How to create CSR in IIS server and install SSL certificate Windows VM Server?

 To generate a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) for your VM web server or any windows server and obtain an SSL certificate for example.com, you can follow these steps:

Ensure that you have IIS installed and configured on your Windows VM server.

1. Open the Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.
2. In the Connections pane, select your server's name.
3. Double-click on "Server Certificates" in the middle pane.
4. Click on "Create Certificate Request" in the Actions pane on the right side.
5. In the "Distinguished Name Properties" window, enter the following information:
6. Common Name (e.g., example.com): Enter the domain name for which you want to obtain the SSL certificate.
7. Organization: Enter the legal name of your organization.
8. Organization Unit: Optionally, provide the department or unit name.
9. City/locality, State/province, and Country/region: Enter the corresponding information for your organization.
10. In the "Cryptographic Service Provider Properties" window, leave the default values unless you have specific requirements.
11. Choose a file name and location to save the CSR file.
12. Review the details you entered and click "Finish" to generate the CSR file.

You now have a CSR file that you can provide to a certificate authority (CA) to issue an SSL certificate. When you apply for an SSL certificate from a CA, they will typically ask you to copy and paste the contents of the CSR file into their online application form.

Follow the instructions provided by the certificate authority to complete the SSL certificate application process.

Once the CA has processed your CSR and issued the SSL certificate, they will provide you with the certificate file. You can then install the SSL certificate in IIS to enable HTTPS for example.com.

Please note that the specific steps and terminology may vary depending on the version of IIS you are using. It is recommended to refer to the official documentation or the certificate authority's instructions for detailed guidance specific to your setup.

 

To install an SSL certificate in the server's certificate store on your Windows server, you can follow these steps:

Open the Certificate Manager on your Windows server. You can do this by pressing the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog, then type "certlm.msc" and press Enter. This will open the Certificate Manager for the local machine.

1. In the Certificate Manager window, expand the "Personal" folder on the left side.
2. Right-click on the "Certificates" subfolder under "Personal" and select "All Tasks" > "Import".
3. In the Certificate Import Wizard, click "Next" to proceed.
4. Click the "Browse" button and locate the SSL certificate file (usually in .pfx or .cer format) that you received from the certificate authority or that you generated.
5. Once you have selected the certificate file, click "Next".
6. If the certificate is password-protected, enter the password in the corresponding field. Otherwise, leave it blank. Click "Next" to continue.
7. In the next step, choose the option "Place all certificates in the following store" and click "Browse".
8. In the Select Certificate Store window, choose "Personal" and click "OK".
9. Click "Next" and then "Finish" to complete the certificate import process.
10. You should see a confirmation message indicating that the certificate import was successful.

The SSL certificate is now installed in the server's certificate store. You can proceed to bind the certificate with your website in IIS as described in the previous response.

It's important to ensure that you have the necessary permissions and administrative privileges to install certificates in the server's certificate store. Additionally, make sure that the certificate file you are installing is valid and obtained from a trusted certificate authority.

If you encounter any issues during the certificate installation process, it is recommended to consult the documentation provided by your certificate authority or seek assistance from their support team for specific instructions related to your certificate type and format.

To bind an SSL certificate with a website in IIS (Internet Information Services), you can follow these steps:

1. Open the Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager on your Windows server.
2. In the Connections pane, expand the server name and navigate to the "Sites" folder.
3. Select the website to which you want to bind the SSL certificate.
4. In the Actions pane on the right side, click on "Bindings."
5. In the Site Bindings window, click on "Add" to create a new binding.
6. In the Add Site Binding window, configure the following settings:
7. Type: Select "https" from the drop-down menu.
8. IP address: Choose the appropriate IP address for your website.
9. Port: Enter "443" for the default HTTPS port.
10. SSL certificate: Select the SSL certificate you want to bind to this website from the drop-down list. If the certificate is not listed, make sure it is correctly installed in the server's certificate store.
11. Click "OK" to save the binding.
12. Optionally, you can add additional bindings for different IP addresses or hostnames using the same process.
13. Close the Site Bindings window.

The SSL certificate is now bound to the selected website in IIS. It enables secure HTTPS connections for the website using the specified certificate.

Remember to ensure that the SSL certificate you bind is valid and properly installed on the server. If you encounter any issues, double-check that the certificate is correctly installed in the server's certificate store and that it matches the hostname or domain you are accessing.

After binding the SSL certificate, you may need to restart the website or the IIS service for the changes to take effect.

Please note that the specific steps may vary slightly depending on the version of IIS you are using. It is recommended to consult the official documentation or refer to the IIS vendor's resources for detailed instructions specific to your version of IIS.

Please remember:

if you are hosting multiple SSL-enabled websites on the same IP address, it is recommended to check the "Require Server Name Indication" (SNI) checkbox when configuring the bindings in IIS.

Server Name Indication (SNI) is an extension of the TLS protocol that allows a web server to present multiple SSL certificates on the same IP address. It enables the server to determine which certificate to use for a particular domain based on the hostname provided by the client during the SSL handshake.

By checking the "Require Server Name Indication" checkbox, you are indicating that your server supports SNI and can handle multiple SSL certificates for different domains hosted on the same IP address.

Enabling SNI is crucial for ensuring that the correct SSL certificate is presented to the client based on the requested domain. Without SNI, the server would only present the default SSL certificate for the IP address, leading to certificate mismatch errors.

Therefore, when hosting multiple domains with separate SSL certificates on the same IP address, it is highly recommended to enable the "Require Server Name Indication" option in IIS to ensure proper SSL certificate selection and avoid certificate errors.