Services fail to start due to certificate extension validation errors with Authentication Manager 8.x and later
22 days ago
Originally Published: 2026-05-26
Article Number
000073944
Applies To

Authentication Manager 8.8 and later

Issue

Services other than the RSA Database Server (such as WebLogic Managed Servers: biztier, console, radius, etc.) may fail to start. The following errors may appear in the logs:

javax.net.ssl.SSLHandshakeException:
sun.security.validator.ValidatorException:
... does not permit use for SSL server

Additionally, Managed Servers may fail to connect to the Administration Server, with messages such as:

Could not register with the Administration Server
The Administration Server could not be reached

Cause

This issue is caused by improper or inconsistent certificate extensions (usage attributes) in the TLS server certificate used by Authentication Manager.

Typical contributing factors include:

  • The certificate does not clearly define its intended use as a TLS server certificate
  • Required extensions (such as Extended Key Usage) are missing or incorrectly configured
  • Legacy or non-standard extensions conflict with modern certificate validation rules

In Authentication Manager 8.8, the underlying TLS and certificate validation behavior has become stricter. As a result, certificates with ambiguous or improper usage definitions may be rejected during the TLS handshake process. When the TLS handshake fails, Managed Servers cannot communicate with the Administration Server, causing service startup failures.

Resolution

Reissue the Server Certificate
Generate and deploy a new server certificate that meets modern requirements.

  • Explicitly define certificate usage through appropriate extensions
  • Avoid relying on legacy or non-standard extensions
  • Do not use default OpenSSL configurations without modification
  • Ensure required extensions are included at the time of certificate creation

Required configuration
Extended Key Usage:
    TLS Web Server Authentication (serverAuth)

Key Usage:
    Digital Signature, Key Encipherment

Subject Alternative Name (SAN):
    Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) of the server

Notes

This issue is not a software defect, but a result of certificate configuration. It may occur when upgrading from earlier versions where certificate validation was less strict. Adjusting java.security settings or relaxing TLS constraints does not resolve this issue in most cases.