Let me provide a complete solution covering SFTP certificate management, trust store configuration, and integration hub connection setup for your scenario.
SFTP Certificate Management:
The certificate trust validation failure occurs because SAP CX 2105 integration hub has strict certificate validation requirements for SFTP connections, especially with self-signed certificates. Here’s the proper certificate management approach:
- Export the complete certificate chain from your SFTP server:
openssl s_client -connect sftp.server.com:22 -starttls ftp -showcerts > sftp_cert_chain.pem
- Verify the certificate is in proper PEM format (should start with -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----). If you have a DER format certificate, convert it:
openssl x509 -inform der -in certificate.der -out certificate.pem
- For self-signed certificates, extract both the server certificate and create a trust anchor. Since it’s self-signed, the server cert IS the CA cert:
openssl x509 -in sftp_cert_chain.pem -out server_cert.pem
- Verify certificate details match your SFTP connection:
openssl x509 -in server_cert.pem -text -noout
Check that the CN (Common Name) or SAN (Subject Alternative Name) matches the hostname you’re using in integration hub configuration.
Trust Store Configuration:
SAP CX 2105 uses separate trust stores for different integration types. For SFTP connections through integration hub, you must use the ‘Integration Services Trust Store’:
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Navigate to: SAP CX Administration > Security > Certificate Management > Trust Stores
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Select ‘Integration Services Trust Store’ (NOT System Trust Store or External Services Trust Store)
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Import the certificate:
- Click ‘Import Certificate’
- Upload the PEM format certificate file
- Set alias: “sftp-server-cert” (descriptive name)
- Category: Select ‘SFTP/FTP Servers’
- Trust level: Set to ‘Trusted’
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Verify import success:
- Check that certificate appears in trust store list
- Verify expiration date is valid
- Confirm alias is correctly set
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For certificate chains (if using CA-signed cert instead of self-signed), import in this order:
- Root CA certificate first
- Intermediate CA certificates (if any)
- Server certificate last
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After import, you MUST restart the integration hub service:
- Navigate to: Administration > System > Services
- Select ‘Integration Hub Service’
- Click ‘Restart’ (not just reload)
- Wait 2-3 minutes for service to fully restart
Integration Hub Connection Setup:
Now configure the SFTP connection properly in integration hub:
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Navigate to: Integration Hub > Connections > Create New Connection
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Connection type: Select ‘SFTP’
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Configure connection parameters:
Connection Name: DataWarehouse_SFTP
Host: sftp.server.com (MUST match certificate CN/SAN exactly)
Port: 22
Username: your_sftp_user
Authentication: SSH Key or Password
SSL/TLS: Enable
Certificate Validation: Enable (do not disable this)
Trust Store: Integration Services Trust Store
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Critical hostname matching:
- If certificate CN is “sftp.server.com”, use exactly that in Host field
- Do NOT use IP address if certificate has hostname CN
- Do NOT use aliases or different subdomain names
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Advanced SFTP settings:
SSH Host Key Verification: Enable
Preferred Encryption: aes256-ctr,aes192-ctr,aes128-ctr
Connection Timeout: 30 seconds
Keep-Alive: Enable
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Test the connection:
- Click ‘Test Connection’ button
- Should now succeed with “Connection established successfully”
- If still fails, check integration hub logs: /var/log/sap-cx/integration-hub.log
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Configure data export job:
- Create scheduled job for nightly export
- Use the configured SFTP connection
- Set export path on SFTP server
- Configure retry logic for transient failures
Troubleshooting Steps if Still Failing:
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Enable detailed SSL/TLS logging:
- Administration > System > Logging
- Set log level DEBUG for: com.sap.cx.integration.sftp.ssl
- Set log level TRACE for: com.sap.cx.integration.connection
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Check logs for specific certificate validation errors:
tail -f /var/log/sap-cx/integration-hub.log | grep -i certificate
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Common issues and fixes:
- “Certificate CN mismatch”: Use exact hostname from certificate CN in connection config
- “Certificate expired”: Renew certificate and re-import to trust store
- “Unable to find valid certification path”: Import complete certificate chain including root CA
- “SSL handshake failed”: Check SFTP server supports TLS 1.2 or higher
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Verify certificate is active in integration hub:
- Query trust store API: GET /api/v1/security/truststore/integration
- Confirm your certificate alias appears in response
After completing these steps, your SFTP connection should work correctly. The key points are: use the Integration Services Trust Store (not System), restart the integration hub service after import, and ensure hostname in connection config exactly matches certificate CN. Test thoroughly before scheduling production data export jobs.
This draft is based on general SAP Customer Experience (SAP CX) knowledge. It has not been verified against your specific version and environment. Practitioners: verify the steps and share your experience below.