RE: Question on allocating Storage

Brad,
Correct, the program interface with the cert is via the Application ID (via the 
DCM).
It need not be otherwise reference by the localCertificate pointer. The only 
use I had thought have for it was as a mechanism by which the current SSL 
certificate details could be returned to user for some purpose, like when the 
user can click on the little certificate icon in a browser session. So I'd 
intended to parse such info out of the cert by passing the local cert to 
another API. Seems the format was never correct so I gave it a miss finally.

I'm not sure whether your mention of "client" cert relates to using a 
certificate to establish the iSeries as an SSL enabled RPGLE client or if it 
means that in addition to that you wish to also use a client cert to 
authenticate with the remote server. It's undoubtedly the second option.

It appears that using the iSeries as a client for negotiating both the SSL 
session and the authentication is a little different than when a PC performs 
the same. The PC normally has a root cert used to negotiate the SSL session. 
Where the server requires Basic Authentication then that is sufficient. Where 
the server requires a digital cert for authentication then it is necessary to 
import a totally separate cert ( possibly from a totally separate CA) into the 
PC in order to implement this.

However, the iSeries appears to make no such distinction for the similar 
senario. It provides only for assigning a single cert to an application via the 
DCM, which you are undoubtedly aware of since I know you have already written 
such software.
This is fine if the remote server uses SSL but does not authenticate using a 
client cert (eg Basic or none), which obviously means that you can have one 
RPGLE client that could be used to connect to various servers. But if it does 
then you have to import that cert ( the one needed for authentication ) into 
the DCM and use that cert as the one you assign to client application program. 
In other words, it looks like the iSeries client restricts you to using the 
same cert for both SSL and for authentication. From memory there was a bit of 
jiggery-pokery to importing the client cert into the DCM to do with the format 
in which it was exported so you may need to use your PC to re-import/export it. 
Consequently, a separate application is required for each remote server that 
requires authentication via digital cert.

At least that's the only way I could see that it worked.

Cheers, Peter   

-----Original Message-----
From: rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Brad Stone
Sent: Saturday, January 17, 2004 2:34 AM
To: RPG programming on the AS400 / iSeries
Subject: Re: Question on allocating Storage


The local certificate assigned to the application is what
is used for client authentication, from what I understand.
 

After initializing the job/application for SSL using
SSL_Init_Application the rest of the SSL APIs know how the
session has been initialized.

What API are you attempting to use that you need to pass
along the local certificate to?  And for what purpose?



On Fri, 16 Jan 2004 15:45:33 +1300
 "Peter Connell" <Peter.Connell@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
> Yes, mine is an RPGLE client also.
> So what is your need for using the localCertificate
> variable if it works without it anyway.
> Peter
> 
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