I need to create a public/private key pair for a certificate request. I would like to use IIS. I do not want to send a public key to the authority until I am certain I possess the private key as well. (no pun intended) is that the private key is generated when you create the CSR, and therefore the only host that has the private key that. To create a new key pair, select the type of key to generate from the bottom of the screen (using SSH-2 RSA with 2048 bit key size is good for most people; another good well-known alternative is ECDSA). Then click Generate, and start moving the mouse within the Window. Putty uses mouse movements to. A certificate signing request (CSR) is one of the first steps towards getting your own SSL Certificate. Generated on the same server you plan to install the certificate on, the CSR contains information (e.g. Common name, organization, country) the Certificate Authority (CA) will use to create your certificate. How to generate private key and CSR from command line. This article describes how to generate a private key and CSR (Certificate Signing Request) from the command line. You may need to do this if you want to obtain an SSL certificate for a system that does not include cPanel access, such as a dedicated server or unmanaged VPS.
If you want to convert your website from HTTP to HTTPS, you need to get a SSL certificate from a valid organization like Verisign or Thawte. You can also generate self signed SSL certificate for testing purpose.
In this article, let us review how to generate private key file (server.key), certificate signing request file (server.csr) and webserver certificate file (server.crt) that can be used on Apache server with mod_ssl.
I typically like to name the files with the domain name of the HTTPS URL that will be using this certificate. This makes it easier to identify and maintain.
First, generate a private key on the Linux server that runs Apache webserver using openssl command as shown below.
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The generated private key looks like the following.
Using the key generate above, you should generate a certificate request file (csr) using openssl as shown below.
For testing purpose, you can generate a self-signed SSL certificate that is valid for 1 year using openssl command as shown below.
You can use this method to generate Apache SSL Key, CSR and CRT file in most of the Linux, Unix systems including Ubuntu, Debian, CentOS, Fedora and Red Hat.
Instead of signing it youself, you can also generate a valid trial SSL certificate from thawte. i.e Before spending the money on purchasing a certificate, you can also get a valid fully functional 21 day trial SSL certificates from Thawte. Once this valid certificate works, you can either decide to purchase it from Thawte or any other SSL signing organization.
This step is optional and not really required. For testing purpose, you can always use the self-signed certificate that was generated from the above step.
Go to Thwate trial certificate request page and do the following:
Copy/Paste the trial certificate to the www.thegeekstuff.com.crt file as shown below.
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Before you can install a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certificate, you must first generate a certificate signing request (CSR). You can do this by using one of the following methods:
The following sections describe how to use OpenSSL to generate a CSR for a single host name. If you want to generate a CSR for multiple host names, we recommend using the Cloud Control Panel or the MyRackspace Portal.
Check whether OpenSSL is installed by using the following command:
CentOS® and Red Hat® Enterprise Linux®
The following output provides an example of what the command returns:
Debian® and the Ubuntu® operating system
The following output provides an example of what the command returns:
If the preceding packages are not returned, install OpenSSL by running the following command:
CentOS and Red Hat
Debian and the Ubuntu operating system
Run the following commands to create a directory in which to store your RSA key, substituting a directory name of your choice:
Run the following command to generate a private key:
Run the following command to create a CSR with the RSA private key (output is in Privacy-Enhanced Mail (PEM) format):
When prompted, enter the necessary information for creating a CSR by using the conventions shown in the following table.
Note: You cannot use the following characters in the Organization Name or Organizational Unit fields: < > ~ ! @ # $ % ^ * / ( ) ? . , &
Field | Explanation | Example |
---|---|---|
Common Name | The fully qualified domain name to which the certificate applies. The domain names example.com and www.example.com are distinct from each other, so be sure to submit your request for the right domain. If you are purchasing a wildcard certificate, use *.example.com. | example.com |
Organization Name | The exact legal name of your organization. The Certificate Authority (CA) might seek to confirm that your organization is real and legally registered, so don’t abbreviate words that aren’t abbreviated in the organization’s legal name. | Example Inc. |
Organizational Unit | The branch of your organization that is making the request. | Marketing |
City/locality | The city where your organization is legally located. Do not abbreviate the city name. | San Antonio |
State/province | The state or province where your organization is legally located. Do not abbreviate the state or province name. | Texas |
Country/region | The two-letter International Standards Organization (ISO) abbreviation for your country. | US |
Warning: Leave the challenge password blank (press Enter).
Run the following command to verify your CSR:
After you have verified your CSR, you can submit it to a CA to purchase an SSL certificate.
Use the following steps to generate a CSR by using Windows IIS Manager:
Note: The following steps are for IIS 8 or IIS 8.5 on Windows Server 2012.
In the Request Certificate wizard, on the Distinguished Name Properties page, enter the following information and then click Next.
Field | Explanation | Example |
---|---|---|
Common Name | The fully qualified domain name to which the certificate applies. The domain names example.com and www.example.com are distinct from each other, so be sure to submit your request for the right domain. If you are purchasing a wildcard certificate, use *.example.com. | example.com |
Organization Name | The exact legal name of your organization. The CA might seek to confirm that your organization is real and legally registered, so don’t abbreviate words that aren’t abbreviated in the organization’s legal name. | Example Inc. |
Organizational Unit | The branch of your organization that is making the request. | Marketing |
City/locality | The city where your organization is legally located. Do not abbreviate the city name. | San Antonio |
State/province | The state or province where your organization is legally located. Do not abbreviate the state or province name. | Texas |
Country/region | The two-letter ISO abbreviation for your country. | US |
On the Cryptographic Server Provider Properties page, enter the following information and then click Next.
After you have generated the CSR, you can submit it to a CA to purchase an SSL certificate.
Rackspace provides the CSR Generator for generating a CSR. The CSR Generator shows you the CSRs that you currently have and lets you create new CSRs with a simple form. After you have entered your details, the generator combines them with your private key so that you can submit the combined encoded information to a CA.
When you are done with the generator, you can return to the Cloud Control Panel by clicking any of the links in the top navigation or by going to login.rackspace.com and selecting Rackspace Cloud from the drop-down product menu in the top navigation bar.
Access the CSR Generator directly or through the Control Panel by using the following steps:
The generator lists your existing CSRs, if you have any, organized by domain name.
Click Create CSR.
Enter the following information, which will be associated with the CSR:
Field | Explanation | Example |
---|---|---|
Domain Name | The fully qualified domain name to which the certificate applies. The domain names example.com and www.example.com are distinct from each other, so be sure to submit your request for the right domain. If you want to secure both domains, you can use the Alt Names field. If you are purchasing a wildcard certificate, use *.example.com. | example.com |
Alt Names | (Optional) Additional domains that you want to add to the request. Each CA treats these differently, and the CA might charge for additional names. You can submit a comma-separated list. | www.example.com, secure.example.com |
Email Address | (Optional) A contact email address for the certificate. | [email protected] |
Organization Name | The exact legal name of your organization. The CA might seek to confirm that your organization is real and legally registered, so don’t abbreviate words that aren’t abbreviated in the organization’s legal name. | Example Inc. |
Organizational Unit | (Optional) The branch of your organization that is making the request. | Marketing |
City | The city where your organization is legally located. Do not abbreviate the city name. | San Antonio |
State or Province | The state or province where your organization is legally located. Do not abbreviate the state or province name. | Texas |
Country | Choose your country from the drop-down menu. The two-letter ISO abbreviation for your country is included in the CSR. | United States |
Private Key Bit Length | Key sizes smaller than 2048 are considered insecure and might not be accepted by a CA. | 1024,2048,4096 |
Hashing Algorithm | Both algorithms are currently trusted in mainstream browsers and offer industry recommended security. SHA-512 requires additional CPU processing. | SHA-256, SHA-512 |
Note: You cannot use the following characters in the Organization Name or Organizational Unit fields: < > ~ ! @ # $ % ^ * / ( ) ? . , &
After you have entered all the required information, click Create CSR.
It can take between 5 and 60 seconds for the CSR to be generated. You might need to refresh the page that displays your CSRs before the new CSR is listed.
When CSR has been generated, you can click its UUID (unique identifier) in the CSR list to view its details screen.
This screen displays the information that you provided, the text of the CSR, and its associated private key.
The text in the Certificate Request field is the CSR. It contains encoded details of the CSR and your public key.
To request your SSL certificate, copy the Certificate Request text and submit it to your CA. Include all the text, including the BEGIN and END lines at the beginning and end of the text block.
Copy the private key to the server that will host the certificate. See your application documentation to determine where to install the private key and certificate on your server.
If you are a Managed or Dedicated customer, you can request a CSR through the MyRackspace Portal by using the following steps:
Enter the following information in the Ticket Details section:
Field | Explanation | Example |
---|---|---|
Device(s) | The server or servers for which you want to generate a CSR. Use the drop-down menu to select your servers. | |
Common Name | The fully qualified domain name to which the certificate applies. The domain names example.com and www.example.com are distinct from each other, so be sure to submit your request for the right domain. If you want to secure both domains, you can use the Alt Names field. If you are purchasing a wildcard certificate, use *.example.com. | example.com |
Alt. Names | (Optional) Additional domains that you want to add to the request. Each CA treats these differently, and the CA might charge for additional names. You can submit a comma-separated list. | www.example.com, secure.example.com |
Email Address | (Optional) A contact email address for the certificate. | [email protected] |
Organization | The exact legal name of your organization. The CA might seek to confirm that your organization is real and legally registered, so don’t abbreviate words that aren’t abbreviated in the organization’s legal name. | Example Inc. |
Organizational Unit | (Optional) The branch of your organization that is making the request. | Marketing |
Locality (City) | The city where your organization is legally located. Do not abbreviate the city name. | San Antonio |
State or Province Name | The state or province where your organization is legally located. Do not abbreviate the state or province name. | Texas |
Country | Choose your country from the drop-down menu. The two-letter ISO abbreviation for your country is included in the CSR. | United States |
Note: The bit length is automatically set to 2048.
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