFish Server DAS

This procedure explains how to enable LDAP authentication for logins to the GlassFish Server Domain Administration Server (DAS). Logging in to the DAS is typically only performed by GlassFish Server administrators who want to use the GlassFish Server Administration Console or asadmin command. See To Configure LDAP Authentication with OID for instructions on enabling general LDAP authentication for GlassFish Server.

Before You Begin

Ensure that you have followed the configuration instructions in To Configure LDAP Authentication with OID

Use the asadmin configure-ldap-for-admin subcommand to enable user authentication to the GlassFish Server DAS.

Use the following syntax:

asadmin configure-ldap-for-admin --basedn "dn-list" --url [ldap|ldaps]://ldap-url
--ldap-group group-name

where the variables are defined as follows:

dn-list

basedn parameters

ldap-url

URL and port number for the LDAP server; can use standard (ldap) or secure (ldaps) protocol

group-name

LDAP group name for allowed users, as defined on the LDAP server.

For example:

asadmin configure-ldap-for-admin --basedn "dc=red,dc=iplanet,dc=com" \
--url ldap://interopoel54-1:3060 --ldap-group sqestaticgroup

asadmin configure-ldap-for-admin --basedn "dc=red,dc=iplanet,dc=com" \
--url ldaps://interopoel54-1:7501 --ldap-group sqestaticgroup

See Also

See configure-ldap-for-admin for more information about the configure-ldap-for-admin subcommand.

Administering File Users

A user is an individual (or application program) identity that is defined in GlassFish Server. A user who has been authenticated is sometimes called a principal.

As the administrator, you are responsible for integrating users into the GlassFish Server environment so that their credentials are securely established and they are provided with access to the applications and services that they are entitled to use.

The following topics are addressed here:

To Create a File User

Use the create-file-user subcommand in remote mode to create a new user by adding a new entry to the keyfile. The entry includes the user name, password, and any groups for the user. Multiple groups can be specified by separating the groups with colons (:).

Note

If secure administration is enabled as described in Running Secure Admin, you cannot create an administrative user with a blank password.

Creating a new file realm user is a dynamic event and does not require server restart.

  1. Ensure that the server is running.
    Remote subcommands require a running server.

  2. If the user will belong to a particular group, see the current groups by using the list-file-groups subcommand.

  3. Create a file user by using the create-file-user subcommand.

Example 2-5 Creating a User

This example create user Jennifer on the default realm file (no groups are specified).

The asadmin --passwordfile option specifies the name of a file that contains the password entries in a specific format. The entry for a password must have the AS_ADMIN_ prefix followed by the password name in uppercase letters, an equals sign, and the password. See asadmin(1M) for more information.

asadmin> create-file-user --user admin
--passwordfile=c:\tmp\asadminpassword.txt Jennifer
Command create-file-user executed successfully.

See Also

You can also view the full syntax and options of the subcommand by typing asadmin help create-file-user at the command line.

To List File Users

Use the list-file-users subcommand in remote mode to list the users that are in the keyfile.

  1. Ensure that the server is running.
    Remote subcommands require a running server.

  2. List users by using the list-file-users subcommand.

Example 2-6 Listing File Users

This example lists file users on the default file realm file.

asadmin> list-file-users
Jennifer
Command list-file-users executed successfully.

See Also

You can also view the full syntax and options of the subcommand by typing asadmin help list-file-users at the command line.

To List File Groups

A group is a category of users classified by common traits, such as job title or customer profile. For example, users of an e-commerce application might belong to the customer group, and the big spenders might also belong to the preferred group. Categorizing users into groups makes it easier to control the access of large numbers of users. A group is defined for an entire server and realm. A user can be associated with multiple groups of users.

A group is different from a role in that a role defines a function in an application, while a group is a set of users who are related in some way. For example, in the personnel application there might be groups such as full-time, part-time, and on-leave. Users in these groups are all employees (the employee role). In addition, each user has its own designation that defines an additional level of employment.

Use the list-file-groups subcommand in remote mode to list groups for a file user, or all file groups if the --name option is not specified.

  1. Ensure that the server is running.
    Remote subcommands require a running server.

  2. List file groups by using the list-file-groups subcommand.

Example 2-7 Listing Groups for a User

This example lists the groups for user joesmith.

asadmin> list-file-groups --name joesmith
staff
manager
Command list-file-groups executed successfully

To Update a File User

Use the update-file-user subcommand in remote mode to modify the information in the keyfile for a specified user.

Note

If secure administration is enabled as described in Running Secure Admin, you cannot update an administrative user to have a blank password.

  1. Ensure that the server is running.
    Remote subcommands require a running server.

  2. Update the user information by using the update-file-user subcommand.

  3. To apply your changes, restart GlassFish Server.
    See "To Restart a Domain" in GlassFish Server Open Source Edition Administration Guide.

Example 2-8 Updating a User

The following subcommand updates the groups for user Jennifer.

asadmin> update-file-user --passwordfile c:\tmp\asadminpassword.txt --groups
staff:manager:engineer Jennifer
Command update-file-user executed successfully.

See Also

You can also view the full syntax and options of the subcommand by typing asadmin help update-file-user at the command line.

To Delete a File User

Use the delete-file-user subcommand in remote mode to remove a user entry from the keyfile by specifying the user name. You cannot delete yourself, that is, the user you are logged in as cannot be deleted during your session.

  1. Ensure that the server is running.
    Remote subcommands require a running server.

  2. List users by using the list-file-users subcommand.

  3. Delete the user by using the delete-file-user subcommand.

Example 2-9 Deleting a User

This example deletes user Jennifer from the default file realm.

asadmin> delete-file-user Jennifer
Command delete-file-user executed successfully.

See Also

You can also view the full syntax and options of the subcommand by typing asadmin help delete-file-user at the command line.

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