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9.2.4.4. Configure the Remoting Subsystem

Overview

JBoss Remoting has three top-level configurable elements: the worker thread pool, one or more connectors, and a series of local and remote connection URIs. This topic presents an explanation of each configurable item, example CLI commands for how to configure each item, and an XML example of a fully-configured subsystem. This configuration only applies to the server. Most people will not need to configure the Remoting subsystem at all, unless they use custom connectors for their own applications. Applications which act as Remoting clients, such as EJBs, need separate configuration to connect to a specific connector.

Note

The Remoting subsystem configuration is not exposed to the web-based Management Console, but it is fully configurable from the command-line based Management CLI. Editing the XML by hand is not recommended.
Adapting the CLI Commands

The CLI commands are formulated for a managed domain, when configuring the default profile. To configure a different profile, substitute its name. For a standalone server, omit the /profile=default part of the command.

Configuration Outside the Remoting Subsystem

There are a few configuration aspects which are outside of the remoting subsystem:

Network Interface
The network interface used by the remoting subsystem is the public interface defined in the domain/configuration/domain.xml or standalone/configuration/standalone.xml. 
<interfaces>
   <interface name="management"/>
   <interface name="public"/>
   <interface name="unsecure"/>
</interfaces>
The per-host definition of the public interface is defined in the host.xml in the same directory as the domain.xml or standalone.xml. This interface is also used by several other subsystems. Exercise caution when modifying it. 
<interfaces>
   <interface name="management">
      <inet-address value="${jboss.bind.address.management:127.0.0.1}"/>
   </interface>
   <interface name="public">
      <inet-address value="${jboss.bind.address:127.0.0.1}"/>
   </interface>
   <interface name="unsecure">
      <!-- Used for IIOP sockets in the standard configuration.
         To secure JacORB you need to setup SSL -->
      <inet-address value="${jboss.bind.address.unsecure:127.0.0.1}"/>
   </interface>
</interfaces>
socket-binding
The default socket-binding used by the remoting subsystem binds to TCP port 4447. Refer to the documentation about socket bindings and socket binding groups for more information if you need to change this.
Remoting Connector Reference for EJB
The EJB subsystem contains a reference to the remoting connector for remote method invocations. The following is the default configuration: 
<remote connector-ref="remoting-connector" thread-pool-name="default"/>
Secure Transport Configuration
Remoting transports use StartTLS to use a secure (HTTPS, Secure Servlet, etc) connection if the client requests it. The same socket binding (network port) is used for secured and unsecured connections, so no additional server-side configuration is necessary. The client requests the secure or unsecured transport, as its needs dictate. JBoss EAP 6 components which use Remoting, such as EJBs, the ORB, and the JMS provider, request secured interfaces by default.

Warning

StartTLS works by activating a secure connection if the client requests it, and otherwise defaulting to an unsecured connection. It is inherently susceptible to a Man in the Middle style exploit, wherein an attacker intercepts the client's request and modifies it to request an unsecured connection. Clients must be written to fail appropriately if they do not receive a secure connection, unless an unsecured connection actually is an appropriate fall-back.
Worker Thread Pool

The worker thread pool is the group of threads which are available to process work which comes in through the Remoting connectors. It is a single element <worker-thread-pool>, and takes several attributes. Tune these attributes if you get network timeouts, run out of threads, or need to limit memory usage. Specific recommendations depend on your specific situation. Contact Red Hat Global Support Services for more information.

Table 9.1. Worker Thread Pool Attributes

Attribute Description CLI Command
read-threads
The number of read threads to create for the remoting worker. Defaults to 1.
/profile=default/subsystem=remoting/:write-attribute(name=worker-read-threads,value=1)
write-threads
The number of write threads to create for the remoting worker. Defaults to 1.
/profile=default/subsystem=remoting/:write-attribute(name=worker-write-threads,value=1)
task-keepalive
The number of milliseconds to keep non-core remoting worker task threads alive. Defaults to 60.
/profile=default/subsystem=remoting/:write-attribute(name=worker-task-keepalive,value=60)
task-max-threads
The maximum number of threads for the remoting worker task thread pool. Defaults to 16.
/profile=default/subsystem=remoting/:write-attribute(name=worker-task-max-threads,value=16)
task-core-threads
The number of core threads for the remoting worker task thread pool. Defaults to 4.
/profile=default/subsystem=remoting/:write-attribute(name=worker-task-core-threads,value=4)
task-limit
The maximum number of remoting worker tasks to allow before rejecting. Defaults to 16384.
/profile=default/subsystem=remoting/:write-attribute(name=worker-task-limit,value=16384)
Connector

The connector is the main Remoting configuration element. Multiple connectors are allowed. Each consists of a element <connector> element with several sub-elements, as well as a few possible attributes. The default connector is used by several subsystems of JBoss EAP 6. Specific settings for the elements and attributes of your custom connectors depend on your applications, so contact Red Hat Global Support Services for more information.

Table 9.2. Connector Attributes

Attribute Description CLI Command
socket-binding The name of the socket binding to use for this connector.
/profile=default/subsystem=remoting/connector=remoting-connector/:write-attribute(name=socket-binding,value=remoting)
authentication-provider
The Java Authentication Service Provider Interface for Containers (JASPIC) module to use with this connector. The module must be in the classpath.
/profile=default/subsystem=remoting/connector=remoting-connector/:write-attribute(name=authentication-provider,value=myProvider)
security-realm
Optional. The security realm which contains your application's users, passwords, and roles. An EJB or Web Application can authenticate against a security realm. ApplicationRealm is available in a default JBoss EAP 6 installation.
/profile=default/subsystem=remoting/connector=remoting-connector/:write-attribute(name=security-realm,value=ApplicationRealm)

Table 9.3. Connector Elements

Attribute Description CLI Command
sasl
Enclosing element for Simple Authentication and Security Layer (SASL) authentication mechanisms
N/A
properties
Contains one or more <property> elements, each with a name attribute and an optional value attribute.
/profile=default/subsystem=remoting/connector=remoting-connector/property=myProp/:add(value=myPropValue)
Outbound Connections

You can specify three different types of outbound connection:

  • Outbound connection to a URI.
  • Local outbound connection – connects to a local resource such as a socket.
  • Remote outbound connection – connects to a remote resource and authenticates using a security realm.
All of the outbound connections are enclosed in an <outbound-connections> element. Each of these connection types takes an outbound-socket-binding-ref attribute. The outbound-connection takes a uri attribute. The remote outbound connection takes optional username and security-realm attributes to use for authorization.

Table 9.4. Outbound Connection Elements

Attribute Description CLI Command
outbound-connection Generic outbound connection.
/profile=default/subsystem=remoting/outbound-connection=my-connection/:add(uri=http://my-connection)
local-outbound-connection Outbound connection with a implicit local:// URI scheme.
/profile=default/subsystem=remoting/local-outbound-connection=my-connection/:add(outbound-socket-binding-ref=remoting2)
remote-outbound-connection
Outbound connections for remote:// URI scheme, using basic/digest authentication with a security realm.
/profile=default/subsystem=remoting/remote-outbound-connection=my-connection/:add(outbound-socket-binding-ref=remoting,username=myUser,security-realm=ApplicationRealm)
SASL Elements

Before defining the SASL child elements, you need to create the initial SASL element. Use the following command: 

/profile=default/subsystem=remoting/connector=remoting-connector/security=sasl:add
The child elements of the SASL element are described in the table below.

Table 9.5. SASL child elements

Attribute Description CLI Command
include-mechanisms
Contains a value attribute, which is a list of SASL mechanisms. 
/profile=default/subsystem=remoting/connector=remoting-connector/security=sasl:write-attribute(name=include-mechanisms,value=["DIGEST","PLAIN","GSSAPI"])
qop
Contains a value attribute, which is a list of SASL Quality of protection values, in decreasing order of preference. 
/profile=default/subsystem=remoting/connector=remoting-connector/security=sasl:write-attribute(name=qop,value=["auth"])
strength
Contains a value attribute, which is a list of SASL cipher strength values, in decreasing order of preference. 
/profile=default/subsystem=remoting/connector=remoting-connector/security=sasl:write-attribute(name=strength,value=["medium"])
reuse-session
Contains a value attribute which is a boolean value. If true, attempt to reuse sessions. 
/profile=default/subsystem=remoting/connector=remoting-connector/security=sasl:write-attribute(name=reuse-session,value=false)
server-auth
Contains a value attribute which is a boolean value. If true, the server authenticates to the client. 
/profile=default/subsystem=remoting/connector=remoting-connector/security=sasl:write-attribute(name=server-auth,value=false)
policy
An enclosing element which contains zero or more of the following elements, which each take a single value.
  • forward-secrecy – whether mechanisms are required to implement forward secrecy (breaking into one session will not automatically provide information for breaking into future sessions)
  • no-active – whether mechanisms susceptible to non-dictionary attacks are permitted. A value of false permits, and true denies.
  • no-anonymous – whether mechanisms that accept anonymous login are permitted. A value of false permits, and true denies.
  • no-dictionary – whether mechanisms susceptible to passive dictionary attacks are allowed. A value of false permits, and true denies.
  • no-plain-text – whether mechanisms which are susceptible to simple plain passive attacks are allowed. A value of false permits, and true denies.
  • pass-credentials – whether mechanisms which pass client credentials are allowed. 
/profile=default/subsystem=remoting/connector=remoting-connector/security=sasl/sasl-policy=policy:add
/profile=default/subsystem=remoting/connector=remoting-connector/security=sasl/sasl-policy=policy:write-attribute(name=forward-secrecy,value=true)
/profile=default/subsystem=remoting/connector=remoting-connector/security=sasl/sasl-policy=policy:write-attribute(name=no-active,value=false)
/profile=default/subsystem=remoting/connector=remoting-connector/security=sasl/sasl-policy=policy:write-attribute(name=no-anonymous,value=false)
/profile=default/subsystem=remoting/connector=remoting-connector/security=sasl/sasl-policy=policy:write-attribute(name=no-dictionary,value=true)
/profile=default/subsystem=remoting/connector=remoting-connector/security=sasl/sasl-policy=policy:write-attribute(name=no-plain-text,value=false)
/profile=default/subsystem=remoting/connector=remoting-connector/security=sasl/sasl-policy=policy:write-attribute(name=pass-credentials,value=true)
properties
Contains one or more <property> elements, each with a name attribute and an optional value attribute. 
/profile=default/subsystem=remoting/connector=remoting-connector/security=sasl/property=myprop:add(value=1)
/profile=default/subsystem=remoting/connector=remoting-connector/security=sasl/property=myprop2:add(value=2)

Example 9.11. Example Configurations

This example shows the default remoting subsystem that ships with JBoss EAP 6. 
<subsystem xmlns="urn:jboss:domain:remoting:1.1">
    <connector name="remoting-connector" socket-binding="remoting" security-realm="ApplicationRealm"/>
</subsystem>
This example contains many hypothetical values, and is presented to put the elements and attributes discussed previously into context. 
<subsystem xmlns="urn:jboss:domain:remoting:1.1">
    <worker-thread-pool read-threads="1" task-keepalive="60" task-max-threads="16" task-core-thread="4" task-limit="16384" write-threads="1" />
    <connector name="remoting-connector" socket-binding="remoting" security-realm="ApplicationRealm">
        <sasl>
            <include-mechanisms value="GSSAPI PLAIN DIGEST-MD5" />
            <qop value="auth" />
            <strength value="medium" />
            <reuse-session value="false" />
            <server-auth value="false" />
            <policy>
                <forward-secrecy value="true" />
                <no-active value="false" />
                <no-anonymous value="false" />
                <no-dictionary value="true" />
                <no-plain-text value="false" />
                <pass-credentials value="true" />
            </policy>
            <properties>
                <property name="myprop1" value="1" />
                <property name="myprop2" value="2" />
            </properties>
        </sasl>
        <authentication-provider name="myprovider" />
        <properties>
            <property name="myprop3" value="propValue" />
        </properties>
    </connector>
    <outbound-connections>
        <outbound-connection name="my-outbound-connection" uri="http://myhost:7777/"/>
        <remote-outbound-connection name="my-remote-connection" outbound-socket-binding-ref="my-remote-socket" username="myUser" security-realm="ApplicationRealm"/>
        <local-outbound-connection name="myLocalConnection" outbound-socket-binding-ref="my-outbound-socket"/>
    </outbound-connections>
</subsystem>

Configuration Aspects Not Yet Documented

  • JNDI and Multicast Automatic Detection
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