Customizing the Distributed Authentication User Interface

Access Manager provides a remote Authentication user interface component to enable secure, distributed authentication across two firewalls. You can install the remote authentication user interface component on any servlet-compliant web container within the non-secure layer of an Access Manager deployment. The remote component works with Authentication client APIs and authentication utility classes to authenticate web users. The remote component is customizable and uses a JATO presentation framework.

For detailed information on how Distributed Authentication works, see Distributed Authentication User Interface in Sun Java System Access Manager 7.1 Technical Overview and Chapter 11, Deploying a Distributed Authentication UI Server, in Sun Java System Access Manager 7.1 Postinstallation Guide.

Once the Distributed Authentication component is installed and deployed, you can modify the JSP templates and module configuration properties files to reflect branding and specific functionality for any of the following:

Organization/SubOrganization

This is the organization or sub-organization of the request.

Locale

Locale of the request.

Client Path

Client Type information of the request.

Service Name (serviceName)

Service name for service-based authentication.

To Customize the Distributed Authentication User Interface

Before You Begin

The Distributed Authentication User Interface package must already be installed. For detailed installation instructions, see Installing and Configuring a Distributed Authentication UI Server Using the Java ES Installer in Sun Java System Access Manager 7.1 Postinstallation Guide.

1. Explode the Distributed Authentication User Interface WAR.

2. At the command line, go to the directory where the default JSP templates are stored.

   Example:

   cd DistributedAuth-base/config/auth

   where DistributedAuth-base is the directory where the Distributed Authentication User Interface package is exploded.

3. Create a new directory using the appropriate directory path based on the level of customization.

   Use the following form:

   org_locale/orgPath/filePath
           org/orgPath/filePath
           default_locale/orgPath/filePath
           default/orgPath/filePath

   where:

   orgPath = subOrg1/subOrg2
           filePath = clientPath + serviceName
           clientPath = clientType/sub-clientType

   The following are optional: Sub-org, Locale , Client Path , and Service Name . In the following example, orgPath and filePath are optional.

   For example, given the following:

   org = iplanet
   locale = en
   subOrg = solaris
   clientPath = html/nokia/
   serviceName = paycheck

   the appropriate directory paths for the above are:

   iplanet_en/solaris/html/nokia/paycheck    
   iplanet/solaris/html/nokia/paycheck          
   default_en/solaris/html/nokia/paycheck         
   default/solaris/html/nokia/paycheck

4. Copy all the JSP templates and authentication module configuration properties XML files from the default directory to the new directory.

   cp DistributedAuth-base/config/auth/default/*.jsp  
   			DistributedAuth-base/config/auth/new_directory_path
   

   cp DistributedAuth-base/config/auth/default/*.xml 
   			DistributedAuth-base/config/auth/new_directory_path
   

5. (Optional) Modify the files in the new directory to suit your needs.

   • For information about customizing the .jsp files, see Java Server Pages.

   • For information about customizing the .xml files, XML Files.

6. Create a new .WAR file named amauthdistui_deploy.war from DistributedAuth-base.

7. Deploy amauthdistui_deploy.war.

   The web container administrator deploys the file in the remote web container.