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Generating a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) - Netscape Enterprise Server 6.1

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Last Updated: October 26, 2009 3:17 PM

Follow the instructions below to generate a CSR for your website. When you have completed generating your CSR, cut/copy and paste it into the CSR field on the SSL certificate-request page.

Certificate Signing Request-Generation Instructions

Before requesting an SSL certificate, you must create a trust database. When you create the trust database, you specify a password that will be used for a key-pair file. You will also need this password to start a server using encrypted communications.

In the trust database you create and store the public and private keys, referred to as your key-pair file. The key-pair file is used for SSL encryption. You will use the key-pair file when you request and install your server certificate. The certificate is stored in the trust database after installation. The key-pair file is stored encrypted in the following directory:

server_root/alias/<serverid-hostname>-key3.db

To Create a Trust Database

  1. Go to Administer Enterprise Server.
  2. Click the Security tab.
  3. Click on the Create Database link.
  4. Enter a password for the database.
  5. Repeat.
  6. Click OK.

After creating a certificate trust database for your server, you can request a certificate and submit it to a Certification Authority (CA).

To Generate the CSR

  1. Go to Administer Enterprise Server.
  2. Click on the Security tab.
  3. Click Request a Certificate.
  4. In the certificate-request form specify that this is a new certificate.
  5. Select CA URL (enter anything in the box).
  6. Select the alias and type in the password that you generated in the key-pair file.
  7. Type in the Distinguished Name field information:
    • Common Name (the URL to which you wish to apply the requested certificate).

      NOTE: If you are requesting a Wildcard certificate, please add an asterisk (*) on the left side of the Common Name (e.g., "*.coolexample.com" or "www*.coolexample.com"). This will secure all subdomains of the Common Name.

    • E-Mail Address.
    • Organization.
    • Organization Unit.
    • City/Locality: Please spell out city/locality name. Do not abbreviate.
    • State/Province: Please spell out state/province name. Do not abbreviate.
    • Country Code: The two-letter International Organization for Standardization- (ISO-) format country code for the country in which your organization is legally registered.
  8. Review the information and click OK.
  9. Using a plain-text editor copy and paste the generated CSR into the applicable field in our online enrollment form.