Obtaining a Signed Digital Certificate
Once you have
Created a CSR, you need to decide what Signing Authority and
type of Digital Certificate you want.
Choosing your Signing Authority and Certificate Type
There are a large number of different Signing Authorities,
and each one offers several different types of Digital
Certificates, each of which has different capabilities and
options associated with it. It is very important that you select
the type of certificate that will best suit your needs. Because
most Signing Authorities also sign additional types of
certificates and products, be sure to make sure that you are
obtaining an SSL Digital Certificate.
Signing Authorities
There are a number of Signing Authorities, each with
different methods for verifying your company's authenticity and
with different levels of customer awareness and trust. The
following is a list of a few of the Signing Authorities.
Once you have decided which Signing Authority and SSL
Certificate type you want, and have Created a Certificate Signing Request, you are ready to
order your signed certificate.
Ordering a Signed Digital Certificate
The ordering process for obtaining a signed digital
certificate is different for each vendor and certificate type.
There are, however, some things that will remain the same
throughout all of them. The following is a list of useful tips
for ordering your certificate.
- At some point in the ordering process, you will be asked
for a Server Type or the Server Software you are
running. You will need to select Apache-SSL or
Apache with OpenSSL.
- When you are prompted to enter the CSR, be sure to paste
it exactly as it appeared on the screen when you
generated it, including the top and bottom lines. When
you paste it in, it should look something like the following.
-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE REQUEST-----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==
-----END CERTIFICATE REQUEST-----
- You will be required to enter information about your
company, including the official company name and address. You
will also be required to mail a copy of a number of documents
to prove you really are who you claim to be.
After you have ordered your certificate and sent in the
requested documents, the Signing Authority will issue you a
signed certificate. You should receive the signed certificate or
instructions on retrieving your certificate via E-mail. Once you
have your signed certificate, you can
Install your Signed Digital Certificate. |
