Why and when to perform this task
When Java 2 security is enabled for a WebSphere Application Server, all the applications that run on that WebSphere Application Server undergo a security check before accessing system resources. An application might need a was.policy file if it accesses resources that require more permissions than those granted in the default app.policy file. By default, the product security reads an app.policy file that is located in each node and grants the permissions in the app.policy file to all the applications. Include any additional required permissions in the was.policy file. The was.policy file is only required if an application requires additional permissions.The default policy file for all applications is specified in the app.policy file. This file is provided by the product security, is common to all applications, and should not be changed. Add any new permissions required for an application in the was.policy file.
The app.policy file is located in the install_root/config/cells/cell_name/nodes/node_name directory. The contents of the app.policy file follow:
// The following permissions apply to all the components under the application. grant codeBase "file:${application}" { // The following are required by JavaMail permission java.io.FilePermission " ${was.install.root}${/}lib${/}mail-impl.jar","read"; permission java.io.FilePermission " ${was.install.root}${/}lib${/}activation-impl.jar","read"; }; // The following permissions apply to all utility .jar files (other // than enterprise beans JAR files) in the application. grant codeBase "file:${jars}" { permission java.net.SocketPermission "*", "connect"; permission java.util.PropertyPermission "*", "read"; }; // The following permissions apply to connector resources within the application grant codeBase "file:${connectorComponent}" { permission java.net.SocketPermission "*", "connect"; permission java.util.PropertyPermission "*", "read"; }; // The following permissions apply to all the Web modules (.war files) // within the application. grant codeBase "file:${webComponent}" { permission java.io.FilePermission "${was.module.path}${/}-", "read, write"; // where "was.module.path" is the path where the Web module is // installed. Refer to Dynamic policy concepts for other symbols. permission java.lang.RuntimePermission "loadLibrary.*"; permission java.lang.RuntimePermission "queuePrintJob"; permission java.net.SocketPermission "*", "connect"; permission java.util.PropertyPermission "*", "read"; }; // The following permissions apply to all the EJB modules within the application. grant codeBase "file:${ejbComponent}" { permission java.lang.RuntimePermission "queuePrintJob"; permission java.net.SocketPermission "*", "connect"; permission java.util.PropertyPermission "*", "read"; };
If additional permissions are required for an application or for one or more modules of an application, use the was.policy file for that application. For example, use codeBase of ${application} and add required permissions to grant additional permissions to the entire application. Similarly, use codeBase of ${webComponent} and ${ejbComponent} to grant additional permissions to all the Web modules and all the enterprise bean (EJB) modules in the application. You can assign additional permissions to each module (.war file or .jar file) as shown in the following example.
// grant additional permissions to a Web module grant codeBase " file:aWebModule.war" { permission java.security.SecurityPermission "printIdentity"; }; // grant additional permission to an EJB module grant codeBase "file:aEJBModule.jar" { permission java.io.FilePermission " ${user.install.root}${/}bin${/}DefaultDB${/}-" ."read.write,delete"; // where, ${user.install.root} is the system property whose value is // located in the install_root directory. };
Steps for this task
Result
An application EAR file is now ready to run when Java 2 security is enabled.Example
This step is required for applications to run properly when Java 2 security is enabled. If the was.policy file is not created and it does not contain required permissions, the application might not access system resources.
java.security.AccessControlException: access denied (java.io.FilePermission C:/WAS_HOME/lib/mail-impl.jar read)
The previous two lines are one continuous line for illustration purposes only.
grant codeBase "file:${application}" { permission java.io.FilePermission "C:/WAS_HOME/lib/mail-impl.jar", "read"; };
The previous two lines are one continuous line for illustration purposes only.
What to do next
Install the application.Related concepts
J2EE connector security
Java 2 security policy files
Related reference
Security: Resources for learning