Changing security certificates in App Visibility components

By default, App Visibility Manager uses pregenerated, self-signed certificates for authentication between the server components, agents, and the Presentation Server. You can replace the pregenerated certificates with custom certificates.

This topic contains the following sections: 

Certificates for Synthetic TEA Agents

To implement security certificates on Synthetic TEA Agents see Changing-security-certificates-on-Synthetic-TEA-Agents.

App Visibility certificate overview

The following diagram shows the components of the App Visibility Manager environment, and the properties files that manage the keystore file names and passwords on each component. The arrows represent the flow of data between the components.

App Visibility components and the properties files that manage certificates

tsavm_synthetic_security.png

To use your own security certificate, put a certificate on each component, and then edit the properties files on each component to use the new certificates and password.

Notes

  • After you change or import a certificate, you must restart the component.
  • This topic does not include importing a KeyStore file or replacing the certificate for CA-signed certificates on the App Visibility proxy, which enables secure data collection from the end users of your web applications.

Before you begin

  • Install and configure App Visibility components.
  • Prepare security files for the following components. For details about creating the files, see the Java Keytool documentation on the Oracle website..
    • For App Visibility server components and agents for Java, prepare the following files:
      • keystoreFileName.jks, where keystoreFileName is your custom keystore file name
      • truststoreFileName.jks, where truststoreFileName is your custom truststore file name
    • For App Visibility agents for .NET, prepare the following files:
      • keystoreFileName.p12, where  keystoreFileName is your custom keystore file name, and the file is in X.509/PKCS#12 format

      • truststoreFileName.cer, where truststoreFileName is your custom certificate file name, and the file is in X.509/PKCS#7 format

        Note

        The truststore file must have the .cer file extension.

    • For the Presentation Server, prepare the following files:

      • (HotfixCore_TSPS_1010006 or later) keystoreFileName.jks file, where keystoreFileName is your custom keystore file name 
      • (HotfixCore_TSPS_1010009 or later) truststoreFileName.jks, where truststoreFileName is your custom truststore file name

      In a multitenancy environment, you can prepare a separate keystore file and truststore file for each tenant. If you do not specify separate files for a tenant, the designated default certificate will be used.

  • Prepare an encrypted password (instructions near the end of this topic) for each security file.

To replace security files for App Visibility server components

For each App Visibility server component, perform the following procedure.

  1. Place your keystore and truststore files on each component computer.
  2. Open the specified properties file (see the following table).
  3. Replace the default location and file name of the keystore and truststore with the location and file name of your files.
  4. Replace the default password with your encrypted password value.
    The system uses the same password for the truststore and the keystore.
  5. Save the file and restart the service.

The following table lists the file paths and file names of the properties files for the App Visibility server components. Each component has the following default installation directory:

  • (Windows) C:\Program Files\BMC Software\App Visibility
  • (Linux) /opt/bmc/App_Visibility

By default, the keystore and truststore files are located in the installationDirectory\component\security directory. In the properties files, you must provide a relative path to the keystore and truststore files in the security directory.

App Visibility server security files and parameters

Properties file*

Parameter

portalInstallationDirectory\portal\properties\portal.properties

key.store.file.path=relativePath/keystoreFileName.jks
trust.store.file.path=relativePath/truststoreFileName.jks
key.store.password.enc=encryptedPassword

collectorInstallationDirectory\collector\properties\collector.properties

key.store.file.path=relativePath/keystoreFileName.jks
trust.store.file.path=relativePath/truststoreFileName.jks
key.store.password.enc=encryptedPassword

proxyInstallationDirectory\apm-proxy\properties\apm-proxy.properties

key.store.file.path=relativePath/keystoreFileName.jks
trust.store.file.path=relativePath/truststoreFileName.jks
key.store.password.enc=encryptedPassword

* The file paths in Windows are displayed with a backslash (\) separator. For components installed on Linux computers, use a forward slash (/).

To replace security files for App Visibility agents for Java

For each App Visibility agent for Java, perform the following procedure.

  1. Place your keystore and truststore files in the agentInstallationDirectory\ADOPsInstall\properties directory* on each computer with the agent for Java installed.
  2. Open the portal.connection.properties file, located in the agentInstallationDirectory\ADOPsInstall\properties directory. 
  3. Replace the default file name of the keystore and truststore with the names of your files:
    key.store.file.name=keystoreFileName.jks
    trust.store.file.name=truststoreFileName.jks
  4. Replace the default password with your encrypted password value:
    key.store.password.enc=encryptedPassword
    The system uses the same password for the truststore and the keystore.
  5. Save the file and restart the application server.

* The file paths in Windows are displayed with a backslash (\) separator. For components installed on Linux computers, use a forward slash (/).

To replace security files for App Visibility agents for .NET

For each App Visibility agent for .NET, perform the following procedure.

  1. Place your keystore and truststore files in the  agentInstallationDirectory\properties directory on each computer with the agent for .NET installed.
  2. Open the agents.properties file, located in the agentInstallationDirectory\properties directory.
  3. Replace the default location and file name of the keystore and truststore with the location and file name of your files:
    key.store.file.name=keystoreFileName.p12
    trust.store.file.name=truststoreFileName.cer
  4. Replace the default password with your encrypted password value.
    key.store.password.enc=encryptedPassword
    The system uses the same password for the truststore and the keystore.
  5. Save the file and restart IIS.

To replace security files for communication with the Presentation Server

Click here for instructions Hotfix_TSPS_1010006 - Hotfix_TSPS_1010008

After you apply HotfixCore_TSPS_1010006 or later, certificate details for internal communication between the Presentation Server and App Visibility Manager are managed by the App Visibility certificates file, appVisCertificates.xml. The certificates file is located with default certificate information on the Presentation Server.

You can replace the default certificate and update the values of the default-certificate element in the appVisCertificates.xml file. In an environment with multiple tenants, you can add a tenant-certificate element for each tenant. If you do not define a tenant-certificate for one or more tenants, those tenants use the default-certificate values, instead.

  1. Place your keystore file or files (for multiple tenants) on the Presentation Server computer.
  2. Open the appVisCertificates.xml file, located in the tspsInstallationDirectory\conf directory.*
    • To replace the default certificate, replace the default location and file name of the keystore, and the password with the values for your files:
      <default-certificate path="fullFilePath/keystoreFileName.jks" password="encryptedPassword "/>
    • To add a certificate for one or more tenants, add the following element for each tenant, and use your values for the tenant name, location and file name of the keystore, and the encrypted password.
      <tenant-certificate tenant="tenantName" path="fullFilePath/keystoreFileName.jks" password="encryptedPassword"/>

  3. Save the file and restart the Presentation Server by running the following command:
    (Windows) tssh server start

    (Linux) ./tssh server start &

    Note

    On Linux computers, add & at the end of the tssh server start command so that the process runs in the background and you can continue to use the shell.

* Use a forward slash (/) for file paths, even on Windows systems.

After you apply HotfixCore_TSPS_1010009, certificate details for internal communication between the Presentation Server and App Visibility Manager are managed by the App Visibility certificates file, appVisCertificates.xml. The certificates file is located with default certificate information on the Presentation Server.

You can use your own default certificate and update the values of the default-certificate element in the appVisCertificates.xml file. In an environment with multiple tenants, you can add a tenant-certificate element for each tenant. If you do not define a tenant-certificate for one or more tenants, those tenants use the default-certificate values, instead.

  1. Place your keystore file and (optional) truststore file (or multiple files for multiple tenants) on the Presentation Server computer.

    Best practice

    To preserve certificates after you upgrade the Presentation Server, place your file or files in one of the following directories on the Presentation Server:

    • In the TSPSinstallationdirectory/conf/secure/appVisSecure directory, which is reserved for custom App Visibility certificates. When you update the file path in the certificate configuration file (as described in the following steps) you can use a relative path.
    • In any directory that is not under the Presentation Server installation directory. When you update the file path in the certificate configuration file (as described in the following steps), BMC recommends using the full file path.
  2. Open the appVisCertificates.xml file, located in the tspsInstallationDirectory/conf directory.
  3. Update the following elements, as required:*
    • To replace the default certificate, replace the default path and file name of the keystore and (optional) the truststore, and the password with the values for your keystore file:
      <default-certificate path="conf/secure/appVisSecure/keystoreFileName.jks" password="encryptedPassword" truststorePath="conf/secure/appVisSecure/truststoreFileName.jks"/>
    • To add a certificate for one or more tenants, add the following element for each tenant, and use your values for the tenant name, path and file name of the keystore file and (optional) truststore files, and the encrypted password.
      <tenant-certificate tenant="tenant1Name" path="conf/secure/appVisSecure/keystoreFileName.jks" password="encryptedPassword" truststorePath="conf/secure/appVisSecure/truststoreFileName.jks"/>
      <tenant-certificate tenant="tenant2Name" path="conf/secure/appVisSecure/keystoreFileName.jks" password="encryptedPassword" truststorePath="conf/secure/appVisSecure/truststoreFileName.jks"/>
  4. Save the file and restart the Presentation Server service by running the following command:
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* Use a forward slash (/) for file paths, even on Windows systems.

Encrypting a new keystore password

Use an encrypted password so that the plain text password is not displayed in your properties files. After you encrypt the new password, copy the encrypted password to the relevant properties file.

To encrypt a new keystore password

Encrypt the password with the passwordEncrypt.bat script, located on the portal or collector computer.

Windows

  1. On the App Visibility portal or collector computer, open a command prompt, and run the following command:
    portalInstallationDirectory\portal\bin\passwordEncrypt.bat NewPassword
    or
    collectorInstallationDirectory\collector\bin\passwordEncrypt.bat NewPassword  

    NewPassword is the password you want to encrypt.
    A message is displayed while the password is encrypted and upon completion, the encrypted password is displayed.
  2. Copy the encrypted password and paste it in the relevant properties file.

Linux

  1. On the App Visibility portal or collector computer, run the following command:
    portalInstallationDirectory/portal/bin/passwordEncrypt.sh NewPassword
    or
    collectorInstallationDirectory/collector/bin/passwordEncrypt.sh NewPassword  

    NewPassword is the password you want to encrypt.
    A message is displayed while the password is encrypted and upon completion, the encrypted password is displayed.
  2. Copy the encrypted password and paste it in the relevant properties file.

Related topics

Security-planning

Importing-a-KeyStore-file-or-replacing-the-certificate

Changing-the-App-Visibility-database-password

Starting-and-stopping-services

Changing-the-App-Visibility-agent-settings

Changing-App-Visibility-collector-settings

Changing-App-Visibility-portal-settings

Changing-App-Visibility-proxy-settings

 

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