AuthStore: Server Authentication

Tool Description

Documentation Contents

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/ Glossary

/ Administration Tool Help

Purpose

The AuthStore tool enables you to create and manage server certificates. Server certificates are used to authenticate the server to client browsers prior to exchanging data. Authentication verifies to the client that the server it is communicating with is, in fact, the server they believe it to be. (Use of the Java Web Server's Secure Web Service requires a server certificate.)

Server certificates can be either self-signed (for intranet use or to invoke SSL encryption) or they can be signed by a Certificate Authority. A Certificate Authority is a third-party organization that both server and client trust, who provides some level of guarantee as to the identity of the server.

For more information on authentication, see the Website Security online help document.

Location of the AuthStore tool:

`server_root/bin/authstore`	on Solaris
`server_root\bin\authstore.exe`	on Windows
where `server_root` is the directory of the installed Java Web Server^TM.

The AuthStore tool is run from the command line -- the ability to create and manage server certificates is not available through the Administration Tool.

Fields

Server Certificates
Shows configured server certificates

Certificate Authority Certificates
Shows installed Certificate Authority (CA) certificates. A CA certificate enables the Java Web Server to recognize certificates from clients that are signed by that Certificate Authority

Buttons

Create
Creates a self-signed server certificate and associated private key-public key pair.

Request
Generates a file containing the certificate signing request using information contained in the selected certificate

Passphrase
Change the passphrase associated with the certificate store

Help
Displays abbreviated help for the current screen in the lower pane

Import CA
Imports a Certificate Authority (CA ) root certificate

Import
Imports a CA-signed server certificate corresponding to the selected server certificate. The CA root-certificate must already have been imported using AuthStore's Import CA

Delete
Deletes the selected certificate

Exit
Exits this utility.

Procedures

To Create a Self-signed Server Certificate

To Create a CA-signed Server Certificate

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