JPA - SAML2 Metadata Management
Metadata documents may also be stored in and fetched from a relational database instance. This may specially
be used to avoid copying metadata files across CAS nodes in a cluster, particularly where one needs to deal
with more than a few bilateral SAML integrations. Metadata documents are stored in and fetched from a single
pre-defined table (i.e. SamlMetadataDocument
) whose connection information is taught to CAS via
settings and is automatically generated. The outline of the table is as follows:
Field | Description |
---|---|
id |
The identifier of the record. |
name |
Indexed field which describes and names the metadata briefly. |
value |
The XML document representing the metadata for the service provider. |
signature |
The contents of the signing certificate to validate metadata, if any. |
Support is enabled by including the following module in the overlay:
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<dependency>
<groupId>org.apereo.cas</groupId>
<artifactId>cas-server-support-saml-idp-metadata-jpa</artifactId>
<version>${cas.version}</version>
</dependency>
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implementation "org.apereo.cas:cas-server-support-saml-idp-metadata-jpa:${project.'cas.version'}"
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dependencyManagement {
imports {
mavenBom "org.apereo.cas:cas-server-support-bom:${project.'cas.version'}"
}
}
dependencies {
implementation "org.apereo.cas:cas-server-support-saml-idp-metadata-jpa"
}
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dependencies {
/*
The following platform references should be included automatically and are listed here for reference only.
implementation enforcedPlatform("org.apereo.cas:cas-server-support-bom:${project.'cas.version'}")
implementation platform(org.springframework.boot.gradle.plugin.SpringBootPlugin.BOM_COORDINATES)
*/
implementation "org.apereo.cas:cas-server-support-saml-idp-metadata-jpa"
}
SAML service definitions must then be designed as follows to allow CAS to fetch metadata documents from database instances:
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{
"@class" : "org.apereo.cas.support.saml.services.SamlRegisteredService",
"serviceId" : "the-entity-id-of-the-sp",
"name" : "SAMLService",
"id" : 10000003,
"description" : "A relational-db-based metadata resolver",
"metadataLocation" : "jdbc://"
}
The metadata location in the registration record above needs to be specified as jdbc://
to
signal to CAS that SAML metadata for registered service provider must be fetched from JDBC data sources defined in CAS configuration.
The following settings and properties are available from the CAS configuration catalog:
cas.authn.saml-idp.metadata.jpa.crypto.encryption.key=
The encryption key is a JWT whose length is defined by the encryption key size setting. This setting supports the Spring Expression Language.
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cas.authn.saml-idp.metadata.jpa.crypto.signing.key=
The signing key is a JWT whose length is defined by the signing key size setting. This setting supports the Spring Expression Language.
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cas.authn.saml-idp.metadata.jpa.driver-class=org.hsqldb.jdbcDriver
The JDBC driver used to connect to the database.
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cas.authn.saml-idp.metadata.jpa.password=
The database connection password.
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cas.authn.saml-idp.metadata.jpa.url=jdbc:hsqldb:mem:cas-hsql-database
The database connection URL. This setting supports the Spring Expression Language.
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cas.authn.saml-idp.metadata.jpa.user=sa
The database user. The database user must have sufficient permissions to be able to handle schema changes and updates, when needed.
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cas.authn.saml-idp.metadata.jpa.crypto.alg=
The signing/encryption algorithm to use.
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cas.authn.saml-idp.metadata.jpa.crypto.enabled=true
Whether crypto operations are enabled.
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cas.authn.saml-idp.metadata.jpa.crypto.encryption.key-size=512
The encryption key size.
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cas.authn.saml-idp.metadata.jpa.crypto.signing.key-size=512
The signing key size.
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cas.authn.saml-idp.metadata.jpa.crypto.strategy-type=ENCRYPT_AND_SIGN
Control the cipher sequence of operations. The accepted values are:
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cas.authn.saml-idp.metadata.jpa.pool.keep-alive-time=0
This property controls the keepalive interval for a connection in the pool. An in-use connection will never be tested by the keepalive thread, only when it is idle will it be tested. Default is zero, which disables this feature. This settings supports the
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cas.authn.saml-idp.metadata.jpa.pool.max-size=18
Controls the maximum number of connections to keep in the pool, including both idle and in-use connections.
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cas.authn.saml-idp.metadata.jpa.pool.max-wait=PT2S
Sets the maximum time in seconds that this data source will wait while attempting to connect to a database. A value of zero specifies that the timeout is the default system timeout if there is one; otherwise, it specifies that there is no timeout. This settings supports the
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cas.authn.saml-idp.metadata.jpa.pool.maximum-lifetime=PT10M
This property controls the maximum lifetime of a connection in the pool. When a connection reaches this timeout, even if recently used, it will be retired from the pool. An in-use connection will never be retired, only when it is idle will it be removed. This settings supports the
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cas.authn.saml-idp.metadata.jpa.pool.min-size=6
Controls the minimum size that the pool is allowed to reach, including both idle and in-use connections.
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cas.authn.saml-idp.metadata.jpa.pool.name=
Set the name of the connection pool. This is primarily used for the MBean to uniquely identify the pool configuration.
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cas.authn.saml-idp.metadata.jpa.pool.suspension=false
Whether or not pool suspension is allowed. There is a performance impact when pool suspension is enabled. Unless you need it (for a redundancy system for example) do not enable it.
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cas.authn.saml-idp.metadata.jpa.pool.timeout-millis=1000
The maximum number of milliseconds that the pool will wait for a connection to be validated as alive.
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cas.authn.saml-idp.metadata.jpa.autocommit=false
The default auto-commit behavior of connections in the pool. Determined whether queries such as update/insert should be immediately executed without waiting for an underlying transaction.
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cas.authn.saml-idp.metadata.jpa.batch-size=100
A non-zero value enables use of JDBC2 batch updates by Hibernate. e.g. recommended values between 5 and 30.
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cas.authn.saml-idp.metadata.jpa.connection-timeout=PT30S
Indicates the maximum number of milliseconds that the service can wait to obtain a connection. This settings supports the
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cas.authn.saml-idp.metadata.jpa.data-source-name=
Attempts to do a JNDI data source look up for the data source name specified. Will attempt to locate the data source object as is.
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cas.authn.saml-idp.metadata.jpa.ddl-auto=update
Hibernate feature to automatically validate and exports DDL to the schema. By default, creates and drops the schema automatically when a session is starts and ends. Setting the value to
create-drop will result in the loss of all data as soon as CAS is started. For transient data like tickets this is probably not an issue, but in cases like the audit table important data could be lost. Using `update`, while safe for data, is confirmed to result in invalid database state. validate or none settings are likely the only safe options for production use. For more info, see this.
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cas.authn.saml-idp.metadata.jpa.default-catalog=
Qualifies unqualified table names with the given catalog in generated SQL.
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cas.authn.saml-idp.metadata.jpa.default-schema=
Qualify unqualified table names with the given schema/tablespace in generated SQL.
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cas.authn.saml-idp.metadata.jpa.dialect=org.hibernate.dialect.HSQLDialect
The database dialect is a configuration setting for platform independent software (JPA, Hibernate, etc) which allows such software to translate its generic SQL statements into vendor specific DDL, DML.
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cas.authn.saml-idp.metadata.jpa.fail-fast-timeout=1
Set the pool initialization failure timeout.
connectionTimeout or validationTimeout ; they will be honored before this timeout is applied. The default value is one millisecond.
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cas.authn.saml-idp.metadata.jpa.fetch-size=100
Used to specify number of rows to be fetched in a select query.
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cas.authn.saml-idp.metadata.jpa.generate-statistics=false
Allow hibernate to generate query statistics.
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cas.authn.saml-idp.metadata.jpa.health-query=
The SQL query to be executed to test the validity of connections. This is for "legacy" databases that do not support the JDBC4
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cas.authn.saml-idp.metadata.jpa.idle-timeout=PT10M
Controls the maximum amount of time that a connection is allowed to sit idle in the pool. This settings supports the
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cas.authn.saml-idp.metadata.jpa.idp-metadata-enabled=false
Whether identity provider metadata artifacts are expected to be found in the database.
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cas.authn.saml-idp.metadata.jpa.isolate-internal-queries=false
This property determines whether data source isolates internal pool queries, such as the connection alive test, in their own transaction. Since these are typically read-only queries, it is rarely necessary to encapsulate them in their own transaction. This property only applies if#autocommit is disabled.
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cas.authn.saml-idp.metadata.jpa.isolation-level-name=ISOLATION_READ_COMMITTED
Defines the isolation level for transactions. @see org.springframework.transaction.TransactionDefinition
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cas.authn.saml-idp.metadata.jpa.leak-threshold=PT6S
Controls the amount of time that a connection can be out of the pool before a message is logged indicating a possible connection leak. This settings supports the
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cas.authn.saml-idp.metadata.jpa.physical-naming-strategy-class-name=org.apereo.cas.hibernate.CasHibernatePhysicalNamingStrategy
Fully-qualified name of the class that can control the physical naming strategy of hibernate.
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cas.authn.saml-idp.metadata.jpa.propagation-behavior-name=PROPAGATION_REQUIRED
Defines the propagation behavior for transactions. @see org.springframework.transaction.TransactionDefinition
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cas.authn.saml-idp.metadata.jpa.properties=
Additional settings provided by Hibernate (or the connection provider) in form of key-value pairs.
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cas.authn.saml-idp.metadata.jpa.read-only=false
Configures the Connections to be added to the pool as read-only Connections.
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cas.authn.saml-idp.metadata.jpa.crypto.encryption.key=
The encryption key is a JWT whose length is defined by the encryption key size setting. This setting supports the Spring Expression Language.
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cas.authn.saml-idp.metadata.jpa.crypto.signing.key=
The signing key is a JWT whose length is defined by the signing key size setting. This setting supports the Spring Expression Language.
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cas.authn.saml-idp.metadata.jpa.crypto.alg=
The signing/encryption algorithm to use.
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cas.authn.saml-idp.metadata.jpa.crypto.enabled=true
Whether crypto operations are enabled.
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cas.authn.saml-idp.metadata.jpa.crypto.encryption.key-size=512
The encryption key size.
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cas.authn.saml-idp.metadata.jpa.crypto.signing.key-size=512
The signing key size.
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cas.authn.saml-idp.metadata.jpa.crypto.strategy-type=ENCRYPT_AND_SIGN
Control the cipher sequence of operations. The accepted values are:
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This CAS feature is able to accept signing and encryption crypto keys. In most scenarios if keys are not provided, CAS will auto-generate them. The following instructions apply if you wish to manually and beforehand create the signing and encryption keys.
Note that if you are asked to create a JWK of a certain size for the key, you are to use the following set of commands to generate the token:
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wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/apereo/cas/master/etc/jwk-gen.jar
java -jar jwk-gen.jar -t oct -s [size]
The outcome would be similar to:
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{
"kty": "oct",
"kid": "...",
"k": "..."
}
The generated value for k
needs to be assigned to the relevant CAS settings. Note that keys generated via
the above algorithm are processed by CAS using the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES
) algorithm which is a
specification for the encryption of electronic data established by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Control global properties that are relevant to Hibernate, when CAS attempts to employ and utilize database resources, connections and queries.
cas.jdbc.case-insensitive=false
When choosing physical table names, determine whether names should be considered case-insensitive. How can I configure this property?
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cas.jdbc.gen-ddl=true
Whether to generate DDL after the EntityManagerFactory has been initialized creating/updating all relevant tables. How can I configure this property?
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cas.jdbc.physical-table-names=
Indicate a physical table name to be used by the hibernate naming strategy in case table names need to be customized for the specific type of database. The key here indicates the CAS-provided table name and the value is the translate physical name for the database. If a match is not found for the CAS-provided table name, then that name will be used by default. How can I configure this property?
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cas.jdbc.show-sql=false
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Configuration Metadata
The collection of configuration properties listed in this section are automatically generated from the CAS source and components that contain the actual field definitions, types, descriptions, modules, etc. This metadata may not always be 100% accurate, or could be lacking details and sufficient explanations.
Be Selective
This section is meant as a guide only. Do NOT copy/paste the entire collection of settings into your CAS configuration; rather pick only the properties that you need. Do NOT enable settings unless you are certain of their purpose and do NOT copy settings into your configuration only to keep them as reference. All these ideas lead to upgrade headaches, maintenance nightmares and premature aging.
YAGNI
Note that for nearly ALL use cases, declaring and configuring properties listed here is sufficient. You should NOT have to explicitly massage a CAS XML/Java/etc configuration file to design an authentication handler, create attribute release policies, etc. CAS at runtime will auto-configure all required changes for you. If you are unsure about the meaning of a given CAS setting, do NOT turn it on without hesitation. Review the codebase or better yet, ask questions to clarify the intended behavior.
Naming Convention
Property names can be specified in very relaxed terms. For instance cas.someProperty
, cas.some-property
, cas.some_property
are all valid names. While all
forms are accepted by CAS, there are certain components (in CAS and other frameworks used) whose activation at runtime is conditional on a property value, where
this property is required to have been specified in CAS configuration using kebab case. This is both true for properties that are owned by CAS as well as those
that might be presented to the system via an external library or framework such as Spring Boot, etc.
When possible, properties should be stored in lower-case kebab format, such as cas.property-name=value
.
The only possible exception to this rule is when naming actuator endpoints; The name of the
actuator endpoints (i.e. ssoSessions
) MUST remain in camelCase mode.
Settings and properties that are controlled by the CAS platform directly always begin with the prefix cas
. All other settings are controlled and provided
to CAS via other underlying frameworks and may have their own schemas and syntax. BE CAREFUL with
the distinction. Unrecognized properties are rejected by CAS and/or frameworks upon which CAS depends. This means if you somehow misspell a property definition
or fail to adhere to the dot-notation syntax and such, your setting is entirely refused by CAS and likely the feature it controls will never be activated in the
way you intend.
Validation
Configuration properties are automatically validated on CAS startup to report issues with configuration binding, specially if defined CAS settings cannot be recognized or validated by the configuration schema. Additional validation processes are also handled via Configuration Metadata and property migrations applied automatically on startup by Spring Boot and family.
Indexed Settings
CAS settings able to accept multiple values are typically documented with an index, such as cas.some.setting[0]=value
. The index [0]
is meant to be
incremented by the adopter to allow for distinct multiple configuration blocks.
Identity Provider Metadata
Metadata artifacts that belong to CAS as a SAML2 identity provider may also be managed and stored via JPA. Artifacts such as the metadata, signing and encryption keys, etc are kept inside a database table that would have the following structure:
Field | Description |
---|---|
id |
The identifier of the record. |
signingCertificate |
The signing certificate. |
signingKey |
The signing key. |
encryptionCertificate |
The encryption certificate. |
encryptionKey |
The encryption key. |
metadata |
The SAML2 identity provider metadata. |
appliesTo |
The owner of the SAML2 identity provider metadata (i.e. CAS ). |
Per Service
Identity provider metadata, certificates and keys can also be defined on a per-service basis to override the global defaults.
Metadata documents that would be applicable to a service definition need to adjust the appliesTo
column in the metadata
document to carry the service definition’s name and numeric identifier using the [service-name]-[service-numeric-identifier]
format.