Home
Configuring Mobile
Use the HCL Connections mobile app to perform common tasks from a mobile device.
Administering HCL Connections™ 7 mobile
Depending on the version of HCL Connections™ that your organization is using, there are specific configuration properties that you can customize for the mobile environment.
Configuring OAuth 2.0 token-based authentication
Connections Mobile supports OAuth 2.0 token-based authentication using the internet standard RFC 6749 – The OAuth 2.0 Authorization Framework. Because Connections Mobile is a public application available on public app stores, it implements the Authorization Code Grant Flow to an Authorization Server.
Setting up Connections Mobile to authenticate using OIDC
The Connections mobile apps can use the OAuth 2.0 authorization framework within the Open ID Connect (OIDC) authentication protocol .

Configuring Mobile
Use the HCL Connections mobile app to perform common tasks from a mobile device.
- Accessibility features for HCL Connections™ iOS mobile app
  Accessibility features help users who have a disability, such as restricted mobility or limited vision, to use information technology products successfully.
- Configuring security for Mobile
  You can secure devices that access Connections content using the Connections mobile app.
- HCL Connections™ Social Cloud
  If your users log in to a HCL Connections™ Social Cloud server, there are mobile configuration properties that you can customize for the cloud environment.
- Administering HCL Connections™ 8 mobile
  Depending on the version of HCL Connections™ that your organization is using, there are specific configuration properties that you can customize for the mobile environment.
- Administering HCL Connections™ 7 mobile
  Depending on the version of HCL Connections™ that your organization is using, there are specific configuration properties that you can customize for the mobile environment.
  - Updating Mobile app configuration properties for HCL Connections 7 via the Mobile Administration console
    Configuration properties control how users can interact with the Connections mobile app.
  - Mobile configuration properties for HCL Connections™ 7
    Configuration properties in the mobile-config.xml file control how users can interact with the Connections mobile app.
  - Changing Mobile configuration property values
    Modify the configuration properties in the mobile-config.xml file to control how users can interact with the Connections Mobile native app.
  - Configuring Push Notifications for Mobile
    Enable notifications to be sent to mobile users about Connections events.
  - Configuring HTTP Proxy support for Push Notifications for Mobile
    Enable notifications to be sent to mobile users about Connections events.
  - Configuring OAuth 2.0 token-based authentication
    Connections Mobile supports OAuth 2.0 token-based authentication using the internet standard RFC 6749 – The OAuth 2.0 Authorization Framework. Because Connections Mobile is a public application available on public app stores, it implements the Authorization Code Grant Flow to an Authorization Server.
    - Roadmap for enabling OAuth 2.0 token-based authentication
      Here are the high level steps for enabling OAuth 2.0 token-based authentication. Consult the links for detailed instructions for each step.
    - Configuring the OAuth Authorization server
      HCL Connections Mobile uses internet standard OAuth 2.0 authentication flows when using the OAuth authentication feature. It has been explicitly tested using the following authentication servers: IBM WebSphere Application Server 8.5.5.10 and Security Access Manager (ISAM) 9.0.4.
    - Configuring the Connections Mobile server for OAuth
      This is a two-step process to first update the WebSphere Trust Association Interceptor filter for OAuth, and then second, update the mobile-config.xml.
    - Configuring WebSphere as the OAuth Authorization server
      This section provides guidance on how to setup the Connections WebSphere Application Server as the OAuth Authorization server itself. If you are using a different server as the OAuth Authorization server, then this section would not apply to your environment and can be ignored.
    - Configuring ISAM as the OAuth Authorization server
      HCL Security Access Manager (ISAM) is a security appliance that is capable of providing OAuth 2.0 Authorization Server support as well as an edge proxy that can consume the tokens for authorization and authentication by means of its WebSEAL proxy. For documentation, see ISAM OAuth 2.0 and OIDC support.
    - Migrating from previous authentication types to using OAuth
      If there are users who have deployed the Connections Mobile app, they can be automatically migrated to using OAuth once the OAuth infrastructure is in place and the mobile-config.xml has been modified to indicate that OAuth should be used as the authentication type. If there are already users deployed with Connections Mobile, make sure that the OAuth Authorization server is in place and functional before making any changes to mobile-config.xml. Updating mobile-config.xml must be the last step, as once this is made, Connections Mobile apps will start using a new authentication method.
    - Using client identity certificates
      Connections Mobile 6.0.7 or later supports authentication using client identity certificates plus OAuth token-based authentication. This provides an additional authentication factor if this is desired.
    - Using device identity certificates
      Enable the aunthentication checks using certain device certificates.
    - Setting up Connections Mobile to authenticate using OIDC
      The Connections mobile apps can use the OAuth 2.0 authorization framework within the Open ID Connect (OIDC) authentication protocol .
      - Registering a client in your OpenID Connect provider
        For OpenID Connect (OIDC) to work properly with Connections Mobile register the OIDC client in your identity provider.
      - Configuring the WebSphere Relying Party TAI
        The WebSphere relying party TAI must be configured to trust tokens for the OpenID Connect (OIDC) provider to work properly.
      - Configuring the Connections Mobile Server to use OAuth
        The Connections Mobile server needs to be configured to use OAuth for it to work properly.
- Administering HCL Connections™ 6.5 mobile
  Depending on the version of HCL Connections™ that your organization is using, there are specific configuration properties that you can customize for the mobile environment.
- Administering HCL Connections™ 6.0 mobile
  Depending on the version of HCL Connections™ that your organization is using, there are specific configuration properties that you can customize for the mobile environment.
- Administering HCL Connections™ 5.5 mobile
  Depending on the version of HCL Connections™ that your organization is using, there are specific configuration properties that you can customize for the mobile environment.

Setting up Connections Mobile to authenticate using OIDC

The Connections mobile apps can use the OAuth 2.0 authorization framework within the Open ID Connect (OIDC) authentication protocol .

This is possible by leveraging the WebSphere Relying Party Trust Association Interceptor (TAI). This strategy allows the Connections mobile apps to use Single Sign On with Identity Providers that also support OIDC.

Any OpenID Connect Provider (OP) that supports OIDC 1.0, supports Authorization Code Grant flow with public clients and supports Proof Key for Code Exchange (PKCE) can be used. This documentation will use the Microsoft Azure identity provider as an example. This article describes the setup needed for the OpenID Connect Provider which provides the secure tokens, as well as the client-side application in WebSphere, known as the Relying Party.

Note: It is possible to configure the Connections web clients to use Single Sign On with Microsoft Azure using Connections 7.0. If this is the goal, it is recommended to follow the documentation for Enabling single sign on with OIDC for Microsoft Azure AD .

Connections must be able to lookup the user in the Connections databases once the token is verified. In the examples below, the identity claim present in the JWT is the email address of the user at the identity provider, and this must match the same user in the Connections database. If the user has not yet been provisioned within Connections, the login with the OIDC provider may succeed, but access to Connections will fail and the mobile app will not be able to establish a session.

The following are the general steps to enable OIDC for Connections Mobile:

Have feedback?
Google Analytics is used to store comments and ratings. To provide a comment or rating for a topic, click Accept All Cookies or Allow All in Cookie Preferences in the footer of this page.