JS7 JobScheduler

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Table of Contents

Introduction

  • The connection connections from a Controller Controllers to an Agent Agents can be secured by HTTPSHTTPS with TLS/SSL certificates.
  • This article describes the steps required to set up secure HTTPS communication from a Controller to an Agent. This includes to use using a standalone Controller or a Controller cluster with a primary and standby instance.

Prerequisites

  • Certificate stores can be managed from the command line and by use of tools that provide a GUI for this purpose:
    • the Java Keytool is available from the Java JRE or JDK,
    • the Keystore Explorer is an open source utility to graphically manage certificate stores. 

Certificate Management

Private keys and public certificates should be distributed as follows:

  • The following explanations assume CA-signed Certificates being used.
    • Private CA-signed certificates are created by users who operate their own CA, see the JS7 - How to create X.509 SSL TLS Certificates.
    • Public CA-signed Certificates are provided from known and trusted Certificate Authorities (CA) that validate the domain owner.
    • Use of Intermediate CA Certificates is optional.
    • There is no difference in using a Private CA or Public CA concerning functionality of X.509 certificates, usage for Server Authentication / Client Authentication, or security of connections. The only difference is that users trust the Private CA that they set up on their own.
  • Certificate stores can be managed from the command line and using tools that provide a GUI for this purpose:
    • the Java keytool is available from the Java JRE or JDK,
    • the Keystore Explorer, which is an open source utility to graphically manage certificate stores.
  • Starting from Java 9 the PKCS12 keystore type is default and is not required to be specified with keytool.
  • The following sections assume a PKCS12 keystore/truststore format. For Unix OS the .p12 file extension frequently is used, for Windows OS the .pfx extension is preferably used. Both file extensions indicate the same PKCS12 format and can be used interchangeably.

Certificate Management

Private Keys and Certificates should be distributed as follows:


Flowchart
Controller
Flowchart
Controller[label="   Controller   \nStandalone / Cluster",fillcolor="lightskyblue"]
Agent_A [label="   Agent 1   ",fillcolor="lightskyblue"]
Agent_B [label="   Agent 2Controller   \nStandalone / Cluster",fillcolor="lightskyblue"]
Agent_A [label="   Agent   ",fillcolor="lightskyblue"]
 
Controller_Truststore [label="Controller Truststore\nhttps-truststore.p12\n\nCA certificates",fillcolor="orange"]
Agent_AController_Keystore [label="AgentController 1 Keystore\nhttps-keystore.p12\n\nCA certificates\nPrivate Key / Certificate",fillcolor="orangelimegreen"]

Agent_BA_KeystoreTruststore [label="Agent 2 KeystoreTruststore\nhttps-keystoretruststore.p12\n\nCA Certificates\certificates",fillcolor="limegreen"]
Agent_A_Keystore [label="Agent Keystore\nhttps-keystore.p12\n\nPrivate Key / Certificate",fillcolor="orange"]

CAController_Truststore_RootCertificate [shape="ellipse",label="CA Root\nCertificate",fillcolor="white"]
#Controller_Keystore_RootCertificate [shape="ellipse",label="CA Root\nCertificate",fillcolor="white"]
CA#Controller_Keystore_IntermediateCertificate [shape="ellipse",label="CA Intermediate\nCertificate",fillcolor="white"]

AgentController_AKeystore_PrivateKey [shape="ellipse",label="ServerClient Authenciation\nPrivate Key",fillcolor="white"]
Agent_AController_Keystore_Certificate [shape="ellipse",label="ServerClient Authentication\nCertificate",fillcolor="white"]
# 
Agent_A_Truststore_CertificateRootCertificate [shape="ellipse",label="ServerCA AuthenticationRoot\nCertificate\n(self-signed)",fillcolor="chartreusewhite"]
Agent#Agent_A_BKeystore_PrivateKeyRootCertificate [shape="ellipse",label="ServerCA AuthenticationRoot\nPrivate KeynCertificate",fillcolor="white"]
Agent#Agent_BA_Keystore_CertificateIntermediateCertificate [shape="ellipse",label="ServerCA AuthenticationIntermediate\nCertificate",fillcolor="white"]
# 
Agent_BA_Truststore_CertificatePrivateKey [shape="ellipse",label="Server Authentication\nCertificate\n(self-signed)Authenciation\nPrivate Key",fillcolor="chartreusewhite"]

Agent_A_Keystore_Certificate [shape="ellipse",label="Server Authentication\nCertificate",fillcolor="white"]

Agent_A -> Agent_A_Keystore 
#Agent_A_Keystore -> Agent_A_PrivateKey -> Agent_A_TruststoreKeystore_Certificate [label=" transferadd to Controller            "] 
keystore "]
#Agent_A_Keystore -> Agent_A_Keystore -> Agent_A_PrivateKey_RootCertificate -> Agent_A_Keystore_CertificateIntermediateCertificate [label=" add to keystore "]

ControllerAgent_A -> Agent_A_Truststore
Agent_A_Truststore -> Agent_A_Truststore_RootCertificate [label=" establishadd to connectiontruststore "]

Controller -> Agent_BA [label=" establish connection "]
Controller -> Controller_Truststore
Controller_Truststore -> CAController_Truststore_RootCertificate -> CA_IntermediateCertificate [label=" add to truststore "]
CA_IntermediateCertificate
Controller -> Controller_Keystore
#Controller_Keystore -> Agent_A_Truststore_CertificateController_Keystore_RootCertificate -> Controller_Keystore_IntermediateCertificate [label=" add to truststorekeystore "]
CAController_IntermediateCertificateKeystore -> Agent_B_TruststoreController_Keystore_PrivateKey -> Controller_Keystore_Certificate [label="  add to truststore "]

Agent_B -> Agent_B_Keystore 
# Agent_B -> Agent_B_Truststore_Certificate  [label=" transfer to Controller      "]
Agent_B_Keystore -> Agent_B_PrivateKey -> Agent_B_Keystore_Certificate [label=" add to keystore "]

The Agent's private key and certificate are added to the Agent's keystore. In case of a self-signed certificate the certificate is added to the Master's truststore as well. This step can be skipped if a CA-signed certificate is used as the Root Certificate and Intermediate Certificate in a Master's truststore are sufficient to verify any Agent certificates.

Set up a secure connection to the Agent

In the following the placeholders SCHEDULER_HOME, SCHEDULER_DATA specify the directories where JobScheduler Master is installed and configured on the JobScheduler Master's server. The placeholders AGENT_HOME, AGENT_DATA specify the directories where JobScheduler Agent is installed and configured on the JobScheduler Agent's server.

  • SCHEDULER_HOME is the installation path which is specified during the JobScheduler Master installation:
    • C:\Program Files\sos-berlin.com\jobscheduler\scheduler (default on Windows)
    • /opt/sos-berlin.com/jjobscheduler/scheduler (default on Linux)
  • SCHEDULER_DATA is the JobScheduler Master's configuration directory which is specified during the JobScheduler Master installation:
    • C:\ProgramData\sos-berlin.com\joc (default on Windows)
    • /home/<setup-user>/sos-berlin.com/joc (default on Linux)
  • AGENT_HOME is the installation path which is specified during the JobScheduler Agent installation:
    • C:\Program Files\sos-berlin.com\jobscheduler\jobscheduler_agent (default on Windows)
    • /opt/sos-berlin.com/jjobscheduler/jobscheduler_agent (default on Linux)
  • AGENT_DATA is the JobScheduler Agent's configuration directory which is specified during the JobScheduler Agent installation:
    • C:\ProgramData\sos-berlin.com\jobscheduler\jobscheduler_agent (default on Windows)
    • /home/<setup-user>/sos-berlin.com/jobscheduler_agent (default on Linux)

Step 1: Create the Java Keystore

  • On the JobScheduler Agent server create the Java Keystore using the Keytools from your Java JRE or JKD. Alternatively import a certificate that your received from your certificate authority:
    • Generate the Java Keystore with the private key and public certificate for the Agent and export the certificate to a second Keystore that is later on used by the Master or use the attached script keygen.sh to perform this task. The below examples suggest one possible approach for certificate management, however, there may be other ways how to achieve similar results.

      • Example for use of self-signed certificate

        Code Block
        languagebash
        titleExample for use of self-signed certificate: generate Agent private key and export Agent public certificate
        # generate Agent private key with alias name "agent-https" in a keystore (private-https.p12)
#   use the fully qualified hostname (FQDN) and name of your organization for the distinguished name
keytool -genkey -alias "agent-https" -dname "CN=hostname,O=organization" -validity 1461 -keyalg RSA -keysize 2048 -keypass jobscheduler -keystore "AGENT_DATA/config/private/private-https.p12" -storepass jobscheduler -storetype PKCS12

# export the Agent public certificate to a file in PEM format (agent-https.crt)
keytool -exportcert -rfc -noprompt -file "agent-https.crt" -alias "agent-https" -keystore "AGENT_DATA/config/private/private-https.p12" -storepass jobscheduler -storetype PKCS12

      • Example for use of CA signed certificate

        Code Block
        languagebash
        titleExample for use of CA signed certificate: export Agent private key and Agent public certificate
        # should your Agent private key and certificate by provided with a .jks keystore (keypair.jks) then temporarily convert the keystore to pkcs12 (keystore.p12)
#   for later use with openssl, assuming the alias name of the Agent private key is "agent-https"
# keytool -importkeystore -srckeystore keypair.jks -destkeystore keystore.p12 -deststoretype PKCS12 -srcalias agent-https

# assuming your Agent private key from a pkcs12 keystore (keystore.p12), store the Agent private key to a .key file in PEM format (agent-https.key)
openssl pkcs12 -in keystore.p12 -nocerts -out agent-https.key

# concatenate CA root certificate and CA intermediate certificate to a single CA Bundle certificate file (ca-bundle.crt)
cat RootCACertificate.crt > ca-bundle.crt
cat CACertificate.crt >> ca-bundle.crt

# Export Agent private key (agent-https.key), Agent public certificate in PEM format (agent-https.crt) and CA Bundle in PEM format (ca-bundle.crt) to a new keystore (agent-https.p12)
#   assume the fully qualified hostname (FQDN) of the Agent server to be agent.example.com
openssl pkcs12 -export -in agent-https.crt -inkey agent-https.key -chain -CAfile ca-bundle.crt -name agent.example.com -out agent-https.p12

# should you require use of a .jks keystore type then convert the pkcs12 keystore assuming the alias name of the Agent private key to be "agent-https"
# keytool -importkeystore -srckeystore agent-https.p12 -srcstoretype PKCS12 -destkeystore agent-https.jks -deststoretype JKS -srcalias agent-https
    • If not otherwise configured then JobScheduler Agent and Master by default use the password jobscheduler for the respective Keystore.
    • if you choose an individual password for the Agent Keystore then adjust the following properties in the <agent_data>/config/private/private.conf configuration file:
      • Explanations
        • jobscheduler.agent.webserver.https.keystore.file is used for the path to the Keystore
        • jobscheduler.agent.webserver.https.keystore.password is used for the Keystore password
        • jobscheduler.agent.webserver.https.keystore.key-password is used for the password of your private HTTPS certificate

      • Example

        Code Block
        languagetext
        titleExample for private.conf file with keystore specification
        jobscheduler.agent.webserver.https.keystore {
  file = "C:/ProgramData/sos-berlin.com/jobscheduler/agent110/config/private/private-https.jks"
  # Backslashes are written twice (as in JSON notation):
  # file = "\\\\other-computer\\share\\my-keystore.jks"
  password = "jobscheduler"
  key-password = "jobscheduler"
}
    • For the Master the Truststore that contains the Agents' public certificate is expected with the password jobscheduler.
  • On the JobScheduler Agent server store the Keystore with the private key in the directory <agent_data>/config/private
    • Default file name: private-https.jks
  • On the JobScheduler Master server store the Truststore with the public certificate of the Agent in the directory <master_data>/config
    • Default file name: agent-https.jks
    • Display feature availability
      StartingFromRelease1.13.3

      • The location, type and password of the Master Truststore can be specified:

        Code Block
        titleExample for specification of Master Truststore with Agent public certificates
        jobscheduler.master.agents.https.keystore {
  file = "/var/sos-berlin.com/jobscheduler/apmaccs_4444/config/agent-https.p12"
  # Backslashes are written twice (as in JSON notation):
  # file = "\\\\other-computer\\share\\my-keystore.jks"
  password = "jobscheduler"
  key-password = "jobscheduler"
}

      • Example for import of an Agent public certificate to a Master Truststore in pkcs12 format:

        Code Block
        titleExample for import of Agent public certificate to a pkcs12 Master Truststore
        # import Agent public certificate to a truststore (agent-https.p12) by specifying the Agent public certificate file (agent-https.crt) and alias name (agent-https)
keytool -importcert -noprompt -file "agent-https.crt" -alias "agent-https" -keystore "SCHEDULER_DATA/config/agent-https.p12" -storepass jobscheduler -storetype PKCS12 -trustcacerts

    • Example for import of an Agent public certificate to a Master Truststore in jks format (specifying the default values for location, type and password):

      Code Block
      titleExample for import of Agent public certificate to a jks Master Truststore
      # import Agent public certificate to a truststore (agent-https.p12) by specifying the Agent public certificate file (agent-https.crt) and alias name (agent-https)
keytool -importcert -noprompt -file "agent-https.crt" -alias "agent-https" -keystore "SCHEDULER_DATA/config/agent-https.jks" -storepass jobscheduler -trustcacerts

Step 2: Set up authentication between Master and Agent

  • On the JobScheduler Master server configure the Master password in a file on the Master in the <master_data>/config/private directory:
    • File name: private.conf

    • The file should contain the following entry that specifies a plain text password myjobscheduler4444 that is used by the Master to authenticate against Agents:

      Code Block
      languagetext
      titleExample for Master private.conf file with Master password specification
      jobscheduler.master.credentials.password = "myjobscheduler4444"
  • On the JobScheduler Agent server specify the same Master password in a file in the directory <agent_data>/config/private
    • File name: private.conf

    • Specify the Master that will authenticate with the Agent by its JobScheduler ID and password. For example, for two Masters with JobScheduler ID scheduler_4444 and scheduler_5555 this file would look like this assuming that the Master password is myjobscheduler4444:

      Code Block
      languagetext
      titleExample for Agent private.conf file with specification of Master Scheduler ID and password
      jobscheduler.agent.auth.users {
  scheduler_4444 = "plain:myjobscheduler4444"
  scheduler_5555 = "sha512:9184ddcaa87eb2f95c32f12741035c1e55cef93f7834905f926c4bc419fbc5613e2e141d39fb05d0ec7c66c9bd9e4c8b95b74598e0107f863b7f2bd942a9aea0"
}
    • For each entry the JobScheduler ID is used as key, the value (in double quotes) includes the hash algorithm followed by a colon and the hashed password.
      • Using plain for the hash algorithm requires a plain text password to be specified. Use of plain text passwords is not recommended as they could be visible to jobs running on that Agent.
      • Using sha512 for the hash algorithm requires a password that is hashed with the respective algorithm. A number of command line utilities to create an sha512 hash from a plain text password can easily be found.

Step 3: Start the Agent for HTTPS

  • On the JobScheduler Agent server start the Agent with the corresponding parameters: 
    • Example (using port 44445 for HTTPS): <agent_data>/bin/jobscheduler_agent -https-port=44445
    • The HTTP port will always be used, even if the Agent is started for communicating over HTTPS. If no HTTP port is indicated when starting the Agent, then the default port (4445) will be used. The reason for this behavior is the requirement that the Agent can be locally controlled by its start script without further need for authentication.
    • HTTPS has to be indicated when starting an Agent by use of the parameter -https-port.
    • The Agent requires a data directory for configuration files and temporary files The data directory has to be indicated when starting the Agent by using the parameter -data-directory.
    • The above mentioned parameters can be specified as environment variables with the Agent instance script, see Installation & Operation.

Step 4: Create a Process Class assignment for Agents using HTTPS 

  • On the JobScheduler Master server create a Process Class for a job chain or a job.
    • Add the Agent URL to the process class using the HTTPS protocol.
    • Assign the process class to the job chain or job.

    • Example:

      Code Block
      languagexml
      titleExample of process class specification for use with Agents
       <?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>
 <process_class max_processes="30" remote_scheduler="https://my_agent:44445"/>

Caveat

  • In order to apply modifications to ./config/private/private.conf files of the Master or the Agent a restart of the respective component is required.
  • Modifications to a Master Truststore are applied without a restart for 
    Display feature availability
    StartingFromRelease1.13.3
    , see 
    Jira
    serverSOS JIRA
    columnskey,summary,type,created,updated,due,assignee,reporter,priority,status,resolution
    serverId6dc67751-9d67-34cd-985b-194a8cdc9602
    keyJS-1874
  • For releases before 
    Display feature availability
    StartingFromRelease1.10.7
     the problem
    Jira
    serverSOS JIRA
    columnskey,summary,type,created,updated,due,assignee,reporter,priority,status,resolution
    serverId6dc67751-9d67-34cd-985b-194a8cdc9602
    keyJS-1675
     occurs. Consider to apply the workaround as specified from the issue.

Change Management References

keystore "]


Explanation:

  • The keystore and truststore shown in orange are required for any connections of a Controller to an Agent.
    • The Agent's Private Key and Certificate for Server Authentication are added to the Agent's keystore.
    • The Root CA Certificate is added to the Agent's truststore.
  • The keystore and truststore shown in green are required if mutual authentication is in place for certificate based Client Authentication (default).

Secure Connection Setup

In the following the JS7_CONTROLLER_CONFIG_DIR placeholder specifies the configuration directory of the Controller. 

The JS7_AGENT_HOME, JS7_AGENT_CONFIG_DIR placeholder specifies the directories where the Agent holds configuration files.

Secure Connections from Controller to Agent

This configuration is applied in order to secure the connection if the Controller and Agent are not operated on the same server and network interface.

Secure connections require authentication.

For a complete list of related configuration items see JS7 - Agent Configuration Items.

The following chapters assume mutual authentication to be in place.

Step 1: Creating the Agent Keystore

  • On the Agent server create the keystore using openssl and the keytool from your Java JRE or JDK. Alternatively import a Private Key and Certificate that you received from your Certificate Authority:
    • For use with a 3rd-party utility create a keystore, e.g. https-keystore.p12, in PKCS12 format and import:
      • the Agent Private Key and Certificate for Server Authentication
    • The examples below show a possible approach for certificate management. However, there are other ways to achieve similar results.

      • Example for importing a Private Key and CA-signed Certificate to a PKCS12 keystore:

        Code Block
        languagebash
        titleExample how to import a Private Key and CA-signed Certificate to a PKCS12 keystore
        # Assume the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the Agent server to be "agent.example.com"

# If the Agent's CA-signed Certificate is provided from a pkcs12 keystore (certificate.p12), extract the certificate to a .crt file in PEM format (agent.example.com.crt)
# openssl pkcs12 -in certificate.p12 -nokeys -out agent.example.com.crt

# Import the Agent's Private Key (agent.example.com.key) and Certificate (agent.example.com.crt) from PEM format to a new keystore (https-keystore.p12)
openssl pkcs12 -export -in agent.example.com.crt -inkey agent.example.com.key -name agent.example.com -out "JS7_AGENT_CONFIG_DIR/private/https-keystore.p12"

      • Example for creating a Private Key and CA-signed Certificate and import to a keystore

        • Refer to examples available from JS7 - How to create X.509 SSL TLS Certificates, chapter Creating a Server Certificate.

          Code Block
          languagebash
          titleExample how to create a Private Key and CA-signed Certificate
          # Creating the Private Key and CA-signed certificate for the given validity period
./create_server_certificate.sh --dns=agent.example.com --days=365

        • Refer to examples available from JS7 - How to add SSL TLS Certificates to Keystore and Truststore.

          Code Block
          titleExample how to add a Private Key and CA-signed Certificate to a PKCS12 keystore
          # Adding the Private Key and Certificate to a keystore
./js7_create_certificate_store.sh \
    --keystore=JS7_AGENT_CONFIG_DIR/private/https-keystore.p12 \
    --key=agent.example.com.key \
    --cert=agent.example.com.crt \
    --alias=agent.example.com \
    --password="jobscheduler"


          When using additional arguments a truststore will be immediately created:

          Code Block
          titleExample how to add a Private Key and CA-signed Certificate to a PKCS12 keystore and the Root CA Certificate to a truststore
          # Adding the Private Key and Certificate to a keystore and Root CA Certificate to a truststore
./js7_create_certificate_store.sh \
    --keystore=JS7_AGENT_CONFIG_DIR/private/https-keystore.p12 \
    --truststore=JS7_AGENT_CONFIG_DIR/private/https-truststore.p12 \ 
    --key=agent.example.com.key \
    --cert=agent.example.com.crt \
    --alias=agent.example.com \
    --password="jobscheduler" \
    --ca-root=root-ca.crt
    • With the keystore being set up specify the relevant properties with the JS7_AGENT_CONFIG_DIR/private/private.conf configuration file:

      • Example

        Code Block
        languagetext
        titleExample for private.conf file specifying the Agent keystore
        js7 {
    web {
        # keystore and truststore locations for https connections
        https {
            keystore {
                # Default: ${js7.config-directory}"/private/https-keystore.p12"
                file=${js7.config-directory}"/private/https-keystore.p12"
                key-password="jobscheduler"
                store-password="jobscheduler"
            }
        }
    }
}


        Explanation:
        • js7.web.https.keystore.file is used for the path to the keystore.
        • js7.web.https.keystore.key-password is used for access to the Private Key.
        • js7.web.https.keystore.store-password is used for access to the keystore. Passwords for key access and keystore access have to match if a PKCS12 keystore type is used.

  • On the Agent instance's server create the keystore using the keytool from your Java JRE or JDK or a 3rd-party utility.
    • For use with a 3rd-party utility create a truststore, e.g. https-truststore.p12, in PKCS12 format and import:
      • Root CA Certificate
    • The examples below show a possible approach for certificate management - however, there are other ways of achieving similar results.

      • Example for importing a Root CA Certificate to a PKCS12 truststore:

        Code Block
        languagebash
        titleExample how to import a Root CA Certificate to a PKCS12 truststore
        # Import Root CA Certificate in PEM format to a PKCS12 truststore (https-truststore.p12)
keytool -importcert -alias "root-ca" -file "root-ca.crt" -keystore "JS7_AGENT_CONFIG_DIR/private/https-truststore.p12" -storetype PKCS12

Step 2: Setting up Authentication with the Agent

  • By default mutual authentication is in place.
    • The Controller verifies the Agent's Server Authentication certificate.
    • The Controller is challenged by the Agent to present its Client Authentication certificate which is then verified by the Agent.
    • If a Controller Cluster is used then connections from both Controller instances are authenticated by the Distinguished Name of the Controller instance's Client Authentication certificate.

  • The JS7_AGENT_CONFIG_DIR/private/private.conf configuration file should include authentication details like this:

    Code Block
    titleExample for private.conf file specifying Controller authentication
    js7 {
    auth {
        users {
            # Controller ID for connections by primary/secondary Controller instance
            jobscheduler {
                distinguished-names=[
                    "DNQ=SOS CA, CN=primary_controller_client, OU=IT, O=SOS, L=Berlin, ST=Berlin, C=DE",
                    "DNQ=SOS CA, CN=secondary_controller_client, OU=IT, O=SOS, L=Berlin, ST=Berlin, C=DE"
                ]
            }
        }
    }
}


    Explanation:
    • The jobscheduler account is an example of a Controller ID that is specified during Controller installation.
    • The distinguished-names property allows the addition of a number of Distinguished Names as available from the subject of Client Authentication certificates that are used by Controller instances when connecting to the Agent.
      • Except for whitespace between attributes the precise sequence and values as available from the certificate's subject has to match this property value.
      • Distinguished Names can be displayed in different flavors. JS7 makes use of RFC2253 compliant Distinguished Names. The following command can be executed to verify the Distinguished Name from a given certificate file:
        • openssl x509 -in <controller-cert.pem> -noout -nameopt RFC2253 -subject
        • The output that you receive - except for a subject: or subject= prefix - should be used as the Controller's Distinguished Name
      • Sample Output:
        • subject= ST=Berlin,OU=JS7,O=SOS,L=Berlin,C=DE,CN=centostest-primary
        • The prefix subject= has to be omitted from the Distinguished Name.

Step 3: Setting up the Agent Instance Start Script for HTTPS

  • To make an Agent use HTTPS, the relevant port setting has to be specified with the Agent's Instance Start Script.

    • For Unix the Instance Start Script is available from JS7_AGENT_HOME/bin/agent_<port>.sh:

      Code Block
      languagexml
      titleExample for HTTP and HTTPS port settings with Agent Instance Start Script for Unix
      # Sets the http port for the JS7 Agent.
# Without this setting the default port 4445 is used.
# If just a port is specified then the JS7 Agent listens to all
# available network interfaces. This corresponds to 0.0.0.0:<port>.
# Use the form <ip address or hostname>:<port> to indicate
# a specific network interface the JS7 Agent should listen to.
# The command line option --http-port beats the environment
# variable JS7_AGENT_HTTP_PORT.

JS7_AGENT_HTTP_PORT=localhost:4445


# In addition to the http port an https port for the
# JS7 Agent can be specified. If just a port is specified
# then the JS7 Agent listens to all available network interfaces.
# This corresponds to using 0.0.0.0:<port>.
# Use the form <ip address or hostname>:<port> to indicate
# a specific network interface the JS7 Agent should listen to.
# The command line option --https-port beats the environment
# variable JS7_AGENT_HTTPS_PORT.

JS7_AGENT_HTTPS_PORT=agent.example.com:4445

    • For Windows the Instance Start Script is available from JS7_AGENT_HOME\bin\agent_<port>.cmd:

      Code Block
      languagexml
      titleExample for HTTP and HTTPS port settings with Agent Instance Start Script for Windows
      collapsetrue
      rem # Sets the http port for the JS7 Agent.
rem # Without this setting the default port 4445 is used.
rem # If just a port is specified then the JS7 Agent listens to all
rem # available network interfaces. This corresponds to 0.0.0.0:<port>.
rem # Use the form <ip address or hostname>:<port> to indicate
rem # a specific network interface the JS7 Agent should listen to.
rem # The command line option --http-port beats the environment
rem # variable JS7_AGENT_HTTP_PORT.

set JS7_AGENT_HTTP_PORT=localhost:4445


rem # In addition to the http port an https port for the
rem # JS7 Agent can be specified. If just a port is specified
rem # then the JS7 Agent listens to all available network interfaces.
rem # This corresponds to using 0.0.0.0:<port>.
rem # Use the form <ip address or hostname>:<port> to indicate
rem # a specific network interface the JS7 Agent should listen to.
rem # The command line option --https-port beats the environment
rem # variable JS7_AGENT_HTTPS_PORT.

set JS7_AGENT_HTTPS_PORT=agent.example.com:4445


      Explanation:
      • The HTTP port is required but is limited to the localhost network interface with the localhost prefix.
      • The HTTPS port is specified with the hostname prefix that indicates the network interface.

Step 4: Configuring the Controller Truststore

The Controller truststore is added the Root CA Certificate. This step can be skipped if the Controller's truststore is available, see JS7 - Controller HTTPS Connections.

  • On the Controller server create the truststore using the keytool from your Java JRE or JDK or a 3rd-party utility.
    • For use with a 3rd-party utility create a truststore, e.g. https-truststore.p12, in PKCS12 format and import:
      • the Root CA Certificate
    • The examples below show a possible approach for certificate management. However, there are other ways to achieve similar results.

      • Example for importing a Root CA Certificate to a PKCS12 truststore:

        Code Block
        languagebash
        titleExample how to import a Root CA Certificate into a PKCS12 Truststore
        # import Root CA Certificate in PEM format to a PKCS12 truststore (https-truststore.p12)
keytool -importcert -alias "root-ca" -file "root-ca.crt" -keystore "JS7_CONTROLLER_CONFIG_DIR/private/https-truststore.p12" -storetype PKCS12
  • On the Controller server specify the location of the truststore with the JS7_CONTROLLER_CONFIG_DIR/private/private.conf configuration file:

    • Example

      Code Block
      languagetext
      titleExample for private.conf file specifying the Controller truststore
      js7 {
    web {
        # keystore and truststore locations for https connections
        https {
            truststores=[
                {
                    # Default: ${js7.config-directory}"/private/https-truststore.p12"
                    file=${js7.config-directory}"/private/https-truststore.p12"
                    store-password="jobscheduler"
                }
            ]
        }
    }
}


      Explanation:
      • js7.web.https.truststores.file is used for the path to the truststore.
      • js7.web.https.truststores.store-password is used for access to the truststore.

Mutual Authentication for Controller and Agent

This configuration is applied in order to enable mutual authentication:

  • from the Controller to the Agent:
    • the Controller verifies the Agent's certificate for Server Authentication
    • the Agent verifies the Controller's certificate for Client Authentication
  • from pairing Controller instances.

If mutual authentication cannot be used then consider explanations from the JS7 - Configuration for HTTPS Server Authentication with Passwords article.

Creating/Updating the Controller Client Keystore

For mutual authentication the Controller has to hold a Client Authentication Private Key and Certificate in its keystore.

  • This can be simplified by using a Private Key/Certificate pair that is created for both extended key uses Server Authentication and Client Authentication. In this case a single Private Key and Certificate is stored with the Controller's keystore as indicated in the JS7 - Controller HTTPS Connections article.
  • If separate Private Key/Certificate pairs for Server Authentication and Client Authentication are used then the use of separate certificate stores for the Controller is recommended:
    • The keystore holds the Private Key/Certificate for Server Authentication.
    • The client keystore holds the Private Key/Certificate for Client Authentication.

The following steps are applied if a separate client keystore is used with a Controller.

  • On the Controller server create the client keystore using the keytool from your Java JRE or JDK or a 3rd-party utility.
    • For use with a 3rd-party utility create a client keystore, e.g. https-client-keystore.p12, in PKCS12 format and import:
      • the Controller Private Key and Certificate for Client Authentication
    • For use with keytool create the client keystore in PKCS12 or JKS format according to the steps indicated in the JS7 - Controller HTTPS Connections: Step 1: Creating the Controller Keystore article.
      • Apply the steps described to the client keystore and use the Private Key/Certificate pair for Client Authentication.

  • The location of the client keystore is added to the JS7_CONTROLLER_CONFIG_DIR/private/private.conf configuration file as shown:

    • Example for PKCS12 client keystore:

      Code Block
      languagetext
      titleExample how to specify the client keystore location with private.conf file
      js7 {
    web {
        # keystore and truststore location for https connections
        https {
            client-keystore {
                # Default: ${js7.config-directory}"/private/https-client-keystore.p12"
                file=${js7.config-directory}"/private/https-client-keystore.p12"
                key-password="jobscheduler"
                store-password="jobscheduler"
            }
        }
    }
}


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Risk Mitigation

The explanations above describe use of a Root CA Certificate for verification of Client Authentication certificates when it comes to mutual authentication.

  • In fact, use of a Root CA Certificate allows any clients that dispose of a Client Authentication certificate signed by the same Root CA or Intermediate CA to be authenticated. This implication might allow an unwanted number of clients to access an Agent. By design the only clients to access an Agent should be Controller instances.
  • Coping strategies include:
    • using a separate Certificate Authority to sign Client Authentication certificates for access to Agents.
    • importing individual Client Authentication certificates to the Agent's truststore instead of using a Root CA Certificate.

Notes

  • A restart of the relevant products is required to apply modifications to the Agent's JS7_AGENT_CONFIG_DIR/private/private.conf file and the Controller's JS7_CONTROLLER_CONFIG_DIR/private/private.conf file.

Resources

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