The connections details page holds details of a connection to a partner or to a module.
To find the connection details page, go to the Settings folder, use the Connections icon to open up the Connections page, and select the connection from the list.
The connection uses the term "channel", because it is based on a lower-level channel component that is like a connection but without extensions to work in the portal environment.
The sections below provide an overview of the connection details page.
The connection has four tabs: Basic, Partner, Channel and Advanced.
Basic tab
The basic tab shows an Edit button to edit the connection.
In edit mode:
- You can change the name of the channel. This will also change the name of the associated Connection folder.
- Channel is active indicates whether the connection is active. If you want to disable the connection, deselect Channel is active. You can restore the connection later if required. This can be a better option than deleting a channel as it does not modify any tasks that have used the connection.
Use Save to save any changes.
The Basic tab also shows a list of tasks and folders that use the connection. The task or folder is termed the "process" in this list. There is also a process with the same name as the connection.
Click on the name in the Comms log column to see a comms log for the process. This will list incoming and outgoing messages.
Click on the timestamp of a message to see the detail of the message. In many cases, messages are sent in a signed form, and both the formatted and raw (signed) request and response are shown.
Signed messages are JSON Web Signatures (JWS) that encapsulate JSON Web Token (JWT) claims along with a data payload. These are validated against the public key from the partner to ensure that they come from the partner and that they have not been tampered with. Messages are encrypted in transit using HTTPS.
Partner tab
The partner tab shows details of the partner end of the connection.
If you have used the task wizard to initiate a connection and did not set the Allow partner to connect automatically flag (or if it has been reset), then the partner will need to return a connection file to you so that you can complete the connection. Upload the configuration file using the Upload partner configuration button on the partner tab.
Channel tab
The channel tab contains details of your end of the connection.
Use the Download configuration button to download these details as a file.
The display below the button provides manual instructions for the partner if you do not use a file. You are unlikely to need these.
The channel tab contains an Autoconnect indicator. If autoconnect is enabled, when the partner has loaded your configuration they can use the channel information to send you their configuration file automatically. To set this, use the Edit button on the Basic tab, go to the Channel tab, set the Autoconnect indicator and Save.
As a security feature, the autoconnect is turned off after it has been used (so that your connection can't be reconfigured remotely). You may need to set it manually if you need to re-establish the connection.
Advanced tab
The advanced tab shows advanced configuration for how the channel communicates and what logging should be applied.
The Send method and Receive method indicate whether messages should be sent in a signed form. Connections to different accounts should use signed messages because they provide a guarantee that they have been sent from the partner and not been tampered with. Module connections and Self connections should use unsigned methods which are more efficient.
Log creation controls what is logged and Log retention controls how long the logs are retained for. Connections to different accounts should generally use the default of logging incoming and outgoing calls and retaining the logs for 14 days. Module connections and Self connections can use less logging, though often it makes sense to keep logging on for a while after implementation to help troubleshoot any problems.
If you need to change any of these values, use the Edit button on the Basic tab, go to the Advanced tab, make your change and Save.