12 Configuring Access Manager Settings

This chapter describes Access Manager-specific settings. It provides the following topics:

Prerequisites
Introduction to Access Manager Settings
Managing Load Balancing
Managing Secure Error Modes
Managing SSO Tokens and IP Validation
Managing the Access Protocol for OAM Proxy Simple and Cert Mode Security
Managing Run Time Policy Evaluation Caches

12.1 Prerequisites

This section identifies requirements for tasks in this chapter. Before you begin tasks in this chapter, be sure to review the following topics:

12.2 Introduction to Access Manager Settings

The Access Manager section of the System Configuration tab provides a number of settings specific to Access Manager service operations.

Figure 12-1 Access Manager Settings

Description of "Figure 12-1 Access Manager Settings"

Table 12-1 Access Manager Settings

Setting	Described in ...
Load Balancing	Managing Load Balancing
Server Error Mode	Managing Secure Error Modes
SSO	Managing SSO Tokens and IP Validation
Access Protocol	Managing the Access Protocol for OAM Proxy Simple and Cert Mode Security
Policy	Managing Run Time Policy Evaluation Caches

12.3 Managing Load Balancing

This section provides the following topics:

About Common Load Balancing Settings
Managing OAM Server Load Balancing

12.3.1 About Common Load Balancing Settings

For production environments that require increased application performance, throughput, or high availability, you can configure two or more Managed Servers to operate as a cluster. A cluster is a collection of multiple WebLogic Server server instances running simultaneously and working together to provide increased scalability and reliability. In a cluster, most resources and services are deployed identically to each Managed Server (as opposed to a single Managed Server), enabling failover and load balancing. A single domain can contain multiple WebLogic Server clusters and multiple Managed Servers that are not configured as clusters. The key difference between clustered and non-clustered Managed Servers is support for failover and load balancing. These features are available only in a cluster of Managed Servers.

By default, Access Manager has a single OAM Server to which all login and logout requests are sent. In a high-availability deployment, you must change this setup so that login and logout requests are first sent to the load balancer.

See Also:

Oracle Fusion Middleware High Availability Guide, "Access Manager High Availability Configuration Steps" for high-level instructions for setting up a high availability deployment for Access Manager.

Figure 12-2 shows the Load Balancing Settings section of the Access Manager Settings page. In earlier releases this was part of the SSO Engine settings; the SSO Engine being the controller for sessions.

Figure 12-2 Access Manager Settings: Load Balancer

Description of "Figure 12-2 Access Manager Settings: Load Balancer"

Table 12-2 describes each element and how it is used. Settings are global and common to all OAM Servers in the WebLogic administration domain.

Table 12-2 Access Manager Settings: Load Balancer

Element	Description
OAM Server Host	The virtual host name that represents the OAM Server Cluster, which might be exposed by a load balancer in front of an OAM Server Cluster.
OAM Server Port	The virtual host port associated with the OAM Server Cluster. Values between 1 and 65535 are supported.
OAM Server Protocol	The protocol, either HTTP or HTTPS, that is used to access the virtual host that represents the OAM Server Cluster. See Also: "About Security Modes and X509Scheme Authentication"

Element

Description

OAM Server Host

The virtual host name that represents the OAM Server Cluster, which might be exposed by a load balancer in front of an OAM Server Cluster.

OAM Server Port

The virtual host port associated with the OAM Server Cluster. Values between 1 and 65535 are supported.

OAM Server Protocol

The protocol, either HTTP or HTTPS, that is used to access the virtual host that represents the OAM Server Cluster.

12.3.2 Managing OAM Server Load Balancing

Users with valid Administrator credentials can perform the following task to modify Access Manager load balancing settings using the Oracle Access Management Console.

See Also:

"About Common Load Balancing Settings"

To view or edit common load balancing specifications

From the Oracle Access Management Console, open Load Balancing:

System Configuration tab
Access Manager section
Access Manager Settings
Load Balancing
Expand the Load Balancing area:
- View Only: Close the page when you finish.
- Modify: Edit Load Balancing settings for your deployment (Table 12-2).
Click Apply to submit the changes (or close the page without applying changes).
Dismiss the Confirmation window.

12.4 Managing Secure Error Modes

A custom error page is packaged as part of the custom login application. An out-of-the-box custom Web application archive file is provided that you can use as a starting point to develop customized login and password pages.

Server Error Mode settings are global and common to all OAM Servers in the WebLogic administration domain. This section provides the following topics:

About OAM Server Error Modes
Managing OAM Server Secure Error Modes

12.4.1 About OAM Server Error Modes

Figure 12-2 shows the Server Error Mode function, which appears on the Load Balancing Settings area of the Access Manager Settings page.

Figure 12-3 Access Manager Settings: Server Error Mode

Description of "Figure 12-3 Access Manager Settings: Server Error Mode"

Table 12-3 describes the options you can choose to configure Server Error Mode for your deployment.

Table 12-3 Server Error Mode

Element	Description
Server Error Mode	The setting you choose determines the nature of error messages and error codes returned by the OAM Server when an operation fails (because of an invalid username or password, for example, or a server error (connection to the LDAP Server is down)). Choose one of the following settings to configure error messages with varying degrees of security for your custom login pages: SECURE: Most secure. Provides generic error messages that barely give any hint of the internal reason for the error. EXTERNAL: Recommended level. INTERNAL: Least secure level. Recommended for Password Policy validation, as described in "Managing Global Password Policy". OSSO10g: Compatible with OSSO 10g. Might be required in upgraded environments for consistency. See Also: "Managing OAM Server Secure Error Modes".

Element

Description

Server Error Mode

The setting you choose determines the nature of error messages and error codes returned by the OAM Server when an operation fails (because of an invalid username or password, for example, or a server error (connection to the LDAP Server is down)).

Choose one of the following settings to configure error messages with varying degrees of security for your custom login pages:

SECURE: Most secure. Provides generic error messages that barely give any hint of the internal reason for the error.
EXTERNAL: Recommended level.
INTERNAL: Least secure level. Recommended for Password Policy validation, as described in "Managing Global Password Policy".
OSSO10g: Compatible with OSSO 10g. Might be required in upgraded environments for consistency.

Table 12-4 shows the error triggering condition and message codes for each of the three modes.

Table 12-4 Error Trigger Condition, Modes, and Message Codes

Error Triggering Condition	Internal Mode	External Mode	Secure Mode
Invalid login attempt	OAM-1	OAM-2	OAM-8
Processing submitted credentials fails. For example: In WNA mode, the SPNEGO token is not received.	OAM-3	OAM-3	OAM-8
An authentication exception is raised.	OAM-4	OAM-4	OAM-9
User account gets locked based on certain conditions (exceeded invalid attempts, for instance).	OAM-5	OAM-5	OAM-8 OAM-9 with OIM integration
User account disabled.	OAM-5	OAM-5	OAM-9
User has exceeded the maximum number of allowed sessions (a configurable attribute).	OAM-6	OAM-6	OAM-9
Default error message, which is displayed when no other specific messages propagate up. This is not propagated to the user level. Cause could be multiple conditions.	OAM-7	OAM-7	OAM-9
Password expired.	OAM-10	OAM-10	OAM-9

Table 12-5 identifies the error codes, trigger conditions, and recommended messages.

See Also:

Developing Custom Error Pages in the Oracle Fusion Middleware Developer's Guide for Oracle Access Management

Table 12-5 External Error Codes, Trigger Conditions, and Recommended Messages

External Error Code	Trigger Condition	Recommended Display Message
OAM-1	Invalid login attempts less than the allowed count.	An incorrect Username or Password was specified
OAM-2	Invalid login attempts less than the allowed count.	An incorrect Username or Password was specified
OAM-3	Processing submitted credentials fails for some reason. For example: in WNA mode, the SPENGO token is not received.	Internal Error.
OAM-4	An authentication exception is raised for some reason.	System error. Please contact the System Administrator.
OAM-5	The user account gets locked because of certain conditions (exceeded invalid attempts, for instance). OIM Integration. The Error page appears with contact details after the password is validated.	The user account is locked or disabled. Please contact the System Administrator.
OAM-5	The user account gets locked because of certain conditions (exceeded invalid attempts, for instance). OID Without OIM Integration: The Error page appears with contact details after the password is validated.	The user account is locked or disabled. Please contact the System Administrator.
OAM-5	The user account is disabled.	The user account is locked or disabled. Please contact the System Administrator.
OAM-6	The user has exceeded the maximum number of allowed sessions, which is a configurable attribute.	The user has already reached the maximum allowed number of sessions. Please close one of the existing sessions before trying to login again.
OAM-7	Failure could be due to multiple reasons; the exact reason is not propagated to the user level for security reasons. For instance: The request ID could have been lost The certificate is not retrieved correctly The default error message is displayed when no other specific messages are propagated up.	System error. Please re-try your action. If you continue to get this error, please contact the Administrator.
OAM-8	See Table 12-4	Authentication failed.
OAM-9	System error. Please re-try your action. If you continue to get this error, please contact the Administrator.	System error. Please re-try your action. If you continue to get this error, please contact the Administrator.
OAM-10	Password expired.	The password has expired.

12.4.2 Managing OAM Server Secure Error Modes

Users with valid Administrator credentials can perform the following task to modify Access Manager secure error modes for OAM Servers using the Oracle Access Management Console.

See Also:

"About Common Load Balancing Settings"

To view or edit secure error modes for OAM Servers

From the Oracle Access Management Console, open Access Manager Settings Page:

System Configuration tab
Access Manager section
Access Manager Settings node
Load Balancing
Server Error Mode:
- Modify: Choose the desired Server Error Mode for your deployment (Table 12-3 and Table 12-5).
- View Only: Close the page when you finish.
Click Apply to submit the changes (or close the page without applying changes).
Dismiss the Confirmation window.
Proceed to "Managing SSO Tokens and IP Validation".

12.5 Managing SSO Tokens and IP Validation

This section provides the following topics:

About Access Manager SSO Tokens and IP Validation Settings
Managing SSO Tokens and IP Validation

12.5.1 About Access Manager SSO Tokens and IP Validation Settings

Figure 12-4 shows the single-sign on (SSO) portion of the Access Manager Settings page. Table 12-6 describes each element and how it is used.

Figure 12-4 Access Manager Settings: SSO

Description of "Figure 12-4 Access Manager Settings: SSO"

Table 12-6 Access Manager Settings: SSO

Element	Description
IP Validation	Specific to Webgates and is used to determine whether a client's IP address is the same as the IP address stored in the ObSSOCookie generated for single sign-on. Check the box to enable IP Validation. Clear the box the disable IP Validation.
SSO Token Version	Select your SSO token version from the list.

Element

Description

IP Validation

Specific to Webgates and is used to determine whether a client's IP address is the same as the IP address stored in the ObSSOCookie generated for single sign-on.

Check the box to enable IP Validation.

Clear the box the disable IP Validation.

SSO Token Version

Select your SSO token version from the list.

12.5.2 Managing SSO Tokens and IP Validation

Users with valid Administrator credentials can perform the following task to modify Access Manager load balancing settings using the Oracle Access Management Console.

See Also:

"About Common Load Balancing Settings"

To view or edit Access Manager SSO specifications

From the Oracle Access Management Console, open Access Manager Settings Page:

System Configuration tab
Access Manager section
Access Manager Settings node
On the Access Manager Settings page, expand the SSO section:
- View Only: Close the page when you finish.
- Modify: Perform remaining steps to edit the configuration.
Edit settings as needed for your deployment, based on details in Table 12-6.
Click Apply to submit the changes (or close the page without applying changes).
Dismiss the Confirmation window.
Proceed to "Managing the Access Protocol for OAM Proxy Simple and Cert Mode Security".

12.6 Managing the Access Protocol for OAM Proxy Simple and Cert Mode Security

This section provides the following details:

About Simple and Cert Mode Transport Security
About the Common OAM Proxy Page for Secure Server Communications
Viewing or Editing Simple or Cert Settings for OAM Proxy

12.6.1 About Simple and Cert Mode Transport Security

Table 12-7 outlines the similarities between Simple and Cert modes.

See Also:

Appendix C, "Securing Communication"

Table 12-7 Summary: Simple and Cert Mode

Artifact or Process	Simple Mode	Cert Mode	Open Mode
X.509 digital certificates only.	X	X	N/A
Communication between OAM Agents and OAM Servers is encrypted using Transport Layer Security, RFC 2246 (TLS v1).	X	X	N/A
For each public key there is a corresponding private key that Access Manager stores in a file:	aaa_key.pem generated by openSSL	aaa_key.pem generated by your CA	N/A
Signed certificates in Privacy Enhanced Mail (PEM) format	aaa_cert.pem generated by openSSL	aaa_cert.pem generated by your CA	N/A
During OAM Server configuration, secure the private key with a Global passphrase or PEM format details, depending on which mode you are using. Before an OAM Server or Webgate can use a private key, it must have the correct passphrase.	Global passphrase stored in a nominally encrypted file: password.xml	PEM format: Keystore Alias Key KEYSTOREStore Alias Password	N/A
During OAM Agent or OAM Server registration, the communication mode is propagated to the Oracle Access Management Console.	Same passphrase for each Webgate and OAM Server instance.	Different passphrase for each Webgate and OAM Server instance.	N/A
The certificate request for the Webgate generates the certificate request file, which you must send to a root CA that is trusted by the OAM Sever. The root CA returns the Webgate certificates, which can then be installed either during or after Webgate installation.	cacert.pem The certificate request, signed by the Oracle-provided openSSL Certificate Authority	aaa_req.pem The certificate request, signed by the your Certificate Authority	N/A
Encrypt the private key using the DES Algorithm. For example: openssl rsa -in aaa_key.pem -passin pass: -out aaa_key.pem -passout pass: passphrase -des	N/A	X	N/A
Agent Key Password	N/A	Enter a password during agent registration in Cert Security mode (see Table 14-1, "Elements on Create Pages for 11g and 10g OAM Agents").	N/A
During Agent registration, ObAccessClient.xml is generated in: $DOMAIN_HOME/output/$Agent_Name/	ObAccessClient.xml Copy to: 11g Webgate: $11gWebgate_instance_dir/config/OHS/ohs1/webgate/config If: $11gWebgate_instance_dir=$ORACLE_HOME/instance/instance1 10g Webgate: $Webgate_install_dir/oblix/lib	ObAccessClient.xml Copy to: 11g Webgate: $11gWebgate_instance_dir/... 10g Webgate: $Webgate_install_dir/...	ObAccessClient.xml Copy to: 11g Webgate: $11gWebgate_instance_dir/... 10g Webgate: $Webgate_install_dir/ ...
During Agent registration, password.xml is generated in: $DOMAIN_HOME/output/$Agent_Name/ See Also: Appendix C	password.xml Copy to: 11g Webgate: $11gWebgate_instance_dir/... 10g Webgate: $Webgate_install_dir/...	password.xml Copy to: 11g Webgate: $11gWebgate_instance_dir/... 10g Webgate: $Webgate_install_dir/...	N/A
During Agent registration, aaa_key.pem is generated in: $DOMAIN_HOME/output/$Agent_Name/ See Also: Appendix C	aaa_key.pem Copy to: 11g Webgate: $11gWebgate_instance_dir... 10g Webgate: $Webgate_install_dir...	aaa_key.pem Copy to: 11g Webgate: $11gWebgate_instance_dir... 10g Webgate: $Webgate_install_dir...	N/A

12.6.2 About the Common OAM Proxy Page for Secure Server Communications

Table 12-8 describes the settings required for Simple or Cert mode configurations.

Table 12-8 Server Common OAM Proxy Secure Communication Settings

Mode	Description
Simple Mode Configuration	The global passphrase for communication using OAM-signed X.509 certificates. This is set during initial OAM Server installation. Administrators can edit this passphrase and then reconfigure all existing OAM Agents to use it, as described in"Viewing or Editing Simple or Cert Settings for OAM Proxy".
Cert Mode Configuration	Details required for the Key KEYSTOREStore where the Cert mode X.509 certificates signed by an outside Certificate Authority reside: PEM Keystore Alias PEM Keystore Alias Password Note: These are set during initial OAM Server installation. The certificates can be imported using the import certificate utility or the keytool shipped with JDK. Administrators can edit the alias and password and then reconfigure all existing OAM Agents to use them, as described in"Viewing or Editing Simple or Cert Settings for OAM Proxy".

Mode

Description

Simple Mode Configuration

The global passphrase for communication using OAM-signed X.509 certificates. This is set during initial OAM Server installation.

Administrators can edit this passphrase and then reconfigure all existing OAM Agents to use it, as described in"Viewing or Editing Simple or Cert Settings for OAM Proxy".

Cert Mode Configuration

Details required for the Key KEYSTOREStore where the Cert mode X.509 certificates signed by an outside Certificate Authority reside:

PEM Keystore Alias
PEM Keystore Alias Password

Note: These are set during initial OAM Server installation. The certificates can be imported using the import certificate utility or the keytool shipped with JDK.

Administrators can edit the alias and password and then reconfigure all existing OAM Agents to use them, as described in"Viewing or Editing Simple or Cert Settings for OAM Proxy".

12.6.3 Viewing or Editing Simple or Cert Settings for OAM Proxy

Administrators can use this procedure to confirm or alter settings for the common OAM Proxy.

See Also:

To view or edit Simple or Cert mode settings for the OAM Proxy

From the System Configuration tab, Access Manager section, open the Access Manager Settings page.
Expand the Access Protocol section of the page, if needed.
Simple Mode: Add or alter a Global Passphrase if you are using OAM-signed X.509 certificates.
Cert Mode Configuration: Specify the following details.
- PEM Keystore Alias
- PEM Keystore Alias Password
Click Apply to submit the changes and dismiss the Confirmation window (or close the page without applying changes).
Update Agent registration pages as needed to regenerate artifacts, and then replace the earlier artifacts as described in Chapter 13 or Chapter 14.

12.7 Managing Run Time Policy Evaluation Caches

This section explains:

About Run Time Policy Evaluation Caches
Managing Run Time Policy Evaluation Caches

See Also:

"About Run Time Resource Evaluation"

12.7.1 About Run Time Policy Evaluation Caches

Figure 12-5 illustrates the Policy section of the Access Manager Settings page. This section provides settings for the Resource Matching Cache and the Authorization Result Cache, which come into play during policy evaluation at run time.

Figure 12-5 Common Policy Evaluation Caches

Description of "Figure 12-5 Common Policy Evaluation Caches"

Table 12-9 outlines these global settings that apply to all servers and requests.

Table 12-9 Policy Evaluation Caches

Element	Description
Resource Matching Cache	Caches mappings between the requested URL and the policy holding the resource pattern that applies to the URL. Default Values: Maximum Size 100000 Zero disables the cache Time to Live (seconds) 3600 Zero disables Time to Live
Authorization Result Cache	Caches policy decisions for the requested URL and user. Default Values: Maximum Size 100000 Zero disables the cache Maximum Size per User 100 Zero disables the cache Time to Live (seconds) 3600 Zero disables Time to Live See Also: Oracle Fusion Middleware Performance and Tuning Guide

Element

Description

Resource Matching Cache

Caches mappings between the requested URL and the policy holding the resource pattern that applies to the URL.

Default Values:

Maximum Size 100000 Zero disables the cache
Time to Live (seconds) 3600 Zero disables Time to Live

Authorization Result Cache

Caches policy decisions for the requested URL and user.

Default Values:

Maximum Size 100000 Zero disables the cache
Maximum Size per User 100 Zero disables the cache
Time to Live (seconds) 3600 Zero disables Time to Live

12.7.2 Managing Run Time Policy Evaluation Caches

Administrators can use this procedure to manage the Access Manager policy evaluation caches.

See Also:

Guide

Oracle Fusion Middleware High Availability Guide
Oracle Fusion Middleware Performance and Tuning Guide

To manage common run time policy evaluation cache settings

From the Oracle Access Management Console, open Access Manager Settings Page:

System Configuration tab
Access Manager section
Access Manager Settings node
Load Balancing
On the Access Manager Settings page, expand the Policy section.
Resource Matching Cache: Specify details and click apply (Table 12-9).
Authorization Result Cache: Specify details and click apply (Table 12-9).
Click Apply to submit the changes and dismiss the Confirmation window (or close the page without applying changes).