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Table of Contents
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Overview

Note
titleNote

The information provided on this page assumes you have a working knowledge of SAML Single Sign-On.

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Universal Controller uses SAML Single Sign-On for authentication and Single Sign-On Settings 794553148. All user and group authorization must be configured within Universal Controller through Permission and Role assignment.

Terminology

IdP

Identity Provider (for example, Okta)

Third-party system that pre-authenticates SAML users.

SAML

Security Assertion Markup Language

SAML is an XML-based protocol for exchanging security information between a SAML Identity Provider and a SAML Service Provider.

SP

Service Provider (for example, Universal Controller)

Receives and accepts authentications via SAML Single Sign-On.

SSO

Single Sign-On

Method of authentication.

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Single Sign-On Login
Single Sign-On Login

Single Sign-On Login

SAML Single Sign-On can be initiated by either Universal Controller, as the Service Provider, or the Identity Provider.

Only users designated with Single Sign-On as a Login Method can authenticate using SAML Single Sign-On. However, users designated with both Standard and Single Sign-On as a Login Method can continue to log into the Universal Controller using the standard application URL (see Logging In).

Service Provider-Initiated Login

Universal Controller, as a Service Provider, will initiate the SAML Single Sign-On login flow when an unauthenticated user accesses the web application through the following URL.

http(s)://<server:port>/uc/saml

Identity Provider-Initiated Login

Identity Provider-initiated SAML Single Sign-On begins at the Identity Provider, typically by accessing an application-specific Identity Provider URL. Once authenticated, the user will be taken to the Universal Controller web application.

Action URLs

Any Action URL parameters on the URL used by the SAML-authenticated user to access the Universal Controller web application are restored when the Service Provider-initiated SAML SSO authentication flow has completed successfully and the user has been redirected back to the Universal Controller web application.
 

Note
titleNote:

This is not applicable for an Identity Provider-initiated login.

Session Expired

Universal Controller allows you to restore an HTTP session without leaving the application (or losing data) by prompting you to re-enter your login credentials in a Session Expired pop-up:
 

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When the Identity Provider has authenticated you and the SAML SSO authentication flow has completed, click Continue on the original dialog to proceed, which closes the SAML SSO authentication flow window.

Administrator Account

Modification of the ops.admin account Login Method is not permitted; therefore, the account will always be accessible for cases where, for example, Single Sign-On Settings are incorrectly configured or the Identity Provider is inaccessible.

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Single Logout
Single Logout

Single Logout

Universal Controller supports SAML Single Logout for SAML-authenticated users, in accordance with the SAML 2.0 Single Logout profile.

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Note
titleNote

It is required that the configured Identity Provider metadata declares a Single Logout endpoint.

User Sessions

The administrative functionality in the user interface that allows for management of User Sessions is applicable only for local Universal Controller sessions; therefore, expiring a user's session through this interface is only expiring the local Universal Controller session.

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User Provisioning
User Provisioning

User Provisioning

The following diagram illustrates the expectations in Universal Controller for provisioning users from attributes available in the SAML assertion:
 

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User Attribute Mappings
User Attribute Mappings

User Attribute Mapping

For Universal Controller to correlate SAML assertion attributes with Universal Controller user fields, Universal Controller must provide a way to configure a mapping between Universal Controller User fields and SAML assertion attributes.

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Any user created by SAML assertion attributes, during the single sign-on process, is considered an Identity Provider-sourced user. See Single Sign-On Settings in Single Sign-On Settings 794553148 in 794553148.

User Field Defaults

Single Sign-On provisioned users are created with the following default field values:
 

Field

Value

User Password

random, 32-characters

Password Requires Reset

true

Login Method

Single Sign-On

Web Browser Access

- - System Default - -

Command Line Access

- - System Default - - 
Applies only to users designated to use the Standard login method.

Web Service Access

- - System Default - - 
Applies only to users designated to use the Standard login method.

Group Membership Attribute Mapping

An additional configuration is provided to allow for assigning group membership using the SAML assertion. Universal Controller allows configuring which SAML assertion attribute contains the user's group membership.

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If a group membership attribute mapping is specified, any time that an Identity Provider-sourced user authenticates using SAML Single Sign-On, its group membership will be updated based on the group attribute value in the accepted SAML assertion. The user will be added to, or removed from, groups accordingly.

SAML Configuration

Service Provider Metadata

Universal Controller is configured for automatic generation of Service Provider metadata. By default, the Service Provider Entity ID for a Universal Controller deployment is: https://uc.stonebranch.com/sp.

However, Universal Controller allows an administrator to customize the Service Provider Entity ID by specifying a Service Provider Entity ID Subdomain in the Single Sign-On Settings 794553148 in the user interface.

For example, an Service Provider Entity ID Subdomain value of dev would allow for a Service Provider Entity ID of https://dev.uc.stonebranch.com/sp.

SAML Endpoints

To generate the SAML endpoints for the Service Provider metadata, an SP Entity Base URL for Universal Controller must be determined. By default, Universal Controller uses information from first request after the Controller has been initiated to automatically generate a Service Provider Entity Base URL in the format scheme://server:port/contextPath.

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To configure the SP Entity Base URL to a specific value, an administrator can specify the Service Provider Entity Base URL from the Single Sign-On Settings 794553148 in the user interface.

The following table documents the SAML endpoints, and their supported bindings, contained within the Universal Controller Service Provider metadata.
 

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Universal Controller provides a Service Provider Metadata link, from the Single Sign-On Settings, for downloading the Universal Controller Service Provider metadata file.

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http(s)://<server:port>/uc/saml/metadata

Identity Provider Metadata

Universal Controller requires the Identity Provider configuration provided in the form of an IdP metadata XML file.

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You can specify the location of the Identity Provider metadata file in the Single Sign-On Settings 794553148 Details of the user interface. By default, on initial start-up, the Controller automatically populates the Identity Provider metadata file setting with a value of ${catalina.base}/conf/saml/idp.xml.

For example, if ${catalina.base} resolves to /opt/tomcat, the Identity Provider metadata file setting would be populated with /opt/tomcat/conf/saml/idp.xml.

SAML KeyStore

SAML message exchanges required for the Web Browser SSO profile and the Single Logout profile involve usage of cryptography for the signing and encryption of data.

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keytool -exportcert -alias ucsaml -file ucsaml.cer -keystore samlKeystore.jks -storepass ucsaml -storetype JKS

Java Cryptography Extension (JCE)

Universal Controller is configured to use signature algorithm SHA256withRSA and digest method algorithm SHA-256.

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Note
titleNote

Starting with Java 1.8.0_162, JCE unlimited policy is enabled by default.  You no longer need to install the policy file in the JRE or set the security property crypto.policy.

Debugging

The uc.saml.log.level property can be configured in the uc.properties to enable debug logging for the SAML framework. However, as a best practice, saml.log.level should remain at INFO under normal operation.

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Single Sign-On Settings
Single Sign-On Settings

Single Sign-On Settings

An administrator can turn on/off and configure SAML Single Sign-On through the user interface.

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titleNote

Each Universal Controller cluster node maintains its own Single Sign-On Settings configuration, associated by Node Id. Therefore, you must complete the Single Sign-On Settings configuration for each deployed cluster node, including the Active node and any Passive nodes.

The Identify Provider Metadata File and KeyStore File, by default located under ${catalina.base}/conf/saml/, must be accessible to each cluster node.


Step 1

From the Administration navigation pane, select Configuration > Single Sign-On Settings. The Single Sign-On Settings page displays.
 

Step 2

Enter / select your Single Sign-On Settings, using the field descriptions below as a guide.

  • Required fields display an asterisk ( * ) after the field name.
  • Default values for fields, if available, display automatically.

Step 3

Click the button.

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Single Sign-On Settings Field Descriptions
Single Sign-On Settings Field Descriptions

Single Sign-On Settings Field Descriptions

The following table describes the fields and buttons that display in the Single Sign-On Settings.
 

Field Name

Description

Details

This section contains detailed information on the Single Sign-On settings.

SAML Single Sign-On

If enabled, turns on SAML Single Sign-On.
 
If disabled, all fields are read-only.

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User Provisioning
User Provisioning
User Provisioning

If enabled, turns on the provisioning of users through SAML assertion attributes.

SP Entity ID

Read-only; Unique identifier of the Universal Controller Service Provider.

SP Entity ID Subdomain

Customize the SP Entity ID with a unique subdomain.

SP Entity Base URL

Base URL to construct SAML endpoints from; must be a URL with protocol, server, port. and context path. If one is not specified, it defaults to values from the initial request in this format: scheme://server:port/contextPath

Identity Provider Metadata Source

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Identity Provider Metadata Source
Identity Provider Metadata Source

Specifies Identity Provider Metadata Source:

  • File
  • URL
Note

The uc.saml.metadata.refresh_interval property can be configured in uc.properties to specify the refresh interval of Identity Provider Metadata.


Identity Provider Metadata File

If Single Sign-On Settings 794553148 = File;

Identity Provider metadata file location.

Identity Provider Metadata URL

If Single Sign-On Settings 794553148 = URL;

Identity Provider metadata URL location.

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Service Provider Metadata field
Service Provider Metadata field
Service Provider Metadata

Link to download the Service Provider metadata for the Universal Controller node.

Key Management


KeyStore File

Keystore file location.

KeyStore Password

Password used to protect the integrity of the keystore. Default is ucsaml.

Private Key Alias

Alias of the private key (with either self-signed or CA-signed certificate) used to digitally sign SAML messages. Default is ucsaml.

Private Key Password

Password used to protect the integrity of the private key. Default is ucsaml. See Single Sign-On Settings 794553148.

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Attribute Mappings
Attribute Mappings
Attribute Mappings

If Single Sign-On Settings 794553148 is enabled; This section allows you to configure a mapping between user fields and attributes from the attribute statement of a SAML assertion. It is displayed only when Single Sign-On Settings 794553148 is enabled. See Single Sign-On Settings 794553148 for more details.
 
In addition to user fields, you can specify an attribute mapping for Groups allowing for automatic provisioning of a user's group membership. See Single Sign-On Settings 794553148 for more details.

First Name

Name of an attribute, of type xs:string or xs:any, from the attribute statement of the SAML assertion containing the First Name of the user.

Middle Name

Name of an attribute, of type xs:string or xs:any, from the attribute statement of the SAML assertion containing the Middle Name of the user.

Last Name

Name of an attribute, of type xs:string or xs:any, from the attribute statement of the SAML assertion containing the Last Name of the user.

Email

Name of an attribute, of type xs:string or xs:any, from the attribute statement of the SAML assertion containing the Email of the user.

Active

Name of an attribute, of type xs:boolean, xs:string or xs:any, from the attribute statement of the SAML assertion containing the Active condition of the user.
 
Non-boolean type values that evaluate to true are "true", "1", "yes", and "on." All other non-boolean type values evaluate to false.

Groups

Name of a multi-valued attribute, of type xs:string or xs:any, from the attribute statement of the SAML assertion containing the Group Name of each group that the user is a member of.

Title

Name of an attribute, of type xs:string or xs:any, from the attribute statement of the SAML assertion containing the Title of the user.

Department

Name of an attribute, of type xs:string or xs:any, from the attribute statement of the SAML assertion containing the Department of the user.

Manager

Name of an attribute, of type xs:string or xs:any, from the attribute statement of the SAML assertion containing the Name of the Manager of the user.

Business Phone

Name of an attribute, of type xs:string or xs:any, from the attribute statement of the SAML assertion containing the Business Phone of the user.

Mobile Phone

Name of an attribute, of type xs:string or xs:any, from the attribute statement of the SAML assertion containing the Mobile Phone of the user.

Home Phone

Name of an attribute, of type xs:string or xs:any, from the attribute statement of the SAML assertion containing the Home Phone of the user.

Buttons

This section identifies the buttons displayed above and below the Single Sign-On Settings that let you perform various actions.

Update

Include Page
IL:Update button
IL:Update button

Refresh

Refreshes any dynamic data displayed in the Single Sign-On Settings.

Default Configuration

Upon initial start-up of Universal Controller, a default Single Sign-On Settings record is created and associated with the Universal Controller node by node id. The settings are specific to the Universal Controller node, as the SP Entity ID, Base URL, and File paths may differ between each Universal Controller node. See Single Sign-On Settings 794553148, above, for the default configuration.

Security

Single Sign-On Settings can be viewed only by users with the ops_admin role, regardless of Navigation Visibility; therefore, only users with the ops_admin role can update Single Sign-On Settings.

Bulk Import/Export

Any Single Sign-On Settings record in the database that has a corresponding Universal Controller node is exported to ops_single_sign_on.xml during the Bulk Export server operation.

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Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting

NameID

The SAML Subject NameID from the SAML assertion received from the Identity Provider correlates directly to the User ID field of a user record in the Universal Controller database.

  • If User Provisioning is off, the NameID must match with the User ID field of an existing user record in the Universal Controller database.
  • If User Provisioning is on, any provisioned user record will be assigned a User ID equivalent to the NameID.

Login Errors

Universal Controller Uninitialized

While the Universal Controller web application is initializing, the user login flow cannot proceed. Any users attempting to authenticate with SAML at this time receive the following error:
 
Universal Controller is being initialized. Please try again later.

User Account Not Found

Any SAML-authenticated user who cannot be linked to a user account in the Universal Controller database is prohibited from accessing the application and receives the following error:
 
User 'username' not synchronized with Universal Controller. Please check with your administrator.
 
Additionally, the uc.log will contain the following warning:
 
User 'username' authenticated by identity provider 'remote-entity-id' not synchronized with a Universal Controller account.

User Account Not Active

Any SAML-authenticated user linked to a Universal Controller user account that is not Active is prohibited from accessing the application and receives the following error:
 
User 'username' not synchronized with Universal Controller. Please check with your administrator.
 
Additionally, the uc.log will contain the following warning:
 
User 'username' authenticated by identity provider 'remote-entity-id' is synchronized with an inactive Universal Controller account.

Login Method

Any SAML authenticated user linked to a Universal Controller user account that is not designated to use Single Sign-On login method is prohibited from accessing the application and receives the following error:
 
User 'username' not synchronized with Universal Controller. Please check with your administrator.
 
Additionally, the uc.log will contain the following warning:
 
User 'username' authenticated by identity provider 'remote-entity-id' is not permitted to use Single Sign-On login method.

User Account Locked

Any SAML-authenticated user linked to a Universal Controller user account that is locked is prohibited from accessing the application and receives the following error:
 
User account 'username' is locked. Please check with your administrator.

No Web Browser Access

Any SAML-authenticated user linked to a Universal Controller user account designated with the Single Sign-On login method, but without Web Browser Access, is prohibited from accessing the application and receives the following error:
 
User 'username' not permitted to login through the web browser. Please check with your administrator.

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