Installing an SSL Certificate in IIS

[austin.shelton]

This documentation outlines the steps to install an SSL certificate on a Windows server running Internet Information Services (IIS). An SSL certificate secures the data transmitted between the server and clients, ensuring encryption and trust. This guide covers the creation of a Certificate Signing Request (CSR), completing the certificate request, and binding the certificate to a website in IIS.

Prerequisites

Before we get started, you’ll need RDP access to the server. Provided below is our documentation for locating your server(s) connection information.

Refer to the bottom of this article if you already have a PFX and are looking to import it onto your new xByte Cloud server.

Finding your Cloud Server and Service Login Information

This article should serve as a guide to finding your Server Login information. This includes the Administrator login as well as sub-service logins such as MSSQL, MySQL, ColdFusion, Lucee, and more. To begin, you’ll need to log in to the billing control panel. Below is our Billing Control Panel URL. Billing Control Panel: https://billing.xbytehosting.com/ Select “My Services” from the dashboard, once logged in. [image] Click on the VPS you’re trying to find information for. [image] …

Generating a Certificate Signing Request (CSR)

1. Open the IIS Manager:

• Press Win + R, type inetmgr, and press Enter.
• Or search for “Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager” in the Start menu.

2. In the Connections pane on the left, select your server’s hostname.
3. In the center pane, double-click on “Server Certificates.”
4. In the Actions pane on the right, click “Create Certificate Request…”
5. The “Request Certificate” wizard will appear. Fill in the following information:

• Common Name (CN): Enter the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) for which you’re requesting the certificate (e.g., www.example.com).

• Organization (O): Your organization’s legal name.

• Organizational Unit (OU): Your department or division within the organization.

• City/locality (L), State/province (S), Country/region (C): Corresponding location details.

  

6. Select “2048” for the Bit length.
7. Choose a file path to save the CSR to, and provide a file name (e.g., “example.csr”).
8. Click “Next” and then “Finish.”

Completing the Certificate Request

1. Go back to the IIS Manager.
2. In the Connections pane, select your server’s hostname.
3. In the center pane, double-click on “Server Certificates.”
4. In the Actions pane on the right, click “Complete Certificate Request…”
5. Browse and select the SSL certificate file that you downloaded from the client area. Enter a “Friendly name” to identify the certificate.
6. Select the appropriate certificate store: “Personal.”
7. Click “OK.”

Binding the SSL Certificate to a Website in IIS

1. Open the IIS Manager.
2. In the Connections pane, expand your server’s hostname and select “Sites.”
3. In the center pane, select the website to which you want to bind the SSL certificate.
4. In the Actions pane on the right, click “Bindings…”
5. Click “Add” to create a new binding.
6. Select “https” as the “Type.”
7. Type your domain name into the “Host name:” field. (e.g., www.example.com)
8. Select “Require Server Name Indication.”
9. Choose the SSL certificate you just installed from the drop-down list.
10. Click “OK.”

Manual SSL/PFX Import

If you’re moving to a new server at xByte and already have an SSL certificate for your domain and have obtained a PFX file from your old server, then you have the option of manually importing your SSL certificate so that you can assign it to your domains.

1. Open IIS Manager
2. Select the Server: In the Connections pane on the left side of the IIS Manager, select your server’s name.
3. Import Certificate: In the middle pane, double-click on “Server Certificates.”

4. Actions Pane: In the Actions pane on the right side, click on “Import…”
5. Choose File: In the Import Certificate wizard, click “Next.” Then, browse to the location of your PFX certificate file and select it. Click “Open” and then “Next” to continue.
6. Enter Password: Enter the password for the PFX file when prompted. Make sure “Automatically select the certificate store based on the type of certificate” is selected, and click “Next.”

Summary

If you’ve followed these steps, then you’ve successfully installed an SSL Certificate on your IIS server! Congratulations!

If you require assistance, then please don’t hesitate to reach out to our team of Engineers. They will be able to assist with the installation and are capable of installing it on your behalf as well.