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How to Generate CSR | Certificate Signing Request for Apache HTTP Server (OpenSSL)

Complete the following steps to create your CSR.

The process below will guide you through the steps of creating a Private Key and CSR.
 
IMPORTANT: The private key is not to be shared by anyone, sharing of the private key is against best practice. If you require to share the private key it is best to transfer in a secure manner and not through open communication such as unencrypted email. DO NOT provide Entrust with the private key.
 
1. Launch the OS Terminal or Command Prompt:

SHA-2 signing algorithm:
Type the following command: openssl req -new -newkey rsa:2048 –sha256 -nodes -keyout server.key -out server.csr
PLEASE NOTE: Replace "server.key" and "server.csr" with your own values 
2. Once prompted for a "Common Name" enter the Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) that you wish to secure in the certificate
For Wildcard: If you are going to be requesting a Wildcard Certificate you will need to place an asterisk * in front of the domain (e.g. *.entrust.com)
You will also be prompted for the following information:
Attribute
Prefix
Description
Example
Country/Region
C
Business Location - Country
CA
State/Province
ST
Business Location - State/Province
Ontario
City/Locality
L
Business Location - City
Ottawa
Organization Unit
OU
Organization Unit if required to be listed*
 Optional*
Organization
O
Organization’s legal business name
Entrust Inc.
Common Name
CN
Domain to be secured by certificate
 
PLEASE NOTE: Do not use a Challenge Password
 
* If you require an Organization Unit, the value you place will be required to pass verification. If the OU is considered misleading or a registered trademark to a different legal entity it will be removed from certificate that is issued and show up with no value.
 
Command Output Sample:
[[email protected] ~]$ openssl req -new -newkey rsa:2048 -nodes -keyout server.key -out server.csr
Generating a 2048 bit RSA private key
.........................................................................+++
............................................+++
writing new private key to 'server.key'
-----
You are about to be asked to enter information that will be incorporated
into your certificate request.
What you are about to enter is what is called a Distinguished Name or a DN.
There are quite a few fields but you can leave some blank
For some fields there will be a default value,
If you enter '.', the field will be left blank.
-----
Country Name (2 letter code) [XX]:CA
State or Province Name (full name) []:Ontario
Locality Name (eg, city) [Default City]:Ottawa
Organization Name (eg, company) [Default Company Ltd]:Entrust Inc.
Organizational Unit Name (eg, section) []:
Common Name (eg, your name or your server's hostname) []:www.entrust.com
Email Address []:
 
Please enter the following 'extra' attributes
to be sent with your certificate request
A challenge password []:
An optional company name []:
 
3. You will now have a Private Key and CSR, the CSR contents are used to submit the request to Entrust to issue the certificate. You can view the contents of the CSR by opening the file within a basic text editor, to confirm the information is correct use the Entrust CSR viewer to parse the information within the CSR: http://www.entrust.net/ssl-technical/csr-viewer.cfm

If you have any questions or concerns please contact the Entrust Certificate Services support department for further assistance.

Hours of Operation:
Sunday 8:00 PM ET to Friday 8:00 PM ET 
North America (toll free): 1-866-267-9297 
Outside North America: 1-613-270-2680 (or see the list below) 
NOTE: It is very important that international callers dial the UITF format exactly as indicated. Do not dial an extra "1" before the "800" or your call will not be accepted as an UITF toll free call.
 
CountryNumber
Australia0011 - 800-3687-7863
1-800-767-513
Austria00 - 800-3687-7863
Belgium00 - 800-3687-7863
Denmark00 - 800-3687-7863
Finland990 - 800-3687-7863 (Telecom Finland)
00 - 800-3687-7863 (Finnet)
France00 - 800-3687-7863
Germany00 - 800-3687-7863
Hong Kong001 - 800-3687-7863 (Voice)
002 - 800-3687-7863 (Fax)
Ireland00 - 800-3687-7863
Israel014 - 800-3687-7863
Italy00 - 800-3687-7863
Japan001 - 800-3687-7863 (KDD)
004 - 800-3687-7863 (ITJ)
0061 - 800-3687-7863 (IDC)
Korea001 - 800-3687-7863 (Korea Telecom)
002 - 800-3687-7863 (Dacom)
Malaysia00 - 800-3687-7863
Netherlands00 - 800-3687-7863
New Zealand00 - 800-3687-7863
0800-4413101
Norway00 - 800-3687-7863
Singapore001 - 800-3687-7863
Spain00 - 800-3687-7863
Sweden00 - 800-3687-7863 (Telia)
00 - 800-3687-7863 (Tele2)
Switzerland00 - 800-3687-7863
Taiwan00 - 800-3687-7863
United Kingdom00 - 800-3687-7863
0800 121 6078
+44 (0) 118 953 3088
 
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