SECURING


Signing an Internet client certificate and adding the certificate to the Domino Directory

When a CA signs an Internet client certificate, the CA adds a digital signature to the certificate and, if you are using a Domino® CA, adds the public key to the Domino Directory. If you are using a third-party CA, you must complete additional steps to add the public key to the Domino Directory.

About this task

You do not need to complete these steps if you are using a Notes® client and the CA issued certificates in the Person document of the Domino Directory. Notes automatically adds Internet certificates stored in the Person document to the Notes ID file when the user authenticates with the server.

The steps you follow to sign and add an Internet client certificate to the Domino Directory depend on whether the certificate is issued from a Domino server-based certification authority, a Domino 5 Certificate Authority, or a third-party CA.

Before you approve client certificates for signing:


Parent topic: Internet certificates for SSL and S/MIME

Domino server-based certification authority

About this task

The steps are completed by the Domino CA. You must be a registration authority (RA) to approve client certificates for signing.

Procedure

1. From the Domino Administrator, click Files, and open the Domino Certificate Requests application.

2. Transfer the certificate request into the Administration Requests database.


3. Approve or deny the request.
4. Transfer the certificate request out of the Administration Requests database.
5. Notify the user who requested the client certificate.
Results

Note: If the Certificate Requests database is configured for automatic request processing, then client requests are sent to the Administration Requests database automatically by the database. The Registration Authority only to approve or reject the request.

Domino 5 Certificate Authority

About this task

The Internet certificate request appears in the Client Certificate Requests view in the Domino Certificate Authority application. When the CA signs a certificate, the CA can automatically send email to the client. This email describes where to pick up the certificate and includes a pickup ID, which the client must use to identify the certificate during the pickup process. Domino automatically generates the pickup ID.

Note: The following steps apply to signing client certificates issued by a Domino CA. The steps are completed by the Domino CA.

Procedure

1. From the Domino Administrator, click Files, and open the Domino Certificate Authority application.

2. Click Client Certificate Requests.

3. Open the request you want to sign.

4. Review the user information and distinguished name. Make sure the information provided complies with your organization's security policy.

5. Leave the option Register certificate in the Domino Directory selected to add the client's public key automatically to the Person document.


6. To deny the request:
7. To approve the request: Third-party CA

About this task

If a user obtains an Internet certificate from a third-party CA using the Notes client, the certificate is automatically added to their Person document.

If a user obtains an Internet certificate from a third-party CA through a browser, the certificate must then be added to their Person document.

Related tasks
Setting up a Person document for an Internet user using SSL client authentication
Setting up Notes and Internet clients for SSL client authentication
Publishing third-party CA client certificates in a Person record
Creating Internet certificates for Notes S/MIME clients
Setting up the Administration Process