"How to" instructions

Owned by Leeza Gavronsky (Unlicensed)
Last updated: Oct 07, 2024 by author
3 min read

How to upgrade FEJ to a new version

It is very simple to upgrade FEJ. First, download the new version of FEJ and unzip it (see Quick Start). Then, replace all files and directories in your FEJ home directory, except for the /conf directory. All custom user configurations are saved in /conf, therefore the upgrade will not affect personal settings.

How to configure session schedule that can't be defined via single cron-expression

FIXEdge Java 1.8.0 and earlier doesn't support several schedules for the session. So there is a limitation preventing creating a session schedule requiring multiple cron expressions.

For example, the session should have the next maintenance windows:

  • Saturday: 6PM – 7PM ET
  • Sunday: 10AM – 11AM ET
  • Sunday: 6PM – 7PM ET

To achieve this, the user can configure a weekly session with start at 7 PM Sun and stop at 6 PM Sat. And cover the rest time intervals via external tools and scripts (FIXEdge JAVA administration shell CLI) that can start the session remotely. 

FIXEdge Java Administrative shell requests passing of a password to it.

Before using it as part of the script, the user should at least once connect to the administrative shell and save SSH keys and insert a password manually.

Crontab scripts examples for credentials: 

  • username - test
  • password - test
  • remote host - fixedgej.sever.com:2000
  • session name - session1

  1. It is needed to add two additional commands to the crontab that will start the session at 7 PM Sat and 11 AM Sun:

    sshpass -p test ssh -t test@fixedgej.sever.com -p 2000 'session start session1'

  2. It is needed to add two additional commands to the crontab that will stop the session at 11 AM Sun and 6 PM Sun

    sshpass -p test ssh -t test@fixedgej.sever.com -p 2000 'session start session1'
sshpass tool is installed on the administrative host.

Optionally for the Windows remote host, you can use the plink tool (which is part of the PuTTY package):

plink.exe fixedgej.sever.com -P 2000 -l test -pw test -batch -t session start session1

How to configure Echo between FIXEdge Java and Simple Client

Echo configuration between FIXEdge Java and Simple Client is performed in the following way:

  1. Install FIXEdge Java.

  2. To create the TestEchoAcceptor session, create a new file named fixedgej-x.x.x\conf\session\s_fix_TestEchoAcceptor.properties
    Configure session parameters there:

    s_fix_TestEchoAcceptor.properties
    sessionType=acceptor
senderCompID=FIXEdgeJ
targetCompID=FIXECHOCLIENT
fixVersion=FIX.4.4
startOnload = true

  3. Configure Business Logic rules in the fixedgej-x.x.x\conf\rules.groovy file. This will route all messages from the TestEchoAcceptor session back to the TestEchoAcceptor session.

    rules.groovy
    RoutingContext rc = routingContext as RoutingContext;
[
        messageRule("FIXEDGE -> FIXECHOCLIENT")
                .sourceCondition({ source -> source.id == "TestEchoAcceptor" })
                .action({
                    ctx ->
                        def destination = rc.getDestinationById("TestEchoAcceptor")
                        destination.send(ctx.getMessage())
                        ctx.exit()
                })
                .build(),
        getRejectionRule(routingContext)
]

    The session-id value in the rule source.id == "TestEchoAcceptor" is the same as the ID in the s_fix_TestEchoAcceptor.properties session configuration file.

  4. Run FIXEdge Java.
    For example, via the run script:
    • Windows: Go to the FIXEdge Java installation dir fixedgej-x.x.x\bat\ and run the runConsole.bat script.
    • Linux: Go to the FIXEdge Java installation dir fixedgej-x.x.x/bin and run the runConsole.sh script.

  5. Open FIX Client Simulator (FCS).
    Create a new session as Initiator:

    Session type: Initiator
SenderCompID = FIXECHOCLIENT
TargetCompID = FIXEdgeJ
FIX Version = 4.4
Remote Port = 8911 (server.port parameter in FEJ fixedge.properties -> fixedgej-x.x.x\conf\fixedge.properties )
Remote Host = localhost (or IP address/hostname of the FIXEdge Java server)

    The default port for session acceptors is 8911 and specified as the server.port parameter in the fixedge.properties file.

    NOTE: SenderCompID on the FCS side should have the same value as TargetCompId on the FIXEdge side. TargetCompId on the FCS side should be the same as SenderCompID on FIXEdge side.

  6. Send the message from FIX Client Simulator (the Pipes character is used to represent the SOH character).

    New Order - Echo test.msg
    8=FIX.4.4|9=156|35=D|49=FIXECHOCLIENT|56=FIXEdgeJ|34=2|52=20210625-22:16:38.867|11=Order#3|21=1|100=1|55=TESTSMBL|54=1|60=20131124-04:11:46.768|38=20000|40=2|44=34.7|10=026|

    The file contains SOH symbols: Echo Configuration Between FIXEdge Java and Simple Client

The Echo message from FIXEdge is received.

8=FIX.4.4|9=156|35=D|34=2|49=FIXEdgeJ|56=FIXECHOCLIENT|52=20210625-22:16:38.878|11=Order#3|21=1|100=1|55=TESTSMBL|54=1|60=20131124-04:11:46.768|38=20000|40=2|44=34.7|10=028|

How to Check the Expiration Date of an SSL Certificate


Accessing SSL Certificates

SSL certificates can be stored in various locations. Here’s how to identify and access them:

1.1 Common Locations

  • Product configuration files: certificates for B2bits products are most commonly stored in product configuration folders, such as:
    • FIXEdge C++: /etc/fixedge/
    • FIXEdge Java: /etc/fixedge-java/
    • FIXICC H2: /etc/fixicc-h2 /
    • FIXEye Agent: /etc/fixeye/
  • Configuration Files: If alternative certificates locations are specified in the configuration, review the configuration settings (e.g., FIXEdge.properties, engine.properties, application.properties, etc)
  • Code Configuration: If you use products like FIXAntenna C++ / .Net / Python / Java, then path to certificates can be specified via API.

1.2 Certificate Formats

  • PEM (.pem, .crt, .cer) format is Base64 encoded, usually starts with -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----. It is used by C++ / .Net / Python products (FIXAntenna, FIXEdge, FIXEye Agent).

JKS (.jks): Java KeyStore format, used in Java-based products.

Checking Certificate Expiration Date

There are several methods to check the SSL certificate's expiration date:

 2.1 Using OpenSSL (Command Line)

OpenSSL is a commonly used tool to inspect SSL certificates.

  • For a local certificate file: openssl x509 -in /path/to/certificate.crt -noout -enddate
  • For a remote server certificate: openssl s_client -connect example.com:8901 -servername example.com 2>/dev/null | openssl x509 -noout -enddate

 

2.2 Using Keytool (For Java Keystores)

For Java applications, the keytool command is used.

  • keytool -list -v -keystore /path/to/keystore.jks
    Look for the Valid from and until fields for the certificate's expiration details.
  1. Additional Tips
  • Monitoring: Consider using monitoring tools like Nagios, Zabbix, or similar, to track SSL certificate expiry dates.
  • Automatic Alerts: Set up cron jobs or scheduled tasks to periodically check certificate expiry using OpenSSL, Keytool and other scripts, and receive alerts as the expiration date approaches.