This post has been republished via RSS; it originally appeared at: Azure Database Support Blog articles.
Today, we encountered an interesting case while obtaining the Azure Active Directory token using ActiveDirectoryPassword authentication using the latest version of MSAL in Java. Finally, the issue was resolved by opening the port 443 and the necessary endpoints to obtain the Azure Active Directory token. Following, I would like to share the lessons learned of this troubleshooting.
One thing that we need to know is how Azure Active Directory works to obtain the token, it is important, because in multiple cases, the issue is not related with Azure SQL Database it is more issues regarding the Azure Active Directory validation process.
Azure Active Directory (AAD) authentication using Password follows a specific workflow to obtain an access token. Here are the general steps involved in the authentication flow:
1. The client application sends an authentication request to the Azure Active Directory login endpoint (login.microsoftonline.com).
2. The request includes the client ID (client ID) of the application and the requested scope, which represents the resources it wants to access.
3. The user provides their login credentials, such as username and password, through a login form.
4. The Azure Active Directory authentication server validates the user's credentials and checks if the application has permission to access the requested resources.
5. If the credentials are valid and the application has the necessary permissions, an access token is issued to the client.
6. The client receives the access token and uses it to make requests to the protected resources. The access token needs to be included in the Authorization header of the HTTP requests as a Bearer token.
7. The resource server (e.g., Azure SQL Database) verifies the validity and signature of the access token to allow or deny access to the protected resources.
It's important to note that the authentication flow may vary depending on the type of application, programming language, and the library used to interact with Azure Active Directory. However, the general steps mentioned above follow the standard flow of Azure AD authentication using Password.
So, in this situation, our first troubleshooting steps were:
The error "com.microsoft.aad.adal4j.AcquireTokenCallable failed" refers to an issue related to the ADAL (Azure Active Directory Authentication Library) for Java. This error occurs when the ADAL library fails to acquire an Azure Active Directory (AAD) authentication token successfully.
There are several possible causes for this error and different solutions that can be tried:
1. Verify credentials: Ensure that the credentials provided for Azure Active Directory authentication are correct. This includes verifying the username and password used for authentication with AzureActivePassword.
2. Check application permissions: Make sure that the application registered in Azure Active Directory has the necessary permissions to perform authentication. Verify if the application has the required permissions to access the required resources.
3. Verify network configuration: Ensure that the application can communicate properly with Azure Active Directory services. Check network connectivity and ensure that there are no firewall restrictions or network issues that may interfere with the communication.
4. Update ADAL library version: If you are using an older version of the ADAL library, you may be encountering a known issue that has been fixed in newer versions. Try updating the ADAL library version and check if the issue persists.
5. Review error logs: Examine error logs and traces for more details about the specific error. This may provide additional information about the cause of the problem and help identify the appropriate solution.
After it, checking the following ports and endpoints that were blocked by the firewall following the URL: Additional Endpoints Required for AAD Authentication and CRL Checks for Azure SQL DB - Microsoft Community Hub, everything works well as expected.