How to build a certificate server with Open SSL on RHL
Very good instructions here. Thanks Antoine!
Certificate Authority
A Certificate Authority or Certification Authority (CA) is an entity which issues digital certificates for use by other parties. For more information on Certificate Athorities, visit the wikipedia article found here.
This documentation uses variables denoted with a $ followed by a keyword, all this emphasized with red text (i.e. $variable). These variables should be replaced with appropriate values. Suggested default values are denoted with a variable followed by an equal sign and a value (i.e $variable = value).
Create a Certificate Authority (CA)
- Change your working directory to /etc/pki/CA
cd /etc/pki/CA - Create a certificate authority good for ten years
openssl req -config openssl.cnf -new -x509 -extensions v3_ca -keyout private/ca.key -out certs/ca.crt -days 3650
Enter PEM pass phrase: $password
Re-Enter PEM pass phrase: $password
Country Name: $country
State or Province Name: $state
Locality Name: $city
Organization Name: $company
Organizational Unit Name: $department = Certificate Authority
Common Name: ca.$domain
Email Address: ca@$domain - Restrict access to the private key so that only root can read it
chmod 0400 private/ca.key
