IBM FileNet integration

ARender integrates with IBM FileNet Content Engine (P8) through a connector JAR bundled on the arender-ui-springboot classpath. The connector connects to the Content Engine using the WSI/MTOM HTTP protocol and stores annotations natively in the FileNet P8 annotation model.

1. Overview

The FileNet connector is bundled on the arender-ui-springboot classpath in the -filenet image variant. It implements the DocumentAccessor interface and activates automatically when the ARender viewer receives a request containing objectStoreName or objectStoreId.

Figure: Request flow from the Classic viewer to FileNet through the connector JAR.

2. Prerequisites

• ARender Classic viewer (arender-ui-springboot) running
• IBM FileNet Content Engine 5.2 or later
• The FileNet WSI/MTOM HTTP endpoint active (typically at :9080/wsi/FNCEWS40MTOM/)
• A valid FileNet object store
• Network connectivity from the ARender viewer host to the Content Engine HTTP endpoint

3. Connector installation

The connector is included in the -filenet image variant of the ARender viewer. No separate volume mount is required.

docker-compose.yml

services:
  ui:
    image: artifactory.arondor.cloud:5001/arender-ui-springboot:2026.3.0-filenet
    environment:
      - "ARENDERSRV_ARENDER_SERVER_RENDITION_HOSTS=http://service-broker:8761/"
      - "ARENDERSRV_ARENDER_SERVER_FILENET_CE_URL=http://filenet-ce:9080/wsi/FNCEWS40MTOM/"
      - "ARENDERSRV_ARENDER_SERVER_FILENET_AUTHENTICATION_METHOD=loginPasswordObjectStoreProvider"
      - "ARENDERSRV_ARENDER_SERVER_FILENET_CE_LOGIN=svc-arender"
      - "ARENDERSRV_ARENDER_SERVER_FILENET_CE_PASSWORD=secret"
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"

note

This excerpt shows only the ui service configuration. The full rendition stack (service-broker, converter, renderer, text-handler) is also required. See Docker Compose for the complete configuration.

Kubernetes (Helm)

For Kubernetes, use an init container or a custom Docker image that includes the connector JAR in /home/arender/lib/. Use extraVolumes and extraVolumeMounts in the Helm chart to inject the JAR at deployment time. See Kubernetes / Helm for the pattern.

4. Configuration

All connector properties are set on the ui service. The following environment variables correspond to properties in arender-server.properties.

Authentication modes

Select the authentication mode via arender.server.filenet.authentication.method.

Login/password (service account)

All users access FileNet through a shared service account. Use the HTTP MTOM endpoint.

ARENDERSRV_ARENDER_SERVER_FILENET_AUTHENTICATION_METHOD=loginPasswordObjectStoreProvider
ARENDERSRV_ARENDER_SERVER_FILENET_CE_URL=http://filenet-ce:9080/wsi/FNCEWS40MTOM/
ARENDERSRV_ARENDER_SERVER_FILENET_CE_LOGIN=svc-arender
ARENDERSRV_ARENDER_SERVER_FILENET_CE_PASSWORD=secret

OAuth2 authentication

Pass an OAuth2 token to FileNet. Use this mode when ARender is behind an OAuth2-secured gateway.

First, enable OAuth2 on the ARender viewer and configure the Spring OAuth2 client:

ARENDER_SERVER_OAUTH2_ENABLED=true
SPRING_SECURITY_OAUTH2_CLIENT_REGISTRATION_ARENDER_CLIENT_ID=arender-client
SPRING_SECURITY_OAUTH2_CLIENT_REGISTRATION_ARENDER_CLIENT_SECRET=<client-secret>
SPRING_SECURITY_OAUTH2_CLIENT_REGISTRATION_ARENDER_PROVIDER=keycloak
SPRING_SECURITY_OAUTH2_CLIENT_REGISTRATION_ARENDER_AUTHORIZATION_GRANT_TYPE=authorization_code
SPRING_SECURITY_OAUTH2_CLIENT_REGISTRATION_ARENDER_SCOPE=openid
SPRING_SECURITY_OAUTH2_CLIENT_REGISTRATION_ARENDER_REDIRECT_URI={baseUrl}/login/oauth2/code/{registrationId}
SPRING_SECURITY_OAUTH2_CLIENT_PROVIDER_KEYCLOAK_AUTHORIZATION_URI=https://<keycloak-host>/realms/<realm>/protocol/openid-connect/auth
SPRING_SECURITY_OAUTH2_CLIENT_PROVIDER_KEYCLOAK_TOKEN_URI=https://<keycloak-host>/realms/<realm>/protocol/openid-connect/token
SPRING_SECURITY_OAUTH2_CLIENT_PROVIDER_KEYCLOAK_JWK_SET_URI=https://<keycloak-host>/realms/<realm>/protocol/openid-connect/certs
SPRING_SECURITY_OAUTH2_CLIENT_PROVIDER_KEYCLOAK_USER_NAME_ATTRIBUTE=preferred_username
SPRING_SECURITY_OAUTH2_RESOURCESERVER_JWT_ISSUER_URI=https://<keycloak-host>/realms/<realm>

Then set the FileNet connector to use the OAuth2 mode:

ARENDERSRV_ARENDER_SERVER_FILENET_AUTHENTICATION_METHOD=oauth2ObjectStoreProvider
ARENDERSRV_ARENDER_SERVER_FILENET_CE_URL=http://filenet-ce:9080/wsi/FNCEWS40MTOM/
ARENDERSRV_ARENDER_SERVER_SECURITY_OAUTH2_PREFIX=Bearer

JAAS (default)

Uses container-managed JAAS authentication. This is the default mode (jaasObjectStoreProvider).

Core configuration reference

Environment variable	Property	Default	Description
ARENDERSRV_ARENDER_SERVER_FILENET_AUTHENTICATION_METHOD	arender.server.filenet.authentication.method	jaasObjectStoreProvider	Authentication mode: loginPasswordObjectStoreProvider, oauth2ObjectStoreProvider, or jaasObjectStoreProvider
ARENDERSRV_ARENDER_SERVER_FILENET_CE_URL	arender.server.filenet.ce.url	http://localhost:9080/wsi/FNCEWS40MTOM/	Content Engine HTTP endpoint URL
ARENDERSRV_ARENDER_SERVER_FILENET_CE_LOGIN	arender.server.filenet.ce.login	(empty)	Service account login (login/password mode only)
ARENDERSRV_ARENDER_SERVER_FILENET_CE_PASSWORD	arender.server.filenet.ce.password	(empty)	Service account password (login/password mode only)
ARENDERSRV_ARENDER_SERVER_SECURITY_OAUTH2_PREFIX	arender.server.security.oauth2.prefix	(empty)	Token prefix for OAuth2 mode (e.g. Bearer)
ARENDERSRV_ARENDER_SERVER_FILENET_KEEP_XML_ATTRIBUTES_AS_DOCUMENT_PROPERTIES	arender.server.filenet.keep.xml.attributes.as.document.properties	false	Expose XML attributes as document properties in the viewer
ARENDERSRV_ARENDER_SERVER_ANNOTATIONS_FILENET_CAN_CREATE	arender.server.annotations.filenet.can.create	true	Allow users to create annotations on FileNet documents
ARENDERSRV_ARENDER_SERVER_LEGACY_LAYOUT_ENABLED	arender.server.legacy.layout.enabled	true	Use blocking layout call (required for FileNet authentication context propagation)

Annotation storage

Two annotation storage modes are available.

Native FileNet annotations (default): Annotations are stored as FileNet P8 annotation objects using the native API.

arender.server.wrapper.source.annotation.accessor=fileNetAnnotationAccessor

XFDF annotations stored in FileNet: Annotations are stored as XFDF files attached to the document using the FileNet P8 API. Use this mode for XFDF compatibility with external tools.

arender.server.wrapper.source.annotation.accessor=xfdfFileNetAnnotationAccessor

URL parameters

The FileNet connector activates when a request contains objectStoreName or objectStoreId.

Parameter	Required	Description
objectStoreName	One of the two	Object store display name (URL-encoded)
objectStoreId	One of the two	Object store GUID
objectType	No	DOCUMENT (default), FOLDER, MULTISELECT, XMLDESCRIPTOR, FILENETCONTAINER, MIXEDOBJECTS, CONTENTCONTAINERXML, SETMULTISELECT
id	Yes (for DOCUMENT, FOLDER)	FileNet document or folder GUID
vsId	Alternative to id	Version series GUID; opens the current version
ids	Yes (for MIXEDOBJECTS)	Comma-separated list of type:guid pairs
contentElement	No	Index of the content element to open when a document has multiple content elements

Document Builder configuration

Property	Default	Description
arender.server.filenet.document.builder.create.new.document.bean.name	filenetDocumentUpdaterCopy	Bean for creating a new document from Document Builder
arender.server.filenet.document.builder.update.first.document.bean.name	filenetDocumentUpdaterNewVersion	Bean for updating the first document (creates a new version)
arender.server.filenet.document.builder.update.all.document.bean.name	filenetDocumentUpdaterPropertiesUpdater	Bean for "update all" operation
arender.server.filenet.document.builder.update.first.document.properties.copy.bean.name	legacyFileNetPropertiesCopy	Property copy strategy: legacyFileNetPropertiesCopy or advancedFileNetPropertiesMerger
arender.server.filenet.document.builder.disabled.for.checkout.and.archived.documents	false	Disable Document Builder on checked-out or archived documents
arender.server.filenet.document.builder.unauthorized.object.store.ids	(empty)	Comma-separated object store IDs where Document Builder is blocked

Watermark configuration

Property	Default	Description
arender.server.watermark.display.provider	defaultParameterDisplayWatermarkProvider	Set to fileNetDisplayWatermarkProvider to activate group-based watermarks
arender.server.watermark.filenet.group.with	(empty)	Comma-separated FileNet groups that receive the watermark
arender.server.watermark.filenet.group.without	(empty)	Comma-separated FileNet groups exempt from the watermark
arender.server.watermark.filenet.document.class	(empty)	Comma-separated FileNet document classes that trigger the watermark
arender.watermark.bean.name	customWatermark	Spring bean ID of the watermark to display

Logging

The FileNet connector does not bundle the Log4j 1.x classes. Calls made through the Log4j 1.x API, including those of the IBM FileNet Content Engine client, are redirected to SLF4J by log4j-over-slf4j and written by the Web-UI Logback configuration. Set log levels with the standard Spring Boot properties, for example:

logging.level.com.arondor.viewer.filenetce=DEBUG

Custom extensions

Custom FileNet extensions that rely on Log4j 1.x appenders or on a log4j.properties file must move to the Logback configuration.

5. Verification

1. Verify the CE endpoint is reachable from the viewer container:

curl http://filenet-ce:9080/wsi/FNCEWS40MTOM/

Expected: a WSDL or service description from the CE endpoint.

2. Open a document using a URL with objectStoreName and id parameters:

http://arender.example.com:8080/?objectStoreName=MyObjectStore&id={doc-guid}&objectType=DOCUMENT

3. Confirm the document renders and annotations load correctly.

6. Sample use case

A bank uses IBM FileNet as its enterprise content store. Loan officers open documents directly from the IBM Content Navigator interface. The ARender Classic viewer is embedded in ICN as a viewer plugin. When a loan officer opens a contract:

1. ICN constructs an ARender URL with objectStoreName, id, and objectType.
2. The FileNet connector authenticates using the service account credentials.
3. The connector retrieves the document content via the WSI/MTOM API.
4. The broker renders the document. Annotations are stored natively in FileNet using fileNetAnnotationAccessor.

7. Common issues

Error	Cause	Solution
Connection refused on startup	CE HTTP endpoint unreachable	Verify the endpoint URL is correct and reachable from the viewer container
Authentication failure	Incorrect credentials or the service account lacks access to the object store	Verify the credentials and FileNet role assignments for the service account
Annotations do not load	Wrong annotation accessor bean	Confirm arender.server.wrapper.source.annotation.accessor is set to fileNetAnnotationAccessor or xfdfFileNetAnnotationAccessor consistently
Layout call blocks	arender.server.legacy.layout.enabled is false	Set legacy.layout.enabled=true. FileNet authentication context does not propagate to new threads without this setting
Documents open but annotations are inconsistent after switching accessor type	Existing annotations were created with a different accessor	Choose one accessor type and migrate annotations. Do not switch accessor types on an existing deployment without a migration plan