Home
Administering
This section describes how to plan for, install, configure, operate, and manage the SafeLinx Server.
Adding and configuring resources
After you complete the installation and initial configuration, continue to prepare the deployment by configuring other network resources.
Adding HTTP access services
Add one or more HTTP access services to provide secure access to internal applications for remote users who do not have the full HCL SafeLinx VPN client (SafeLinx Client) installed.
Client certificate authentication for HTTP access services
When a client initiates a TLS connection to an HTTP access service, client and server exchange data to negotiate the connection. As part of the negotiation, the HTTP access service always presents a certificate to assure the client that it is connected to the correct server. You can also configure the HTTP access service to require a client browser or application to present a certificate when it initiates the connection. Such mutual authentication protects against man-in-the-middle attacks by providing both participants with proof that they are communicating with the intended party. Client certificates can also be used to authenticate users or devices.

Administering
This section describes how to plan for, install, configure, operate, and manage the SafeLinx Server.
- Overview
  HCL SafeLinx uses standards-based protocols to enable secure access from mobile computing devices outside the firewall to business applications and data on your organization's internal network.
- Security
  HCL SafeLinx includes a range of options for configuring the security of your network, applications, and data.
- Installation planning
  Before you install HCL SafeLinx, verify that you meet the hardware and software requirements, and that the network connections that you want to use are available.
- Roadmaps: Installing and setting up SafeLinx
  The following "roadmap" topics guide you through installing and initially configuring SafeLinx. Refer to the topic that corresponds to your relational database and server operating system.
- Installing and initial configuration
  Initial configuration and installation of HCL SafeLinx varies based on your operating system and relational database.
- Adding a secure login profile
  By default, the SafeLinx Administrator communicates with the access manager over an unencrypted connection. If you want the connection between the SafeLinx Administrator and the access manager to use transport layer security (TLS) protocols, add a secure login profile to the SafeLinx Administrator.
- Adding and configuring resources
  After you complete the installation and initial configuration, continue to prepare the deployment by configuring other network resources.
  - Types of resources
    Before a deployment can support client connections, you must add components to the SafeLinx Server. You use the SafeLinx Administrator to add and configure components. These components include resources to support HTTP access services, mobile access services, and messaging services, and resources to establish security and facilitate administration.
  - Defining a SafeLinx Server by using the SafeLinx Administrator
    Before you can define a SafeLinx Server, you must configure the access manager. If you connect to a SafeLinx Server and its access manager is not yet configured, a wizard leads you through the access manager configuration first. After that process completes, you can configure the SafeLinx Server.
  - Configuring a directory server
    You can configure the SafeLinx Server to retrieve user profile information from an external LDAP server. The directory server that you configure also provides information about how to contact other directory server services. After you configure a directory server, you can assign it to an LDAP-bind authentication profile to authenticate clients when they log in.
  - Securing communications between the SafeLinx Server and other nodes
    The SafeLinx Server and the services that it hosts exchange data with clients on the external network and with different types of servers on the internal network. To ensure the privacy of these communications, you can use TLS protocols to encrypt connections between the SafeLinx Server and other nodes.
  - Adding HTTP access services
    Add one or more HTTP access services to provide secure access to internal applications for remote users who do not have the full HCL SafeLinx VPN client (SafeLinx Client) installed.
    - Consolidation of multiple HTTP access services under one IP address
      The HTTP listener now supports configuring multiple HTTP services, each with its own service URL, to use the same IP address and port.
    - Configuring HTTP access: Single URL
      HTTP Access Services provide load balancing and failover for multiple application servers, and different applications over the same service definition (or TCP listen port).
    - URL rewriting for HTTP access services
      By default, when you click a link in a mobile application that connects through HTTP access services, the link opens only if it points to content in the same application. To enable mobile applications such as HCL Connections, iNotes®, and others to render content from links to other internal sites, you can configure the HTTP access service to allow URL rewriting.
    - Adding an application server pool
      Create an application server pool to define a collection of one or more HCL Traveler high-availability clusters. Each cluster can contain multiple Traveler servers. Using an application server pool, you can manage your Traveler clusters as a single entity and balance the load across servers. After you add an application server pool, you assign it to an HTTP access service.
    - Enabling LDAP lookups to determine a user's Traveler server
      HCL SafeLinx manages incoming connection requests from Traveler clients, directing the request to an available Traveler server. With SafeLinx, you can configure the HTTP access service to connect users to a Traveler server specified by an attribute in the user's LDAP record.
    - Specifying path prefixes to identify Traveler requests
      You can configure SafeLinx to recognize one or more path prefixes that are associated with HCL Traveler servers.
    - iNotes® attachment blocking
      To reduce the risk of unauthorized access to confidential information, you can configure SafeLinx to restrict external users from sending or receiving attachments.
    - Configuring SAML authentication
      You can configure HTTP access services such as HCL Nomad to use Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) authentication rather than LDAP authentication or local authentication.
    - Client certificate authentication for HTTP access services
      When a client initiates a TLS connection to an HTTP access service, client and server exchange data to negotiate the connection. As part of the negotiation, the HTTP access service always presents a certificate to assure the client that it is connected to the correct server. You can also configure the HTTP access service to require a client browser or application to present a certificate when it initiates the connection. Such mutual authentication protects against man-in-the-middle attacks by providing both participants with proof that they are communicating with the intended party. Client certificates can also be used to authenticate users or devices.
      - Certificate-only authentication for HTTP access services
        With HCL SafeLinx, you can enable certificate-only authentication for the HTTP access service. Under certificate-only authentication, the HTTP access service verifies a user's identity automatically by validating the client's X.509 certificate against the keystore. Users are not required to supply passwords.
      - Configuring certificate-only authentication for HTTP access services
        You can configure the HTTP access service to accept client X.509 certificates in place of name and password credentials to authenticate mobile users.
    - Enabling authentication chaining between RADIUS and LDAP for HTTP access services
      With HCL SafeLinx, RADIUS authentication profiles that are used by HTTP access services can be linked to existing LDAP authentication profiles. Enabling this type of authentication chaining allows SafeLinx to verify a user's LDAP credentials before it processes the RADIUS authentication. You can specify the LDAP user ID attribute that you want SafeLinx to use in generating LTPA tokens for single sign-on. RADIUS to LDAP authentication chaining is supported for HTTP access services only.
    - Integration with mobile device management (MDM) systems
      With HCL SafeLinx, you can integrate an MDM system with authentication profiles that support HTTP access services. Through the integration, you can enable secondary authentication for mobile devices through an MDM server. The SafeLinx gateway prevents devices that do not comply with MDM policies from connecting to internal resources. SafeLinx currently supports integration with IBM MaaS360.
    - Creating custom login pages
      You can build customized login and logout pages to challenge users to submit their credentials and to display after users end their sessions.
  - Configuring an HCL Nomad server
    You can configure a SafeLinx as an HCL Nomad server that acts as a proxy for HCL Nomad clients.
  - Adding authentication profiles
    Add an authentication profile to specify how HCL SafeLinx authenticates users before it permits access to application servers. SafeLinx supports the following authentication methods: LDAP-bind, RADIUS, and certificate-based.
  - Adding a mobile access service
    If there is no mobile access service configured for the SafeLinx Server, you can add one.
  - Adding messaging services
    Add messaging services to the SafeLinx Server to enable applications to send messages to messaging clients, such as a pager or a phone, over mobile wireless networks. Messaging services include support for short message service (SMS) delivery, and mobile-originated message delivery.
  - Adding users
    If your SafeLinx deployment does not use an external LDAP or RADIUS authentication server, use SafeLinx Administrator to create user accounts. You can add users individually or in a batch mode.
- Administering
  The SafeLinx Administrator administration client is the primary tool for viewing, adding, configuring, and managing HCL SafeLinx resources. Along with the SafeLinx Administrator, you can use the HCL SafeLinx Monitor to view information about packet flow through the SafeLinx Server. You can also use a set of command line tools to perform common SafeLinx Server tasks.
- Programming reference
  There are several programming considerations of which you might want to take advantage.
- Database schema information
  HCL SafeLinx uses a DB2, Oracle, MySQL, or SQL database to store tables of information about current and past activity of SafeLinx Server sessions. The following tables are created and accessed by using the qualifier name wg for DB2 installations.
- Step by step: Nomad configuration
  Here are step-by-step instructions that serve as an example of how to install and configure HCL SafeLinx for Nomad on MySQL on Linux.

Client certificate authentication for HTTP access services

When a client initiates a TLS connection to an HTTP access service, client and server exchange data to negotiate the connection. As part of the negotiation, the HTTP access service always presents a certificate to assure the client that it is connected to the correct server. You can also configure the HTTP access service to require a client browser or application to present a certificate when it initiates the connection. Such mutual authentication protects against man-in-the-middle attacks by providing both participants with proof that they are communicating with the intended party. Client certificates can also be used to authenticate users or devices.

After a secure client connection is established, the HTTP access service can use information in the client certificate to authenticate a user. The service can compare specific attributes in the certificate subject key with similar attributes in the user account record.

Certificate authentication can be used in combination with password authentication, or in place of password authentication.

Rate this topic

5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star

Comment on this topic.

By clicking this box, you acknowledge that you are NOT a U.S. Federal Government employee or agency, nor are you submitting information with respect to or on behalf of one. HCL provides software and services to U.S. Federal Government customers through its partners immixGroup, Inc. Contact this team at https://hcltechsw.com/resources/us-government-contact. Do not include any personal data in this Comment box. Note: To report a problem or question about the product software, do not use this form. Instead, go to the HCL Software Support site.