Enabling SSL Encryption for DSEFS

There are two parts to enabling SSL encryption for the DSE File System (DSEFS):

Node-to-node encryption
Client-to-node encryption

Enabling node-to-node encryption in DSE automatically enables encrypted communication between DSEFS nodes. DSE nodes with client-to-node encryption enabled allow SSL connections from the DSEFS shell.

Configuring the `DSEFS` shell to use SSL encryption

In most cases, you do not need to add any DSEFS shell settings to connect using SSL. If a ~/.dse/dsefs-shell.yaml configuration file cannot be found, DSEFS shell attempts to load server-side configuration and SSL settings from DSE configuration files.

To manually configure SSL, create and edit the DSEFS shell configuration file. The DSEFS shell is configured in the ~/.dse/dsefs-shell.yaml configuration file. Add the following settings to enable SSL encryption:

encryption_options:
  enabled: true
  optional: true
  truststore:
  truststore_type:
  truststore_password:
  keystore:
  keystore_type:
  keystore_password:
  protocol:
  algorithm:
  cipher_suites:
  require_endpoint_verification: false

The same settings can be given as dse fs command-line options, except keystore_password, truststore_password, and cipher_suites. If passwords are not given in the configuration file, password prompts occur at the DSEFS shell startup. The command line options override settings read from the configuration file.

If a non-optional secure connection is established, a [secure] flag appears in the prompt of the DSEFS shell.

enabled: Enables client-to-node encryption.

Default: false

optional: When optional is selected, both encrypted and unencrypted connections over native transport are allowed. That is a necessary transition state to facilitate enabling client to node encryption on live clusters without inducing an outage for existing unencrypted clients. Typically, once existing clients are migrated to encrypted connections, optional is unselected in order to enforce native transport encryption.

Default: false

truststore

Relative path from DSE installation directory or absolute path to truststore containing the trusted certificate for authenticating remote servers.

Truststore password and path is only required when require_client_auth is set to true.

Default: resources/dse/conf/.truststore

truststore_type

Valid types are JKS (default), JCEKS, or PKCS12. For file-based truststores, use PKCS12.

Due to an OpenSSL issue, PKCS12 truststores generated with OpenSSL can be incompatible with DSE.

For example, a truststore generated with the following command might not work with DSE:

openssl pkcs12 -export -nokeys -out truststore.pfx -in <intermediate.chain.pem>

However, if you generate a truststore with Java’s keytool, and then convert it to PKCS12, it will work with DSE. For example:

Create the truststore with keytool:

keytool -importcert -alias <rootca> -file <rootca.pem> -keystore <truststore.jks>

Import the intermediate certificate:

keytool -importcert -alias <intermediate> -file <intermediate.pem> -keystore <truststore.jks>

Convert the JKS truststore to PKCS12:

keytool -importkeystore -srckeystore <truststore.jks> -destkeystore <truststore.pfx> -deststoretype pkcs12

truststore_password

Password for the truststore. This must match the password used when generating the keystore and truststore.

Truststore password and path is only required when require_client_auth is set to true.

Default: cassandra

keystore_type

Valid types are JKS, JCEKS, PKCS11, or PKCS12. For file-based keystores, use PKCS12.

DataStax supports PKCS11 as a keystore_type on nodes with cassandra or advanced workloads. The advanced workload support was added for DSE 6.8.2 and later. If PKCS11 is needed, in server_encryption_options or client_encryption_options, specify the keystore_type as PKCS11 and the keystore as NONE.

PKCS11 is not supported as a truststore_type.

Default: JKS

keystore: Relative path from DSE installation directory or absolute path to the Java keystore (JKS) suitable for use with Java Secure Socket Extension (JSSE), which is the Java version of the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), and Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocols. The keystore contains the private key used to encrypt outgoing messages.

Default: resources/dse/conf/.keystore

keystore_password: Password for the keystore.

Default: cassandra

protocol: Default: TLS

algorithm: Default: SunX509

cipher_suites

Supported ciphers:

TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA
TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA
TLS_DHE_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA
TLS_DHE_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA
TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA
TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA Default: [TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA,TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA,TLS_DHE_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA,TLS_DHE_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA,TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA,TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA]

require_client_auth

Enables certificate authentication for client-to-node encryption.

true - Require certificate authentication for client-to-node encryption. Client certificates must be present on all nodes in the cluster.
false - Do not require certificate authentication for client-to-node encryption.

Default: false

Enabling SSL Encryption for DSEFS

Configuring the `DSEFS` shell to use SSL encryption

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Enabling SSL Encryption for DSEFS

Configuring the DSEFS shell to use SSL encryption

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Configuring the `DSEFS` shell to use SSL encryption