Configure the client for LTPA token authentication: collecting the authentication method information

To configure Lightweight Third-Party Authentication (LTPA) token authentication, collect the LTPA token authentication information. Do not configure the client for LTPA token authentication unless the authentication mechanism configured in WebSphere Application Server is LTPA.

Overview

There is an important distinction between V5.x and V6.0.x and later applications. The information in this article supports V5.x applications only that are used with WebSphere Application Server V6.0.x and later. The information does not apply to V6.0.x and later applications.

Use this task to configure Lightweight Third-Party Authentication (LTPA) token authentication. Do not configure the client for LTPA token authentication unless the authentication mechanism configured in WebSphere Application Server is LTPA. When a client authenticates to a WebSphere Application Server, the credential created contains an LTPA token. When a Web service calls a downstream Web service, you can configure the first Web service to send the LTPA token from the originating client. Do not attempt to configure LTPA from a pure client. LTPA works only when you configure the client-side of a Web service acting as a client to a downstream Web service. In order for the downstream Web service to validate the LTPA token, the LTPA keys on both servers must be the same.

Complete the following steps to specify how to collect the LTPA token authentication information:

Procedure

1. Launch an assembly tool. For more information on the assembly tools, see Assembly tools.

2. Switch to the J2EE perspective. Click Window > Open Perspective > J2EE.

3. Click Application Client Projects > application_name > appClientModule > META-INF.

4. Right-click the application-client.xml file, select Open with > Deployment descriptor editor.

5. Click the WS Bindings tab, which is located at the bottom of the deployment descriptor editor within the assembly tool.

6. Expand the Security request sender binding configuration > Login binding section.

7. Click Edit to view the login binding information and select LTPA. If LTPA is not already there, enter it as an option. The login binding dialog is displayed. Select or enter the following information:

   Authentication method

   Timeype of authentication that occurs. Select LTPA to use identity assertion.

   Token value type URI and token value type local name

   When you select LTPA, edit the token value type URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) and the local name fields. Specifies values for custom authentication types, which are authentication methods not mentioned in the specification. For the token value type URI field, enter the following string: http://www.ibm.com/websphere/appserver/tokentype/5.0.2. For the local name field, enter the following string: LTPA.

   Callback handler

   Specifies the Java Authentication and Authorization Service (JAAS) callback handler implementation for collecting the LTPA information.  Specify the com.ibm.wsspi.wssecurity.auth.callback.LTPATokenCallbackHandler implementation for LTPA.

   Basic authentication user ID and basic authentication password

   For LTPA, you can leave these fields empty. However, when you omit this information, the LTPA CallbackHandler implementation attempts to obtain the LTPA token from the invocation (RunAs) credential. If an invocation (RunAs) credential does not exist, then the LTPA token is not propagated.

   Property name and property value

   For LTPA, you can leave these fields blank.

What to do next

Related concepts

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