Windows Server 2008: Create CSR & Install SSL Certificate with DigiCert Utility

Step 1: Create Your CSR on Windows Server 2008 with the DigiCert Utility

The DigiCert Certificate Utility for Windows streamlines the CSR creation process by providing easy, one-click CSR creation and certificate installation.

How to Create Your CSR with the DigiCert Utility

1. On your Windows Server 2008, download and save the DigiCert Certificate Utility executable (DigiCertUtil.exe).

2. Open the DigiCert Certificate Utility (double-click DigiCertUtil).

3. In the DigiCert Certificate Utility for Windows©, click SSL (gold lock), and then, click Create CSR.

   

4. On the Create CSR page, provide the following information below and then click Generate.

   Certificate Type:	Select SSL.
   Common Name:	The fully-qualified domain name (FQDN) (e.g., www.example.com).
   Subject Alternative Names:	If you are requesting a Multi-Domain (SAN) Certificate, enter any SANs that you want to include (e.g., www.example.com, www.example2.com, and www.example3.net).
   Organization:	Your company’s legally registered name (e.g., YourCompany, Inc.).
   Department:	The name of your department within the organization. This entry will usually be listed as "IT", "Web Security", or is simply left blank.
   City:	The city where your company is legally located.
   State:	Use the drop-down list to select the state where your company is legally located. Note: If your company is located outside the US, you can type the applicable name in the box.
   Country:	Use the drop-down list to select the country where your company is legally located.
   Key Size:	In the drop-down list, select 2048 (unless you have a specific reason for using a larger bit length).
   Provider:	In the drop-down list, select Microsoft RSA SChannel Cryptographic Provider (unless you have a specific cryptographic provider).

   

5. On DigiCert Certificate Utility for Windows^© - Create CSR page, do one of the following:

   Click Copy CSR.

   Copies the certificate contents to the clipboard. Use this option if you are ready to paste the CSR into the DigiCert order form. Note: Because the DigiCert Certificate Utility does not store CSRs, we recommend you paste the CSR into a text editor (such as Notepad) when using this option. If you close the CSR page and accidentally overwrite the clipboard contents without doing this, you will need to generate a new CSR.

   Click Save to File.

   Saves the CSR as a .txt file to the Windows Server 2008. (We recommend using this option.)

   

6. Click Close.

7. If you saved the CSR to a file, open the CSR file using a text editor (such as Notepad). Then, copy the text (including the -----BEGIN NEW CERTIFICATE REQUEST----- and -----END NEW CERTIFICATE REQUEST----- tags), and paste it into the DigiCert order form.

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8. After receiving your SSL certificate from DigiCert, you can use the DigiCert Certificate Utility to install it.

Step 2: Install Your SSL Certificate on Windows Server 2008 Using the DigiCert Utility

If you haven’t created your CSR with the DigiCert Certificate Utility and ordered your SSL certificate, see Windows Server 2008: Creating Your CSR with the DigiCert Utility.

After DigiCert validates your order and issues your SSL certificate, you can use the DigiCert Certificate Utility to install the certificate file to your Windows Server 2008. Then you can use IIS 7 to configure the server to use it.

To install your SSL certificate on your Windows Server 2008, complete the steps below.

1. Import your SSL certificate to your Windows Server 2008 using the DigiCert Certificate Utility.

2. Configure your Windows Server 2008 to use the SSL certificate using IIS 7.

i. Import Your SSL Certificate Using the DigiCert Certificate Utility

After DigiCert issues your SSL certificate, you can use the DigiCert Certificate Utility to install the certificate file to your Windows Server 2008.

How to Import an SSL Certificate to Your Windows Server 2008

1. On the Windows 2008 server, where you created the CSR, extract the contents of the ZIP file you received from DigiCert (e.g., your_domain_com.cer) to the folder where you saved the DigiCert Certificate Utility executable (DigiCertUtil.exe).

2. Open the DigiCert Certificate Utility (double-click DigiCertUtil).

3. In the DigiCert Certificate Utility for Windows^©, click SSL (gold lock) and then, click Import.

   

4. In the Certificate Import wizard, click Browse to locate the .cer certificate file you received from DigiCert (e.g., your_domain_com.cer), and click Open.

   

5. Click Next

6. In the Enter a new friendly name or you can accept the default box, type a friendly name for the certificate.

   Note: The friendly name is not part of the certificate; instead, it is used to identify the certificate. We recommend that you add the issuing CA (e.g., DigiCert) and the expiration date to the end of your friendly name; for example, yoursite-digicert-(expiration date). Doing this helps identify the issuer and expiration date for each certificate and also helps distinguish multiple certificates with the same domain name.

   

7. To import the SSL certificate to your server, click Finish.

8. You should receive a message that the certificate was successfully imported, and you should now see your SSL certificate in the DigiCert Certificate Utility for Windows^©.

   

9. Now that you've successfully installed your SSL certificate, you need to assign the certificate to the appropriate site.

ii. Configure the Server to Use Your SSL Certificate Using IIS 7

After importing your SSL certificate to your Windows Server 2008, you must configure IIS to use the newly imported certificate to secure your website.

How to configure the server to use your SSL certificate