SSL Certificates

Generating a CSR for Apache + ModSSL + OpenSSL

Follow these instructions to generate a CSR for your Web site. OpenSSL is the open source project that replaced SSLeay. If you are using SSLeay on your system instead of OpenSSL, substitute ssleay with openssl for the commands.

1. Install OpenSSL, if not found on your server.
2. Create a RSA key for your Apache server:

    

   If you have a different path, cd to your server�s private key directory

3. Type the following command to generate a private key that is file encrypted. You will be prompted for the password to access the file and also when starting your webserver: Warning: If you lose or forget the passphrase, you must purchase another certificate.

   openssl genrsa -des3 -out domainname.key 1024

You could also create a private key without file encryption:

openssl genrsa -out domainname.key 1024

Note: We recommend that you name the private key using the domain name that you are purchasing the certificate for ie domainname.key

4. Type the following command to create a CSR with the RSA private key (output will be PEM format):

   openssl req -new -key domainname.key -out domainname.csr

* Note: You will be prompted for your PEM passphrase if you included the "-des3" switch in step 3.

5. When creating a CSR you must follow these conventions. Enter the information to be displayed in the certificate. The following characters can not be accepted: < > ~ ! @ # $ % ^ * / \ ( ) ?.,&

   DN Field	Explanation	Example
   Common Name	The fully qualified domain name for your web server. This must be an exact match.	If you intend to secure the URL https://www.geotrust.com, then your CSR's common name must be www.geotrust.com.
   Organization	The exact legal name of your organization. Do not abbreviate your organization name.	GeoTrust
   Organization Unit	Section of the organization	Marketing
   City or Locality	The city where your organization is legally located.	Wellesley Hills
   State or Province	The state or province where your organization is legally located. Can not be abbreviated.	Massachusetts
   Country	The two-letter ISO abbreviation for your country.	US

6. Do not enter extra attributes at the prompt.

Warning: Leave the challenge password blank.

Note: If you would like to verify the contents of the CSR, use the following command:

openssl req -noout -text -in domainname.csr

7. Submit your CSR by pasting the contents of this file to us. You will be asked to complete the agreement and the enrollment form as well.

Create a backup of your private key!

Make a copy of the private key file (domainname.key) generated in step 3 and store it in a safe place! If you lose this file, you must purchase a new certificate.

* The private key file should begin with (when using a text editor)

-----BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY----- and end with -----END RSA PRIVATE KEY-----.

To view the contents of the private key, use the following command:

openssl rsa -noout -text -in domainname.key

See Also

• Q104197: SSL Certificates: Generating a CSR