Novell OPEN ENTERPRISE SERVER 2 SP2 - ADMINISTRATION, Implementation Manual, Page: 227 / 288

Certificate Management 227
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Novell Certificate Server
The component that generates eDirectory keys and certificates is the Novell Certificate Server
TM
.
This certificate server provides public key cryptography services that are natively integrated into
Novell eDirectory. You use the server to can mint, issue, and manage both user and server
certificates to protect confidential data transmissions over public communications channels such as
the Internet.
For complete information on the Novell Certificate Server, see the Novell Certificate Server 3.3.2
Administration Guide .
Server Self-Provisioning
When activated, Server Self-Provisioning lets server objects in eDirectory create their own
certificates. You must activate this option if you want PKI Health Check to automatically maintain
your server certificates.
For more information on this feature, see “ X.509 Certificate Self-Provisioning ” in the Novell
Certificate Server 3.3.2 Administration Guide .
PKI Health Check
The PKI health check runs whenever the certificate server starts.
If you have enabled Server Self-Provisioning, the health check routine automatically replaces server
certificates when any of the following are detected:
Š The certificates don’t exist.
Š
The certificates have expired.
Š The certificates are about to expire.
Š
The IP or DNS information on the certificates doesn’t match the server configuration.
Š The Certificate Authority (CA) that issued the certificate is different from the CA currently
configured.
For more information on this feature, see “ PKI Health Check ” in the Novell Certificate Server 3.3.2
Administration Guide .
/etc/opt/novell/certs This directory contains the eDirectory CA certificate in both
DER and PEM formats for use by applications that need them.
The files are named
SSCert.der and SSCert.pem ,
respectively.
For example, when PKI Health Check runs, it installs the CA
certificate in the Java Keystore in DER format if the certificate
needs replacing.
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