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TLS use cases

Your users will connect to the Abiquo UI over HTTPS with TLS.

You can run Abiquo over HTTP to communicate between its appliances when its internal connections are inside using HTTP for internal connections between servers within the same infrastructure/datacenter network.

However, your users will usually connect over HTTPS.

And if you want users to be able to When users upload or download templates, then this requires they need a direct connection to the Appliance Manager remote service, which and this connection must be made with HTTPS. (Note that TLS with TLS.

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When the Abiquo remote services will connect to the Abiquo Server over the internet, these communications should also use TLS.

See Configure Abiquo Tomcat with HTTPS for Remote RS.

The following sections summarize how the certificates are configured in Abiquo.

Abiquo UI

The Apache web server (HTTPD) uses the certificate for the Abiquo User Interface on the Abiquo API/UI or UI server.

On the API/UI server, the certificate files would typically be found

{"diagramDefinition":"flowchart LR\nA--HTTP-->P(RemoteServices)\nsubgraph Abiquo Platform \n    A\n    P\nend\nX(Cloud User)<--HTTPS-->P\nX(Cloud User)--HTTPS-->A(Abiquo Server)\nY(Remote RS)--HTTPS-->A\nX(Cloud User)<--HTTPS-->Y\n        style A fill:#ec9032,stroke:#666,stroke-width:2px,color:#fff\n        style P fill:#ec9032,stroke:#666,stroke-width:2px,color:#fff\n        style Y fill:#ec9032,stroke:#666,stroke-width:2px,color:#fff"}

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Create a self-signed certificate for a test environment

The commands to create a self-signed certificate may vary depending on the version of OpenSSL you are using.

Here are some guides:

• https://devopscube.com/create-self-signed-certificates-openssl/

• https://www.brainbytez.nl/tutorials/linux-tutorials/create-a-self-signed-wildcard-ssl-certificate-openssl/

  • The important step to create a wildcard certificate is to add the subjectAltName for DNS as a required extension for your domain, for example, for the domain example.com subjectAltName=DNS:*.example.com

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Abiquo UI certificates

The API server OVA has a default self-signed certificate called abiquo.crt that you can find in this folder /etc/pki/tls/certs.You configure this

The Apache web server (HTTPD) uses the certificate for the Apache Web Server in the /etc/httpd/conf.d/abiquo.conf file, which contains the configuration for the Abiquo website/VirtualHostAbiquo User Interface (UI) on the Abiquo server. This certificate is in the default cacerts repository.

To quickly check this the certificate in the cacerts keystore, use the following command, with the default changeit password for a test system.

[root@abicloud ~]# keytool -list -keystore /usr/java/default/jre/lib/security/cacerts -alias abicloud.example.com{$SERVER_FQDN}
Enter keystore password:  
abicloud.example.com, Dec 11, 2022, trustedCertEntry,
Certificate fingerprint (SHA1): AA:AA:AA:AA:AA:AA:AA:AA:AA:AA:AA:AA:AA:AA:AA:AA:AA:AA:AA:AA

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Remote RS

If you have remote datacenters that will communicate over the internet, or require extra security on the application layer, and more secure communications over and above using firewalls at both ends, you can secure connections for the remote services in remote sites (remote RS servers) by implementing TLS over HTTP, and configure the Catalina connector for Tomcat to use TLS/HTTPS.

You will also need to import the remote RS certificate into the Java keystores of the API/UI servers so the API/UI can connect via HTTPS to the RS.

To quickly check this certificate, for example, on the API server, use the following command.

[root@abicloud ~]# keytool -list -keystore /usr/java/default/jre/lib/security/cacerts -alias remoters.example.com
Enter keystore password:  
remoters.example.com, Dec 12, 2019, trustedCertEntry,
Certificate fingerprint (SHA1): AA:AA:AA:AA:AA:AA:AA:AA:AA:AA:AA:AA:AA:AA:AA:AA:AA:AA:AA:AA

Adding Remote RS with TLS in Abiquo

Generally, under this configuration, the following remote services should be added to Abiquo:

• Appliance manager from the API/UI server on port 443/tcp with the connector defined on the UI server

• Business process manager from remote V2V server on port 8010/tcp

• Other remote services from the remote RS server on port 8009/tcp

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To check the certificate for the Apache Web Server:

1. Log in the Abiquo server (with the Abiquo UI)

2. Edit the /etc/httpd/conf.d/abiquo.conf file, which contains the configuration for the Abiquo website VirtualHost.

3. Check the configuration at the end of this file, which by default should be as follows.

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  SSLCertificateFile /etc/pki/tls/certs/abiquo.crt
  SSLCertificateKeyFile /etc/pki/tls/private/abiquo.key
</VirtualHost>

For a test system, you can use this certificate or you can replace it with your own self-signed certificate, which can be a wildcard certificate for your whole test environment.

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Configure TLS for remote services

To use TLS between the API and remote services, configure the following certificates:

• API server cacerts → RS certificate

• RS server .jks keystore → RS certificate and API certificate

This section describes this configuration.

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1. Add certificates to the Java keystore on the Remote services server

Add Remote services and Abiquo Server certificates to the Java keystore on the Remote services server.

1. Log in to the Remote services server

2. Go to the /etc/pki/tls/ folder

3. Copy your self-signed certificate(s) to the certs folder and your private key to the private folder

4. Convert the remote RS cert to PCKS12 format, using the domain name of your Remote services server.

   Code Block
   openssl pkcs12 -export -in ${DOMAIN}.crt -inkey ${DOMAIN}.key -name ${REMOTE_SERVICES_FQDN} -out import_cert_key_rs

5. Convert the Abiquo Server cert to PCKS12 format, using the domain name of your Abiquo Server.

   Code Block
   openssl pkcs12 -export -in ${DOMAIN}.crt -inkey ${DOMAIN}.key -name {$ABIQUO_SERVER_FQDN} -out import_cert_key_server

6. Go the /opt/abiquo/tomcat/conf folder

7. Create a .jks keystore using the following command. Replace ${REMOTE_SERVICES} with the hostname of your Remote services server

   Code Block
   keytool -genkey -keyalg RSA -keystore ${REMOTE_SERVICES}.jks -keysize 2048

8. Import the Remote services certificate into the RS keystore.

   Code Block
   keytool -importkeystore -deststorepass changeit -destkeystore ${REMOTE_SERVICES}.jks -srckeystore /etc/pki/tls/certs/import_cert_key_rs -srcstoretype PKCS12

9. Import the Server certificate into the RS keystore.

   Code Block
   keytool -importkeystore -deststorepass changeit -destkeystore ${REMOTE_SERVICES}.jks -srckeystore /etc/pki/tls/certs/import_cert_key_server -srcstoretype PKCS12

Now you should be able to check these certificates with the list command, for example, for a remote services server with a host name of remoters:

keytool -v -list -keystore /opt/abiquo/tomcat/conf/remoters.jks

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2. Change the Tomcat connector on the Remote services to use TLS

To change the Tomcat connector on the Remote services server to use TLS, do these steps.

1. Log in to the Remote services server

2. Edit the Tomcat server configuration file at:

   Code Block
   /opt/abiquo/tomcat/conf/server.xml

3. Remove the Catalina Connector for port 8009

4. Replace it with a new Connector like the following one.
   This example is a guide only, use the correct file for your version of Tomcat. Abiquo 6.1 uses Tomcat 9.

   Code Block
   <Service name="Catalina"> <Connector protocol="org.apache.coyote.http11.Http11NioProtocol" port="8009" maxThreads="200" scheme="https" secure="true" SSLEnabled="true" keystoreFile="/opt/abiquo/tomcat/conf/${REMOTE_SERVICES}.jks" keystorePass="changeit" keyAlias="${REMOTE_SERVICES_FQDN}" clientAuth="false" secretrequired="false" sslProtocol="TLS"/>

   The important values to change are:

   • keystoreFile - e.g. use the host name of your remote RS server

   • keystorePass - use a secure password

   • keyAlias - you must use the domain name of your remote RS server

   Also configure the other parameters according to your environment.

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3. Add your certificate to cacerts on the Abiquo server

If you are using a separate certificate for the Remote services server, or a wildcard certificate, add it to cacerts on the Abiquo server.

1. Log in to the Abiquo server as an administrator

2. Go to the /etc/pki/tls/ folder

3. Copy the new certificate to the certs folder.

4. Copy the new private key to the private folder

5. Import the certificate into the default cacerts keystore with the name of the Remote services server. For example, for a Remote services server:

   Code Block
   keytool -import -trustcacerts -alias ${REMOTE_SERVICES_FQDN} -file /etc/pki/tls/certs/${REMOTE_SERVICES}.crt

6. If you created a self-signed certificate with your own certificate authority, also import the CA certificate into cacerts

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4. Replace the Abiquo certificate for the UI on the Abiquo server - optional

To use a wildcard certificate for Abiquo server and Remote services server, or a different self-signed certificate on Abiquo server, then you should replace the default Abiquo certificate.

To replace the Abiquo certificate with your own certificate:

1. Delete the default Abiquo certificate from cacerts

   Code Block
   keytool -delete -alias ${ABIQUO_FQDN} -cacerts

2. Edit the /etc/httpd/conf.d/abiquo.conf file, which contains the configuration for the Abiquo website VirtualHost.

3. Change the configuration at the end of this file to point to your new certificate and key. For example, for a key file called mycert.key

   Code Block
   ... SSLCertificateFile /etc/pki/tls/certs/mycert.crt SSLCertificateKeyFile /etc/pki/tls/private/mycert.key </VirtualHost>

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5. Enable SSL proxy for Apache

For AM connections from users to Remote services to work with TLS (for template upload and download), enable SSL proxy for Apache.

1. Log in to the Abiquo server as an administrator.

2. Edit the Apache configuration at /etc/httpd/conf.d/abiquo.conf

3. In the Apache virtual host configuration, add the following.

   Code Block
   ####APACHE SSL PROXY########## SSLProxyEngine On SSLProxyVerify none SSLProxyCheckPeerCN off SSLProxyCheckPeerName off SSLProxyCheckPeerExpire off ##############################

4. Save the file

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6. Apply and verify your configuration

Now that you have finished the configuration of your certificates

1. On the Abiquo Server and the Remote Services servers, restart the Tomcat service.

   Code Block
   systemctld restart abiquo-tomcat.service

2. If you are using a self-signed certificate in a test environment, accept the remote RS certificates with these steps.

   1. In your browser, open a connection to the remote RS server using the port. In our example, this would be: https://remoters.bcn.abiquo.com:8009/

   2. On the certificate warning, go to Advanced and accept the risk.

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V2V server

You can repeat the TLS configuration for your V2V server. Optionally, change the port to 8010.

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Next steps

Now you can go back and continue with the next steps of https://abiquo.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/doc/pages/546308109/Deploy+distributed+scalable+remote+services#Validating-the-remote-services-and-V2V-services-install, which includes following the Quick tutorial to add a datacenter and launch a VM.

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