Problems logging in with authentication token.

Question

I have a test application which creates a room from Java. It generates the auth token as follows.
String roomName = "dynamically_created_room1";
        AccountManager collabAcctMngr = new AccountManager(CollaborationConstants.COLLABORATION_ACCT_URL);
        collabAcctMngr.login(CollaborationConstants.COLLABORATION_ACCT_ID,CollaborationConstants. COLLABORATION_ACCT_PASSWORD);
        collabAcctMngr.createRoom(roomName,true);//: Deletes the room on exit
        Session collabSession = collabAcctMngr.getSession(roomName);
        collabSession.secret = CollaborationConstants.COLLABORATION_ACCT_SHARED_SECRET;
        String token = collabSession.getAuthenticationToken(CollaborationConstants.COLLABORATION_ACCT_SHARED_SEC RET,
                "jeff-" + "-phelps","uid1",UserRoles.PUBLISHER);
        log.info("token = " + token);
The room is created fine.
I then run my flex CollaborationTest application
<s:WindowedApplication xmlns:fx="http://ns.adobe.com/mxml/2009"
                       xmlns:s="library://ns.adobe.com/flex/spark"
                       xmlns:rtc="http://ns.adobe.com/rtc"
                       xmlns:mx="library://ns.adobe.com/flex/mx">
    <fx:Declarations>
        <!-- Place non-visual elements (e.g., services, value objects) here -->
        <rtc:AdobeHSAuthenticator id="auth" userName="" password="" protocol="rtmfp" authenticationKey="{AUTH_KEY}"/>
        <rtc:RoomSettings id="roomSettings" autoPromote="true" guestsMustKnock="false"/>
    </fx:Declarations>
    <fx:Script>
        <![CDATA[
            public const COLLABORATION_ACCT_URL:String = "https://collaboration.adobelivecycle.com/endlessmind";
            public const AUTH_KEY:String ="exx=eDpqZWZmLS1waGVscHM6OmVuZGxlc3NtaW5kOnVpZDE6ZHluYW1pY2FsbHlfY3JlYXRlZF9yb29tMTo1MDo 0YTI4NmFjN2FkYzk4ZTI3YTZkNWYwMmVhYWE5ZTgwNzUwYjRiZjFl";
            private var testRoomURL:String = "https://collaboration.adobelivecycle.com/endlessmind/dynamically_created_room1";
            protected function button1_clickHandler(event:MouseEvent):void {
                cSession.roomURL = testRoomURL;
                cSession.login();
        ]]>
    </fx:Script>
    <mx:Panel title="Test the ability to log into a room with a authentication key">
        <s:Button label="PUSH TO LOGIN" click="button1_clickHandler(event)"/>
        <rtc:ConnectSessionContainer authenticator="{auth}" initialRoomSettings="{roomSettings}" id="cSession" width="100%"
                                     height="100%" autoLogin="false" >
        </rtc:ConnectSessionContainer>
    </mx:Panel>
</s:WindowedApplication>
When I push the button to login, I received the following exception
requestInfo https://collaboration.adobelivecycle.com/endlessmind/dynamically_created_room1?exx=eDpqZWZ mLS1waGVscHM6OmVuZGxlc3NtaW5kOnVpZDE6ZHluYW1pY2FsbHlfY3JlYXRlZF9yb29tMTo1MDo0YTI4NmFjN2FkY zk4ZTI3YTZkNWYwMmVhYWE5ZTgwNzUwYjRiZjFl&mode=xml&x=0.6030149115249515
11:51:46 GMT-0600    #THROWING ERROR# bad authentication key
Error: Invalid username or password:Login again
    at com.adobe.rtc.authentication::AbstractAuthenticator/onLoginFailure()[/Users/arun/Work/apo nnusa_theoden.corp.adobe.com_1666/depot/branches/connect/1104/cocomoPlayer10.1/src/com/ado be/rtc/authentication/AbstractAuthenticator.as:200]
    at com.adobe.rtc.authentication::AbstractAuthenticator/onAuthorizationFailure()[/Users/arun/ Work/aponnusa_theoden.corp.adobe.com_1666/depot/branches/connect/1104/cocomoPlayer10.1/src /com/adobe/rtc/authentication/AbstractAuthenticator.as:215]
    at com.adobe.rtc.session.sessionClasses::MeetingInfoService/onComplete()[/Users/arun/Work/ap onnusa_theoden.corp.adobe.com_1666/depot/branches/connect/1104/cocomoPlayer10.1/src/com/ad obe/rtc/session/sessionClasses/MeetingInfoService.as:331]
    at flash.events::EventDispatcher/dispatchEventFunction()
    at flash.events::EventDispatcher/dispatchEvent()
    at flash.net::URLLoader/onComplete()
Any help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
Jeff

Answer 1

Barry,
I am not sure I understand the problem.
The way external authentication works is the following:
- you create a room (or you reuse an existing room)
- you create a session token by calling AccountManager.getSession().
- that session token will be valid for the next "run" of that room.
- if you call AccountManager.getSession() again, you will get the same session token back (it's still valid). You can call AccountManager.invalidateSession() to make that session token invalid and give you a new one next time you call getSession()
- if a user enters the room the rooms becomes "active" and the session "countdown" starts (actually there is no session countdown. Your session token will be valid until current session ends).
- if a user exits the room, after a few minutes the room will become "inactive". At that point the session is considered terminated and the authentication session token is invalidated (deleted).
- if at this point a user tries to enter the room again with an old session token it will receive an error (cannot login)
I don't know how the behaviour you see matches this but here is a couple of suggestion:
- try to call getSession() every time you need a new authentication token. This is an overkill but if it works it may explain part of your problem (you cache session tokens and don't dispose them correctly when a room ends).
- if you are using external authentication and get a login error, go back to your server and get another authentication token (this may require calling getSession() to make sure you are getting a token for the current session).
Again, if everything was correct and you had full control of when rooms starts and end (i.e. you are monitoring the rooms via the server-to-server hooks) you should be able to create a session token once and reuse it until the room ends.