Enabling SSL or TLS in Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12

In This Document

• Section 1: Introduction
• Section 2: Concepts and Terminology
• Section 3: Application Tier Setup
• Section 4: Database Tier Setup
• Section 5: Advanced SSL Setup
• Section 6: Converting Existing Certificates
• Section 7: Creating your Certifying Authority's Certificate
• Section 8: Oracle Application Server Certificate Authority
• Section 9: Disabling Older SSL Protocols and Weak Ciphers
• Section 10: Encrypting Database Network Traffic using ANO/ASO
• Appendix A - Using Network Traffic Encryption
• Appendix B - Disabling SSL

This document explains the setup steps for enabling SSL in Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.0 and 12.1; for Release 12.2, use document 1367293.1 instead.

The most current version of this document can be obtained in My Oracle Support Knowledge Document 376700.1.

There is a change log at the end of this document.

Section 1: Introduction

The most significant change for Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) support in Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 is the use of the mod_ossl module for the Oracle HTTP Server. Like mod_ssl, the mod_ossl plug-in enables strong cryptography for Oracle HTTP Server. In contrast to the OpenSSL module, mod_ossl is based on the Oracle implementation of SSL, which supports SSL and TLS protocols, and is based on Certicom and RSA Security technology.

In Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 SSL certificates will be managed by Oracle Wallet Manager 10g, which will be accessible via the familiar OWM graphical user interface (GUI) or the new ORAPKI command line interface (CLI). Since Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 uses the Forms Listener Servlet, a separate certificate is no longer needed for Forms as it will share the same wallet as the Oracle HTTP Server.

In keeping with the theme of security, and as part of implementing SSL, it is recommended that you also review your current JRE deployment, as well as looking into enhanced JAR file signing. Refer to document 393931.1 for information on obtaining the most current JRE, and document 1591073.1 for information on signing JAR files.

Note: Use of the Forms Server Listener with ConnectMode=https is not supported. ConnectMode=https only works with JInitiator, which includes the Oracle SSL libraries. Release 12 uses the Sun Java Plugin. If you need to use https for the Forms communication layer you must use the servlet architecture.

Section 2: Concepts and Terminology

Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)

SSL is a technology that defines the essential functions of mutual authentication, data encryption, and data integrity for secure transactions. Exchange of data between the client and server in such secure transactions is said to use the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL).

Transport Layer Security (TLS)

Transport Layer Security is a cryptographic protocol that ensures privacy between communicating applications and their users on the Internet. While SSL is supported with all versions of the Oracle Application Server, TLS requires a minimum of Application Server 10.1.2.0. 
Oracle Applications Release 11i supports the use of SSL and TLS.
Oracle Applications Release 12 supports the use of both SSL and TLS.

SSL uses 2 types of certificates:

• User certificates - issued to servers or users to prove their identity in a public key/private key exchange.
• Trusted certificates - representing entities who you trust, such as certificate authorities.

How SSL works with Application Tier Oracle HTTP Server:

1. The client sends a request to the server using HTTPS connection mode.
2. The server presents its certificate to the client. This certificate contains the server's identifying information.
3. The client checks its list of trust points and compares the information in the certificate with the server's public key. If it matches, the server is authenticated as a trusted server.
4. The client sends the server a list of the encryption levels, or ciphers, that it can use.
5. The server receives the list and selects the strongest level of encryption that they have in common.
6. The client creates a session key which is used to encrypt the data, and sends this session key to the server which can decrypt the data with its private key

How SSL works with Oracle Database Server:

1. The UTL_HTTP package is used for making HTTP callouts from SQL and PL/SQL to a Web Node (Oracle HTTP server).
2. When the package fetches data from a Web site using HTTPS, it specifies the location to the Oracle Wallet that resides on the database server. This wallet contains the certificate for the Certifying Authority (CA) that signed the Web node's server certificate.

Certificate Authority (CA)

A Certificate Authority is a trusted third party responsible for issuing, revoking, and renewing digital certificates. All digital certificates are signed with the Certificate Authority's private key to ensure authenticity. The Certificate Authority's Public Key is widely distributed.

Certificate Signing Request (CSR)

A Certificate Signing Request (CSR) is a digital file which contains your public key and your name. You send the CSR to a Certifying Authority (CA) to be converted into a real certificate.

Digital Certificate (Public Key)

A digital certificate is an electronic document that binds an identity to a pair of electronic keys that can be used to encrypt and sign digital information. Certificates are issued by a trusted third party, called a Certification Authority (CA). The document is usually in a standard X509 format and contains three elements:

1. Entity attributes (information about your organization)
2. Public key (which is bound to your organization)
3. Digital signature of the trusted CA private key

Verisign (http://verisign.com/) will allow your organization to apply for a free trial certificate which will be valid for 2 weeks for testing purposes.

Private (Server) Key

The private key file is a digital file that you generate and for use to decrypt messages sent to you. The certificate request (CSR) that you send to your Certificate Authority (CA) is derived from this private key. Therefore, the resulting digital certificate (containing your public key) which is issued by your CA is bound to this private key.

Secure Server Certificates

Secure Server Certificates are 128 bit certificates which provide 128 bit SSL encryption. If a browser has 128 bit support, then encryption is negotiated to 128 bits. However, if the browser only supports 40 bit encryption, the level of encryption, regardless of a 128 bit certificate, will be negotiated down to 40 bits.

Global Server Certificates

Global Server Certificates, also referred to as Server Gated Cryptography, are 128 bit certificates that enable all browsers to use 128 bit encryption, even if the browser only supports 40 bit encryption. A global server certificate usually has 2 parts: the certificate itself and an extra intermediate certificate which is used to provide the step-up. The marketing names of these certificates vary depending on the company that issues the certificate, for example, Thawte calls them 128 bit SuperCerts. It is not possible to get trial versions of global server certificates; therefore it is not possible to test unless one is purchased.

Secure Socket Layer Accelerators

Secure Socket Layer (SSL) Accelerators can be used to reduce the SSL traffic and workload off the web servers. Usually SSL accelerators are the primary targets for https requests from the user's desktop and thus are the initial target for all desktop client communication. They are responsible for converting "https" SSL requests to non-SSL "http" requests, directing the request to the http server which is running in non-SSL mode. Before sending the response back to the desktop they again convert the non-SSL requests to SSL requests.

If you are planning on using an SSL Accelerator only, you can skip steps 1 through 7 in Section 3, and proceed to Step 8, referencing the table - Changes when using an SSL Accelerator. Please make certain that the SSL certificate used on the SSL Accelerator is in place. Consult the documentation for your SSL Accelerator as needed. If you are also enabling SSL at the Oracle E-Business Suite level in addition to the SSL Accelerator, then all steps in Section 3 would still apply.

If you are making use of a self-signed, in-house, or trial certificate and the root CA or any intermediate certificate component is not found in the certificate chain, errors may be encountered.  In this case, you would need to follow all the steps in Section 3, starting with step 5.  In addition, you may also need to import any certificate components into the client side JRE trust store.

Windows -> Control Panel -> Programs -> Java -> Security (tab) -> Manage Certificates

From here you can import Trusted Certificates as well as Signer CA certificates.  Depending on the type of certificate, you may also need to import the same certificate components into the client side browser.

Note: If you plan to use "cookie based session persistence" at the HTTP Load Balancer level, and you plan to enable SSL for HTTP traffic at all application tier Web Nodes, you have to use a SSL Accelerator as the Web Entry Point Host. This is because HTTP Load Balancers cannot intercept the SSL encrypted communication between the Client Browser and the application tier Web Server to insert or delete cookies to maintain session persistence. It is advantageous to use SSL accelerators because it requires less maintenance as none of the application tier Web Nodes have to be configured for SSL anymore.

Section 3: Application Tier Setup

The default location for the wallet in Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 is $INST_TOP/certs/Apache. This directory contains a wallet with demo certificates. If you wish to use these certificates for testing start with Step 8 below to configure SSL, and then perform Steps 1 through 7 when you are ready to switch to real certificates.

Note: The demo certificates are not secure and should never be used in a production environment.

The main steps for setting up SSL on the Application Tier are:

1. Set Your Environment.
2. Create a wallet.
3. Create a Certificate Request.
4. Submit the Certificate Request to a Certifying Authority.
5. Import your Server Certificate to the Wallet.
6. Copy the Apache Wallet to the OPMN Wallet.
7. Update the JDK Cacerts File.
8. Update the Context File.
9. Run Autoconfig.
10. Restart the application tier services.

These instructions involve the use of the Oracle Wallet Manager Graphical User Interface. If you would prefer to use the Oracle Wallet Manager Command Line Interface refer to My Oracle Support Knowledge Document 376694.1: Using the Oracle Wallet Manager Command Line Interface in Release 12.

If you have unexpired certificates from your Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i SSL instance you can convert them using the instructions in Section 5 .

Note: Discoverer users who enable SSL for the E-Business Suite must also enable SSL for Discoverer.

Please refer to the following documents:

- Oracle Application Server Business Intelligence documentation

- For Discoverer without Portal or Single SignOn (SSO) refer to My Oracle Support Knowledge Document 338071.1 - How To Configure Discoverer 10g (10.1.2) Plus/Viewer For HTTPS (SSL) Access

- For Discoverer with Portal and/or Single SignOn (SSO) refer to My Oracle Support Knowledge Document 339448.1 - Quick Start to Configure Discoverer Plus/Viewer/Portlet Provider 10.1.2.0.2 in SSL + SSO

Step 1 - Set Your Environment

1. Logon to the application tier as the OS user who owns the application tier files.
2. Source your application tier environment file (APPS<sid_machine>.env) located in the APPL_TOP directory.
3. Navigate to the $INST_TOP/ora/10.1.3 and source the <sid_machine>.env file to set your 10.1.3 ORACLE_HOME variables.

Note: When working with wallets and certificates you must use the 10.1.3 executables.

Step 2 - Create a wallet

1. Navigate to the $INST_TOP/certs/Apache directory.
2. Move the existing wallet files to a backup directory in case you wish to use them again in the future.
3. Open the Wallet manager as a background process:
   

   $ owm &

4. On the Oracle Wallet Manager Menu navigate to Wallet -> New.
   Answer NO to: Your default wallet directory doesn't exist. Do you wish to create it now? 
   The new wallet screen will now prompt you to enter a password for your wallet.
   
   Click YES when prompted:
   A new empty wallet has been created. Do you wish to create a certificate request at this time?

Step 3 - Create a Certificate Request

After clicking "Yes" in step 2 the Create Certificate Request Screen will pop up:

 

Fill in the appropriate values where:

Common Name: is the name of your server including the domain.
Organizational Unit: (optional) The unit within your organization.
.
Organization: is the name of your organization.
Locality/City: is your locality or city.
State/Province: is the full name of your State or Province - do not abbreviate.

Select your Country from the drop down list, and for the Key Size, select 2048 as a minimum. Click OK.

Note: Depending on your certificate provider, they may not accept the MD5 based certificate request (CSR) generated by the Oracle Wallet Manager (OWM). For example, VeriSign will now only accept SHA-1 2048 bit based CSRs or higher. In such cases, you will need to convert the MD5 CSR to a suitable SHA-1 based CSR. Refer to Section 9 and Signature Algorithm Changes.

Step 4 - Submit the Certificate Request to a Certifying Authority

You will need to export the Certificate Request before you can submit it to a Certifying Authority.

1. Click on Certificate [Requested] to Highlight it.
2. From the menu click Operations -> Export Certificate Request
3. Save the file as server.csr
4. From the menu click Wallet and then click Save.
5. On the Select Directory screen change the Directory to your fully qualified wallet directory.
6. Click OK.
7. From the menu click Wallet and check the Auto Login box.
   Be sure to make this password something you will remember. You will need to use the password whenever you open the wallet with Oracle Wallet Manager or perform operations on the wallet using the Command Line Interface. With a uto login enabled processes submitted by the OS user who created the wallet will not need to supply the password to access the wallet.
8. Exit the Wallet Manager.

The wallet directory will now contain the following files:

• cwallet.sso
• ewallet.p12
• server.csr

You may now submit server.csr to your Certifying Authority to request a Server Certificate.

Step 5 - Import your Server Certificate to the Wallet

After you receive your Server Certificate from your Certifying Authority you will need to import it into your wallet. Copy the certificate to server.crt in the wallet directory on your server by one of the following methods:

1. ftp the certificate (in binary mode)
2. copy and paste the contents into server.crt

Follow these steps to import server.crt into your wallet:

1. Open the Wallet Manager as a background process:
   

   $ owm &

2. From the menu click Wallet then Open.
3. Answer Yes when prompted: 
   Your default wallet directory does not exist.
   Do you want to continue?
4. On the Select Directory screen change the Directory to your fully qualified wallet directory and click OK
5. Enter your wallet password and click OK.
6. On the Oracle Wallet Manager Menu navigate to Operations - Import User Certificate.
   Server certificates are a type of user certificate. Since the Certifying Authority issued a certificate for the server, placing its distinguished name (DN) in the Subject field, the server is the certificate owner, thus the "user" for this user certificate.
7. Click OK.
8. Double Click on server.crt to import it.
9. Save the wallet:
   1. On the Oracle Wallet Manager Menu click Wallet.
   2. Verify the Auto Login box is checked.
   3. Click Save

Note: If all trusted certificates that make up the chain of server.crt are not present in the wallet, then adding the certificate will fail. When the wallet was created, the certificates for the most common CA’s (such as VeriSign, GTE, and Entrust) were included automatically. Contact your certifying authority if you need to add their certificate, and save the provided file as ca.crt in the wallet directory in a base64 format. Another option is to follow the instructions in Section 7 to create ca.crt from your server certificate (server.crt). If your Certifying Authority provided an intermediate certificate (to complete the chain) then save the provided file as intca.crt in a Base64 format, this will need to be imported into Oracle Wallet Manager prior to importing the server.crt. Certificates that comprise several parts (such as the P7B type) would also fall into this category.

If you need to import the CA Certificate you will also need to add the contents of ca.crt file to b64InternetCertificate.txt file located in the 10.1.2 ORACLE_HOME/sysman/config directory:

 

$ cat ca.crt >> <10.1.2 ORACLE_HOME>/sysman/config/b64InternetCertificate.txt

 

If you were also provided an Intermediate Certificate (intca.crt) then you will also need to add that to the b64InternetCertificate.txt:

$ cat intca.crt >> <10.1.2 ORACLE_HOME>/sysman/config/b64InternetCertificate.txt

Step 6 - Modify the OPMN wallet

The E-Business Suite Rapid Install process creates a default "demo" opmn wallet in the $INST_TOP/certs/opmn directory that can be used in test instances for basic SSL testing. Now that the Apache wallet has been created you will need to to use these same certificates for opmn. Use the following steps to backup and copy the wallets:

1. Navigate to the $INST_TOP/certs/opmn directory.
2. Create a new directory named BAK.
3. Move the ewallet.p12 and cwallet.sso files to the BAK directory just created.
4. Copy the ewallet.p12 and cwallet.sso files from the $INST_TOP/certs/Apache directory to the $INST_TOP/certs/opmn directory.

Step 7 - Update the JDK Cacerts File

Oracle Web Services requires the Certificate of the Certifying Authority who issued your server certificate (ca.crt from the previous step) to be present in the JDK cacerts file. In addition, some features of XML Publisher and BI Publisher require the server certficate (server.crt from previous step) to be present. Follow these steps to be sure these requirements are met:

1. Navigate to the $OA_JRE_TOP/lib/security directory.
2. Backup the existing cacerts file.
3. Copy your ca.crt and server.crt files to this directory and issue the following command to insure that cacerts has write permissions:

   $ chmod u+w cacerts

4. Add your Apache ca.crt and server.crt to cacerts:

$ keytool -import -alias ApacheRootCA -file ca.crt -trustcacerts -v -keystore cacerts
$ keytool -import -alias ApacheServer -file server.crt -trustcacerts -v -keystore cacerts

If you were also provided an Intermediate Certificate (intca.crt) then you will also need to add that to the cacerts before adding the server.crt:

$ keytool -import -alias ApacheRootCA -file ca.crt -trustcacerts -v -keystore cacerts
$ keytool -import -alias ApacheIntCA -file intca.crt -trustcacerts -v -keystore cacerts
$ keytool -import -alias ApacheServer -file server.crt -trustcacerts -v -keystore cacerts

When prompted, enter the keystore password (default password is "changeit").

Note: Whenever you upgrade your jdk version on the server any additional certificate you added to your cacerts file will be lost. You will need to re-import the root certificate or keep a copy of your original cacerts file which you can copy back in.

Step 8 - Update the Context File

Use the E-Business Suite - Oracle Applications Manager (OAM) Context Editor to change the SSL related variables as shown in this table:

SSL Related Variables in the Context File

VariableNon-SSL ValueSSL Values_url_protocolhttphttpss_local_url_protocolhttphttpss_webentryurlprotocolhttphttpss_active_webportsame as s_webportsame as s_webssl_ports_webssl_portnot applicabledefault is 4443s_https_listen_parameternot applicablesame as s_webssl_ports_login_pageurl constructed with http protocol and s_webporturl constructed with https protocol and s_webssl_ports_external_urlurl constructed with http protocol and s_webporturl constructed with https protocol and s_webssl_port 

Changes when using an SSL Accelerator

VariableNon-SSL ValueSSL Values_url_protocolhttphttps_local_url_protocolhttphttps_webentryurlprotocolhttphttpss_active_webportsame as s_webportvalue of the SSL Accelerator's external interfacing ports_webentryhostsame as s_webhostSSL Accelerator hostnames_webentrydomainsame as s_domainnameSSL Accelerator domain names_enable_sslterminator#remove the '#' to use ssl_terminator.conf in ssl terminated environmentss_login_pageurl constructed with http protocol and s_webporturl constructed with https protocol, s_webentryhost, s_webentrydomain, s_active_webports_external_urlurl constructed with http protocol and s_webporturl constructed with https protocol, s_webentryhost, s_webentrydomain, s_active_webport

Step 9 - Run Autoconfig

Autoconfig can be run by using the adautocfg.sh script in the Application Tier $ADMIN_SCRIPTS_HOME directory.

Step 10 - Customizations (optional)

In Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 we keep a non-ssl port open for those products which need to access some of their pages via the http protocol, as well as the Oracle Applications Help System. If you wish to disable the http port and force all users to access your pages via the https protocol you can add a redirect rule to $INST_TOP/ora/10.1.3/Apache/Apache/conf/custom.conf file.

RewriteCond %{HTTPS} !=on 
RewriteRule ^/?(.*) https://<servername.domain>:<ssl port>/$1 [R,L]

Any updates you make to the custom.conf file will be preserved when Autoconfig is run.

Step 11 - Restart the Application Tier services

Use the adapcctl.sh script in the $ADMIN_SCRIPTS_HOME directory to stop and restart the Application Tier Apache services.

Section 4: Database Tier Setup

Oracle products such as Oracle Configurator, Order Management, iStore, Order Capture, Quoting, iPayment, iStore, and Pricing access data over the Internet in HTTP or HTTPS connection mode. The implementation of SSL for the Oracle Database Server (which acts as a client sending requests to the Web server) makes use of the Oracle Wallet Manager for setting up an Oracle wallet.

Note: This is a mandatory requirement for Oracle iStore storefront pages when the Web Tier is also SSL enabled.

To enable SSL on the Database Tier you need to only create a wallet. You do not need a server certificate for this wallet. If you were required to import your ca.crt (and intca.crt if it exists) into the application tier wallet you will need to do it for this wallet also.

1. After setting your environment for the database tier, navigate to the $ORACLE_HOME/appsutil directory.
2. Create a new wallet directory named: wallet
3. Navigate to the newly created wallet directory.
4. Open the Wallet Manager as a background process:
   owm &
5. On the Oracle Wallet Manager Menu navigate to Wallet -> New.
   Answer NO to: Your default wallet directory doesn't exist. Do you wish to create it now? 
   The new wallet screen will now prompt you to enter a password for your wallet.
   
   Click NO when prompted:
   A new empty wallet has been created. Do you wish to create a certificate request at this time?
6. If you need to import ca.crt:
   On the Oracle Wallet Manager menu navigate to Operations -> Import Trusted Certificate.
   Click OK.
   Double click on ca.crt to import it.
7. Save the wallet:
   On the Oracle Wallet Manager Menu click Wallet.
   Verify the Auto Login box is checked.
   Click Save.

To test that the wallet is properly set up and accessible, login to SQLPLUS as the apps user and execute the following:

SQL>select utl_http.request('[address to access]', '[proxy address]', 'file:[full path to wallet directory]', null) from dual;

where:

'[address to access]' = the url for your E-Business Suite Rapid Install Portal.

'[proxy address]' = the url of your proxy server, or NULL if not using a proxy server.

'file:[full path to wallet directory]' = the location of your wallet directory (do not specify the actual wallet files).

The final parameter is the wallet password, which is set to null by default.

Examples:

SQL>select utl_http.request('https://www.oracle.com:4443','http://proxy.com:80', 'file:/d1/oracle/db/tech_st/10.2.0/appsutil/wallet', null) from dual;

SQL>select utl_http.request('https://www.oracle.com:4443',null, 'file:/d1/oracle/db/tech_st/10.2.0/appsutil/wallet', null) from dual;

If the wallet has been properly set up, you will be returned the first 2,000 characters of the html page.

Note: Oracle Database 11g Release 2 (11.2) and Oracle Database 12c enables Oracle Real Application Clusters (RAC) nodes to share a wallet. This eliminates the need to manually copy and synchronize the wallet across all nodes. The wallet can be created on a shared file system, allowing all instances to access the same shared wallet. If you are not using a shared file system to store the wallet, you need to copy the wallet to all nodes. This also applies to advanced database security features for which you may already be using a wallet, such as Transparent Data Encryption.

Section 5: Advanced SSL Configuration (Optional)

In Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 the Oracle Application Server environment is managed by OPMN (Oracle Process Monitoring and Notification services) which is a set of processes that include the Oracle HTTP Server (Apache) and OC4J containers (where J2EE processes run). In Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.1 we have introduced support for secure communication between these layers. This advanced configuration should only be done on top of the basic SSL configuration.

The instructions in this section are for the Oracle Application Server.

OC4J supports SSL communication between Oracle HTTP Server and OC4J using AJPS. This is the secure version of Apache JServ Protocol which is the protocol that Oracle HTTP Server uses to communicate with OC4J.

Note: The AJPS protocol used between Oracle HTTP Server and OC4J is not visible to the end user

There are 3 certificate options available to you when you creating your keystore for the Advanced SSL Configuration:

1. Self-Signed Certificates 
   Self-signed certificates are appropriate to use for testing the Advanced SSL configurations. These are sometimes also used for Advanced SSL Configuration in a production environment where you are effectively your own client. Be sure you understand the limitations of self-signed certificates when using them in any environment.
2. Certificates signed by the OracleAS Certificate Authority (see Section 8) .
   These certificates were designed to be used within your Oracle Application Server environment.
3. Certificates signed by a Certificate Authority such as Verisign, Thawte, etc.
   These certificates are appropriate for use in any environment and provide the highest level of security.

Some steps will be slightly different if you are using Self-Signed Certificates. When a step contains a section for both Self-Signed Certificates and Certificates Signed by a Certificate Authority (includes OracleAS Certificate Authority, Versign, Thawte, etc) be sure to follow the steps in the appropriate section.

Step 1 - Set Your Environment

1. Logon to the application tier as the OS user who owns the application tier files.
2. Source your application tier environment file (APPS<sid_machine>.env) located in the APPL_TOP directory.
3. Navigate to the $INST_TOP/ora/10.1.3 and source the <sid_machine>.env file to set your 10.1.3 ORACLE_HOME variables.

Note: When working with wallets and certificates you must use the 10.1.3 executables.

Step 2 - Create your java keystore

1. Navigate to the web ssl directory as defined in the context file:

$ grep s_web_ssl_directory $CONTEXT_FILE

Note: Unless you have changed the default settings this should be the same directory as $INST_TOP/certs which we will use in subsequent steps to identify this directory. This directory defines the location where private keys and certificate files are stored.

2. Create a new directory with the name j2ee and then change to this directory.

$ mkdir j2ee
$ cd j2ee

3. Determine the values for the following parameters which will be used when you create the keystore for your instance:

• ParameterValueservername of the server where you are creating the keystoredomainthe fully qualified domain of the serverpasswordIn Release 12 the default keystore password is "changeit". Please make note of your password as you will need it when changing the default password in Step 5.Oname of your Organizationlyour City or LocalitySTyour State or ProvinceCyour 2 letter Country Code

4. Create your keystore by entering the following command all on 1 line substituting the appropriate parameters (in bold) for your instance:

$ keytool -genkey -keyalg "RSA" -keystore server.jks -keypass password -storepass password -validity 365 -dname "CN=server.domain, OU=JKS, O=O, ST=ST, C=C"

You should now see the file <server>.jks in your directory.

Note: We are using OU=JKS to distinguish this certificate from the Apache certficate. Since we have not specified an alias the default alias "mykey" will be used.

Step 3 - Create your Certificate Request

1. Self-Signed Certificates
   This step is not applicable for self-signed certificates. If using self-signed certificates proceed to Step 4.
2. Certificates Signed by a Certificate Authority
   To generate a certificate request enter the following command all on 1 line substituting the appropriate parameters (in bold) for your instance:

$ keytool -certreq -keystore server.jks -file server.csr

Submit the file server.csr to your Certificate Authority.

Note: If your using Thawte as your Certificate Authority you should check the box:
PKCS #7 Select this option for servers that use Java JDK keystore - including Tomcat and Jetty."

When you receive your signed certificate copy it to this directory ($INST_TOP/certs/j2ee) as jks_server.crt along with the Certificate Authority's root certificate which should be re-named jks_ca.crt and the Authorities intermediate certificate (if applicable) which should be renamed jks_intca.crt.

Note: We are naming the certificate jks_server.crt to distinguish it from the Apache server.crt

If you want to create jks_ca.crt and/or jks_intca.crt using your jks_server.crt file you can do so by following the directions in Section 7: Creating your Certifying Authority's Certificate.

Step 4 - Add your Signed Certificate to the Keystore

1. Self-Signed Certificates
   This step is applicable only if you are using self-signed certificates.
   If your certificates were signed by a Certifying Authority continue with Step 4 B.
   1. You will not have a signed certficate to add to the keystore. You will sign the certificate in the keystore using the keytool's selfcert command. Enter the following all on 1 line substituting the appropriate parameters (in bold) for your instance:
      
      $ keytool -selfcert -keystore server.jks -keypass password -storepass password -dname "cn=server.domain, ou=OU, o=O, c=C"
            
   2. After signing the certificate you will need to extract the certificate so it can be imported into the Apache and OPMN wallets This will be done using the keytool list command:
      
      

      $ keytool -list -rfc -keystore server.jks -storepass password

      This command will return the following information:

      Alias name: mykey
      Creation date: Nov 21, 2007
      Entry type: PrivateKeyEntry
      Certificate chain length: 1
      Certificate[1]:
      -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
      MIICCzCCAXSgAwIBAgIER0SUrjANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQUFADBKMQswCQYDVQQGEwJVUzEMMAoGA1UE
      ChMDVFhLMQwwCgYDVQQLEwCBDAcxHzAdBgNVBAMTFmFwNjY2d2dzLnVzLm9yYWNsZS5jb20wHhcN
      MDcxMTIxMjAyNzI2WhcNMDgwMjE5MjAyNzI2WjBKMQswCQYDVQQGEwJVUzEMMAoGA1UEChMDVFhL
      MQwwCgYDVQQLEwNBVEcxHzAdBgNVBAMTFmFwNjY2d2dzLnVzLm9yYWNsZS5jb20wgZ8wDQYJKoZI
      hvcNAQEBBQADgY0AMIGJAoGBALaNY6QpChZPem7nXF7NJ5tmW1UFNqOgVW37fW4YiJH10yHKMLhB
      zx6z9QxuJiNKiNzjckJ4KfnLp8xG58lZlubKPSei7yz1KJxeM8j39NbbIifsPYfqtT/EPdDDGK+B
      kg0lK4c09TvxL93y0mFW7IG0PyqB0/ZTnBAcv2Fdyrg/AgMBAAEwDQYJKoZIhvcNAQEFBQADgYEA
      R/EeD4iJXuYV5eQmkp64D/aguNeyGu4qn67tU+iGDjDNtaO1qTPbTiDngD/H8WpPjmxPcJxszp6z
      fcKsFVgNmUC4js5U3DGA8Bcdl1ZGYvP7PUU0wZceHjD+KBB1sdV8KzL94OW41/RPXXUxIW6/UHRP
      huFcDlIK2ExiXu7c5vw=
      -----END CERTIFICATE-----

      Copy the lines from -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE----- to -----END CERTIFICATE----- as indicated in bold. Using the text editor of your choice, save these lines as jks_ca.crt.

2. Certificates Signed by a Certificate Authority
   This step is not applicable if you are using self-signed certificates - continue with "C. Either Type Certificate"
   
   In Step 3 you copied jks_ca.crt, jks_intca.crt, and jks_server.crt to the $INST_TOP/certs/j2ee directory. Now you will use the import command to add it to the keystore substituting the appropriate parameters (in bold) for your instance :
   

   $ keytool -import -alias myca -keystore server.jks -storepass password -file jks_ca.crt
   $ keytool -import -alias myintca -keystore server.jks -storepass password -file jks_intca.crt
   $ keytool -import -keystore server.jks -storepass password -file jks_server.crt

   Enter "yes" when prompted with: Trust this certificate? [no]: yes

Note: You may not have an intermediate ca certificate. It will depend on the Certifying Authority and certificate type. If an intermediate ca certificate has been provided then this will also need to be imported with the root certificate. 
We are not specifying an alias when importing jks_server.crt. The default alias "mykey" will be used. (This is because the -dname on the certificate matches the -dname on the key generated when the keystore was created.)

You can use either of the following commands to see the contents of your keystore. The -list command by default prints the MD5 fingerprint of a certificate. If the -v option is specified, the certificate is printed in human-readable format:

$ keytool -list -keystore <keystore> -storepass <password>
$ keytool -list -v -keystore <keystore> -storepass <password>

For more information on the keytool see:http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4.2/docs/tooldocs/solaris/keytool.html

3. Either Type Certificate 
   This step is applicable for both self-signed certificates and certificates which have been signed by a certifying authority.
   
   If you used a different Certificate Authority for your Apache Wallet than you used for the j2ee Java Keystore you will need to import the Apache Wallet's root CA Certificate into the keystore so it will be recognized as a trusted Certifying Authority. If this is not done, you will get handshake errors. To import a the certificate for a Certifying Authority into your keystore:
   1. Copy the $INST_TOP/certs/Apache/ca.crt file to the $INST_TOP/certs/j2ee directory.
   2. Use the keytool import command to add ca.crt to the keystore:

$ keytool -import -alias ApacheCA -file ca.crt -trustcacerts -v -keystore server.jks -storepass password

Enter "yes" when prompted with: Trust this certificate? [no]: yes

Step 5 - Add the Keystore CA Certificates to the Apache and OPMN Wallets (conditional)

This step is only necessary if you have used self-signed certificates to create the keystore OR you used different Certifying Authorities for the keystore and Apache Wallet.

1. Copy $INST_TOP/certs/j2ee/jks_ca.crt to both the $INST_TOP/certs/Apache and $INST_TOP/certs/opmn directories.
2. Add jks_ca.crt it to each wallet using the orapki command line interface:

$ orapki wallet add -wallet . -trusted_cert -cert jks_ca.crt -pwd <your wallet password>

Step 6 - Update the Context File

Use the E-Business Suite - Oracle Applications Manager (OAM) Context Editor to change the SSL related variables as shown in this table:

Advanced SSL Related Variables in the Context File

VariableNon-SSL ValueAdvanced SSL Values_oc4j_securefalsetrues_ajp_protocolajpajpss_forms_tracking_cookiesdisabledenableds_oc4j_ssloffon

Step 7 - Run Autoconfig

If you have upgraded to Release 12.1 by applying the 12.1 patchset to a previous release you will need to delete the following files so that the new versions will be instantiated when autoconfig is run. If you have made any customizations to these files (custom user credentials, etc) be sure to back the files up before deleting so you can re-add your customizations to the new files.
$ORA_CONFIG_HOME/10.1.3/j2ee/oacore/config/system-jazn-data.xml
$ORA_CONFIG_HOME/10.1.3/j2ee/forms/config/system-jazn-data.xml
$ORA_CONFIG_HOME/10.1.3/j2ee/oafm/config/system-jazn-data.xml

Note: Deleting these 3 files is not necessary if you used the 12.1 Rapid Install.

1. Use the adstpall.sh script in the Application Tier $ADMIN_SCRIPTS_HOME directory to stop all services.
2. Run autoconfig using the adautocfg.sh script in the Application Tier $ADMIN_SCRIPTS_HOME directory.
3. Update the newly instantiated files with your previous customizations if required.

Step 8 - Update the Keystore Password in the system-jazn-data.xml files

• Navigate to the $ORA_CONFIG_HOME/10.1.3/j2ee/oacore/config directory and follow these steps:

1. Open the system-jazn-data.xml file in the editor of your choice.
2. Find the lines in the <users> section that read:

 

<user>
< name>oc4jkeystoreadmin</name>
<display-name>OC4J keystore admin user</display-name>
<guid>7D1943D0AF0411DC8F65CFCE4073EF3D</guid>
<description>E-Business OC4J keystore admin user</description>
< credentials>{903}Gfqv+nvfuUrfiQpcW7XcpptrOknyC0nj< credentials>
</user>

 

Note: The guid and credentials will be different on your system.

 

3. Change the < credentials> line to read:

< credentials>!password< credentials>

where password = the password you assigned when you created your keystore. Be sure to include the !.
This will encrypt the password the next time the service is started.

4. Save the file and exit.

Example: <user>
<name>oc4jstore</name>
<display-name>OC4J keystore admin user</display-name>
<guid>7D1943D0AF0411DC8F65CFCE4073EF3D</guid>
<description>E-Business OC4J keystore admin user</description>
<credentials>!password<credentials>
</user>

2. Navigate to the $ORA_CONFIG_HOME/10.1.3/j2ee/oafm/config directory and repeat steps 1-4.
3. Navigate to the $ORA_CONFIG_HOME/10.1.3/j2ee/forms/config directory and repeat steps 1-4.

Step 9 - Restart the Application Tier Services

Use the $ADMIN_SCRIPTS_HOME/adstrtal.sh script to restart the application tier services.

Advanced SSL Configuration for the Oracle Application Server is now complete. If there are any issues logging into E-Business Suite or launching Forms these should be resolved before proceeding with Section 10: Encrypting database network traffic using ANO/ASO which is optional.

Section 6: Converting Existing Certificates

If you have existing un-expired certificates from a previous implementation of SSL in Release 11i they can be converted and imported into a wallet using the tools:
SSL2OSSL (Unix)
SSLCONVERT (Windows NT/2000)

Step 1 - Set Your Environment

1. Logon to the application application tier as the OS user who owns the application tier files.
2. Navigate to the $INST_TOP/ora/10.1.3 and source the <sid_machine>.env file to set your
   10.1.3 ORACLE_HOME variables.

Note: When working with wallets and certificates you must use the 10.1.3 executables.

Step 2 - Copy your Certificates

Copy server.key, server.crt, and ca.crt to the $INST_TOP/certs/Apache directory.

Step 3 - Issue the command:

$ $ORACLE_HOME/Apache/Apache/bin/ssl2ossl -cert ./server.crt -key ./server.key -cafile ./ca.crt -wallet . -ssowallet yes

If your server certificate was issued by a Certifying Authority other than Verisign, Entrust, GTE, or RSA Data Security you'll also need to add it to b64InternetCertificate.txt file located in the 10.1.2 ORACLE_HOME/sysman/config directory:

$ cat ca.crt >> <10.1.2 ORACLE_HOME>/sysman/config/b64InternetCertificate.txt

Section 7: Creating your Certifying Authority's Certificate

To create ca.crt

1. Copy server.crt to your PC (if necessary) using one of the following methods:

• ftp (in binary mode) server.crt to your pc
• copy the contents of server.crt and paste into notepad on the PC. Save the file as server.crt

2. Double click on server.crt to open it with the Cyrpto Shell Extension.
3. On the Certification Path tab click on the first (top) line and then View Certificate.
4. On Details tab click Copy to File, this will start the export wizard.
5. Click Next to continue.
6. Select Base-64 encoded X.509 (.CER) and click next.
7. Click Browse and navigate to the directory of your choice.
8. Enter ca.crt as the name and click ok to export the certificate.
9. Close the wizard.
10. Copy ca.crt back to your wallet directory (if necessary) using one of the following methods:

• ftp (in binary mode) ca.crt to your application tier wallet directory
• copy the contents of ca.crt and paste into a new file in your application tier wallet directory using a text editor. Save the file as ca.crt

 

Section 8: Oracle Application Server Certificate Authority

The Oracle Application Server Certificate Authority is a Certificate Authority (CA) for use within your Oracle Application Server environment where you are essentially both the client and the server. It is part of the Oracle Identity Management option and is bundled with the Oracle Application Server 10g Enterprise Edition. It can also be licensed separately as an option for the Oracle Application Server 10g Standard Edition.

For more information please refer to the Oracle Application Server Certificate Authority 10g White Paper.

Section 9: Information on SSL Protocol and Signature Algorithm Changes

Disabling Older SSL Protocols and Weak Ciphers

As a result of increased focus on security, there has been a gradual phasing out of weak ciphers and older protocols such as SSLv3 in favor of more secure protocols such as TLS 1.0 or higher.

1. Review Note 387859.1 - Using AutoConfig to Manage System Configurations in Oracle E-Business Suite be sure you are comfortable with and understand the concepts before proceeding.
2. Review Note SSL V3.0 "Poodle" Vulnerability for background information on the need to disable SSLv3, and Note 1937646.1 for steps to remove SSLv3 and weak ciphers in Oracle E-Business Suite.

Note: Due to a limitation with the Oracle HTTP Server (OHS) 10g, only TLS 1.0 has been certified. Use of TLS 1.1 and 1.2 is still pending at this time. Any change in this certification will be updated in this space.

Signature Algorithm Changes

Note: We are currently working on the certification of SHA-2 certificates with the Oracle HTTP Server for Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.0 and 12.1. As an option while we are working on this certification, you may use an alternate technology (ie, a load balancer, reverse proxy, etc) that supports SHA-2 as the SSL/TLS termination point. Another alternative is to request that your certificate authority issue a SHA-1 certificate.

Depending on your certificate provider, they may not accept MD5 based certificate requests (CSR) generated by Oracle Wallet Manager (OWM). For example, VeriSign will now only accept SHA-1 2048 bit based CSRs or higher. Due to a current limitation in both OWM and orapki, they are incapable of generating anything other than MD5 based CSRs. The workaround is to make use of openssl to generate the CSR. An example of this process is provided here:

1) Generate your CSR using the OWM as this will also create the key pair, and save the wallet.

2) Use openssl to take the existing wallet and save it as a new PEM format file:

openssl pkcs12 -in ewallet.p12 -nodes -out nonoracle_wallet.pem

3) Use openssl to generate the request specifying SHA-1:

openssl req -new -key nonoracle_wallet.pem -out certrequest.csr

At this point openssl will prompt you for the request attributes. Be sure to enter the same data you entered when creating the CSR in OWM. Do not specify a 'challenge password' as this has been deemed to be insecure by most certifying authorities.

4) Send this CSR to your Certifying Authority.

5) Upon receiving your newly issued certificate, you can import this into your wallet using OWM continuing with Section 3, Step 5.

Reference the following notes for more information:

Note 1448161.1 How To Produce CSR With A SHA-1 Or Better Signature Algorithm
Note 1275428.1 Support Status for SHA-2 in Oracle Application Server (10.1.2.X.X/10.1.3.X.X) and Fusion Middleware 11g (11.1.1.X)
Note 1939223.1 Is it Possible to Generate SHA-2 Certificate Signing Requests with Oracle Wallet Manager or ORAPKI in FMW11g

Section 10: Encrypting database network traffic using ANO/ASO (Optional)

TNS (Transparent Networking Substrate) is an Oracle protocol that runs on top of a number of supported network protocols, including TCP/IP. To configure Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 to encrypt network traffic sent via TNS requires use of the Advanced Networking Option (ANO). ANO is supplied as part of the Advanced Security Option (ASO) of the Oracle Database, which is shipped with Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 but requires an additional license payment.

Note: This configuration is certified for Oracle E-Business Suite using Forms Listener Servlet (the default mode) on all certified Oracle E-Business Suite platforms (including database only platforms). To view specific release and platform support, go to Certifications on My Oracle Support and search for Oracle E-Business Suite certifications against 'Advanced Security' and 'Advanced Networking Option'.

Advanced security encryption can be configured, based on a combination of client and server configuration parameters as REJECTED, ACCEPTED, REQUESTED or REQUIRED.

The following matrix - taken from the database documentation - shows how a connection attempt will succeed or fail to provide an encrypted connection with various combinations of the ENCRYPTION variable in the sqlnet.ora file on client and server.

  

Client

  

REJECTED

ACCEPTED

REQUESTED

REQUIRED

S 
e 
r 
v 
e 
r

REJECTED

OFF

OFF

OFF

No Connection

ACCEPTED

OFF

OFF

ON

ON

REQUESTED

OFF

ON

ON

ON

REQUIRED

No Connection

ON

ON

ON

Oracle has certified Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 with the server parameter set to REQUIRED - this ensures that all Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 TNS network traffic is being encrypted. 

Although ANO/ASO supports a number of different encryption algorithms, the supported algorithms are version dependent. For Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 certification the the server's preference is set to AES256, AES192, 3DES168.

Appendix A - Using Network Traffic Encryption contains information on Enabling Trace, Verifying ANO is Functioning Correctly, and the Types of Encryptions Allowed and Supported. 

The remainder of this section will help you enable the encryption in each of the different ORACLE_HOME’s in an Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 deployment.

Step 1 - Apply CPU Patch 12837860

Ensure the 10.1.2 Oracle Home is at patch level 10.1.2.3 before applying CPU Patch 12837860.

1. Upgrade to Oracle Application Server 10.1.2.3 (as detailed in 'Upgrading OracleAS 10g Forms and Reports in Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12' My Oracle Support Knowledge Document 437878.1).
2. Apply CPU Patch 12837860 to the 10.1.2.3 Oracle Home (as detailed in "Section 3.1.6 Oracle Fusion Middleware Utilities for Oracle Databases" in "Patch Set Update and Critical Patch Update October 2011" My Oracle Support Knowledge Document 1346104.1).

Note: No CPU patch needs to be applied to the 10.1.3 Oracle Home used by the Oracle HTTP Server.

Step 2 - Relink FND Executables

All 'FND' executables need to be relinked:

1. Run adadmin
2. When the Main Menu appears select 'Maintain Applications Files Menu' and then select 'Relink Applications Program'.
3. Answer the questions below as follows, in order to select the individual executables for relinking.

Enter list of products to link ('all' for all products)[all] : fnd 
Generate specific executables for each selected product [No] ? y 
Relink with debug information [No] ? n 
(You will then be offered a list of executables that are available for relinking) 
Enter executables to relink, or enter 'all' [all] all

Step 3 - Shutdown Application Tier Server Processes and Database Listener

• On each application tier server, shut down all processes or services:

  $ $ADMIN_SCRIPTS_HOME/adstpall.sh <apps user> / <apps password>

  On the database server node, shut down the database listener:

  $ $ORACLE_HOME/appsutil/scripts/<sid_machine>/addlnctl.sh stop <ORACLE_SID>

  Oracle E-Business Suite will be unavailable to users until the remaining tasks in this section are completed.

Step 4 - Database Tier Changes

1. Logon to the Database Tier server as the file system owner.
2. Source the Database Tier environment file located in Oracle Home directory.
3. Take a backup of the $TNS_ADMIN/sqlnet_ifile.ora file.
4. Open the $TNS_ADMIN/sqlnet_ifile.ora file with the editor of your choice and add the following lines.

SQLNET.ENCRYPTION_TYPES_SERVER=(AES256, AES192, 3DES168)
SQLNET.ENCRYPTION_SERVER=REQUIRED

• After the changes have been made, restart the listener:

$ $ORACLE_HOME/appsutil/scripts/<sid_machine>/addlnctl.sh start <ORACLE_SID>

Step 5 - Create $TNS_ADMIN/sqlnet.ora and sqlnet_ifile.ora files on each Application Tier

By default, the Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 Application Tier installations do not have either a sqlnet.ora or sqlnet_ifile.ora file so we will need create these. We keep the ANO/ASO directives in the sqlnet_ifile.ora file to isolate it from any future autoconfig updates that affect the sqlnet.ora file.

1. Logon to the Application Tier server as the file system owner.
2. Source your application tier environment file (APPS<sid_machine>.env) located in the APPL_TOP directory.
3. Navigate to the $TNS_ADMIN directory.
4. Use the editor of you choice to create the sqlnet.ora file with the following lines:

###############################################################
#
# sqlnet.ora file for application tier sqlnet encryption with Advanced SSL Configuration
#
###############################################################
IFILE = <full path to TNS_ADMIN>/sqlnet_ifile.ora

Use the editor of you choice to create the sqlnet_ifile.ora file with the following lines:

###############################################################
#
# sqlnet_ifile.ora for application tier sqlnet encryption with Advanced SSL Configuration
#
###############################################################
SQLNET.ENCRYPTION_TYPES_CLIENT=(AES256, AES192, 3DES168)
SQLNET.ENCRYPTION_CLIENT=REQUIRED

Step 6 - Update the Context File

Use the E-Business Suite - Oracle Applications Manager (OAM) Context Editor to change the SSL related variables on each application tier server as shown in this table:

Advanced SSL Related Variables in the Context File

VariableNon-SSL ValueAdvanced SSL Values_custom_dbc_params ENCRYPTION_CLIENT=REQUIRED ENCRYPTION_TYPES_CLIENT=(3DES168)

Note: This step sets the configuration for JDBC client connections and is optional. If the value is not set, and the parameter on the database tier is set to REQUIRED, the JDBC client connection value will be ACCEPTED (which is the default value). As long as an encryption or integrity algorithm match is found, the connection will continue without error and the security service will remain enabled.

Step 7 - Run Autoconfig (conditional)

If you updated the context file in Step 4 you now need to run autoconfig on each application tier server:

$ $ADMIN_SCRIPTS_HOME/adautocfg.sh appspass=<apps password>

Check the autoconfig log file for errors.

Step 8 - Restart the Application Tier Services

On each application tier server, restart all processes and services:

$ $ADMIN_SCRIPTS_HOME/adstrtall.sh <apps user> / <apps password>

Appendix A - Using Network Traffic Encryption

1. How to Enable Tracing
   
   Tracing can both help verify that encryption is active, and help diagnose the cause of any errors.
   
   TRACE LEVEL can be set to the level of tracing required. The TNS Listener must be restarted for the trace setting to take effect.
   
   To enable tracing, the following parameters should be added to the sqlnet.ora file:
   • TRACE_DIRECTORY_SERVER= <a directory to which the OS user running the listener can write>
   • TRACE_LEVEL_SERVER= 16
   • TRACE_UNIQUE_SERVER= ON

Note: tracing at this level generates many large files in the trace directory. You should only run in tracing mode while verifying that encryption takes place. Once satisfied that TNS traffic is indeed encrypted, uncomment (or remove) the lines relating to tracing from sqlnet.ora file and bounce the tnslistener.

2. Verifying that ANO is Functioning Correctly
   
   After enabling tracing, check the trace files in the appropriate directories to verify that ANO functionality is in use:

   Review the resulting sqlnet trace (.trc) files.

   In the trace directory you will see a number of trace files with names such as svr_NNNNN.trc.

   Below is section of a trace file where encryption is being successful used:

   ....
   na_tns: authentication is not active
   na_tns: encryption is active, using 3DES168
   na_tns: exit 
   ....

   If you have not defined a tnsnav.ora file, then the following message will appear in the sqlnet trace (.trc) file and can be safely ignored:

   nrigbni: Unable to get data from navigation file tnsnav.ora

Some of the trace files are small (approximately 3kb) and do not contain any information concerning enabled encryption. These files are generated for connections that originate from the database and do not traverse the network. These files will be generated even when only the database and its listener are running.

2. $ cd $TNS_ADMIN/../../trace 

   $ ls -ltr | awk '$5 > 3000 && $5 < 4000' | tail -3-rw-r--r--  1 oracle dba    3601 Sep 24 13:57 svr_13815.trc-rw-r--r--  1 oracle dba    3062 Sep 24 13:58 svr_13817.trc-rw-r--r--  1 oracle dba    3062 Sep 24 13:59 svr_13819.trc

Other files are larger, some quite large, and they will contain "encryption is active, using CRYPTOALGORITHM..." messages.

There will be two different algorithms in use, 3DES168 and AES256:

$ cd $TNS_ADMIN/trace $ ls -ltr | tail -3-rw-r--r-- 1 oracle dba  28427064 Sep 24 14:20 svr_11547.trc-rw-r--r-- 1 oracle dba  70609051 Sep 24 14:20 svr_29270.trc-rw-r--r-- 1 oracle dba 763726186 Sep 24 14:20 svr_29144.trc$ grep 'encryption is active' svr_29270.trc svr_29270.trc svr_29144.trcsvr_29270.trc:[20-SEP-2007 16:47:20:369] na_tns: encryption is active, using 3DES168svr_29270.trc:[20-SEP-2007 16:47:20:369] na_tns: encryption is active, using 3DES168svr_29144.trc:[20-SEP-2007 16:46:48:914] na_tns: encryption is active, using AES256

The connections using AES256 are generated by the executables linked to the OCI C libraries (sqlplus, FNDLIBR, RCVOLTM,...) and the 3DES168 connections originate from the connections via the JDBC interface.

3. Types of Encryptions that are Allowed and Supported
   
   The following section - based on the Oracle Database documentation - describes how the selection of encryption algorithms is performed on a per-connection basis. You do not have to use this information, you can instead simply use the configuration examples provided earlier in this document. However, you will have to create your own configuration files if you wish to use different algorithms or have third party tools that do not support encryption.

   ACTIVATING ENCRYPTION AND INTEGRITY

   In any network connection, it is possible for both the client and server to each support more than one encryption algorithm and more than one integrity algorithm. When a connection is made, the server selects which algorithm to use, if any, from those algorithms specified in its sqlnet.ora file.

   The server searches for a match between the algorithms available on both the client and the server, and picks the first algorithm in its own list that also appears in the client list. If one side of the connection does not specify an algorithm list, all the algorithms installed on that side are acceptable. The connection fails with error message ORA-12650 if either side specifies an algorithm that is not installed.

   Encryption and integrity parameters are defined by modifying the sqlnet.ora file on the clients and the servers on the network.

   You can choose to configure any or all of the available Oracle Advanced Security encryption algorithms and either or both of the available integrity algorithms Only oneencryption algorithm and one integrity algorithm is used for each connect session.

Note: Advanced Security selects the first encryption algorithm and first integrity algorithm enabled on the client and the server. Oracle recommends that you select algorithms and key lengths in the order in which you prefer negotiation - ideally with the strongest key length first.

Set the SQLNET.ENCRYPTION_TYPES_SERVER and SQLNET.ENCRYPTION_TYPES_CLIENT accordingly based on your current level of the jdbc thin driver.  Otherwise you could encounter TNS-12599 errors.  The alternative is to upgrade to the most current jdbc thin driver in order to allow usage of the higher encryption algorithm.  The following lists the jdbc version and the equivalent supported encryption algorithm:

Supported 10.2 jdbc thin encryption algorithms:  
  
  3DES168: 3-key 3DES  
  3DES112: 2-key 3DES  
  DES56C: DES 56-bit key CBC  
  DES40C: DES 40-bit key CBC  
  RC4_256: RC4 256-bit key  
  RC4_128: RC4 128-bit key  
  RC4_56: RC4 56-bit key  
  RC4_40: RC4 40-bit key

Supported 11.x jdbc thin encryption algorithms:  
  
  10.2 algorithms above plus:  
  AES256: AES 256-bit key  
  AES192: AES 192-bit key  
  AES128: AES 128-bit key

NEGOTIATING ENCRYPTION AND INTEGRITY

To negotiate whether to turn on encryption or integrity, you can specify four possible values for the Oracle Advanced Security encryption and integrity configuration parameters. The four values are listed in the order of increasing security. The value REJECTED provides the minimum amount of security between client and server communications, and the value REQUIRED provides the maximum amount of network security:

• REJECTED
• ACCEPTED
• REQUESTED
• REQUIRED

The default value for each of the parameters is ACCEPTED.

REJECTED

Select this value if you do not elect to enable the security service, even if required by the other side.

In this scenario, this side of the connection specifies that the security service is not permitted. If the other side is set to REQUIRED, the connection terminates with error message ORA-12650. If the other side is set to REQUESTED, ACCEPTED, or REJECTED, the connection continues without error and without the security service enabled.

ACCEPTED

Select this value to enable the security service if required or requested by the other side.

In this scenario, this side of the connection does not require the security service, but it is enabled if the other side is set to REQUIRED or REQUESTED. If the other side is set to REQUIRED or REQUESTED, and an encryption or integrity algorithm match is found, the connection continues without error and with the security service enabled. If the other side is set to REQUIRED and no algorithm match is found, the connection terminates with error message ORA-12650.

If the other side is set to REQUESTED and no algorithm match is found, or if the other side is set to ACCEPTED or REJECTED, the connection continues without error and without the security service enabled.

REQUESTED

Select this value to enable the security service if the other side permits it.

In this scenario, this side of the connection specifies that the security service is desired but not required. The security service is enabled if the other side specifies ACCEPTED, REQUESTED, or REQUIRED. There must be a matching algorithm available on the other side otherwise the service is not enabled. If the other side specifies REQUIRED and there is no matching algorithm, the connection fails.

REQUIRED

Select this value to enable the security service or preclude the connection.

In this scenario, this side of the connection specifies that the security service must be enabled. The connection fails if the other side specifies REJECTED or if there is no compatible algorithm on the other side.

The following table shows whether the security service is enabled, based on a combination of client and server configuration parameters. If either the server or client has specified REQUIRED, the lack of a common algorithm causes the connection to fail. Otherwise, if the service is enabled, lack of a common service algorithm results in the service being disabled.

Encryption and Data Integrity Negotiation Table

 

 

Client

 

 

REJECTED

ACCEPTED

REQUESTED

REQUIRED

S
e
r
v
e
r

REJECTED

OFF

OFF

OFF

Connection fails

ACCEPTED

OFF

OFF

ON

ON

REQUESTED

OFF

ON

ON

ON

REQUIRED

Connection fails

ON

ON

ON

 

 

• Displaying the encryption options available from the Tools and Database ORACLE_HOME 
  
  After setting your environment to either the Tools or Database ORACLE_HOME using the "adapters" command:

  $ . $ORACLE_HOME/bin/adapters

 

This will display a list of the encryption options available for the following:

 

1. Installed Oracle Net transport protocols
2. Installed Oracle Net naming methods
3. Installed Oracle Advanced Security options

 

The following errors may be safely ignored:

 

Error!!! SDP/IB is not completely installed!
Present in libntcp10, but missing from ntcontab.o...
Error!!! Oracle Names Server Naming is not completely installed!

Appendix B - Disabling SSL

There may be a need to temporarily disable SSL for testing or for troubleshooting purposes. In such cases, use the following procedure to accomplish this, while at the same time not undermining the SSL configuration up to this point, and allowing SSL to be enabled again.

1. Refer to Step 8 and use the E-Business Suite - Oracle Applications Manager (OAM) Context Editor and change the context variables to the Non-SSL Value noted in the table.
2. Run AutoConfig.
3. Use the adapcctl.sh script in the $ADMIN_SCRIPTS_HOME directory to stop and restart the Application Tier Apache services.