Configure the client for identity assertion: specifying the method

 

Overview

This task is used to configure identity assertion authentication. The purpose of identity assertion is to assert the authenticated identity of the originating client from a Web service to a downstream Web service. Do not attempt to configure identity assertion from a pure client. Identity assertion works only when you configure on the client-side of a Web service acting as a client to a downstream Web service.

In order for the downstream Web service to accept the identity of the originating client (just the user name), supply a special trusted BasicAuth credential that the downstream Web service trusts and can authenticate successfully.  You must specify the user ID of the special BasicAuth credential in a trusted ID evaluator on the downstream Web service configuration. For more information on trusted ID evaluators, see Trusted ID evaluators.

Complete the following steps to specify identity assertion as the authentication method:

  1. Launch the Assembly Toolkit.

  2. Open the J2EE perspective by clicking Window > Open Perspective > Other > J2EE.

  3. Select the Web services-enabled Enterprise JavaBean (EJB) or Web module.

  4. In the Project Navigator window, locate the META-INF directory for an EJB module or the WEB-INF directory for a Web module.

  5. Right-click the webservicesclient.xml file, and click Open With > Web Services Client Editor.

  6. Click the Security Extensions tab, which is located at the bottom of the Web services client editor within the Assembly Toolkit.

  7. Expand the Request Sender Configuration > Login Configuration section.

  8. Select IDAssertion as the authentication method.For more conceptual information on identity assertion authentication, see ID assertion.

  9. Expand the IDAssertion section.

  10. For the ID Type, select Username. This value works with all registry types and originating authentication methods.

  11. For the Trust Mode, select either BasicAuth or Signature.

    • By selecting BasicAuth, include basic authentication information (user ID and password), which the downstream Web service has specified in the trusted ID evaluator as a trusted user ID. See Configuring the client for signature authentication: Collecting the authentication information to specify the user ID and password information.

    • By selecting Signature the certificate configured in the signature information section used to sign the data also is that is used as the trusted subject. The Signature is used to create a credential and user ID, which the certificate mapped to the downstream registry, is used in the trusted ID evaluator as a trusted user ID.

 

What to do next

See Configuring the client security bindings using the Assembly Toolkit for more information on the Web services client editor within the Assembly Toolkit.

After you specify identity assertion as the authentication method used by the client, specify how to collect the authentication information. See Configuring the client for identity assertion authentication: Collecting the authentication information for more information.


Related concepts
Trusted ID evaluator
Identity assertion
Related tasks
Securing Web services using identity assertion authentication
Configuring the client for identity assertion: Collecting the authentication method
Configuring the client security bindings using the Assembly Toolkit