Apache Tomcat 1.7 How to pass additional parameters to JAAS

Question

According to Apache Tomcat 1.7 documentation:

Write your own LoginModule, User and Role classes based on JAAS (see the JAAS Authentication Tutorial and the JAAS Login Module Developer's Guide) to be managed by the JAAS Login Context (javax.security.auth.login.LoginContext) When developing your LoginModule, note that JAASRealm's built-in CallbackHandler only recognizes the NameCallback and PasswordCallback at present.

It only supports NameCallback and PasswordCallback. I want to pass additional parameters to the JAAS login module but could not due to this restriction.

How do i pass additional paramaters to JAAS login module?

You define them in the jaas.config file along with the login module(s) and retrieve them during initialization. — user207421
@EJP I'm using the default tomcat org.apache.catalina.realm.JAASRealm which i defined in the context.xml. This JAASRealm by default call its own callback handler. Even though i have custom callback handler defined, this won't get called by JAASRealm. How do i force this JAASRealm defined in my context.xml to use this custom callback handler? — yapkm01
Tomcat 1.7, sure? Or rather Tomcat 7, as indicated by the tags you used? — f_puras
You seem to be confused here. The JAAS Realm calls login modules, and they call handlers. You're going to have to write your own login module, to call your handler. — user207421
@EJP I think you've misunderstood me. Tomcat JAASRealm (org.apache.catalina.realm.JAASRealm) does not requires creation of LoginContext. FYI, LoginContext allows usage of custom callback handler. Since Tomcat JAASRealm does not requires that, it means it uses its own callback handler. That's the issue i'm having now — yapkm01

Alin Pandichi Alin Pandichi · Accepted Answer · 2015-08-09T13:04:58

Write your own CallbackHandler. For details, see http://docs.oracle.com/javase/7/docs/technotes/guides/security/jaas/tutorials/GeneralAcnOnly.html

For example, a MyCallbackHandler could support an additional TextOutputCallback

public void handle(Callback[] callbacks)
  throws IOException, UnsupportedCallbackException {

  for (int i = 0; i < callbacks.length; i++) {
    if (callbacks[i] instanceof TextOutputCallback) {

      // display a message according to a specified type
      . . .

    } else if (callbacks[i] instanceof NameCallback) {

      // prompt the user for a username
      . . .

    } else if (callbacks[i] instanceof PasswordCallback) {

      // prompt the user for a password
      . . .

    } else {
        throw new UnsupportedCallbackException
         (callbacks[i], "Unrecognized Callback");
    }
  }
}

Apache Tomcat 1.7 How to pass additional parameters to JAAS

3 Answers