Server certificate requests are used to obtain a certificate from a Certificate Authority (CA). A CA is a trusted third-party
that vouches for the identity of individuals and organizations. Essentially the Certificate Authorities maintain a large
database of public keys which are distributed as requested. Entrust, Thawte, and Verisign are some well know CAs, each of
which provide online ordering systems for server and client certificates.
A digital certificate must follow a specific format and be encoded in X.509 format to be accepted by the CAs online ordering
system.
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1. |
On the menu bar, click to display the Generate New Certificate or Request window. |
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2. |
Select the Server Certificate radio button, the Request radio button, and the appropriate Key Size radio button. A key size greater than 768 bits is recommended. |
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3. |
Type the Certificate Name. It must be 8 characters or fewer containing numbers, letters, or underscores. It is used to create the certificate and private
key file names. |
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Type the Challenge Password. It must be at least four characters containing number, letters, or underscores. It is used to protect the private key file
from unauthorized use. |
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Type the Common Name. This is generally a computer name or address. Some CAs require that this field not contain any blanks or special characters.
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6. |
Type the Email Address. This is used when generating Client Certificates or Client Certificate Requests and can be left blank for Server or Signing
Certificates. |
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Type the Organization Name. This specifies the Organization Name portion of the Distinguished Name field. |
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8. |
Type the Organization Unit. This specifies the Organization Unit portion of the Distinguished Name field. |
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Type the Locality or City. This specifies the Locality portion of the Distinguished Name field. |
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10. |
Type the State or Province. This specifies the State or Province portion of the Distinguished Name field. Some CAs require that this field contain the
full state name. |
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Type the Country Code. This specifies the Country Code portion of the Distinguished Name field. |
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Type the Validity Period. This field is set by the CA and is not part of the Certificate Request. |
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13. |
Click Generate to generate the certificate and key files. The Certificate Request Complete window appears indicating the name and location of the Certificate Request.
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14. |
Submit the Certificate Request using the instructions provided by the chosen Certification Authority (CA). |