Authentication Providers

The authentication layer is the message layer on which authentication processing must be performed. Enterprise Server enforces web services message security at the SOAP layer. The types of authentication that are supported include the following:

• Sender authentication, including username-password authentication

• Content authentication, including XML digital signatures

Enterprise Server invokes authentication providers to process SOAP message layer security. The message security providers provide information such as the type of authentication that is required for the request and response messages. The following message security providers are included with Enterprise Server:

• Client-side Provider. A client-side provider establishes (by signature or username/password) the source identity of request messages and/or protects (by encryption) request messages such that they can only be viewed by their intended recipients. A client-side provider also establishes its container as an authorized recipient of a received response (by successfully decrypting it) and validates passwords or signatures in the response to authenticate the source identity associated with the response. Client-side providers configured in Enterprise Server can be used to protect the request messages sent and the response messages received by server-side components (servlets and EJB components) acting as clients of other services.

  The default client provider is used to identify the client—side provider to be invoked for any application for which a specific client provider has not been bound.

• Server-side Provider. A server-side provider establishes its container as an authorized recipient of a received request (by successfully decrypting it), and validates passwords or signatures in the request to authenticate the source identity associated with the request. A server-side provider also establishes (by signature or username/password) the source identity of response messages and/or protects (by encryption) response messages such that they can only be viewed by their intended recipients. Server-side providers are only invoked by server-side containers.

The default server provider is used to identify the server—side provider to be invoked for any application for which a specific server provider has not been bound.