Generating a Certificate Request File Using the Certificate Wizard in IIS 5.0 (228821)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Internet Information Services 5.0
This article was previously published under Q228821

SUMMARY

The Certificate Wizard that comes with Internet Information Services (IIS) 5.0 makes managing server certificates easier than ever before. This article describes how to create a certificate request file using the wizard.

MORE INFORMATION

The first step you will need to perform to get a server certificate is creating the request file. To generate a new certificate request (to be sent to a certificate authority or CA for processing), perform the following steps:

NOTE: The certificate request fails if it contains non-alphanumeric characters. NOTE: Between creating the request file (that is, completing the steps in this article) and installing the certificate, do NOT perform any of the following actions:
  • Change the computer name or Web site bindings.
  • Apply service packs or security patches.
  • Change encryption levels (that is, apply the high encryption pack).
  • Delete the pending certificate request.
  • Change any of the Web site's Secure Communications properties.
  1. Open the Internet Services Manager (or your custom MMC containing the IIS snap-in).
  2. Browse to the site where you want to enable secure communications.
  3. Right-click the friendly name of the site and go to properties.
  4. Click the Directory Security tab.
  5. Under the Secure Communications section, click Server Certificate.
  6. This starts the new Web Site Certificate Wizard.
  7. Click Next.
  8. Choose the Create a New Certificate option and click Next (there should be a slight pause before the next screen appears).
  9. Choose the Prepare a New Request but Send it Later option and click Next.

    NOTE: The Send the request immediately to an online certification authority option is unavailable unless IIS has access to an Enterprise CA, which requires Certificate Server 2.0 to be installed in Microsoft Windows 2000 with Active Directory.
  10. Choose a Friendly Name for the site (this can be anything you want it to be, for example, the friendly name of the site in the MMC, or the name of the customer the Web site belongs to).
  11. Choose the bit length of the key you want to use and whether you want to use SGC (Server Gated Cryptography), and then click Next.

    NOTE: For more information on bit length and SGC, see the IIS Help that is located on the server at the following address:

    http://<servername>/iishelp/iis/htm/core/iistesc.htm

    Note that in order for this URL to work, you must replace server name with the name of your IIS server.
  12. Input your Organization (O) and your Organizational Unit (OU). For example, if your company is called Widgets and you are setting up a Web server for the Sales department, you would enter Widgets for the Organization and Sales for your Organizational Unit. Click Next when complete.
  13. Input the common name (CN) for your site. This should be the same name that the user will input when requesting your Web site. For example, if a user inputs http://www.widgets.microsoft.com to access your Web site, then your Common Name would be www.widgets.microsoft.com. When you are complete, click Next.
  14. Input you Country/Region, City, and State. It is very important that you do not abbreviate the names of the state or city. When complete, click Next.
  15. Enter the contact information for the person responsible for this certificate or Web site. This is usually how the Certificate Authority contacts you, and then click Next.
  16. Choose a name for the certificate request file you are about to create. This file will contain all the information you created here, as well as your public key for your site. You can browse the file name if you want. This creates a .txt file when you are complete. The default name for the file is Certreq.txt. When you have finished this step, click Next.
  17. You will now be presented with a summary screen of all the information you entered. Make sure all this information is correct, and then click Next.
  18. You have now created your certificate request file.
In order for this certificate to be used, submit this file to a Certificate Authority (online authority). They will generate a certificate response file, which contains your public key and is digitally signed by the Certificate Authority. To install this certificate, use the steps in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

228836 Installing a New Certificate with Certificate Wizard for Use in SSL/TLS

REFERENCES

For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

293485 Error Message: Failed to Generate the Certificate Request

Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:6/24/2004
Keywords:kbinfo KB228821
©2004 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.