Home
Securing
This section describes IBM® Domino® security features, including execution control lists, IDs, and SSL.
Using Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) to configure federated-identity authentication
Federated identity is a means of achieving single sign-on, providing user convenience and helping to reduce administrative cost. In Domino® and Notes®, federated identity for user authentication uses the Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) standard from OASIS.
Preparing for SAML authentication
Complete the steps in this section before you configure SAML authentication in Domino
Importing and cross-certifying the IdP Internet certificate
When SSL is used between an IdP and Domino, import the IdP SSL certificate into the Domino directory and cross-certify it.

Securing
This section describes IBM® Domino® security features, including execution control lists, IDs, and SSL.
- Overview of Domino security
  Setting up security for your organization is a critical task. Your security infrastructure is critical for protecting your organization's IT resources and assets. As an administrator, you need to give careful consideration to your organization's security requirements before you set up any servers or users. Up-front planning pays off later in minimizing the risks of compromised security.
- Server access for Notes® users, Internet users, and Domino® servers
  To control user and server access to other servers, Domino® uses the settings you specify on the Security tab in the Server document as well as the rules of validation and authentication. If a server validates and authenticates the Notes® user, Internet user, or server, and the settings in the Server document allow access, the user or server is allowed access to the server.
- The database access control list
  Every .NSF database has an access control list (ACL) that specifies the level of access that users and servers have to that database. Although the names of access levels are the same for users and servers, those assigned to users determine the tasks that they can perform in a database, while those assigned to servers determine what information within the database the servers can replicate. Only someone with Manager access can create or modify the ACL.
- Domino® server and Notes® user IDs
  Domino® uses ID files to identify users and to control access to servers. Every Domino server, Notes® certifier, and Notes user must have an ID.
- The execution control list
  You use an execution control list (ECL) to configure workstation data security. An ECL protects user workstations against active content from unknown or suspect sources, and can be configured to limit the action of any active content that does run on workstations.
- Domino® server-based certification authority
  You can set up a Domino® certifier that uses the CA process server task to manage and process certificate requests. The CA process runs as a process on Domino servers that are used to issue certificates. When you set up a Notes® or Internet certifier, you link it to the CA process on the server in order to take advantage of CA process activities. Only one instance of the CA process can run on a server; however, the process can be linked to multiple certifiers.
- SSL security
  Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is a security protocol that provides communications privacy and authentication for Domino® server tasks that operate over TCP/IP.
- SSL and S/MIME for clients
  Clients can use a Domino® certificate authority (CA) application or a third-party CA to obtain certificates for secure SSL and S/MIME communication.
- Encryption
  Encryption protects data from unauthorized access.
- Name-and-password authentication for Internet/intranet clients
  Name-and-password authentication, also known as basic password authentication, uses a basic challenge/response protocol to ask users for their names and passwords and then verifies the accuracy of the passwords by checking them against a secure hash of the password stored in Person documents in the Domino® Directory.
- Multi-server session-based authentication (single sign-on)
  Multi-server session-based authentication, also known as single sign-on (SSO), allows Web users to log in once to a Domino® or WebSphere® server, and then access any other Domino or WebSphere servers in the same DNS domain that are enabled for single sign-on (SSO) without having to log in again.
- Using Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) to configure federated-identity authentication
  Federated identity is a means of achieving single sign-on, providing user convenience and helping to reduce administrative cost. In Domino® and Notes®, federated identity for user authentication uses the Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) standard from OASIS.
  - Preparing for SAML authentication
    Complete the steps in this section before you configure SAML authentication in Domino
    - Preparing your identity provider
      Before you configure SAML federated identity authentication for Domino, prepare your identity provider (IdP).
    - Completing Domino prerequisites for SAML
      Complete the following Domino configuration that is required by SAML.
    - Importing and cross-certifying the IdP Internet certificate
      When SSL is used between an IdP and Domino, import the IdP SSL certificate into the Domino directory and cross-certify it.
    - Creating and replicating the IdP Catalog
      Create the IdP Catalog (idpcat.nsf) and replicate it to any servers participating in SAML federated authentication. If you will enable Web federated login or Notes federated login, also replicate it to the ID vault server.
    - Exporting a metadata .xml file from your IdP
      Export a metadata .xml file from your identity provider (IdP). This file contains information about the IdP that enables Domino to accept SAML assertions from it.
  - Configuring basic SAML authentication for Web servers
    Complete the following tasks to enable basic SAML authentication for Web servers.
  - Configuring ID vault servers for federated SAML login
    Complete the steps in this section if you want to use Web federated login or Notes federated login. After enabled, iNotes users and Notes client users, respectively, access the Notes ID file in the ID vault without being prompted for the password. If your IdP is ADFS, you can also configure Integrated Windows Authentication (IWA) so that iNotes users or Notes clients users aren't prompted for the IdP name and password.
  - Enabling Web federated login
    Enable Web federated login to allow iNotes users to perform secure operations such as signing and decrypting messages without being prompted for a Notes ID password.
  - Enabling Notes federated login
    Enable Notes federated login to allow Notes clients users to start Notes and perform secure operations without being prompted for a Notes ID password.
  - Enabling IWA (ADFS only)
    When Integrated Windows Authentication (IWA) is used, users on Windows clients are not prompted for the ADFS login name and password when they access servers on the corporate intranet. IWA is available for basic SAML authentication, Notes federated login, and Web federated login.
  - Generating a certificate to encrypt SAML assertions
    Your organization may require SAML assertions to be encrypted if assertions include attributes that contain sensitive personal data, for example, social security numbers. Domino® encrypts entire SAML assertions; partial encryption of specific attributes is not available.
  - Cautioning client users about SAML and logout
    Domino® and Notes® do not support a single logout feature, so if you configure SAML in your organization, make sure that your users employ safety methods at their desktops to prevent physical access to Notes and Domino resources.
- Using a credential store to share credentials
  In this release, the on-premises Domino® server can use a credential store application (credstore.nsf). The credential store is a secure repository for document encryption keys and other tokens necessary for Notes® client users to grant access to applications that use the OAuth (open authorization) protocol. OAuth allows user credentials to be shared with compliant applications so that users avoid extra password prompts.

Importing and cross-certifying the IdP Internet certificate

When SSL is used between an IdP and Domino, import the IdP SSL certificate into the Domino directory and cross-certify it.

Procedure

Connect to the IdP using the Firefox browser.
Click the certificates lock icon in the address bar and view the certificates.
Click the Details tab and select the Certificates KeyUsage field.
Verify that the Certificates KeyUsage field contains values for Certificate Signer and CRL Signer.
If the Certificates KeyUsage field does not include these values, select the certificate one level up in the certificate hierarchy and confirm that you see the values.
Export the selected certificate and save it as a X.509 Certificate with chain(PEM) .crt file.
Import the certificate into the Domino directory used by the ID vault and web servers and then cross-certify it:
1. Open the directory in Domino Administrator.
2. Select People & Groups > Certificates > .
3. Select Actions > Import Internet certificate.
4. Open the certificate in the Certificates view.
5. Select Actions > Create cross certificate
6. Cross-certify the certificate with the certificate of the server ID file.

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.