iNTERFACEWARE™ Inc.

Creating Certificate Files

In addition to having a public/private key certificate, it is also necessary to obtain a certificate file from a certificate authority (CA), such as Verisign, which issues digital certificates for use by other parties. There are many other commercial CAs that charge for their services, while other institutions may have their own CAs. To ensure that the web server (with HTTPS support enabled) functions as expected, you can create a self-signed certificate for now until you complete the initial testing phase.

	This section shows you how to create a self-signed certificate file using OpenSSL. You can download a copy of OpenSSL for either Windows or Unix from http://www.openssl.org.

To generate a self-signed certificate file:

• Open a command prompt window and go to the same directory you created earlier for the public/private key file. For example:

C:\>cd Test

C:\Test>

• Enter the path of the OpenSSL install directory, followed by the self-signed certificate algorithm. For example:

C:\Test>c:\openssl\bin\openssl req -new -x509 -key privkey.pem -out cacert.pem -days 1095  

• Follow the instructions that appear in the screen. For example:

You are about to be asked to enter information that will be incorporated
into your certificate request.
What you are about to enter is what is called a Distinguished Name or a DN.
There are quite a few fields but you can leave some blank
For some fields there will be a default value,
If you enter '.', the field will be left blank.
-----
Country Name (2 letter code) [AU]:CA
State or Province Name (full name) [Some-State]:Ontario
Locality Name (eg, city) []:Toronto
Organization Name (eg, company) [Internet Widgits Pty Ltd]:iNTERFACEWARE
Organizational Unit Name (eg, section) []: IT
Common Name (eg, YOUR name) []:Emmanuel
Email Address []:emmanuel.gutierrez@interfaceware.com

The self-signed certificate file is created and saved in the directory you specified earlier. An example of the certificate format is shown below in VIM:

Certificate File, Shown in VIM

	Remember that this newly created certificate file should be used for test purposes only. Normally, you would need to create a certificate request and send it to a certificate authority (CA). The CA would then sign the certificate and give it back to you upon payment, therefore, providing you with authentication according to their outlined policies.