Configuring the server to validate LTPA token authentication information

Lightweight Third-Party Authentication (LTPA) is a type of authentication mechanism in WebSphere® Application Server security that defines a particular token format. The purpose of the LTPA token authentication is to flow the LTPA token from the first web service, which authenticated the originating client, to the downstream web service. You can configure the server to validate LTPA token authentication.

About this task

Important: There is an important distinction between Version 5.x and Version 6.0.x and later applications. The information supports Version 5.x applications only that are used with WebSphere Application Server Version 6.0.x and later. The information does not apply to Version 6.0.x and later applications.

This task is used to configure LTPA. Do not attempt to configure LTPA from a pure client. After the downstream web service receives the LTPA token, it validates the token to verify that the token has not been modified and has not expired. For validation to be successful, the LTPA keys used by both the sending and receiving servers must be the same.

Complete the following steps to specify how the server must validate the LTPA token authentication information:

Procedure

  1. Launch an assembly tool.
    For more information, see the related information on Assembly Tools.
  2. Switch to the Java™ 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE) perspective. Click Window > Open Perspective > J2EE.
  3. Click EJB Projects > application_name > ejbModule > META-INF.
  4. Right-click the webservices.xml file, and click Open with > Web services editor.
  5. Click the Binding Configurations tab, which is located at the end of the web services editor within the assembly tool.
  6. Expand the Request receiver binding configuration details > Login mapping section.
  7. Click Edit to view the login mapping information.
    The login mapping information is displayed. Select or enter the following information:
    Authentication method
    Specifies the type of authentication that occurs. Select LTPA to use LTPA token authentication.
    Configuration name
    Specifies the Java Authentication and Authorization Service (JAAS) login configuration name. For the LTPA authentication method, enter WSLogin for the JAAS login configuration name. This configuration understands how to validate an LTPA token.
    Use token value type
    Determines if you want to specify a custom token type. For LTPA authentication, you must select this option because LTPA is considered a custom type. LTPA is not in the Web Services Security Specification.
    Token value type URI and local name
    Specifies custom authentication types. If you select Use Token value type you must enter data into the Token value Type URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) and local name fields. For the token value type URI field, enter the following string: https://www.ibm.com/websphere/appserver/tokentype/5.0.2. For the local name, enter the following string:  LTPA
    Callback handler factory class name
    Creates a JAAS CallbackHandler implementation that understands the following callback handlers:
    • javax.security.auth.callback.NameCallback
    • javax.security.auth.callback.PasswordCallback
    • com.ibm.wsspi.wssecurity.auth.callback.BinaryTokenCallback
    • com.ibm.wsspi.wssecurity.auth.callback.XMLTokenReceiverCallback
    • com.ibm.wsspi.wssecurity.auth.callback.PropertyCallback
    For any of the default authentication methods (BasicAuth, IDAssertion, Signature, and LTPA), use the callback handler factory default implementation. Enter the following class name for any of the default authentication methods including LTPA: 
    com.ibm.wsspi.wssecurity.auth.callback.WSCallbackHandlerFactoryImpl

    This implementation creates the correct callback handler for the default implementations.

    Callback handler factory property
    Specifies callback handler properties for custom callback handler factory implementations. Default callback handler factory implementation does not any property specifications. For LTPA, leave this field blank.
    Login mapping property
    Specifies properties for a custom login mapping. For default implementations including LTPA, leave this field blank.

What to do next

See the task for configuring the server to handle LTPA token authentication information if you have not previously specified this information.