Deploying a Gateway Server - Part 2

Obtaining Computer Certificates from Microsoft Certificate Services

The high-level process to obtain a certificate from a stand-alone certification authority (CA) is as follows:

1. Download the Trusted Root (CA) certificate to each Management Server \ Gateway (or agent if Gateway not used)
2. Import the Trusted Root (CA) certificate to each Management Server \ Gateway (or agent if Gateway not used)
3. Create a setup information file to use with the CertReq command-line utility.
4. Create a request file for each Management Server \ Gateway (or agent if Gateway not used).
5. Submit a request to the CA using the request file.
6. Approve the pending certificate request.
7. Retrieve the certificate from the CA.
8. Import the certificate into the certificate store for each Management Servers \ Gateway (or agent if Gateway not used)
9. Import the certificate into Operations Manager using MOMCertImport for each Management Servers \ Gateway (or agent if Gateway not used)

To download the Trusted Root (CA) certificate to each Management Server \ Gateway \ Agent

1. Log on to the computer where you want to install a certificate
2. Start Internet Explorer, and connect to the computer hosting Certificate Services; 

    for example, https://<servername>/certsrv.
3. On the Welcome page, click Download a CA Certificate, certificate chain,

    or CRL.

4. On the Download a CA Certificate, Certificate Chain, or CRL page,
    click Encoding method, click Base 64, and then click
    Download CA certificate chain.

5. In the File Download dialog box, click Save and save the certificate;
    for example, Trustedca.p7b.

6. When the download has finished, close Internet Explorer.

To import the Trusted Root (CA) Certificate
On each Management Server (including the RMS) \ Gateway (or agent if a gateway is not being used).

1. On the Windows desktop, click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Run dialog box, type mmc, and then click OK.
3. In the Console1 window, click File, and then click Add/Remove Snap-in.
4. In the Add/Remove Snap-in dialog box, click Add.
5. In the Add Standalone Snap-in dialog box, click Certificates, and then click Add.
6. In the Certificates snap-in dialog box, select Computer account, and then click Next.
7. In the Select Computer dialog box, ensure that Local computer: (the computer this console is running on) is selected, and then click Finish.
8. In the Add Standalone Snap-in dialog box, click Close.
9. In the Add/Remove Snap-in dialog box, click OK.
10. In the Console1 window, expand Certificates (Local Computer), expand Trusted Root Certification Authorities, and then click Certificates.
11. Right-click Certificates, select All Tasks, and then click Import. (or on windows 2008, Action, Import, Certificates).
12. In the Certificate Import Wizard, click Next.
13. On the File to Import page, click Browse and select the location where you downloaded the CA certificate file, for example, TrustedCA.p7b, select the file, and then click Open.
14. On the File to Import page, select Place all certificates in the following store and ensure that Trusted Root Certification Authorities appears in the Certificate store box, and then click Next.
15. On the Completing the Certificate Import Wizard page, click Finish.

To create a setup information (.inf) file

• On the computer hosting the Operations Manager component for which you are requesting a certificate, click Start, and then click Run.
• In the Run dialog box, type Notepad, and then click OK.
• Create a text file containing the following content:

[NewRequest]
Subject="CN=<FQDN of computer you are creating the certificate, for example, the gateway server or management server.>"
Exportable=TRUE
KeyLength=2048
KeySpec=1
KeyUsage=0xf0
MachineKeySet=TRUE
[EnhancedKeyUsageExtension]
OID=1.3.6.1.5.5.7.3.1
OID=1.3.6.1.5.5.7.3.2

• Save the file with an .inf file name extension, for example, RequestConfig.inf.
• Close Notepad.

To create a request file to use with a stand-alone CA

1. On each computer hosting the Operations Manager component for which you are requesting a certificate (all management servers \ gateways \ agents that aren’t using a gateway), click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Run dialog box, type cmd, and then click OK.
3. In the command window, type CertReq –New –f <path>RequestConfig.inf <path>CertRequest.req, and then press ENTER.
4. Open the resulting file (for example, CertRequest.req) with Notepad. Copy the contents of this file onto the clipboard.

To submit a request to a stand-alone CA

1. On each computer hosting the Operations Manager component for which you are requesting a certificate (all management servers \ gateways \ agents that aren’t using a gateway), start Internet Explorer, and then connect to the computer hosting Certificate Services (for example, https://<servername>/certsrv).
2. On the Microsoft Active Directory Certificate Services Welcome screen, click Request a certificate.
3. On the Request a Certificate page, click advanced certificate request.
4. On the Advanced Certificate Request page, click Submit a certificate request by using a base-64-encoded CMC or PKCS #10 file, or submit a renewal request by using a base-64-encoded PKCS #7 file.
5. On the Submit a Certificate Request or Renewal Request page, in the Saved Request text box, paste the contents of the CertRequest.req file that you copied in step 4 in the previous procedure, and then click Submit.

To approve the pending certificate request

• Log on as a certification authority administrator to the computer hosting Active Directory Certificate Services.
• On the Windows desktop, click Start, point to Programs, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Certification Authority.
• In Certification Authority, expand the node for your certification authority name, and then click Pending Requests.

• In the results pane, right-click the pending request from the previous procedure, point to All Tasks, and then click Issue.
• Click Issued Certificates, and confirm the certificate you just issued is listed.

• Close Certification Authority.

To retrieve the certificate

1. Log on to the computer where you want to install a certificate; for example, the gateway server or management server.
2. Start Internet Explorer, and connect to the computer hosting Certificate Services (for example, https://<servername>/certsrv).
3. On the Microsoft Active Directory Certificate Services Welcome page, click View the status of a pending certificate request.
4. On the View the Status of a Pending Certificate Request page, click the certificate you requested.
5. On the Certificate Issued page, select Base 64 encoded, and then click Download certificate.
6. In the File Download – Security Warning dialog box, click Save, and save the certificate; for example, as certnew.cer.
7. On the Certificate Installed page, after you see the message that Your new certificate has been successfully installed, close the browser.
8. Close Internet Explorer.

To import the certificate into the certificate store

1. On the computer hosting the Operations Manager component for which you are configuring the certificate, click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Run dialog box, type cmd, and then click OK.
3. In the command window, type CertReq –Accept –Machine <path>certnew.cer, and then press ENTER.

To import the certificate into Operations Manager using MOMCertImport
Make sure you install the agent onto servers that are not using gateways. Then use MOMCertImport and then restart the agent.

1. Log on to the computer where you installed the certificate with an account that is a member of the Administrators group.
2. On the Windows desktop, click Start, and then click Run.
3. In the Run dialog box, type cmd, and then click OK.
4. At the command prompt, type <drive_letter>: (where <drive_letter> is the drive where the Operations Manager 2007/2012 installation media is located), and then press ENTER.
5. Type cd\SupportTools\i386, and then press ENTER. (On 64-bit computers, type cd\SupportTools\amd64)
6. Type the following: MOMCertImport /SubjectName <Certificate Subject Name>
7. Press ENTER.

In Part 3 we will look in installing and configuring the Gateway server.

Part 1 | Part 3