Overview—Certificates
Once HostExplorer and the server decide on the encryption method used for transmitting data, they send each other X.509 certificates. These certificates are used to identify the server that you are communicating with, and for the server to identify you (if you provide a user certificate).
Similar to a driver's license, which includes information that proves the identity of the driver (such as name, address, signature, photo, and official stamp), a certificate contains a collection of information used to identify the person or organization that it represents. It includes the following items:
- Subject—The name of the individual, server or other entity, as well as the public key.
- Issuer—The name of the certificate authority (CA) that issued the certificate.
- Period of Validity—The length of time for which the certificate is valid.
- Administrative Information—The version and serial number of the certificate.
The information in a certificate is organized based on various encoding rules (most of the data is binary). The certificates can be base-64 encoded so that they can be sent and received through e-mail. A viewer utility is required to view and manipulate certificates.
Generating Certificate Requests
Generating Self-Signed Certificates