Sun Java System Application Server Platform Edition 8.1 2005Q2 Update 2 Developer's Guide

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# Defining Roles

You define roles in the J2EE deployment descriptor file, `web.xml`, and the corresponding role mappings in the Application Server deployment descriptor file, `sun-application.xml` (or `sun-web.xml` for individually deployed web modules).

For more information regarding `web.xml` elements, see Chapter 13, “Deployment Descriptor,” of the Java Servlet Specification, v2.4. For more information regarding `sun-web.xml` and `sun-application.xml` elements, see Appendix A, Deployment Descriptor Files.

Each `security-role-mapping` element in the `sun-application.xml` or `sun-web.xml` file maps a role name permitted by the web application to principals and groups. For example, a `sun-web.xml` file for an individually deployed web module might contain the following:

    <sun-web-app>
        <security-role-mapping>
            <role-name>manager</role-name>
            <principal-name>jgarcia</principal-name>
            <principal-name>mwebster</principal-name>
            <group-name>team-leads</group-name>
        </security-role-mapping>
        <security-role-mapping>
            <role-name>administrator</role-name>
            <principal-name>dsmith</principal-name>
        </security-role-mapping>
    </sun-web-app>

Note that the `role-name` in this example must match the `role-name` in the `security-role` element of the corresponding `web.xml` file.

Note that for J2EE applications (EAR files), all security role mappings for the application modules must be specified in the `sun-application.xml` file. For individually deployed web modules, the roles are always specified in the `sun-web.xml` file. A role can be mapped to either specific principals or to groups (or both). The principal or group names used must be valid principals or groups in the current default realm.

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