Vmware Obtaining SSL Certificates For View Servers 5.1 51

User Manual: vmware View - 5.1 - Obtaining SSL Certificates Free User Guide for VMware View Software, Manual

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Obtaining SSL Certificates for VMware

View Servers

View 5.1

View Composer 3.0

This document supports the version of each product listed and

supports all subsequent versions until the document is replaced

by a new edition. To check for more recent editions of this

document, see http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs.

EN-000981-00

Obtaining SSL Certificates for VMware View Servers

2 VMware, Inc.

You can find the most up-to-date technical documentation on the VMware Web site at:

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and names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective companies.

VMware, Inc.

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www.vmware.com

Contents

Obtaining SSL Certificates for VMware View Servers 5

1Obtaining SSL Certificates from a Certificate Authority 7

Determining If This Document Applies to You 7

Selecting the Correct Certificate Type 8

Generating a Certificate Signing Request and Obtaining a Certificate with Microsoft Certreq 8

Convert a Certificate File to PKCS#12 Format 12

Index 15

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Obtaining SSL Certificates for VMware View Servers

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Obtaining SSL Certificates for VMware View

Servers

Obtaining SSL Certificates for VMware View Servers provides an example that shows you how to obtain signed

SSL certificates from Certificate Authorities and ensure that the certificates are in a format that can be used by

View servers.

Intended Audience

This information is intended for anyone who wants to install VMware View and needs to obtain SSL certificates

that are used by View servers, including View Connection Server, security server, and View Composer. The

information is written for experienced Windows or Linux system administrators who are familiar with virtual

machine technology and datacenter operations.

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Obtaining SSL Certificates from a

Certificate Authority 1

VMware strongly recommends that you configure SSL certificates that are signed by a valid Certificate

Authority (CA) for use by View Connection Server instances, security servers, and View Composer instances.

Default SSL certificates are generated when you install View Connection Server, security server, or View

Composer instances. Although you can use the default, self-signed certificates for testing purposes, replace

them as soon as possible. The default certificates are not signed by a CA. Use of certificates that are not signed

by a CA can allow untrusted parties to intercept traffic by masquerading as your server.

In a View environment, you should also replace the default certificate that is installed with vCenter Server

with a certificate that is signed by a CA. You can use openssl to perform this task for vCenter Server. For details,

see "Replacing vCenter Server Certificates" on the VMware Technical Papers site at

http://www.vmware.com/resources/techresources/.

This chapter includes the following topics:

n“Determining If This Document Applies to You,” on page 7

n“Selecting the Correct Certificate Type,” on page 8

n“Generating a Certificate Signing Request and Obtaining a Certificate with Microsoft Certreq,” on

page 8

n“Convert a Certificate File to PKCS#12 Format,” on page 12

Determining If This Document Applies to You

In View 5.1 and later, you configure certificates for View by importing the certificates into the Windows local

computer certificate store on the View server host.

Before you can import a certificate, you must generate a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) and obtain a valid,

signed certificate from a CA. If the CSR is not generated according to the example procedure described in this

document, the resulting certificate and its private key must be available in a PKCS#12 (formerly called PFX)

format file.

There are many ways to obtain SSL certificates from a CA. This document shows how to use the Microsoft

certreq utility to generate a CSR and make a certificate available to a View server. You can use another method

if you are familiar with the required tools, and they are installed on your server.

Use this document to solve the following problems:

nYou do not have SSL certificates that are signed by a CA, and you do not know how to obtain them

nYou have valid, signed SSL certificates, but they are not in PKCS#12 (PFX) format

If your organization provides you with SSL certificates that are signed by a CA, you can use these certificates.

Your organization can use a valid internal CA or a third-party, commercial CA. If your certificates are not in

PKCS#12 format, you must convert them. See “Convert a Certificate File to PKCS#12 Format,” on page 12.

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When you have a signed certificate in the proper format, you can import it into the Windows certificate store

and configure a View server to use it. To learn more about these tasks, see "Configuring SSL Certificates for

View Servers" in the VMware View Installation document.

Selecting the Correct Certificate Type

You can use various types of SSL certificates with View. Selecting the correct certificate type for your

deployment is critical. Different certificate types vary in cost, depending on the number of servers on which

they can be used.

Single Server Name Certificate

You can generate a certificate with a subject name for a specific server. For example: dept.company.com.

This type of certificate is useful if only one View Connection Server instance needs a certificate or if users access

the View environment through a single URL, such as through a load balancer.

Subject Alternative Names

A Subject Alternative Name (SAN) is an attribute that can be added to a certificate when it is being issued. You

use this attribute to add subject names (URLs) to a certificate so that it can validate more than one server.

For example, a certificate might be issued for a server with the host name dept.company.com. You intend the

certificate to be used by external users connecting to View through a security server. Before the certificate is

issued, you can add the SAN dept-int.company.com to the certificate to allow the certificate to be used on View

Connection Server instances or security servers behind a load balancer when tunnelling is enabled.

Wildcard Certificate

A wildcard certificate is generated so that it can be used for multiple services. For example: *.company.com.

A wildcard is useful if many servers need a certificate. If other applications in your environment in addition

to View need SSL certificates, you can use a wildcard certificate for those servers, too.

NOTE You can use a wildcard certificate only on a single level of domain. For example, a wildcard certificate

with the subject name *.company.com can be used for the subdomain dept.company.com but not

dept.it.company.com.

Generating a Certificate Signing Request and Obtaining a Certificate

with Microsoft Certreq

To make a certificate available to a View server, you must create a configuration file, generate a certificate

signing request (CSR) from the configuration file, and send the signing request to a CA. When the CA returns

the certificate, you must import the signed certificate into the Windows local computer certificate store on the

View server host, where it joins the previously generated private key.

A CSR can be generated in several ways, depending on how the certificate itself will be generated.

The Microsoft certreq utility is available on Windows Server 2008 R2 and can be used to generate a CSR and

import a signed certificate. If you intend to send a request to a third-party CA, using certreq is the quickest

and simplest way to obtain a certificate for VMware View.

1Create a CSR Configuration File on page 9

The Microsoft certreq utility uses a configuration file to generate a CSR. You must create a configuration

file before you can generate the request. Create the file and generate the CSR on the Windows Server

computer that hosts the View server that will use the certificate.

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2Generate a CSR and Request a Signed Certificate from a CA on page 10

Using the completed configuration file, you can generate a CSR by running the certreq utility. You send

the request to a third-party CA, which returns a signed certificate.

3Import a Signed Certificate by Using Certreq on page 11

When you have a signed certificate from a CA, you can import the certificate into the Windows local

computer certificate store on the View server host.

4Set Up an Imported Certificate for a View Server on page 12

After you import a server certificate into the Windows local computer certificate store, you must take

additional steps to allow a View server to use the certificate.

Create a CSR Configuration File

The Microsoft certreq utility uses a configuration file to generate a CSR. You must create a configuration file

before you can generate the request. Create the file and generate the CSR on the Windows Server computer

that hosts the View server that will use the certificate.

Procedure

1 Open a text editor and paste the following text, including the beginning and ending tags, into the file.

;----------------- request.inf -----------------

[Version]

Signature="$Windows NT$

[NewRequest]

Subject = "CN=

View_Server_FQDN

, OU=

Organizational_Unit

, O=

Organization

,

L=

City

, S=

State

, C=

Country

"

; Replace

View_Server_FQDN

with the FQDN of the View server.

; Replace the remaining Subject attributes.

KeySpec = 1

KeyLength = 2048

; KeyLength is usually chosen from 2048, 3072, or 4096. A KeyLength

; of 1024 is also supported, but it is not recommended.

Exportable = TRUE

MachineKeySet = TRUE

SMIME = False

PrivateKeyArchive = FALSE

UserProtected = FALSE

UseExistingKeySet = FALSE

ProviderName = "Microsoft RSA SChannel Cryptographic Provider"

ProviderType = 12

RequestType = PKCS10

KeyUsage = 0xa0

[EnhancedKeyUsageExtension]

OID=1.3.6.1.5.5.7.3.1 ; this is for Server Authentication

;-----------------------------------------------

Chapter 1 Obtaining SSL Certificates from a Certificate Authority

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2 Update the Subject attributes with appropriate values for your View server and deployment.

For example: CN=dept.company.com

NOTE Some CAs do not allow you to use abbreviations for the state attribute.

3 (Optional) Update the Keylength attribute.

The default value, 2048, is adequate unless you specifically need a different KeyLength size. Many CAs

require a minimum value of 2048. Larger key sizes are more secure but have a greater impact on

performance.

A KeyLength of 1024 is also supported, although the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

recommends against keys of this size, as computers continue to become more powerful and can potentially

crack stronger encryption.

4 Save the file as request.inf.

What to do next

Generate a CSR from the configuration file.

Generate a CSR and Request a Signed Certificate from a CA

Using the completed configuration file, you can generate a CSR by running the certreq utility. You send the

request to a third-party CA, which returns a signed certificate.

Prerequisites

Verify that you completed a CSR configuration file. See “Create a CSR Configuration File,” on page 9.

Procedure

1 Open a command prompt by right-clicking on Command Prompt in the Start menu and selecting Run as

administrator.

2 Navigate to the directory where you saved the request.inf file.

For example: cd c:\certificates

3 Generate the CSR file.

For example: certreq -new request.inf certreq.txt

4 In a text editor, open the CSR file (such as certreq.txt) and copy the contents of the file, including the

beginning and ending tags.

For example:

-----BEGIN NEW CERTIFICATE REQUEST-----

MIID2jCCAsICAQAwazEWMBQGA1UEBhMNVW5pdGVkIFN0YXRlczELMAkGA1UECAwC

Q0ExEjAQBgNVBAcMCVBhbG8gQWx0bzEKMAgGA1UECgwBTzELMAkGA1UECwwCT1Ux

FzAVBgNVBAMMDm15LmNvbXBhbnkuY29tMIIBIjANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQEFAAOCAQ8A

. . .

. . .

L9nPYX76jeu5rwQfXLivSCea6nZiIOZYw8Dbn8dgwAqpJdzBbrwuM1TuSnx6bAK8

S52Tv0GxW58jUTtxFV+Roz8TE8wZDFB51jx+FmLs

-----END NEW CERTIFICATE REQUEST-----

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5 Use the contents of the CSR file to submit a certificate request to the CA in accordance with the CA's

enrollment process.

After conducting some checks on your company, the CA signs your request, encrypts it with a private

key, and sends you a validated certificate.

The CA also sends you a root CA certificate and, if applicable, an intermediate CA certificate.

6 Save the certificate text to a new file named cert.cer on the View server on which the certificate request

was generated.

7 Save the root CA and intermediate CA certificates to files named root.cer and intermediate.cer on the

View server on which the certificate request was generated.

What to do next

Import the certificate into the Windows local computer certificate store.

Import a Signed Certificate by Using Certreq

When you have a signed certificate from a CA, you can import the certificate into the Windows local computer

certificate store on the View server host.

If you used the certreq utility to generate a CSR, the certificate private key is local to the server on which you

generated the CSR. To work correctly, the certificate must be combined with the private key. Use the

certreq command shown in this procedure to ensure that the certificate and private key are properly combined

and imported into the Windows certificate store.

If you use another method to obtain a signed certificate from a CA, you can use the Microsoft Management

Console (MMC) Snap-in to import a certificate into the Windows certificate store. This method is described in

"Configuring SSL Certificates for View Servers" in the VMware View Installation document.

Prerequisites

Verify that you received a signed certificate from a CA. See “Generate a CSR and Request a Signed Certificate

from a CA,” on page 10.

Procedure

1 Open a command prompt by right-clicking on Command Prompt in the Start menu and selecting Run as

administrator.

2 Navigate to the directory where you saved the signed certificate file such as cert.cer.

For example: cd c:\certificates

3 Import the signed certificate by running the certreq -accept command.

For example: certreq -accept cert.cer

The certificate is imported into the Windows local computer certificate store.

What to do next

Configure the imported certificate to be used by a View server. See “Set Up an Imported Certificate for a View

Server,” on page 12.

Chapter 1 Obtaining SSL Certificates from a Certificate Authority

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Set Up an Imported Certificate for a View Server

After you import a server certificate into the Windows local computer certificate store, you must take additional

steps to allow a View server to use the certificate.

Procedure

1 Confirm that the server certificate was imported successfully.

2 Change the certificate Friendly name to vdm.

3 Install the root CA certificate and intermediate CA certificate in the Windows certificate store.

4 Restart the View Connection Server service, security server service, or View Composer service to allow

the View service to start using the new certificates.

To perform the tasks in this procedure, see "Configure View Connection Server, Security Server, or View

Composer to Use a New SSL Certificate" in the VMware View Installation document. Follow the instructions in

these topics:

n"Add the Certificate Snap-in to MMC"

n"Modify the Certificate Friendly Name"

n"Import a Root Certificate and Intermediate Certificates into a Windows Certificate Store"

NOTE The VMware View Installation topic "Import a Signed Server Certificate into a Windows Certificate Store"

is not shown here because you already imported the server certificate by using the certreq utility. You do not

have to use the MMC Snap-in to import the server certificate again.

However, you can use the MMC Snap-in to import the root CA certificate and intermediate CA certificate into

the Windows certificate store, as described in the VMware View Installation document.

Convert a Certificate File to PKCS#12 Format

If you obtained a certificate and its private key in PEM or another format, you must convert it to PKCS#12

(PFX) format before you can import the certificate into a Windows certificate store on a View server host.

You might obtain a certificate keystore file from a CA, or your organization might provide you with certificate

files, in various formats. For example, your certificates might be in PEM format, which is often used in a Linux

environment. Your files might have a certificate file, key file, and CSR file with the following extensions:

server.crt

server.csr

server.key

The CRT file contains the SSL certificate that was returned by the CA. The CSR file is the original certificate

signing request file and is not needed. The KEY file contains the private key.

Prerequisites

Verify that OpenSSL is installed on the system. You can download openssl from http://www.openssl.org. To

run openssl from any directory on the system, see “Add openssl to the System Path,” on page 13.

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Procedure

uGenerate a PKCS#12 (PFX) keystore file from the certificate file and your private key.

For example: openssl pkcs12 -export -out server.p12 -inkey server.key -in server.crt -certfile

CACert.crt

In this example, CACert.crt is the name of the root certificate that was returned by the certificate authority.

You can also generate a keystore with a PFX extension. For example: -out server.pfx

What to do next

Import the certificate into the Windows local computer certificate store on the View server host. See "Configure

View Connection Server, Security Server, or View Composer to Use a New SSL Certificate" in the VMware View

Installation document.

Add openssl to the System Path

You can use the openssl to request certificates from a CA and create and export private keys for use with View

servers. You can add the path to openssl to the system environment Path variable so that you can run the utility

from any directory on your system.

Procedure

1 On the system on which you intend to request a certificate from a CA, right-click My Computer and select

Properties.

a On the Advanced tab, click Environment Variables.

b In the System variables group, select Path and click Edit.

c Type the paths to the JRE and Apache directories in the Variable Value text box. Use a semicolon (;)

to separate each entry from other entries in the text box.

For example:

install_directory

\VMware\VMware

View\Server\httpd\bin;

install_directory

\VMware\VMware View\Server\jre\bin

2 Click OK until the Windows System Properties dialog box closes.

Chapter 1 Obtaining SSL Certificates from a Certificate Authority

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Index

C

certificate signing request

configuration file 9

generating 8, 10

certificates

importing into a Windows certificate store 11

obtaining 5

obtaining from a CA 7

preparing for the Windows certificate store 7

selecting certificate types 8

setting up an imported certificate 12

certreq

generating a CSR 8

importing a certificate 11

O

openssl utility, adding to the system path 13

P

PEM format certificates, converting to

PKCS#12 12

PFX certificate formats, converting to 12

PKCS#12 format certificates, converting to 12

S

SSL certificates

obtaining 5

obtaining from a CA 7

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