Request a Server Certificate

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 with SP1

To enable Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) on a Web site, you must first request a server certificate from a trusted certification authority. After you obtain the certificate, you need to install it on the Web server, and then assign it to one or more Web sites.

Requirements

  • Credentials: Membership in the Administrators group on the local computer.

  • Tools: Iis.msc.

Recommendation

As a security best practice, log on to your computer using an account that is not in the Administrators group, and then use the Run as command to run IIS Manager as an administrator. At the command prompt, type **runas /user:**administrative_accountname mmc %systemroot%\system32\inetsrv\iis.msc.

Procedures

To request a server certificate

  1. In IIS Manager, expand the local computer, and then expand the Web Sites folder.

  2. Right-click the Web site or file that you want, and then click Properties.

  3. On the Directory Security or File Security tab, under Secure communications, click Server Certificate.

  4. In the Web Server Certificate Wizard, click Next, and then click Create a new certificate.

  5. Follow the steps in the Web Server Certificate Wizard, which guides you through the process of requesting a new server certificate.