Managing Certificate Authorities

2 minute read.

Last Modified 2022-12-09 11:01 -0500

The Certificate Authorities widget lets users set up a certificate authority (CA) that certifies the ownership of a public key by the named subject of the certificate.

To add a new CA:

First, add the name and select the type of CA. The Identifier and Type step lets users name the CA and choose whether to create a new CA or import an existing CA.
Users can also select a predefined certificate extension from the Profiles drop-down list.

Next, enter the certificate options. Select the key type. The Key Type selection changes the settings displayed. The Certificate Options step provides options for choosing what type of private key to use (as well as the number of bits in the key used by the cryptographic algorithm), the cryptographic algorithm the CA uses, and how many days the CA lasts.

Now enter the certificate subject information. The Certificate Subject step lets users define the location, name, and email for the organization using the certificate.
Users can also enter the system fully-qualified hostname (FQDN) and any additional domains for multi-domain support.

Lastly, enter any extra constraints you need for your scenario. The Extra Constraints step contains certificate extension options.

Basic Constraints when enabled this limits the path length for a certificate chain.
Authority Key Identifier when enable provides a means of identifying the public key corresponding to the private key used to sign a certificate.
Key Usage when enabled defines the purpose of the public key contained in a certificate.
Extended Key Usage when enabled it further refines key usage extensions.

Review the CA options. If you want to change something Click Back to reach the screen with the setting option you want to change, then click Next to advance to the Confirm Options step.

Click Save to add the CA.

Managing Certificate Authorities

Related Content