Provided by: pki-server_10.2.6+git20160317-1_amd64 
NAME
pkispawn - Sets up an instance of Certificate Server.
SYNOPSIS
pkispawn -s <subsystem> -f <config_file> [-h] [-v] [-p <prefix>]
DESCRIPTION
Sets up a Certificate Server subsystem (CA, KRA, OCSP, TKS, or TPS) in a Tomcat instance.
Note: A 389 Directory Server instance must be configured and running before this script
can be run. Certificate Server requires an internal directory database. The default
configuration assumes a Directory Server instance running on the same machine on
port 389. For more information on creating a Directory Server instance, see setup-
ds.pl(8).
An instance can contain multiple subsystems, although it may contain at most one of each
type of subsystem on a single machine. So, for example, an instance could contain CA and
KRA subsystems, but not two CA subsystems. To create an instance with a CA and a KRA,
simply run pkispawn twice, with values -s CA and -s KRA respectively.
The instances are created based on values for configuration parameters in the default
configuration (/etc/pki/default.cfg) and the user-provided configuration file. The user-
provided configuration file is read after the default configuration file, so any
parameters defined in that file will override parameters in the default configuration
file. In general, most users will store only those parameters which are different from
the default configuration in their user-provided configuration file.
This configuration file contains parameters that are grouped into sections. These
sections are stacked, so that parameters defined in earlier sections can be overwritten by
parameters defined in later sections. The sections are read in the following order:
[DEFAULT], [Tomcat], and the subsystem section ([CA], [KRA], [OCSP], [TKS], or [TPS]).
This allows the ability to specify parameters to be shared by all subsystems in [DEFAULT]
or [Tomcat], and system-specific customization.
Note: Any non-password related parameter values in the configuration file that needs to
contain a % character must be properly escaped. For example, a value of foo%bar
would be specified as foo%%bar in the configuration file.
At a minimum, the user-defined configuration file must provide some passwords needed for
the install. An example configuration file is provided in the EXAMPLES section below.
For more information on the default configuration file and the parameters it contains (and
can be customized), see pki_default.cfg(5).
The pkispawn run creates several different installation files that can be referenced
later, if need be:
* For Tomcat-based instances, a Tomcat instance is created at
/var/lib/pki/<pki_instance_name>, where pki_instance_name is defined in the
configuration file.
* A log file of pkispawn operations is written to
/var/log/pki/pki-<subsystem>-spawn.<timestamp>.log.
* A .p12 (PKCS #12) file containing a certificate for a subsystem administrator is
stored in pki_client_dir.
When the utility is done running, the CA can be accessed by pointing a browser to
https://<hostname>:<pki_https_port>/. The agent pages can be accessed by importing the CA
certificate and administrator certificate into the browser.
The Certificate Server instance can also be accessed using the pki command line interface.
See pki(1). For more extensive documentation on how to use Certificate Server features,
see the Red Hat Certificate System Documentation at
https://access.redhat.com/knowledge/docs/Red_Hat_Certificate_System/.
Instances created using pkispawn can be removed using pkidestroy. See pkidestroy(8).
pkispawn supersedes and combines the functionality of pkicreate and pkisilent, which were
available in earlier releases of Certificate Server. It is now possible to completely
create and configure the Certificate Server subsystem in a single step using pkispawn.
Note: Previously, as an alternative to using pkisilent to perform a non-interactive batch
configuration, a PKI instance could be interactively configured by a GUI-based
configuration wizard via a Firefox browser. GUI-based configuration of a PKI
instance is unavailable in this version of the product.
OPTIONS
-s <subsystem>
Specifies the subsystem to be installed and configured, where <subsystem> is CA,
KRA, OCSP, TKS, or TPS.
-f <config_file>
Specifies the path to the user-defined configuration file. This file contains
differences between the default configuration and the custom configuration.
-h, --help
Prints additional help information.
-v Displays verbose information about the installation. This flag can be provided
multiple times to increase verbosity. See pkispawn -h for details.
INTERACTIVE MODE
If no options are specified, pkispawn will provide an interactive menu to collect the
parameters needed to install the Certificate Server instance. Note that only the most
basic installation options are provided. This includes root CA, KRA, OCSP, TKS, and TPS
connecting to an existing directory server. More advanced setups such as cloned
subsystems, subordinate or externally signed CA, subsystems that connect to the directory
server using LDAPS, and subsystems that are customized beyond the options described below
require the use of a configuration file with the -f option.
The interactive option is most useful for those users getting familiar with Certificate
Server. The parameters collected are written to the installation file of the subsystem,
which can be found at /etc/dogtag/tomcat/<instance name>/<subsystem>/deployment.cfg.
The following parameters are queried interactively during the installation process:
Subsystem Type
Subsystem (CA/KRA/OCSP/TKS/TPS):
the type of subsystem to be installed. Prompted when the -s option is not
specified. The default value chosen is CA.
Instance Specific Parameters
Instance name:
the name of the tomcat instance in which the subsystem is to be installed. The
default value is pki-tomcat.
Note: Only one subsystem of a given type (CA, KRA, OCSP, TKS, TPS) can exist within
a given instance.
HTTP port:
the HTTP port of the Tomcat instance. The default value is 8080.
Secure HTTP port:
the HTTPS port of the Tomcat instance. The default value is 8443.
AJP port:
the AJP port of the Tomcat instance. The default value is 8009.
Management port:
the management port of the Tomcat instance. The default value is 8005.
Note: When deploying a new subsystem into an existing instance, pkispawn will attempt to
read the ports from deployment.cfg files stored for previously installed subsystems for
this instance. If successful, the installer will not prompt for these ports.
Administrative User Parameters
Username:
the username of the administrator of this subsystem. The default value is
<ca/kra/ocsp/tks/tps>admin.
Password:
password for the administrator user.
Import certificate:
An optional parameter that can be used to import an already available CA admin
certificate into this instance.
Export certificate:
setup the path where the admin certificate of this <subsystem> should be stored.
The default value is $HOME/.dogtag/pki-tomcat/<ca/kra/ocsp/tks/tps>_admin.cert.
Directory Server Parameters
Hostname:
Hostname of the directory server instance. The default value is the hostname of
the system.
Use a secure LDAPS connection?
Answering yes to this question will cause prompts for Secure LDAPS Port: and
Directory Server CA certificate pem file:. Answering no to this question will
cause a prompt for LDAP Port. The initial default value for this question is no.
Secure LDAPS Port:
Secure LDAPS port for the directory server instance. The default value is 636.
Directory Server CA certificate pem file:
The fully-qualified path including the filename of the file which contains an
exported copy of the Directory Server's CA certificate (e. g. -
$HOME/dscacert.pem). This file must exist prior to pkispawn being able to utilize
it. For details on creation of this file see the EXAMPLES section below entitled
Installing a CA connecting securely to a Directory Server via LDAPS.
LDAP Port:
LDAP port for the directory server instance. The default value is 389.
Base DN:
the Base DN to be used for the internal database for this subsystem. The default
value is o=pki-tomcat-<subsystem>.
Bind DN:
the bind DN required to connect for the directory server. This user must have
sufficient permissions to install the required schema and database. The default
value is cn=Directory Manager.
Password:
password for the bind DN.
Security Domain Parameters
Name: the name of the security domain. Required only if installing a root CA. Default
value: <DNS domain name> Security Domain.
Hostname:
the hostname for the security domain CA. Required only for non-CA subsystems. The
default value is the hostname of this system.
Secure HTTP port:
the https port for the security domain. Required only for non-CA subsystems. The
default value is 8443.
Username:
the username of the security domain administrator of the CA. Required only for non-
CA subsystems. The default value is caadmin.
Password:
password for the security domain administrator. Required for all subsystems that
are not root CAs.
EXAMPLES
Installing a root CA
To install a root CA in a new instance execute the following command:
pkispawn -s CA -f myconfig.txt
where myconfig.txt contains the following text:
[DEFAULT]
pki_admin_password=Secret123
pki_client_pkcs12_password=Secret123
pki_ds_password=Secret123
Prior to running this command, a Directory Server instance should be created and running.
This command assumes that the Directory Server instance is using its default
configuration:
* Installed on the local machine
* Listening on port 389
* The user is cn=Directory Manager, with the password specified in pki_ds_password
This invocation of pkispawn creates a Tomcat instance containing a CA running on the local
machine with secure port 8443 and unsecure port 8080. To access this CA, simply point a
browser to https://<hostname>:8443.
The instance name (defined by pki_instance_name) is pki-tomcat, and it is located at
/var/lib/pki/pki-tomcat. Logs for the instance are located at /var/log/pki/pki-tomcat, and
an installation log is written to /var/log/pki/pki-<subsystem>-spawn.<timestamp>.log.
A PKCS #12 file containing the administrator certificate is created in $HOME/.dogtag/pki-
tomcat. This PKCS #12 file uses the password designated by pki_client_pkcs12_password in
the configuration file.
To access the agent pages, first import the CA certificate by accessing the CA End Entity
Pages and clicking on the Retrieval Tab. Be sure to trust the CA certificate. Then, import
the administrator certificate in the PKCS #12 file.
Installing a root CA using ECC
To install a root CA in a new instance using ECC execute the following command:
pkispawn -s CA -f myconfig.txt
where myconfig.txt contains the following text:
[DEFAULT]
pki_admin_password=Secret123
pki_admin_keysize=nistp256
pki_admin_key_type=ecc
pki_client_pkcs12_password=Secret123
pki_ds_password=Secret123
pki_ssl_server_key_algorithm=SHA256withEC
pki_ssl_server_key_size=nistp256
pki_ssl_server_key_type=ecc
pki_subsystem_key_algorithm=SHA256withEC
pki_subsystem_key_size=nistp256
pki_subsystem_key_type=ecc
[CA]
pki_ca_signing_key_algorithm=SHA256withEC
pki_ca_signing_key_size=nistp256
pki_ca_signing_key_type=ecc
pki_ca_signing_signing_algorithm=SHA256withEC
pki_ocsp_signing_key_algorithm=SHA256withEC
pki_ocsp_signing_key_size=nistp256
pki_ocsp_signing_key_type=ecc
pki_ocsp_signing_signing_algorithm=SHA256withEC
In order to utilize ECC, the SSL Server and Subsystem key algorithm, key size, and key
type should be changed from SHA256withRSA --> SHA256withEC, 2048 --> nistp256, and rsa -->
ecc, respectively. To use an ECC admin key size and key type, the values should also be
changed from 2048 --> nistp256, and rsa --> ecc.
Additionally, for a CA subsystem, both the CA and OCSP Signing key algorithm, key size,
key type, and signing algorithm should be changed from SHA256withRSA --> SHA256withEC,
2048 --> nistp256, rsa --> ecc, and SHA256withRSA --> SHA256withEC,respectively.
Note: For all PKI subsystems including the CA, ECC is not supported for the corresponding
Audit Signing parameters. Similarly, for KRA subsystems, ECC is not supported for
either of the corresponding Storage or Transport parameters.
Installing a KRA, OCSP, TKS, or TPS in a shared instance
To install a KRA, OCSP, TKS, or TPS in the same instance used by the CA execute
the following command:
pkispawn -s <subsystem> -f myconfig.txt
where subsystem is KRA, OCSP, TKS, or TPS, and myconfig.txt contains the following text:
[DEFAULT]
pki_admin_password=Secret123
pki_client_database_password=Secret123
pki_client_pkcs12_password=Secret123
pki_ds_password=Secret123
pki_security_domain_password=Secret123
The pki_security_domain_password is the admin password of the CA installed in the same
instance. This command should be run after a CA is installed. This installs another
subsystem within the same instance using the certificate generated for the CA
administrator for the subsystem's administrator. This allows a user to access both
subsystems on the browser with a single administrator certificate. To access the new
subsystem's functionality, simply point the browser to https://<hostname>:8443 and click
the relevant top-level links.
To install TPS in a shared instance the following section must be added to myconfig.txt:
[TPS]
pki_authdb_basedn=dc=example,dc=com
TPS requires an authentication database. The pki_authdb_basedn specifies the base DN of
the authentication database.
TPS also requires that a CA and a TKS subsystems are already installed in the same
instance. Since they are in the same instance, a shared secret key will automatically be
generated in TKS and imported into TPS.
Optionally, server-side key generation can be enabled in TPS by adding the following
parameter in [TPS]:
pki_enable_server_side_keygen=True
Enabling server-side key generation requires that a KRA subsystem is already installed in
the same instance.
Installing a KRA, OCSP, TKS, or TPS in a separate instance
To install a KRA, OCSP, TKS, or TPS with a remote a CA execute the following command:
pkispawn -s <subsystem> -f myconfig.txt
where subsystem is KRA, OCSP, TKS, or TPS, and myconfig.txt contains the following text:
[DEFAULT]
pki_admin_password=Secret123
pki_client_database_password=Secret123
pki_client_pkcs12_password=Secret123
pki_ds_password=Secret123
pki_security_domain_password=Secret123
pki_security_domain_hostname=<ca_hostname>
pki_security_domain_https_port=<ca_https_port>
pki_security_domain_user=caadmin
pki_issuing_ca=https://<ca_hostname>:<ca_https_port>
[KRA/OCSP/TKS/TPS]
pki_import_admin_cert=False
A remote CA is one where the CA resides in another Certificate Server instance, either on
the local machine or a remote machine. In this case, myconfig.txt must specify the
connection information for the remote CA and the information about the security domain
(the trusted collection of subsystems within an instance).
The subsystem section is [KRA], [OCSP], [TKS], or [TPS]. This example assumes that the
specified CA hosts the security domain. The CA must be running and accessible.
A new administrator certificate is generated for the new subsystem and stored in a PKCS
#12 file in $HOME/.dogtag/pki-tomcat.
As in a shared instance, to install TPS in a separate instance the authentication database
must be specified in the [TPS] section, and optionally the server-side key generation can
be enabled. If the CA, KRA, or TKS subsystems required by TPS are running on a remote
instance the following parameters must be added into the [TPS] section to specify their
locations:
pki_ca_uri=https://<ca_hostname>:<ca_https_port>
pki_kra_uri=https://<kra_hostname>:<kra_https_port>
pki_tks_uri=https://<tks_hostname>:<tks_https_port>
If TPS and TKS are installed on separate instances the shared secret key needs to be
generated manually in TKS, then manually imported into TPS.
Generate the shared secret key in TKS with the following command:
tkstool -T -d /var/lib/pki/pki-tomcat/alias -n sharedSecret
Verify the shared secret key in TKS with the following command:
tkstool -L -d /var/lib/pki/pki-tomcat/alias
Once TPS is installed, shutdown TPS instance, then import the shared secret key into TPS
with the following command:
tkstool -I -d /var/lib/pki/pki-tomcat/alias -n sharedSecret
Verify the shared secret key in TPS with the following command:
tkstool -L -d /var/lib/pki/pki-tomcat/alias
The shared secret key nickname should be stored in the following property in the TPS's
CS.cfg:
conn.tks1.tksSharedSymKeyName=sharedSecret
Finally, restart the TPS instance.
Installing a CA clone
To install a CA clone execute the following command:
pkispawn -s CA -f myconfig.txt
where myconfig.txt contains the following text:
[DEFAULT]
pki_admin_password=Secret123
pki_client_database_password=Secret123
pki_client_pkcs12_password=Secret123
pki_ds_password=Secret123
pki_security_domain_password=Secret123
pki_security_domain_hostname=<master_ca_hostname>
pki_security_domain_https_port=<master_ca_https_port>
pki_security_domain_user=caadmin
[Tomcat]
pki_clone=True
pki_clone_pkcs12_password=Secret123
pki_clone_pkcs12_path=<path_to_pkcs12_file>
pki_clone_replicate_schema=True
pki_clone_uri=https://<master_ca_hostname>:<master_ca_https_port>
A cloned CA is a CA which uses the same signing, OCSP signing, and audit signing
certificates as the master CA, but issues certificates within a different serial number
range. It has its own internal database -- separate from the master CA database -- but
using the same base DN, that keeps in sync with the master CA through replication
agreements between the databases. This is very useful for load sharing and disaster
recovery. To create a clone, the myconfig.txt uses pki_clone-* parameters in its [Tomcat]
section which identify the original CA to use as a master template. Additionally, it
connects to the master CA as a remote CA and uses its security domain.
Before the clone can be generated, the Directory Server must be created that is separate
from the master CA's Directory Server. The example assumes that the master CA and cloned
CA are on different machines, and that their Directory Servers are on port 389.
In addition, since this example does not utilize an HSM, the master's system certs and
keys have been stored in a PKCS #12 file that is copied over to the clone subsystem in the
location specified in <path_to_pkcs12_file>. This file needs to be readable by the user
the Certificate Server runs as (by default, pkiuser) and be given the SELinux context
pki_tomcat_cert_t.
The master's system certificates can be exported to a PKCS#12 file when the master is
installed if the parameter pki_backup_keys is set to True and the pki_backup_password is
set. The PKCS#12 file is then found under /var/lib/pki/<instance_name>/alias.
Alternatively, the PKCS#12 file can be generated at any time post-installation using
PKCS12Export.
An example invocation showing the export of the system certificates and keys, copying the
keys to the replica subsystem, and setting the relevant SELinux and file permissions is
shown below. pwfile is a text file containing the password for the master NSS DB (found
in /etc/pki/<instance_name>/password.conf).
pkcs12_password_file is a text file containing the password selected for the generated
PKCS12 file.
master# PKCS12Export -d /etc/pki/pki-tomcat/alias -p pwfile \
-w pkcs12_password_file -o backup_keys.p12
master# scp backup_keys.p12 clone:/backup_keys.p12
clone# chown pkiuser: /backup_keys.p12
clone# semanage -a -t pki_tomcat_cert_t /backup_keys.p12
Note: One current cloning anomaly to mention is the following scenario:
1. Create a clone of a CA or of any other subsystem.
2. Remove that just created clone.
3. Immediately attempt the exact same clone again, in place of
the recently destroyed instance. Before recreating this clone,
make sure the "pki_ds_remove_data=True" is used in the clone's
deployment config file. This will remove the old data from the previous
clone.
Here the Director Server instance may have worked itself in into a state
where it no longer accepts connections, aborting the clone configuration quickly.
The fix to this is to simply restart the Directory Server instance before
creating the clone for the second time. After restarting the Directory Server
it should be possible to create the mentioned clone instance.
Installing a KRA or TKS clone
To install a KRA or TKS (OCSP and TPS unsupported as of now) execute the following
command:
pkispawn -s <subsystem> -f myconfig.txt
where subsystem is KRA or TKS and myconfig.txt contains the following text:
[DEFAULT]
pki_admin_password=Secret123
pki_client_database_password=Secret123
pki_client_pkcs12_password=Secret123
pki_ds_password=Secret123
pki_security_domain_password=Secret123
pki_security_domain_hostname=<master_ca_hostname>
pki_security_domain_https_port=<master_ca_https_port>
pki_security_domain_user=caadmin
[Tomcat]
pki_clone=True
pki_clone_pkcs12_password=Secret123
pki_clone_pkcs12_path=<path_to_pkcs12_file>
pki_clone_replicate_schema=True
pki_clone_uri=https://<master_subsystem_host>:<master_subsystem_https_port>
pki_issuing_ca=https://<ca_hostname>:<ca_https_port>
As with a CA clone, a KRA or TKS clone uses the same certificates and basic configuration
as the original subsystem. The configuration points to the original subsystem to copy its
configuration. This example also assumes that the CA is on a remote machine and specifies
the CA and security domain information.
The parameter pki_clone_uri should be modified to point to the required master (KRA or
TKS).
Installing a CA clone on the same host
For testing purposes, it is useful to configure cloned CAs which exist (with their
internal databases) on the same host as the master CA. To configure the cloned CA execute
the following command:
pkispawn -s CA -f myconfig.txt
where myconfig.txt contains the following text:
[DEFAULT]
pki_admin_password=Secret123
pki_client_database_password=Secret123
pki_client_pkcs12_password=Secret123
pki_ds_password=Secret123
pki_ds_ldap_port=<unique port different from master>
pki_ds_ldaps_port=<unique port different from master>
pki_http_port=<unique port different from master>
pki_https_port=<unique port different from master>
pki_instance_name=<unique name different from master>
pki_security_domain_hostname=<master_ca_hostname>
pki_security_domain_https_port=<master_ca_https_port>
pki_security_domain_password=Secret123
[Tomcat]
pki_ajp_port=<unique port different from master>
pki_clone=True
pki_clone_pkcs12_password=Secret123
pki_clone_pkcs12_path=<path_to_pkcs12_file>
pki_clone_uri=https://<master_ca_hostname>:<master_ca_https_port>
pki_tomcat_server_port=<unique port different from master>
[CA]
pki_ds_base_dn=<identical value as master>
pki_ds_database=<identical value as master>
In this case, because both CA Tomcat instances are on the same host, they must have
distinct ports. Similarly, each CA must use a distinct directory server instance for its
internal database. Like the Tomcat instances, these are distinguished by distinct ports.
The suffix being replicated (pki_ds_base), however, must be the same for both master and
clone.
Installing a subordinate CA in existing security domain
To install a subordinate CA in an existing security domain execute the following command:
pkispawn -s CA -f myconfig.txt
where myconfig.txt contains the following text:
[DEFAULT]
pki_admin_password=Secret123
pki_client_database_password=Secret123
pki_client_pkcs12_password=Secret123
pki_ds_password=Secret123
pki_security_domain_password=Secret123
pki_security_domain_hostname=<security_domain_ca_hostname>
pki_security_domain_https_port=<security_domain_ca_https_port>
pki_security_domain_user=caadmin
[CA]
pki_subordinate=True
pki_issuing_ca=https://<master_ca_hostname>:<master_ca_https_port>
pki_ca_signing_subject_dn=cn=CA Subordinate Signing,o=example.com
A sub-CA derives its certificate configuration -- such as allowed extensions and validity
periods -- from a superior or root CA. Otherwise, the configuration of the CA is
independent of the root CA, so it is its own instance rather than a clone. A sub-CA is
configured using the pki_subordinate parameter and a pointer to the CA which issues the
sub-CA's certificates.
Note: The value of pki_ca_signing_subject_dn of a subordinate CA should be different from
the root CA's signing subject DN.
Installing a subordinate CA in new security domain
To install a subordinate CA in a new security domain execute the following command:
pkispawn -s CA -f myconfig.txt
where myconfig.txt contains the following text:
[DEFAULT]
pki_admin_password=Secret123
pki_client_database_password=Secret123
pki_client_pkcs12_password=Secret123
pki_ds_password=Secret123
pki_security_domain_password=Secret123
pki_security_domain_hostname=<master CA security domain hostname>
pki_security_domain_https_port=<master CA security domain https port>
pki_security_domain_user=caadmin
[CA]
pki_subordinate=True
pki_issuing_ca=https://<master_ca_hostname>:<master_ca_https_port>
pki_ca_signing_subject_dn=cn=CA Subordinate Signing,o=example.com
pki_subordinate_create_new_security_domain=True
pki_subordinate_security_domain_name=Subordinate CA Security Domain
In this section, the subordinate CA logs onto and registers with the security domain CA
(using parameters pki_security_domain_hostname, pki_security_domain_user and
pki_security_domain_password) as in the previous section, but also creates and hosts a new
security domain. To do this, pki_subordinate_create_new_security_domain must be set to
True. The subordinate CA security domain name can also be specified by specifying a value
for pki_subordinate_security_domain_name.
Note: The value of pki_ca_signing_subject_dn of a subordinate CA should be different from
the root CA's signing subject DN.
Installing an externally signed CA
To install an externally signed CA execute the following command:
pkispawn -s CA -f myconfig.txt
This is a two step process.
In the first step, a certificate signing request (CSR) is generated for the signing
certificate and myconfig.txt contains the following text:
[DEFAULT]
pki_admin_password=Secret123
pki_client_database_password=Secret123
pki_client_pkcs12_password=Secret123
pki_ds_password=Secret123
pki_security_domain_password=Secret123
[CA]
pki_external=True
pki_external_csr_path=/tmp/ca_signing.csr
pki_ca_signing_subject_dn=cn=CA Signing,ou=External,o=example.com
The CSR is written to pki_external_csr_path. The pki_ca_signing_subject_dn should be
different from the subject DN of the external CA that is signing the request. The
pki_ca_signing_subject_dn parameter can be used to specify the signing certificate's
subject DN.
The CSR is then submitted to the external CA, and the resulting certificate and
certificate chain are saved to files on the system.
In the second step, the configuration file has been modified to install the issued
certificates. In place of the original CSR, the configuration file now points to the
issued CA certificate and certificate chain. There is also a flag to indicate that this
completes the installation process (pki_external_step_two).
[DEFAULT]
pki_admin_password=Secret123
pki_client_database_password=Secret123
pki_client_pkcs12_password=Secret123
pki_ds_password=Secret123
pki_security_domain_password=Secret123
[CA]
pki_external=True
pki_external_ca_cert_chain_path=/tmp/ca_cert_chain.cert
pki_external_ca_cert_path=/tmp/ca_signing.cert
pki_external_step_two=True
pki_ca_signing_subject_dn=cn=CA Signing Certificate,ou=External,o=example.com
Then, the pkispawn command is run again:
pkispawn -s CA -f myconfig.txt
Installing a PKI subsystem with a secure LDAP connection
There are three scenarios in which a PKI subsystem (e.g. a CA) needs to communicate
securely via LDAPS with a directory server:
* A directory server exists which is already running LDAPS using a CA certificate
that has been issued by some other CA. For this scenario, the CA certificate must
be made available via a PEM file (e.g. $HOME/dscacert.pem) prior to running
pkispawn such that the new CA may be installed and configured to communicate with
this directory server using LDAPS.
* A directory server exists which is currently running LDAP. Once a CA has been
created, there is a desire to use its CA certificate to issue an SSL certificate
for this directory server so that this CA and this directory server can communicate
via LDAPS. For this scenario, since there is no need to communicate securely
during the pkispawn installation/configuration, simply use pkispawn to install and
configure the CA using the LDAP port of the directory server, issue an SSL
certificate from this CA for the directory server, and then reconfigure the CA and
directory server to communicate with each other via LDAPS.
* Similar to the previous scenario, a directory server exists which is currently
running LDAP, and the desire is to create a CA and use it to establish LDAPS
communications between this CA and this directory server. However, for this
scenario, there is a need for the CA and the directory server to communicate
securely during pkispawn installation and configuration. For this to succeed, the
directory server must generate a temporary self-signed certificate which then must
be made available via a PEM file (e.g. $HOME/dscacert.pem) prior to running
pkispawn. Once the CA has been created, swap things out to reconfigure the CA and
directory server to utilize LDAPS through the desired certificates.
The following example demonstrates the steps to generate a temporary self-signed
certificate in the Directory Server which requires an Admin Server. Directory Server and
Admin Server instances can be created with the following command:
setup-ds-admin.pl
Enable LDAPS in the Directory Server with the following command:
/usr/sbin/setupssl2.sh /etc/dirsrv/slapd-pki 389 636 Secret123
Note: The setupssl2.sh script may be downloaded from
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/richm/scripts/master/setupssl2.sh.
Restart the Directory Server with the following command:
systemctl restart dirsrv.target
Verify that a client can connect securely over LDAPS with the following command:
/usr/lib64/mozldap/ldapsearch -Z -h pki.example.com -p 636 -D 'cn=Directory
Manager' -w Secret123 -b "dc=example, dc=com" "objectclass=*"
Note: The mozldap ldapsearch utility is available from the mozldap-tools package.
Export the self-signed CA certificate with the following command:
certutil -L -d /etc/dirsrv/slapd-pki -n "CA certificate" -a > $HOME/dscacert.pem
Once the self-signed CA certificate is obtained, add the following parameters into the
[DEFAULT] section in myconfig.txt:
pki_ds_secure_connection=True
pki_ds_secure_connection_ca_pem_file=$HOME/dscacert.pem
Then execute pkispawn to create the CA subsystem.
Managing PKI instance
To start all 389 instances (local PKI databases):
systemctl start dirsrv.target
To stop all 389 instances (local PKI databases):
systemctl stop dirsrv.target
To restart all 389 instances (local PKI databases):
systemctl restart dirsrv.target
To obtain the status of all 389 instances (local PKI databases):
systemctl status dirsrv.target
To start a PKI instance named <pki_instance_name>:
systemctl start pki-tomcatd@<pki_instance_name>.service
To stop a PKI instance named <pki_instance_name>:
systemctl stop pki-tomcatd@<pki_instance_name>.service
To restart a PKI instance named <pki_instance_name>:
systemctl restart pki-tomcatd@<pki_instance_name>.service
To obtain the status of a PKI instance named <pki_instance_name>:
systemctl status pki-tomcatd@<pki_instance_name>.service
To obtain a detailed status of a Tomcat PKI instance named <pki_instance_name>:
pkidaemon status tomcat <pki_instance_name>
To obtain a detailed status of all Tomcat PKI instances:
pkidaemon status tomcat
BUGS
Report bugs to http://bugzilla.redhat.com.
AUTHORS
Ade Lee <alee@redhat.com>. pkispawn was written by the Certificate Server project.
COPYRIGHT
Copyright (c) 2012 Red Hat, Inc. This is licensed under the GNU General Public License,
version 2 (GPLv2). A copy of this license is available at http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-
licenses/gpl-2.0.txt.
SEE ALSO
pkidestroy(8), pki_default.cfg(5), pki(1), setup-ds.pl(8)