Generate Ssl Private Key On Apache

Installation

Why do I get permission errors related to SSLMutex when I start Apache?

Errors such as ``mod_ssl: Child could not open SSLMutex lockfile /opt/apache/logs/ssl_mutex.18332 (System error follows) [..] System: Permission denied (errno: 13)' are usually caused by overly restrictive permissions on the parent directories. Make sure that all parent directories (here /opt, /opt/apache and /opt/apache/logs) have the x-bit set for, at minimum, the UID under which Apache's children are running (see the User directive).

How to Generate a CSR for Apache Web Server Using OpenSSL The following instructions will guide you through the CSR generation process on Apache OpenSSL. To learn more about CSRs and the importance of your private key, reference our Overview of Certificate Signing Request article. A CSR is a file containing your SSL Certificate application information, including your Public Key. Certificate Auto-Requester: We provides a useful tool to automatically create a public/private key pair on your local machine then use this key pair to generate a CSR and automatically submit it to us over a secure SSL connection to create your certificate for Apache. Jul 08, 2009 1. Generate Private Key on the Server Running Apache + modssl. First, generate a private key on the Linux server that runs Apache webserver using openssl command as shown below. CA's don't asks for your private keys they only asks for CSR to issue a certificate for you if they have your private key its possible that your SSL certificate will be compromised and end up being revoked, your.key file is generated upon CSR generation most probably its somewhere on your PC where you generated the CSR.

Why does mod_ssl stop with the error 'Failed to generate temporary 512 bit RSA private key' when I start Apache?

Cryptographic software needs a source of unpredictable data to work correctly. Many open source operating systems provide a 'randomness device' that serves this purpose (usually named /dev/random). On other systems, applications have to seed the OpenSSL Pseudo Random Number Generator (PRNG) manually with appropriate data before generating keys or performing public key encryption. As of version 0.9.5, the OpenSSL functions that need randomness report an error if the PRNG has not been seeded with at least 128 bits of randomness.

To prevent this error, mod_ssl has to provide enough entropy to the PRNG to allow it to work correctly. This can be done via the SSLRandomSeed directive.

If you want to convert your website from HTTP to HTTPS, you need to get a SSL certificate from a valid organization like Verisign or Thawte. You can also generate self signed SSL certificate for testing purpose.

In this article, let us review how to generate private key file (server.key), certificate signing request file (server.csr) and webserver certificate file (server.crt) that can be used on Apache server with mod_ssl.

Key, CSR and CRT File Naming Convention

I typically like to name the files with the domain name of the HTTPS URL that will be using this certificate. This makes it easier to identify and maintain.

Instead of server.key, I use www.thegeekstuff.com.key
Instead of server.csr, I use www.thegeekstuff.com.csr
Instead of server.crt, I use www.thegeekstuff.com.crt

1. Generate Private Key on the Server Running Apache + mod_ssl

Private Key Bitcoin

First, generate a private key on the Linux server that runs Apache webserver using openssl command as shown below.

The generated private key looks like the following.

2. Generate a Certificate Signing Request (CSR)

Using the key generate above, you should generate a certificate request file (csr) using openssl as shown below.

3. Generate a Self-Signed SSL Certificate

For testing purpose, you can generate a self-signed SSL certificate that is valid for 1 year using openssl command as shown below.

You can use this method to generate Apache SSL Key, CSR and CRT file in most of the Linux, Unix systems including Ubuntu, Debian, CentOS, Fedora and Red Hat.

4. Get a Valid Trial SSL Certificate (Optional)

Apache Generate Ssl Csr

Instead of signing it youself, you can also generate a valid trial SSL certificate from thawte. i.e Before spending the money on purchasing a certificate, you can also get a valid fully functional 21 day trial SSL certificates from Thawte. Once this valid certificate works, you can either decide to purchase it from Thawte or any other SSL signing organization.

This step is optional and not really required. For testing purpose, you can always use the self-signed certificate that was generated from the above step.

Go to Thwate trial certificate request page and do the following:

Select “SSL Web Server Certificate (All servers)” under the “select your trial certificate”.
Do not check the PKCS #7 check-box under the “configure certificate”
Copy/Paste the *.csr file that you generate above in the textbox under “certificate signing request (CSR)”
Click on next at the bottom, which will give you a 21-day free trial certificate.

How To Generate Ssl

Copy/Paste the trial certificate to the www.thegeekstuff.com.crt file as shown below.

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