Sun GlassFish Enterprise Server v3 Administration Guide

Chapter 11 Administering System Security

The following topics are addressed here:

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

Additional instructions on configuring security is contained in Chapter 12, Administering User Security and Chapter 13, Administering Message Security.

Information on application security is contained in Chapter 5, Securing Applications, in Sun GlassFish Enterprise Server v3 Application Development Guide.

About System Security in Enterprise Server

Security is about protecting data, that is, how to prevent unauthorized access or damage to data that is in storage or in transit. The Enterprise Server is built on the Java security model, which uses a sandbox where applications can run safely, without potential risk to systems or users. System security affects all the applications in the Enterprise Server environment.

System security features include the following:

Authentication

Authentication is the way in which an entity (a user, an application, or a component) determines that another entity is who it claims to be. An entity uses security credentials to authenticate itself. The credentials might be a user name and password, a digital certificate, or something else. Usually, servers or applications require clients to authenticate themselves. Additionally, clients might require servers to authenticate themselves. When authentication is bidirectional, it is called mutual authentication.

When an entity tries to access a protected resource, Enterprise Server uses the authentication mechanism configured for that resource to determine whether to grant access. For example, a user can enter a user name and password in a web browser, and if the application verifies those credentials, the user is authenticated. The user is associated with this authenticated security identity for the remainder of the session.

Authentication Types

Within its deployment descriptors, an application specifies the type of authentication that it uses. Enterprise Server supports the following types of authentication:

BASIC

Uses the server's built-in login dialog box. The communication protocol is HTTP (SSL optional). There is no user-credentialed encryption unless using SSL.

FORM

The application provides its own custom login and error pages. The communication protocol is HTTP (SSL optional). There is no user-credentialed encryption unless using SSL.

CLIENT-CERT

The server authenticates the client using a public key certificate. The communication protocol is HTTPS (HTTP over SSL). User-credentialed encryption is SSL.

DIGEST

The server authenticates a user based on a user name and a password. The authentication is performed by transmitting the password in an encrypted form which is much more secure than the simple Base64 encoding used by BASIC authentication. The communication protocol is HTTPS.

Passwords

Passwords are your first line of defense against unauthorized access to the components and data of Enterprise Server. For Information about how to use passwords for Enterprise Server, see Administering Passwords.

Master Password and Keystores

The master password is an overall shared password and is the most sensitive piece of data in the system. It is never used for authentication and is never transmitted over the network. You can choose to enter the master password manually when required, or obscure it in a file.

The master password is the password for the secure keystore. When a new application server domain is created, a new self-signed certificate is generated and stored in the relevant keystore, which is locked using the master password (default password changeit). If the master password is not the default (that is, you have changed it), you are prompted for the master password. After the correct master password is entered, the domain starts.

Administration Password

The administration password, also known as the admin password, is used to invoke the Administration Console and the asadmin utility. This password is usually set during installation, but it can be changed. For instructions, see To Change the Administration Password.

Encoded Passwords

Files that contain encoded passwords need to be protected using file system permissions. These files include the following:

For instructions, see To Set a Password From a File.

Password Aliases

To avoid storing passwords in the domain configuration file in clear text, you can create an alias for a password. This process is also known as encrypting a password. For more information, see Administering Password Aliases.

Single Sign-on

With single sign-on, a user who logs in to one application becomes implicitly logged in to other applications that require the same authentication information. Single sign-on is based on groups. All web applications whose deployment descriptor defines the same group and uses the same authentication method (BASIC, FORM, or CLIENT-CERT) share single sign-on.

On Enterprise Server, single sign-on is enabled by default for virtual servers, allowing multiple applications in one virtual server to share the user authentication state.

Authorization

Authorization, also known as access control, is the means by which users are granted permission to access data or perform operations. After a user is authenticated, the user's level of authorization determines what operations the owner can perform. A user's authorization is based on the user's role.

Roles

A role defines which applications and what parts of each application users can access and what those users or groups can do with the applications. For example, in a personnel application, all employees might be able to see phone numbers and email addresses, but only managers have access to salary information. This application would define at least two roles: employee and manager. Only users in the manager role are allowed to view salary information.

A role is different from a group 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, the personnel application specify 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.

Roles are defined in the deployment descriptor for the application. The application developer or deployer maps roles to one or more groups in the deployment descriptor for each application. When the application is being packaged and deployed, the application specifies mappings between users, groups, and roles, as illustrated in the following figure.

Figure 11–1 Role Mapping

Figure shows how users are assigned to groups, how users
and groups are assigned to roles, and how applications use groups and roles.

Java Authorization Contract for Containers

Java Authorization Contract for Containers (JACC) is the part of the Java EE specification that defines an interface for pluggable authorization providers. This enables you to set up third-party plug-in modules to perform authorization. By default, the Enterprise Server provides a simple, file-based authorization engine that complies with the JACC specification. You can also specify additional third-party JACC providers.

JACC providers use the Java Authentication and Authorization Service (JAAS) APIs. JAAS enables services to authenticate and enforce access controls upon users. JAAS implements a Java technology version of the standard Pluggable Authentication Module (PAM) framework.

JSR 196 allows you to develop plugins at different layers. You can define plugins that change the way new authentication mechanism are configured, such as, AuthConfigProvider and AuthConfigFactory. You can also define new authentication mechanisms, such as ServerAuthModule and ClientAuthModule.

Auditing

Auditing is the means used to capture security-related events for the purpose of evaluating the effectiveness of security measures. Enterprise Server uses audit modules to capture audit trails of all authentication and authorization decisions. Enterprise Server provides a default audit module, as well as the ability to customize the audit modules.

For administration instructions, see Administering Audit Modules.

Firewalls

A firewall controls the flow of data between two or more networks, and manages the links between the networks. A firewall can consist of both hardware and software elements. The following guidelines pertain primarily to Enterprise Server:

Certificates and SSL

The following topics are addressed here:

For administration instructions, see Administering JSSE Certificates .

Certificates

Certificates, also called digital certificates, are electronic files that uniquely identify people and resources on the Internet. Certificates also enable secure, confidential communication between two entities. There are different kinds of certificates:

Certificates are based on public key cryptography, which uses pairs of digital keys (very long numbers) to encrypt, or encode, information so the information can be read only by its intended recipient. The recipient then decrypts (decodes) the information to read it. A key pair contains a public key and a private key. The owner distributes the public key and makes it available to anyone. But the owner never distributes the private key, which is always kept secret. Because the keys are mathematically related, data encrypted with one key can only be decrypted with the other key in the pair.

Certificates are issued by a trusted third party called a Certification Authority (CA). The CA is analogous to a passport office: it validates the certificate holder's identity and signs the certificate so that it cannot be forged or tampered with. After a CA has signed a certificate, the holder can present it as proof of identity and to establish encrypted, confidential communications. Most importantly, a certificate binds the owner's public key to the owner's identity.

In addition to the public key, a certificate typically includes information such as the following:

Certificates are governed by the technical specifications of the X.509 format. To verify the identity of a user in the certificate realm, the authentication service verifies an X.509 certificate, using the common name field of the X.509 certificate as the principal name.

Certificate Chains

A certificate chain is a series of certificates issued by successive CA certificates, eventually ending in a root CA certificate.

Web browsers are preconfigured with a set of root CA certificates that the browser automatically trusts. Any certificates from elsewhere must come with a certificate chain to verify their validity.

When a certificate is first generated, it is a self-signed certificate. A self-signed certificate is one for which the issuer (signer) is the same as the subject (the entity whose public key is being authenticated by the certificate). When the owner sends a certificate signing request (CSR) to a CA, then imports the response, the self-signed certificate is replaced by a chain of certificates. At the bottom of the chain is the certificate (reply) issued by the CA authenticating the subject's public key. The next certificate in the chain is one that authenticates the CA's public key. Usually, this is a self-signed certificate (that is, a certificate from the CA authenticating its own public key) and the last certificate in the chain.

In other cases, the CA can return a chain of certificates. In this situation, the bottom certificate in the chain is the same (a certificate signed by the CA, authenticating the public key of the key entry), but the second certificate in the chain is a certificate signed by a different CA, authenticating the public key of the CA to which you sent the CSR. Then, the next certificate in the chain is a certificate authenticating the second CA's key, and so on, until a self-signed root certificate is reached. Each certificate in the chain (after the first) thus authenticates the public key of the signer of the previous certificate in the chain.

Certificate Files

During Enterprise Server installation, a certificate is generated in Java Secure Socket Extension (JSSE) format suitable for internal testing. By default, Enterprise Server stores its certificate information in certificate databases in the domain-dir/config directory:

Keystore file

The key3.db file contains Enterprise Server certificate, including its private key. The keystore file is protected with a password.

Each keystore entry has a unique alias. After installation, the Enterprise Server keystore has a single entry with an alias of s1as.

Truststore file

The cert8.db file contains the Enterprise Server trusted certificates, including public keys for other entities. For a trusted certificate, the server has confirmed that the public key in the certificate belongs to the certificate's owner. Trusted certificates generally include those of CAs.

By default, Enterprise Server is configured with a keystore and truststore that will work with the example applications and for development purposes.

Secure Sockets Layer

Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is the most popular standard for securing Internet communications and transactions. Secure web applications use HTTPS (HTTP over SSL). The HTTPS protocol uses certificates to ensure confidential and secure communications between server and clients. In an SSL connection, both the client and the server encrypt data before sending it. Data is decrypted upon receipt.

When a Web browser (client) wants to connect to a secure site, an SSL handshake happens, like this:

  1. The browser sends a message over the network requesting a secure session (typically, by requesting a URL that begins with https instead of http).

  2. The server responds by sending its certificate (including its public key).

  3. The browser verifies that the server's certificate is valid and is signed by a CA whose certificate is in the browser's database (and who is trusted). It also verifies that the CA certificate has not expired.

  4. If the certificate is valid, the browser generates a one time, unique session key and encrypts it with the server's public key. The browser then sends the encrypted session key to the server so that they both have a copy.

  5. The server decrypts the message using its private key and recovers the session key.

After the handshake, the client has verified the identity of the Web site, and only the client and the Web server have a copy of the session key. From this point forward, the client and the server use the session key to encrypt all their communications with each other. Thus, their communications are ensured to be secure.

The newest version of the SSL standard is called Transport Layer Security (TLS). The Enterprise Server supports the SSL 3.0 and the TLS 1.0 encryption protocols.

To use SSL, Enterprise Server must have a certificate for each external interface or IP address that accepts secure connections. The HTTPS service of most web servers will not run unless a certificate has been installed. For instructions on applying SSL to HTTP listeners, see To Configure an HTTP Listener for SSL.

Ciphers

A cipher is a cryptographic algorithm used for encryption or decryption. SSL and TLS protocols support a variety of ciphers used to authenticate the server and client to each other, transmit certificates, and establish session keys.

Some ciphers are stronger and more secure than others. Clients and servers can support different cipher suites. During a secure connection, the client and the server agree to use the strongest cipher that they both have enabled for communication, so it is usually sufficient to enable all ciphers.

Name-based Virtual Hosts

Using name-based virtual hosts for a secure application can be problematic. This is a design limitation of the SSL protocol itself. The SSL handshake, where the client browser accepts the server certificate, must occur before the HTTP request is accessed. As a result, the request information containing the virtual host name cannot be determined prior to authentication, and it is therefore not possible to assign multiple certificates to a single IP address.

If all virtual hosts on a single IP address need to authenticate against the same certificate, the addition of multiple virtual hosts probably will not interfere with normal SSL operations on the server. Be aware, however, that most browsers will compare the server's domain name against the domain name listed in the certificate, if any (applicable primarily to official, CA-signed certificates). If the domain names do not match, these browsers display a warning. In general, only address-based virtual hosts are commonly used with SSL in a production environment.

Tools for Managing System Security

Enterprise Server provides the following tools for managing system security:

Administration Console

The Administration Console is a browser-based utility used to configure security for the entire server. Tasks include managing certificates, users, groups, and realms, and performing other system-wide security tasks. For a general introduction to the Administration Console, see Administration Console.

The asadmin utility

The asadmin command-line utility performs many of the same tasks as the Administration Console. You might be able to do some things with the asadmin utility that you cannot do with the Administration Console. For a general introduction to asadmin, see asadmin Utility.

The keytool utility

The keytool Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition (J2SE) command-line utility is used for managing digital certificates and key pairs. For more information, see Administering JSSE Certificates .

The policytool utility

The policytool J2SE graphical utility is used for managing system-wide Java security policies. As an administrator, you rarely use policytool.

For more information about using keytool, policytool, and other Java security tools, see Java 2 SDK Tools and Utilities at http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4.2/docs/tooldocs/tools.html#security.

Administering Passwords

There are multiple ways to administer passwords. You can rely on administrators to keep passwords secret and change the passwords regularly. You can set up files for storing passwords so that asadmin subcommands can access these files rather than having users type the commands. You can encrypt passwords by setting up aliases so that sensitive passwords are not visible in the domain.xml file.

The following topics are addressed here:

ProcedureTo Change the Master Password

The master password master gives access to the crypto store used with the domain, be that an NSS cert8.db trust store or a Java JKS keystore. This password is not tied to a UNIX user. This overall shared password is the most sensitive piece of data in your system. The master password is never used for authentication and is never transmitted over the network.

You can choose to type the password manually when required, or to obscure the password in a password file. If there is no password file, you are prompted for the master password. If there is a password file, but you want to change access to require prompting, remove the file. The default master password is changeit.

Use the change-master-password subcommand in local mode to modify the master password.

When the master password is changed, it is re-saved in the master-password keystore, which is a Java JCEKS type keystore.

Before You Begin

This subcommand will not work unless the domain is stopped.

  1. Stop the domain whose password you are changing.

    See To Stop a Domain.

  2. Change the master password for the domain by using the change-master-password(1) subcommand.

    You are prompted for the old and new passwords. All dependent items are re-encrypted.

  3. Start the domain.

    See To Start a Domain.


Example 11–1 Changing the Master Password

The change-master-password subcommand is interactive in that you are prompted for the old master password as well as the new master password. This example changes the master password for domain44ps:


asadmin> change-master-password domain44ps

If you have already logged into the domain using the login login(1) subcommand, you are prompted for the new master password:


Please enter the new master password>
Please enter the new master password again>

If you are not logged into the domain, you are prompted for both the old and the new master passwords:


Please enter the master password again>
Please enter the new master password>
Please enter the new master password again>

Information similar to the following is displayed:

Master password changed for domain44ps

See Also

You can also view the full syntax and options of the subcommand by typing asadmin help change-master-password at the command line.

ProcedureTo Change the Administration Password

Use the change-admin-password subcommand in remote mode to change the administration password. The default administration password is admin. You are prompted for the old and new admin passwords, with confirmation.


Note –

If you accepted the default admin user with no password during zip installation, you can add a password to this user. If there is a single user called admin that does not have a password, you are not prompted for login information. Any other situation requires login.


Encrypting the admin password is strongly encouraged.

Before You Begin

If you want to change the admin password before creating an alias for the password (encrypting), you can use the set subcommand with syntax similar to the following:


asadmin set --user admin server.jms-service.jms-host.default_JMS_host.admin-password=
new_pwd
  1. Ensure that the server is running.

    Remote subcommands require a running server.

  2. Change the admin password by using the change-admin-password(1) subcommand.

  3. Enter the old and new admin passwords when prompted.


Example 11–2 Changing the Admin Password

This example changes the admin password for user anonymous from adminadmin to newadmin:


asadmin> change-admin-password --user anonymous

You are prompted to enter the old and the new admin passwords:


Enter admin password>adminadmin
Enter new admin password>newadmin
Enter new admin password again>newadmin

Information similar to the following is displayed:


Command change-admin-password executed successfully.

See Also

You can also view the full syntax and options of the subcommand by typing asadmin help change-admin-password at the command line.

ProcedureTo Set a Password From a File

Instead of typing the password at the command line, you can access the password for a command from a file such as passwords.txt. The --passwordfile option of the asadmin utility takes the name of the file that contains the passwords. The entry for a password in the file must have the AS_ADMIN_ prefix followed by the password name in uppercase letters.

The following other types of passwords can be specified:


AS_ADMIN_MASTERPASSWORD
AS_ADMIN_USERPASSWORD
AS_ADMIN_ALIASPASSWORD
  1. Edit the password file.

    For example, to specify the password for the domain administration server (DAS), add an entry similar to the following to the password file, where adminadmin is the administrator password:

    AS_ADMIN_PASSWORD=adminadmin 
  2. Save the password file.

    You can now specify the password file in an asadmin subcommand. In This example, passwords.txt is the file that contains the password:


    asadmin>delete-jdbc-resource --user admin --password passwords.txt jdbc/DerbyPool
    
Troubleshooting

If AS_ADMIN_PASSWORD has been exported to the global environment, specifying the --passwordfile option will produce a warning about using the --passwordfile option. To prevent this warning situation from happening, unset AS_ADMIN_PASSWORD.

Administering Password Aliases

A password alias is used to indirectly access a password so that the password itself does not appear in the configuration file.

The following topics are addressed here:

ProcedureTo Create a Password Alias

Use the create-password-alias subcommand in remote mode to create an alias for a password in the domain's keystore. The password corresponding to the alias name is stored in an encrypted form in the domain configuration file. The create-password-alias subcommand takes both a secure interactive form, in which users are prompted for all information, and a more script-friendly form, in which the password is propagated on the command line.

You can also use the set(1) subcommand to remove and replace the password in the configuration file. For example:


asadmin set --user admin server.jms-service.jms-host.default_JMS_host.
admin-password='${ALIAS=jms-password}'
  1. Ensure that the server is running.

    Remote subcommands require a running server.

  2. Go to the directory where the configuration file resides.

    By default, the configuration file is located in domain-dir/config.

  3. Create the password alias by using the create-password-alias(1) subcommand.

  4. Type the password for the alias when prompted.

  5. Add the alias to a password file.

    In the password file, for example, passwords.txt, add the following line: AS_ADMIN_PASSWORD=${ALIAS=admin-password-alias}, where admin-password-alias is the new password alias.

  6. Stop the Enterprise Server domain.

    See To Stop a Domain.

  7. Start the domain specifying the file that contains the alias.

    Use the following syntax:


    start-domain --user admin --passwordfile /path-to/passwords.txt domain1

Example 11–3 Creating a Password Alias

This example creates the new jms-password alias for the admin user:


asadmin> create-password-alias --user admin jms-password

You are prompted to type the password for the alias:


Please enter the alias password>secret-password
Please enter the alias password again>secret-password
Command create-password-alias executed successfully.

See Also

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

ProcedureTo List Password Aliases

Use the list-password-aliases subcommand in remote mode to list existing the password aliases.

  1. Ensure that the server is running.

    Remote subcommands require a running server.

  2. List password aliases by using the list-password-aliases(1) subcommand.


Example 11–4 Listing Password Aliases

This example lists the existing password aliases:


asadmin> list-password aliases
jmspassword-alias
Command list-password-aliases executed successfully

See Also

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

ProcedureTo Delete a Password Alias

Use the delete-password-alias subcommand in remote mode to delete an existing password alias.

  1. Ensure that the server is running.

    Remote subcommands require a running server.

  2. List all aliases by using the list-password-aliases(1) subcommand.

  3. Delete a password alias by using the list-password-aliases(1) subcommand.


Example 11–5 Deleting a Password Alias

This example deletes the password alias jmspassword-alias:


asadmin> delete-password-alias jmspassword-alias
Command list-password-aliases executed successfully

See Also

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

ProcedureTo Update a Password Alias

Use the update-password-alias subcommand in remote mode to change the password for an existing password alias. The update-password-alias subcommand takes both a secure interactive form, in which the user is prompted for all information, and a more script-friendly form, in which the password is propagated on the command line.

  1. Ensure that the server is running.

    Remote subcommands require a running server.

  2. Update an alias by using the update-password-alias(1) subcommand.

  3. Type the password when prompted.


Example 11–6 Updating a Password Alias

This example updates the password for the jmspassword-alias alias:


asadmin> update-password-allias /home/password.txt jsmpassword-alias

You are prompted to type the new password for the alias:


Please enter the alias password>new-secret-password
Please enter the alias password again>new-secret-password
Command update-password-alias executed successfully

See Also

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

Administering Audit Modules

The following topics are addressed here:

ProcedureTo Create an Audit Module

Use the create-audit-module subcommand in remote mode to create an audit module for the add-on component that implements the audit capabilities.

  1. Ensure that the server is running.

    Remote subcommands require a running server.

  2. Create an audit module by using the create-audit-module(1) subcommand.

    Information about properties for this subcommand is included in this help page.


Example 11–7 Creating an Audit Module

This example creates an audit module named sampleAuditModule:


asadmin> create-audit-module 
--classname com.sun.appserv.auditmodule --property defaultuser=
admin:Password=admin sampleAuditModule
Command create-audit-module executed successfully.

See Also

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

ProcedureTo List Audit Modules

Use the list-audit-modules subcommand in remote mode to list the audit modules on one of the following targets:

  1. Ensure that the server is running.

    Remote subcommands require a running server.

  2. List the audit modules by using the list-audit-modules(1) subcommand.


Example 11–8 Listing Audit Modules

This example lists the audit modules on localhost:


asadmin> list-audit-modules
audit-module : default
audit-module : sampleAuditModule
Command list-audit-modules executed successfully.

See Also

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

ProcedureTo Delete an Audit Module

Use the delete-audit-module subcommand in remote mode to delete an existing audit module.

  1. Ensure that the server is running.

    Remote subcommands require a running server.

  2. List the audit modules by using the list-audit-modules(1) subcommand.

  3. Delete an audit module by using the delete-audit-module(1) subcommand.


Example 11–9 Deleting an Audit Module

This example deletes sampleAuditModule:


asadmin> delete-audit-module sampleAuditModule
Command delete-audit-module executed successfully.

Administering JSSE Certificates

In the developer profile, the Enterprise Server v3 uses the JSSE format on the server side to manage certificates and key stores. In all profiles, the client side (appclient or stand-alone) uses the JSSE format.

The J2SE SDK ships with the keytool utility, which enables you to set up and work with Java Secure Socket Extension (JSSE) digital certificates. You can administer public/private key pairs and associated certificates, and cache the public keys (in the form of certificates) of their communicating peers.

The following topics are addressed here:

ProcedureTo Generate a Certificate by Using keytool

By default, the keytool utility creates a keystore file in the directory where the utility is run.

Before You Begin

To run the keytool utility, your shell environment must be configured so that the J2SE /bin directory is in the path, otherwise the full path to the utility must be present on the command line.

  1. Change to the directory that contains the keystore and truststore files.

    Always generate the certificate in the directory containing the keystore and truststore files. The default is domain-dir/config.

  2. Generate the certificate in the keystore file, keystore.jks, using the following command format:


    keytool -genkey -alias keyAlias-keyalg RSA
     -keypass changeit
     -storepass changeit
    keystore keystore.jks

    Use any unique name as your keyAlias. If you have changed the keystore or private key password from the default (changeit), substitute the new password for changeit. The default key password alias is s1as.

    A prompt appears that asks for your name, organization, and other information.

  3. Export the generated certificate to the server.cer file (or client.cer if you prefer), using the following command format:


    keytool -export -alias keyAlias-storepass changeit
     -file server.cer
     -keystore keystore.jks
  4. If a certificate signed by a certificate authority is required, see To Sign a Certificate by Using keytool.

  5. Create the cacerts.jks truststore file and add the certificate to the truststore, using the following command format:


    keytool -import -v -trustcacerts
    -alias keyAlias
     -file server.cer
    -keystore cacerts.jks
     -keypass changeit

    If you have changed the keystore or private key password from the default (changeit), substitute the new password.

    Information about the certificate is displayed and a prompt appears asking if you want to trust the certificate.

  6. Type yes, then press Enter.

    Information similar to the following is displayed:


    Certificate was added to keystore
    [Saving cacerts.jks]
  7. To apply your changes, restart Enterprise Server. See To Restart a Domain.


Example 11–10 Creating a Self-Signed Certificate in a JKS Keystore by Using an RSA Key Algorithm

RSA is public-key encryption technology developed by RSA Data Security, Inc.


keytool  -genkey -noprompt -trustcacerts -keyalg RSA -alias ${cert.alias} 
-dname  ${dn.name} -keypass ${key.pass} -keystore ${keystore.file} 
-storepass ${keystore.pass}


Example 11–11 Creating a Self-Signed Certificate in a JKS Keystore by Using a Default Key Algorithm


keytool -genkey -noprompt -trustcacerts -alias ${cert.alias} -dname  
${dn.name} -keypass ${key.pass} -keystore ${keystore.file} -storepass 
${keystore.pass}


Example 11–12 Displaying Available Certificates From a JKS Keystore


keytool -list -v  -keystore ${keystore.file} -storepass ${keystore.pass}


Example 11–13 Displaying Certificate information From a JKS Keystore


keytool -list -v  -alias ${cert.alias} -keystore ${keystore.file} 
-storepass ${keystore.pass}

See Also

For more information about keytool, see the keytool documentation at http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.5.0/docs/tooldocs/solaris/keytool.html.

ProcedureTo Sign a Certificate by Using keytool

After creating a certificate, the owner must sign the certificate to prevent forgery. E-commerce sites, or those for which authentication of identity is important, can purchase a certificate from a well-known Certificate Authority (CA).


Note –

If authentication is not a concern, for example if private secure communications are all that is required, you can save the time and expense involved in obtaining a CA certificate by using a self-signed certificate.


  1. Follow the instructions on the CA's web site for generating certificate key pairs.

  2. Download the generated certificate key pair.

    Save the certificate in the directory containing the keystore and truststore files. The default is domain-dir/config.

  3. In your shell, change to the directory containing the certificate.

  4. Import the certificate into the local keystore and, if necessary, the local truststore using the following command format:


    keytool -import -v -trustcacerts
    -alias keyAlias
     -file server.cer
    -keystore cacerts.jks
     -keypass changeit
    -storepass changeit

    If the keystore or private key password is not the default password, then substitute the new password for the default (changeit).

  5. To apply your changes, restart Enterprise Server. See To Restart a Domain.


Example 11–14 Importing an RFC/Text-Formatted Certificate Into a JKS Keystore

Certificates are often stored using the printable encoding format defined by the Internet Request for Comments (RFC) 1421 standard instead of their binary encoding. This certificate format, also known as Base 64 encoding, facilitates exporting certificates to other applications by email or through some other mechanism.


keytool -import -noprompt -trustcacerts -alias ${cert.alias} -file 
${cert.file} -keystore ${keystore.file} -storepass ${keystore.pass}


Example 11–15 Exporting a Certificate From a JKS Keystore in PKCS7 Format

The reply format defined by the Public Key Cryptography Standards #7, Cryptographic Message Syntax Standard, includes the supporting certificate chain in addition to the issued certificate.


keytool -export -noprompt -alias ${cert.alias} -file ${cert.file} 
-keystore ${keystore.file} -storepass ${keystore.pass}


Example 11–16 Exporting a Certificate From a JKS Keystore in RFC/Text Format


keytool -export -noprompt -rfc -alias ${cert.alias} -file 
${cert.file} -keystore ${keystore.file} -storepass ${keystore.pass}

See Also

For more information about keytool, see the keytool documentation at http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.5.0/docs/tooldocs/solaris/keytool.html

ProcedureTo Delete a Certificate by Using keytool

Use the keytool -delete command to delete an existing certificate.

  1. Delete a certificate using the following command format:

    keytool -delete
     -alias keyAlias
     -keystore keystore-name
     -storepass password
    

Example 11–17 Deleting a Certificate From a JKS Keystore


keytool -delete -noprompt -alias ${cert.alias}  -keystore ${keystore.file} 
-storepass ${keystore.pass}

See Also

For more information about keytool, see the keytool documentation at http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.5.0/docs/tooldocs/solaris/keytool.html.