3.2 Accelerating the Traditional Novell SSL VPN

NOTE:If you have installed the ESP-enabled Novell SSL VPN, skip this section and make sure that you have completed Section 3.1, Configuring Authentication for the ESP-Enabled Novell SSL VPN.

If you have installed the traditional Novell SSL VPN, this is a mandatory configuration in order to accelerate the SSL VPN server.

3.2.1 Configuring the Default Identity Injection Policy

The SSL VPN server requires a user credential profile consisting of the following elements:

  • Username and password information

  • A proxy session cookie

  • The roles assigned to the current user for authentication information

Each element added to the custom header requires a name with an “X-” prefix. The name you enter is specific to the application using the custom header, and might be case sensitive. You need to obtain this information from the application before creating the custom header. The Access Gateway injects these headers into the SSL VPN server.

The SSL VPN server requires the following three headers:

  • Authentication header containing the credential profile with a username and password

  • Custom header containing a proxy session cookie element named X-SSLVPN-PROXY-SESSION-COOKIE

  • Custom header containing roles for current user element, named X-SSLVPN-ROLE

You can configure Access Gateway to inject the client IP address as a custom header along with the other three headers. This custom header should be named X-SSLVPN-CLIENTIP. This enables logging of the client IP address for SSL VPN. This is an optional configuration and is not enabled by default. If it is not enabled, the SSL VPN server reports it to the Audit server as a connection accepted from Unknown Host.

To add this header to the SSL VPN policy:

  1. In the Administration Console, click Devices > Access Gateways > Policies.

  2. (Conditional) If you have not created the SSL VPN default policy, click Create SSL VPN Default. Then click Apply Changes.

  3. In the list of policies, click SSLVPN Default > 1.

  4. In the Actions section, click New, then select Inject into Custom Header.

  5. Fill in the following values:

    Custom Header Name: Specify X-SSLVPN-CLIENTIP.

    Value: Select Client IP.

  6. Click OK twice.

  7. Click Apply Changes.

3.2.2 Injecting the SSL VPN Header

The example in this section explains how to accelerate SSL VPN server in a path-based multi-homing configuration.

Before you begin, make sure you have already created a proxy service and an authentication procedure. For more information on creating a proxy service and authentication procedure, see Configuring a Reverse Proxy in the Novell Access Manager 3.1 SP2 Setup Guide.

  1. In the Administration Console, click Devices > Access Gateways > Edit > [Name of Reverse Proxy].

  2. In the Proxy Service List section, click New.

  3. Fill in the following fields:

    Proxy Service Name: Specify a name for the proxy service.

    Multi-Homing Type: Specify the method for finding a second resource on the reverse proxy. For this example configuration, Path-Based has been selected.

    Published DNS Name: This field is populated by default with the published DNS name.

    Path: Specify the path to the SSL VPN resource. This must be /sslvpn.

    Web Server IP Address: Specify the public IP address of the SSL VPN server.

    NOTE:If the SSL VPN server and the Linux Access Gateway are installed on the same machine, you must configure the loopback IP address 127.0.0.1 as the Web Server IP address. For more information on configuring the loopback IP address, see Configuration Changes to the SSL VPN Server Installed with the Access Gateway Appliance in the Novell Access Manager 3.1 SP2 Installation Guide.

    Host Header: Select which hostname is forwarded to the Web server in the host header. If your SSL VPN server has a DNS name, select Web Server Host Name.

    Web Server Host Name: Specify the DNS name of the SSL VPN server.

  4. Click OK.

  5. To configure the default Identity Injection policy and protected resources, click the newly added proxy service.

  6. In the Path List section, make sure the Path is /sslvpn.

  7. In the Path List section, select the /sslvpn check box, then click Enable SSL VPN.

  8. Fill in the following fields:

    Policy Container: Select a policy container from the list.

    Policy: Select Create SSL VPN Default Policy from the drop-down list. A policy pop-up appears. Click Apply Changes in the pop-up, then click Close.

    The default SSL VPN policy injects both the username and password in the authentication header. If you do not want the password to be pushed to the authentication header, configure a policy with a username and a string constant. For more information on configuring policies, see Creating Identity Injection Policies in the Novell Access Manager 3.1 SP2 Policy Guide.

    You can also configure the SSL VPN policy to inject the client IP address, so that the IP address can then be included in log entries. For more information, see Section 3.2.1, Configuring the Default Identity Injection Policy.

    Name: Select Create SSL VPN Default Protected Resource from the drop-down list.

  9. Click OK to close the Enable SSL VPN pop-up.

  10. Click the Web Servers tab.

  11. Specify 8080 in the Connect Port field, then click OK.

  12. In the Proxy Service List section, click the name of the parent proxy service of the newly created SSL VPN proxy service. This host does not have a multi-homing value.

  13. Select the Protected Resources tab.

  14. Select SSLVPN_Default from Protected Resources List.

  15. Select an authentication contract from the Authentication Procedure drop-down list.

    The user is assigned the timeout value of the contract used for authentication, and not the default timeout value.

  16. In the URL Path List section, ensure that the URL is /sslvpn/*.

    IMPORTANT:Make sure that you configure the URL as given above. Any variation leads to the failure of SSL VPN service.

  17. Click Configuration Panel, then click OK.

  18. On the Configuration page, click OK.

  19. On the Access Gateways page, click Update.

  20. To update the Identity Server, click Identity Servers > Update.

  21. Click Close.

  22. (Optional) If you have not already configured the SSL VPN server details, proceed with Section 3.3, Configuring the IP Address, Port, and Network Address Translation (NAT).