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Building a Secure RedHat Apache Server HOWTO

Richard Sigle, Richard.sigle@equifax.com

0.1, 2001-02-06

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The guide is designed to explain how PKI and SSL work together. It is essential to understand how the SSL protocol works to successfully deploy a secure server.

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1. Purpose/Scope of this Guide

• 1.1 About Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)
• 1.2 FeedBack
• 1.3 Copyrights and Trademarks
• 1.4 Acknowledgements and Thanks

2. Introduction to Secure Sockets Layer/Private Key Infrastructure

• 2.1 Responsibilities of SSL/PKI
• 2.2 How SSL Works
• 2.3 How PKI Works
• 2.4 Certificates(x509 Standard)
• 2.5 Digital Certificate Private Key
• 2.6 Digital Certificate Public Key
• 2.7 Certificate Signing Request(CSR)

3. Working with Certificates

• 3.1 Create a Private Key
• 3.2 Create a Certificate Signing Request
• 3.3 Creating a Self-Signed Certificate
• 3.4 Installing your Web Server Certificate

4. Configuring your Apache Server

• 4.1 Define a Secure Virtual Host
• 4.2 Certificate Examples
• 4.3 Restart the Web Server

5. Troubleshooting

• 5.1 Server Appears to start, but you cannot access the secure site
• 5.2 Certificate Name Check Warning is issued by the client's browser
• 5.3 Certificate was Signed by an Untrusted Certificate Authority Warning
• 5.4 SSLEngine on is an un-recognized command (when starting Apache)
• 5.5 You have forgotten your "PEM Passphrase" and you would like to know

6. Glossary

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