Testing Your Certificate - Red Hat LINUX 7.2 - OFFICIAL LINUX CUSTOMIZATION GUIDE Manual

168
Common Name (your name or server's hostname) []:myhost.example.com
Email Address []:myemail@example.com
After you provide the correct information, a self-signed certificate will be created and placed in
/etc/httpd/conf/ssl.crt/server.crt. You will need to restart your secure server after
generating the certificate with the command
/sbin/service httpd restart

15.9 Testing Your Certificate

When the secure server is installed by the Red Hat Linux installation program, a random key and a
generic certificate are installed, for testing purposes. You can connect to your secure server using this
certificate. For any purposes other than testing, however, you need to get a certificate from a CA or
generate a self-signed certificate. See Section 15.5, Types of Certificates if you need more information
on the different types of certificates available.
If you have purchased a certificate from a CA or generated a self-signed certificate, you should have a
file named /etc/httpd/conf/ssl.key/server.key, containing your key, and a file named
/etc/httpd/conf/ssl.crt/server.crt, containing your certificate. If your key and cer-
tificate are somewhere else, move them to these directories. If you changed any of the default locations
or filenames for the secure Web server in your Apache configuration files, you should put these two
files in the appropriate directory, based on your modifications.
Now, restart your server with the command:
/sbin/service httpd restart
If your key file is encrypted, you will be asked for the password. Type in your password and your
server should start.
Point your Web browser to your server's home page. The URL to access your secure Web server will
look like this:
https://your_domain
Note the "s" after "http." The https: prefix is used for secure HTTP transac-
tions.
If you are using a CA-signed certificate from a well-known CA, your browser will probably automat-
ically accept the certificate (without prompting you for input) and create the secure connection. Your
browser will not automatically recognize a test or a self-signed certificate, because the certificate is not
Chapter 15:Apache Secure Server Configuration
Note