Installing SSL Certificate

Introduction

SupportCenter Plus can run as a HTTPS service. But it requires a SSL (Secure Socket Layer) Certificate signed by a valid Certificate Authority (CA).

By default, on first time start-up, it creates a self-signed certificate. This self-signed certificate will not be trusted by the user browsers. Thus, while connecting to SupportCenter Plus, you need to manually verify the certificate information and the hostname of SupportCenter Plus server carefully and should force the browser to accept the certificate.

To make SupportCenter Plus server identify itself correctly to the web browser and the user, you need to obtain a new signed certificate from a CA for the SupportCenter Plus host. You can use keytool (bundled with Java) to create your certificates, get them signed by a CA and use them with SupportCenter Plus.

Steps to install SSL in SupportCenter Plus

The steps involved in configuring SupportCenter Plus to use the SSL are as given below.

Step 1: Create a Keystore file

Step 2: Create .CSR (Certificate Signing Request) file

Step 3: Install your SSL Certificate

Step 4: Configuring the Server

NOTE: In all the images, replace the highlighted text with the alias name you want to use for the SupportCenter Plus.

Step 1: Create a Keystore file

Before requesting for a certificate from a CA, you need to create tomcat specific ".keystore" file and ".csr" file. The .keystore file and .csr file will include information provided by the individual who creates the .keystore and .csr files.

To create the .keystore file follow the below steps,

Open the Command Prompt.
From the location <installation directory> \ jre \ bin execute the command

keytool -genkey -alias <your_alias_name> or [Domain Name] -keyalg RSA -keystore scp.keystore

If your vendor requires a CSR of size 2048 please use the command given below.

keytool -genkey -alias <your_alias_name> or [Domain Name] -keyalg RSA -keysize 2048 -keystore scp.keystore

You will then be prompted to choose a password for your keystore.

NOTE: Please note that the Password should not contain $ symbol.

When it asks for first and last name, this is NOT your first and last name, but rather it is your Fully Qualified Domain Name for the site you are securing.

If you are ordering a Wildcard Certificate this must begin with the * character.

On entering the required information, confirm that the information is correct by entering 'y' or 'yes' when prompted.

At the end of executing the above command, you will be prompted to enter keystore password. Try giving the password same as your key password. Make sure to remember the password you choose.
Your keystore file named scp.keystore is now created in your current working directory.

NOTE: We request you to make a backup copy of the scp.keystore file before installing the Certs. This backed up keystore can be used if the certificate installation goes wrong or when you renew your certificates the next year.

Step 2: Creating .CSR (Certificate Signing Request) file

The .CSR (Certificate Signing Request) file is temporary and should be submitted to a CA to receive CA-Signed Certificate files.

Please follow the steps given below to create the CSR file.

Open the Command Prompt
From the location <installation directory> \ jre \ bin execute the below command.

keytool -certreq -alias <your_alias_name> -file key.csr -keystore scp.keystore

In the above command <your_alias_name> is the alias name provided when creating the keystore, key.csr is the name of the CSR file that will be created after the command is executed.

Step 3: Install your SSL Certificate

Download the Certificate files received from the CA via e-mail to the directory where your keystore (scp.keystore) was saved during the CSR creation process. The certificates must be installed to this exact keystore. If you try to install it to a different keystore it will not work.

The certificates you had downloaded must be installed to your keystore in the correct order for your certificate to be trusted. If the certificates are not installed in the correct order, then the certificate will not authenticate properly. To find the correct order, double click on the domain certificate and then go to ‘Certification Path’.

These certificates are usually in the format .cer or .crt. If your certificate is with the extension .p7b please follow the instructions given in Installing a .P7b Certificate to export the certs to a .cer or .crt format.

Looking at the above certification path we can infer that we need to import two other certificates before the domain certificate. First is the Root, next the Intermediate and finally the Domain Certificate. Some CAs may also use another certificate called Cross Intermediate. These certificates can be downloaded from the Vendor’s website.

Installing the Root Certificate file

Each time you install a certificate to your keystore you will be prompted for the keystore password, which you chose while generating your CSR. Type the following command to install the Root certificate file:

keytool -import -trustcacerts -alias root -file <File_Name>.crt -keystore scp.keystore

NOTE: Choose ‘Yes’ if you get prompted with a message that says "Certificate already exists in system-wide CA keystore under alias <Alias Name> Do you still want to add it to your own keystore? [no]:"

You will get a confirmation stating that the "Certificate was added to keystore".

Install the Intermediate Certificates and Cross Intermediate Certificates (if any).

Follow the instructions provided by the CA.

keytool -import -trustcacerts –alias intermediate -file <File_Name>.crt -keystore scp.keystore

keytool -import -trustcacerts –alias cross -file <File_Name>.crt -keystore scp.keystore

You will get a confirmation stating that the "Certificate was added to keystore".

Install the Primary or the Domain Certificate file

Type the following command to install the Primary certificate file:

keytool -import -trustcacerts -alias <your_alias_name or [Domain Name]> -file your_domain_name.crt -keystore scp.keystore

Please note that <your_alias_name or [Domain Name]> should be replaced with the alias name provided when creating the keystore (as discussed in Step 1). This time you will get a different confirmation stating that the "Certificate reply was installed in keystore”.

If you want to trust the certificate, then choose y or yes. Your Certificates are now installed to your keystore file (scp.keystore).

Step 4: Configuring the Server

Copy the scp.keystore file from <SupportCenter_Home>\jre\bin to <SupportCenter_Home>\server\default\conf
From the command prompt, execute changeWebServerPort.bat script to change the connection mode to HTTPS.

Cmd>[SupportCenter Plus Home]\bin> changeWebServerPort.bat <WEBSERVER_PORT> https

Finally, update the name of the keystore and the password, you gave in Step 1, while generating scp.keystore in the file server.xml present under <SupportCenter_Home>\server\default\deploy\jbossweb-tomcat50.sar

Restart the service ManageEngine SupportCenter Plus for the changes to take effect.

Install a .P7b Certificate

Some CA will provide the certificates with an extension .p7b. In such a case you can double click on this file to open a console which will list all the required certificates. You can export these certificates to Base-64 encoded X.509 (.cer) files. (Please refer to the Screenshots given below).

These certs can then be installed onto the keystore file using the instructions given in Step 3.

To export the certificate,

Go to [SupportCenter Plus Home] \ jre \ bin \ domain.P7B.

Right click on the certificate and select All Tasks -> Export option.

The Certificate Export Wizard dialog pops up. Click Next button to proceed.

Select the export file format as Base-64 encoded X.509 (.cer). Click Next.

Specify the name of the file you want to export.Click Next.

The certificate export wizard is completed successfully. You can check for the settings you have specified. Click Finish.

A success message appears in a dialog box. Click OK.

Commands to install certificates of some common vendors

Please find below the commands you need to use to install certificates of some common vendors.

NOTE: These instructions might change depending on the Certificates issued by the CA.

GoDaddy

If your CA is "GoDaddy", then the steps to follow will be:

keytool -import -alias root -keystore <Keystore_Name>.keystore -trustcacerts -file gd_bundle.crt

keytool -import -alias cross -keystore <Keystore_Name>.keystore -trustcacerts -file gd_cross_intermediate.crt

keytool -import -alias intermediate -keystore <Keystore_Name>.keystore -trustcacerts -file gd_intermediate.crt

keytool -import -alias <Alias Specified when creating the Keystore> -keystore <Keystore_Name>.keystore -trustcacerts -file <CertificateName>.crt

Verisign

If your CA is "Verisign", then the steps to follow will be:

keytool -import -alias intermediateCA -keystore <Keystore_Name>.keystore -trustcacerts -file <your_intermediate_certificate_name>.cer

keytool -import -alias <Alias Specified when creating the Keystore> -keystore < Keystore_Name>.keystore -trustcacerts -file <CertificateName>.cer

Comodo

If your CA is "Comodo", then the steps to follow will be:

keytool -import -trustcacerts -alias root -file AddTrustExternalCARoot.crt -keystore <Keystore_Name>.keystore

keytool -import -trustcacerts -alias addtrust -file UTNAddTrustServerCA.crt -keystore <Keystore_Name>.keystore

keytool -import -trustcacerts -alias ComodoUTNServer -file ComodoUTNServerCA.crt -keystore <Keystore_Name>.keystore

keytool -import -trustcacerts -alias essentialSSL -file essentialSSLCA.crt -keystore <Keystore_Name>.keystore

keytool -import -trustcacerts -alias <Alias Specified when creating the Keystore> -file <Certificate-Name>.crt -keystore <Keystore_Name>.keystore