Using a self generated key to test java ssl app.

Question

i'm working on a very simple server that uses ssl (in netbeans) - to test it i've created a certificate following the instructions here: http://java.sun.com/javaee/5/docs/tutorial/doc/bnbxw.html

java-home\bin\keytool -genkey -alias server-alias-keyalg RSA -keypass changeit -storepass changeit -keystore keystore.jks

java-home\bin\keytool -export -alias server-alias -storepass changeit -file server.cer -keystore keystore.jks

java-home\bin\keytool -import -v -trustcacerts -alias server-alias -file server.cer -keystore cacerts.jks -keypass changeit -storepass changeit

Now to get a simple echo server using ssl going, i'vre tried a variety of code: all of which throw lots of exceptions - one example is below:

try {
            System.setProperty("javax.net.ssl.keyStore", "cacerts.jks");
            System.setProperty("javax.net.ssl.keyStorePassword", "changeit");

            SSLServerSocketFactory ssf = (SSLServerSocketFactory) SSLServerSocketFactory.getDefault();

            ServerSocket ss = ssf.createServerSocket(5432);
        } catch (Exception e {
            e.printStackTrace();
        }

Is this the best way to be doing this?

The java page mentions this:

You must enter the server name in response to keytool’s first prompt, in which it asks for first and last names. For testing purposes, this can be localhost.

When you run the example applications, the host specified in the keystore must match the host identified in the javaee.server.name property specified in the file tut-install/javaeetutorial5/examples/bp-project/build.properties.

How do i apply this to code im building (and running) in the netbeans ide?

UPDATE: it throws the following errors

java.net.SocketException: java.security.NoSuchAlgorithmException: Error constructing implementation (algorithm: Default, provider: SunJSSE, class: com.sun.net.ssl.internal.ssl.DefaultSSLContextImpl)
        at javax.net.ssl.DefaultSSLServerSocketFactory.throwException(SSLServerSocketFactory.java:142)
        at javax.net.ssl.DefaultSSLServerSocketFactory.createServerSocket(SSLServerSocketFactory.java:149)
        at MainClass.main(MainClass.java:23)
Caused by: java.security.NoSuchAlgorithmException: Error constructing implementation (algorithm: Default, provider: SunJSSE, class: com.sun.net.ssl.internal.ssl.DefaultSSLContextImpl)
        at java.security.Provider$Service.newInstance(Provider.java:1245)
        at sun.security.jca.GetInstance.getInstance(GetInstance.java:220)
        at sun.security.jca.GetInstance.getInstance(GetInstance.java:147)
        at javax.net.ssl.SSLContext.getInstance(SSLContext.java:125)
        at javax.net.ssl.SSLContext.getDefault(SSLContext.java:68)
        at javax.net.ssl.SSLServerSocketFactory.getDefault(SSLServerSocketFactory.java:96)
        at MainClass.main(MainClass.java:21)
Caused by: java.security.PrivilegedActionException: java.io.FileNotFoundException: cacerts.jks (The system cannot find the file specified)
        at java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(Native Method)
        at com.sun.net.ssl.internal.ssl.DefaultSSLContextImpl.getDefaultKeyManager(DefaultSSLContextImpl.java:120)
        at com.sun.net.ssl.internal.ssl.DefaultSSLContextImpl.<init>(DefaultSSLContextImpl.java:40)
        at sun.reflect.NativeConstructorAccessorImpl.newInstance0(Native Method)
        at sun.reflect.NativeConstructorAccessorImpl.newInstance(NativeConstructorAccessorImpl.java:39)
        at sun.reflect.DelegatingConstructorAccessorImpl.newInstance(DelegatingConstructorAccessorImpl.java:27)
        at java.lang.reflect.Constructor.newInstance(Constructor.java:513)
        at java.lang.Class.newInstance0(Class.java:355)
        at java.lang.Class.newInstance(Class.java:308)
        at java.security.Provider$Service.newInstance(Provider.java:1221)
        ... 6 more
Caused by: java.io.FileNotFoundException: cacerts.jks (The system cannot find the file specified)
        at java.io.FileInputStream.open(Native Method)
        at java.io.FileInputStream.<init>(FileInputStream.java:106)
        at java.io.FileInputStream.<init>(FileInputStream.java:66)
        at com.sun.net.ssl.internal.ssl.DefaultSSLContextImpl$2.run(DefaultSSLContextImpl.java:123)
        at com.sun.net.ssl.internal.ssl.DefaultSSLContextImpl$2.run(DefaultSSLContextImpl.java:121)
        ... 16 more

many thanks

Answer 1

If you used 'localhost' as the hostname in the self-signed certificate, then HTTPS will only work when you send requests to your server using 'localhost' as the domain name for the request.

EDIT : based on the exception, I'd say that the real problem may be that your keystore file is not in the location that the JVM expects it to be. Try using an absolute pathname in the system property that gives the location.