Deploying Third-Party Libraries for Custom JCS Connectors on Virtual Appliances - Identity Manager

Products

• CA Identity Manager

Issue/Introduction

This document addresses the limitation encountered when deploying custom Java Connector Server (JCS) connectors on a Virtual Appliance (VApp) deployment. Standard standalone installations allow users to place JAR files in the JCS_HOME\lib\ext directory. However, the VApp architecture enforces file system permissions that prevent direct file modification in this location.

Environment

Identity Manager 14.5

Cause

The Virtual Appliance operating system is a hardened, locked-down environment. Direct write access to system directories, including the lib\ext folder, is restricted to maintain the integrity and security of the appliance.

Resolution

To use third-party libraries for encryption or data manipulation in your custom connectors, implement one of the following methods:

Method 1: Deploy to an External Connector Server This approach involves offloading the connector processing to a separate, manageable system where you have full file system access.

1. Provision a separate server (Windows or Linux) that meets the connector requirements.
2. Install the Identity Manager Connector Server on this new, external machine.
3. Copy your required third-party JAR files into the JCS_HOME\lib\ext directory on the external server.
4. Configure the external Connector Server to point to your VApp environment.
5. In the Identity Manager Administrative Console, register the external Connector Server.

Method 2: Convert to an OSGi Bundle OSGi bundles are hot-deployable and do not require modification of the file system's lib\ext directory.

1. Prepare your custom connector code.
2. Utilize the Bundle Builder tool provided with the Identity Manager SDK to convert your connector JAR file into an OSGi-compliant bundle.
3. Import the resulting bundle via the JCS configuration management tools or the Administrative Console.
4. Verify the connector load status within the JCS logs to ensure all third-party dependencies are resolved.

Additional Information

To create an OSGI bundle, see documentation How to Migrate a Connector to OSGi, the documentation mention that you can use Bundle Builder to convert an existing connector.jar file to an OSGi bundle. This makes the connector hot-deployable. Setup the Bundle Builder Tool

To speak with a customer representative or a Support Engineer see Contact Support. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on your respective region.