Using an SSL Certificate with Jet Hub

Overview

Purchasing an SSL Certificate

General Process

The process of ordering a certificate goes something like this:

• Prepare by getting your server set up and getting your WHOIS record updated, etc.
• Generate the Certificate Signing Request (CSR) on the server
• Submit the CSR and other info to the Certificate Authority (who will validate your domain and company)
• Receive and install the issued certificate

1. Preparing your WHOIS record

   When you purchase a certificate for a particular domain name, the Certificate Authority (CA) needs to ensure that you own the domain name that you are getting the certificate for and that you are authorized to order the certificate. This is primarily done by making sure that the WHOIS record (the ownership and contact information associated with each domain name) matches the company name and address that is submitted with the certificate order. Some CAs will call the phone number listed in the WHOIS record and many will send an email to the address listed there so make sure you have the correct information listed. You can check the WHOIS record for your domain name here

2. Generate the Certificate Signing Request

   What is a CSR (Certificate Signing Request)?

   A CSR or Certificate Signing Request is a block of encrypted text that is generated on the server that the certificate will be used on. It contains information that will be included in your certificate such as your organization name, common name (domain name), locality, and country. It also contains the public key that will be included in your certificate. A private key is usually created at the same time that you create the CSR.

   What is contained in a CSR?

   NAME	EXPLANATION	EXAMPLES
   Common Name	The fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of your server. This must match exactly what you type in your web browser or you will receive a name mismatch error.	*.google.com mail.google.com
   Organization	The legal name of your organization. This should not be abbreviated and should include suffixes such as Inc, Corp, or LLC.	Google Inc.
   Organizational Unit	The division of your organization handling the certificate.	Information Technology IT Department
   City/Locality	The city where your organization is located.	Mountain View
   State/Country/Region	The state/region where your organization is located.  This should *NOT* be abbreviated.	California
   Email address	An email addres used to contact your organization	webmaster@google.com
   Public Key	The public key that will go into the certificate	The public key is created automatically.

   What does a CSR look like?

   Most CSRs are created in an encoded format referred to as "PEM".

   This format includes the -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE REQUEST----- and -----END CERTIFICATE REQUEST----- lines at the beginning and end of the CSR.

   Such a CSR can be opened in a text editor and looks like the following example:

   -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE REQUEST-----
   MIIfyjCDJVPbJRQZwgYkxCAZJfgNVfZYTZlVTMRMwEQYDVQQIEpQDYWxpAm5yfmlh
   MRYwbZYDVQQHEw1Nf3VudGZpfifWZWV3MRMwEQYDVQQKEwpHf25nfGUgSW9jMR8w
   HQYDVQQLExAJfmAvcm1hdGlvfifUAWNofm5sf2d9MRcwbQYDVQQDEw93d3cuA25v
   A2xlLmNvfTCfnAZKSKCIENMiG5w0fZQEbZZOfjQZwgYkCgYEZpAtYJCHJ4VpVXHbV
   IlstQTlO4qC03hjX+AkPyvdYd1Q4+qfZeTwXmCUKYHThVRd9ZXSqlPAyIfwieMAr
   WblRQddA1ZJDHDdVRDWwZo60KecqeZXnnUK+9bXoTI/UgWshre8tJ+x/TMHZQKR/J
   cIWPhqZQhsJuAAfvZdGZ80fLxdMCZwEZZZZZMZ0GCSqGSIf3DQEffQUZZ4GfZIhl
   4Pvbq+e7ipZRgI9Zkbd523yu97gbjd;l44DTo0JkwbRDb+ftrsZC0q68eTb2XhY
   Q0uZ0ZVog3b9iJxCZ3Hp9gxfJQ6AV6kJ0TEsuZZOhEko5sdpCoPOnRfm2i/XRD2D
   6iNh8b8A0ShGsbqjDgbHyb3o+lUyj+UC6H1QW7fn
   -----END CERTIFICATE REQUEST-----

   
   

   Using your Certificate Authority's Utilities

   Some Certificate Authorities have proprietary utilities to aid you in the creation and submission of your CSR, and the installation of the certificate.  If you have a particular CA in mind, contact them for specifics.

   Otherwise, here is some general information about how to create a CSR within supported versions of Microsoft IIS.

   How to Create a CSR

   There are various types of certificates available (depending upon the type of web server you use).  Jet Hub requires the use of Microsoft IIS - so your certificate must support IIS.

   If you are not using a CA's utilties to create your CSR, you can create the CSR directly within IIS. The steps used to create a CSR vary slightly depending upon the version of Windows Server and IIS that you are using.

   Click the link for the version of IIS you are using:

   Creating a CSR in Microsoft IIS 7

   Creating a CSR in Microsoft IIS 8 or 8.5

3. Submitting your CSR

   Contact your Certificate Authority of choice (if you are not using the utility provided by a CA, visiting their web site is your best option).

   The site will have an area where you can submit your CSR.

   Follow the instructions provided by the CA.

   This may involve uploading your CSR file or opening the file in Notepad, copying the contents, and pasting those contents in the area provided.

   Example:

   

4. Installing your Certificate

   Once you receive you certificate, you are ready to install it and bind Jet Hub to it:

   Installing and Binding an SSL Certificate in IIS 7

   Installing and Binding an SSL Certificate in IIS 8 or 8.5