Netscape Certificate Management System 6.1, Administrator'S Manual

Page: 813 / 840

Glossary 813
CA hierarchy A hierarchy of CAs in which a root CA delegates the authority to
issue certificates to subordinate CAs. Subordinate CAs can also expand the
hierarchy by delegating issuing status to other CAs. See also certificate authority
(CA), subordinate CA, root CA.
CA server key The SSL server key of the server providing a CA service.
CA signing key
The private key that corresponds to the public key in the CA
certificate. A CA uses its signing key to sign certificates and CRLs.
certificate Digital data, formatted according to the X.509 standard, that specifies
the name of an individual, company, or other entity (the subject name of the
certificate) and certifies that a public key, which is also included in the certificate,
belongs to that entity. A certificate is issued and digitally signed by a certificate
authority (CA). A certificate’s validity can be verified by checking the CA’s digital
signature using the techniques of public-key cryptography. To be trusted within a
public-key infrastructure (PKI), a certificate must be issued and signed by a CA
that is trusted by other entities enrolled in the PKI.
certificate authority (CA) A trusted entity that issues a certificate after verifying
the identity of the person or entity the certificate is intended to identify. A CA also
renews and revokes certificates and generates CRLs. The entity named in the issuer
field of a certificate is always a CA. Certificate authorities can be independent third
parties or a person or organization using certificate-issuing server software (such
as Netscape Certificate Management System). Certificate Management System
makes it possible to divide the role of a CA among one or more Registration
Managers, which handle most or all interactions with certificate owners, and a
Certificate Manager, which issues certificates.
certificate-based authentication Authentication based on certificates and
public-key cryptography. See also password-based authentication.
certificate chain A hierarchical series of certificates signed by successive
certificate authorities. A CA certificate identifies a certificate authority (CA) and is
used to sign certificates issued by that authority. A CA certificate can in turn be
signed by the CA certificate of a parent CA, and so on up to a root CA. Certificate
Management System allows any end entity to retrieve all the certificates in a
certificate chain.