502022-01-15 06:48:28JesseShumwayLetsEncrypt expiration policy circa January 2022492019-01-11 01:40:03ClintonEbadicerts should include intermediates now482019-01-11 01:28:00ClintonEbadiupdate formatting, docs, link to qualsys docs, make examples clearer, restructure a bit, think this is adequate now and nolonger has to be tagged needswork472018-04-15 22:20:11ClintonEbadistartssl is dead462016-03-31 18:50:54c-71-192-154-186.hsd1.ma.comcast.netMode security precaution more prominent452016-03-31 17:21:31c-71-192-154-186.hsd1.ma.comcast.net442016-03-31 16:58:37c-71-192-154-186.hsd1.ma.comcast.net432016-03-31 16:57:29c-71-192-154-186.hsd1.ma.comcast.net422016-02-12 16:38:01StephenMichel412014-10-03 17:27:51ClintonEbadierryone should be requesting sha-256 signed certs now402014-04-10 12:53:42ClintonEbadiimprovement: we have a script to make a secure directory now392014-04-09 23:03:32ClintonEbadirecommend 4096 bit private keys over 2048 bit private keys382014-02-16 23:32:15ClintonEbadiat least make the structure not utterly broken372014-02-16 23:10:35ClintonEbadistop recommending members have hcoop ign their certs: there really is no value to having us do that any more (or really ever)362013-01-23 19:58:28ClintonEbadicleanup run #1352013-01-21 17:45:05ClintonEbadiYow, this needs a lot of work and is practically useless as is342009-02-01 22:50:13f053226130.adsl.alicedsl.de332009-02-01 21:51:28f053226130.adsl.alicedsl.de322009-02-01 21:46:15f053226130.adsl.alicedsl.de312008-07-07 04:27:50localhostconverted to 1.6 markup302008-04-22 01:12:51MichaelOlsonUpdate CA URL292008-04-07 00:51:16MichaelOlson282008-04-07 00:49:02MichaelOlsonUpdate instructions272007-11-18 00:17:19MichaelOlson262007-11-18 00:15:56MichaelOlson252007-11-17 22:17:58MichaelOlsonOnly link next to the big fat warning242007-11-17 22:15:00MichaelOlsonAdd getting cert from real CA instructions232007-11-17 22:10:50MichaelOlsonAdd big fat disclaimer about using our cert, and link to it222007-11-17 21:53:22MichaelOlsonimprove explanation of self-signed cert212007-11-17 18:45:40MichaelOlsonclarify compliementary copy202007-11-17 17:22:08MichaelOlsonUse .csr extension instead of .crt192007-11-17 05:55:53MichaelOlsontypos182007-11-17 05:42:13MichaelOlsonAdd complementary copy text172007-11-17 05:38:53MichaelOlson162007-11-17 04:36:38MichaelOlson-days is useless for a certificate request152007-11-17 04:32:08MichaelOlsonFinally figure all this stuff out142007-11-17 03:06:17MichaelOlsonMore fields132007-11-17 03:03:58MichaelOlson122007-11-17 02:56:53MichaelOlsonTry to puzzle some of this out112007-11-12 05:07:36MichaelOlson2048 is the new 1024, or so says my Security class102007-11-12 05:05:25MichaelOlson92007-11-12 05:04:46MichaelOlsonFigured out what "certificate request" meant82007-11-12 04:12:20MichaelOlson72007-11-12 04:11:41MichaelOlson62007-11-12 04:01:20MichaelOlsonExplain parameters52007-11-12 03:44:58MichaelOlsonwrong page42007-11-12 03:44:32MichaelOlson32007-11-12 03:43:01MichaelOlsonMake part of member manual22005-12-23 16:04:20AdamChlipalaDifferent Apache directions12005-08-08 02:35:31AdamChlipalaThis is the page of the MemberManual that describes how to generate a valid SSL cert. Security Precautions At some point, your certificate and private key will need to be stored in afs. Since afs is publicly accessible, you need to take a few precautions to ensure that your data remains private. For all key operations, keep the files in a directory that only you and the admins can read. We provide a script to create such a directory: /afs/hcoop.net/common/bin/make-secure-directory certificates

There are a few options for acquiring an SSL certificate to use with us. The first option is to get a signed certificate from a trusted Certificate Authority ("CA" for short). If you want to make it so that visitors to your website never see an annoying nag dialog box, then this is your best option. The easiest way to do this is using letsencrypt Alternatively, you can generate a self-signed certificate. There are several good introductions to SSL and x509 certificates in general if you are unfamiliar with the subject: Qualsys SSL Deployment Best Practices Apache SSL FAQ The SSL Certificate HOWTO

If you are creating an SSL certificate to use for a web virtual host via DomTool, then you need to create both a key file and a csr file. The csr file is called a "certificate signing request" (sometimes abbreviated "certificate request"), and you will want to specify that on the SSL form in the HCoop Portal. We'll also need access to your key. Your key must be kept private. You supply the csr to any certification authorities you would like to sign your key, and later combine the certificate given by them with your private key to server a TLS site from our servers. It is highly recommended that you generate a private key specifically for use with HCoop. To create a cerificate request in file.csr and a private key in file.key, do the following. These files should be readable only by you and the HCoop admins, so be sure to set permissions properly on the directory where you store the certificate request and key. The certificate should be placed somewhere in your home directory, like ~/certificates. Here is an explanation of the parameters that you will be asked to provide. Replace yourdomain.org with your domain name. Country/State/Locality: These are self-explanatory. Organization Name: This can be anything you want. It is often the full name or description of your organization or website. Organizational Unit Name: This can be anything you want. It can be left blank. Common Name: This is the domain that goes with the certificate. It can be either a single name (i.e. "yourdomain.org"), or a wildcard domain (like "*.yourdomain.org"). The wildcard domain is used for sharing the same certificate in multiple subdomains of your domain. Most CAs will not sign wildcard certificates. Email Address: A valid email address. People often use ca@yourdomain.org. Challenge Password: Leave blank. Company Name: This can be anything you want. It can be left blank.

There are several options available. By far the largest providers are VeriSign and Thawte. Several members seem to like Gandi. We make no specific recommendations concerning which CA to choose: just make certain that their root CA certificates are included with the majority of web browsers. Letencrypt offers free SSL certificates (but must be renewed every 60 days).

FILE is the filename of the certificate that will be generated: it should end in ".pem". DAYS indicates the number of days that you want the certificate to be valid. It is recommended not to sign keys for longer than a year or two.

Now that you have a certificate, we need to install it. Use the SSL permissions page on the portal to request installation of your new certificate. You need to provide us with either: A pem containing your public certificate, private key, and any intermediate certificates (in that order) concatenated together Your public certificate and private key, both in pem format For the latter option, provide both paths in the same form, separated by a space. We will then verify the certificate and install it, providing you with a path that you can use to enable SSL using domtool. CategoryMemberManual