Nodegrid OS' Self Signed Certificates

Nodegrid OS' Self Signed Certificates

Objective

The Nodegrid OS now supports self-signed Certificate Authorities. The primary role of a CA is to digitally sign (with the CA's private key), and publish, the public key that is bound to a given entity. Please note the use of the recent Web forwarder, the ‘Browser Forwarder’, requires the use of signed certificates.

Overview of the configuration steps

  1. Generate the CSR on the Nodegrid OS
  2. Import the certificate into the user's laptop.
We will be using the web browser Chrome in the example.

Configuration

  1. Initial state: 
It confirms the absence of valid SSL certificates: 


  1. Generate the CSR: 
In Security :: Certificates, click on “Create CSR”: 

Fill-in the fields ; in particular, select “Self-Sign certificate”, and fill-in the “Subject Alternative Names” with the chosen FQDN and IP address of the Nodegrid (separated by commas, no space). Finish by clicking on “Generate CSR”:
  1. Apply the web certificate on the Nodegrid appliance:
  1. Then, click on Finish. The web browser will reload, and you will have to re-authenticate on the Nodegrid. Make sure the newly created certificate has the mention ‘Webserver’ in the column “Used by”:  
  1. On the browser: 
  2. Click on the padlock icon and see the certificate. 
  3. Export the certificate to your computer ('Base 64 ASCII')
  1. Then, import that certificate into the browser: 
  2. Go to “Settings” -> “Confidentiality and Security” -> “Security”
  3. Then, to “Manage the certificates”: 


  1. Then in “Manage Certificates”, go to: “Local certificates” -> “Installed by you”, and import the certificate.
  2. Close the browser. 


Visualization

On the login page of the Nodegrid, you visualize the new icon:


In the certificate info, you can see the status, expiration date, and Subject Alternative Names: