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.

• GeoTrust

• GlobalSign

• VeriSign

• Thawte

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-----
  MIIB2jCCAUMCAQAwgYExCzAJBgNVBAYTAlVTMQ0wCwYDVQQIEwRVdGFoMQ4wDAYD
  VQQHEwVQcm92bzETMBEGA1UEChMKU3R1bmt3b3JrczEVMBMGA1UEAxMMTWFyayBT
  cGVuY2VyMScwJQYJKoZIhvcNAQkBFhh3ZWJtYXN0ZXJAc3R1bmt3b3Jrcy5jb20w
  gZ8wDQYJKoZIhvcNAQEBBQADgY0AMIGJAoGBAKIkMHnII4uNDwgTYsBYdiiOBLTY
  NOsTfXp/5sG1VXjlYhDMoLzWxBbaulx2hEufj1Sfkm65Mrd8j4nMFVIGf1sGnFCj
  ClgxQ/5DJtV22jgnqQfKq7se32r9INoPWjFfjD1JC+4zry5LRiSPNImCYq2E1578
  h6S6i6auD1nTDD0LAgMBAAGgGDAWBgkqhkiG9w0BCQcxCRMHZ3JvYmxpbjANBgkq
  hkiG9w0BAQQFAAOBgQANwQ7wudkfkxrrZA4lXbOYeXWLngHtNdzPJ8WyzOjGof4h
  jkpDPV6SJqHEszpmZljEqb6fxgeiM4cpWSFGJA1QNFz+Ra8/msrLLBMM+zPuHpER
  OPFCsrIErmaBgnmymGOk/DiHvhV+LqCkAgjcS2Kpn0cOy8KRyXzUc4k+TTw0Uw==
  -----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.