Certificate management using iKeyman

Certificate management using iKeyman

Start in WAS V6.1, you can manage your certificates from the console. When using versions of WAS prior to V6.1, use iKeyman for certificate management. iKeyman is a key management utility.
certificate management requires that you define the keystores in your WAS configuration. With iKeyman, we need access to the keystore file only. You can read a keystore file with personal certificates and signers that is created in iKeyman. A keystore file can be read into the WAS configuration by using the createKeyStore command.
The majority of certificate management functions are the same between WebSphere Application Server and iKeyman, especially for personal certificates and signer certificates. However, certificate requests are special. The underlying behavior is different in the two certificate management schemes. Because of the different behavior, when a certificate request is generated from iKeyman, the process must be completed in iKeyman. For example, a certificate that is generated by a certificate request that originated in iKeyman must be received in iKeyman as well.
The same is true for WAS. For example, when a certificate is generated from a certificate request that originated in WebSphere Application Server, the certificate must be received in WebSphere Application Server.
You can perform the following certificate operations using iKeyman:

Types of certificates Functions Description

Personal certificates Create a self-signed certificate Creates a self-signed certificate and stores it in a keystore.
List personal certificates Lists all the personal certificates in a keystore.
Get information about a personal certificate Gets information about a personal certificate.
Delete a personal certificate Deletes a personal certificate from a keystore.
Import a certificate Imports a certificate from a keystore to a keystore.
Export a certificate Exports a certificate from a keystore to another keystore.
Extract a certificate Extracts the signer part of a personal certificate to a file.
Receive a certificate Reads a certificate that comes from a certificate authority (CA) into a keystore.
Signer certificates Add a signer certificate Adds a signer certificate from a file to a keystore.
List signer certificates Lists all the signer certificates in a keystore.
Get information about a signer certificate Gets information about a signer certificate.
Delete a signer certificate Deletes a signer certificate from a keystore.
Extract a signer certificate Extracts a signer certificate from a keystore, and stores the certificate in a file.
Certificate requests Create a certificate request Creates a certificate request that can be sent to a CA.
List certificate requests Lists the certificate requests in a keystore.
Get information about a certificate request Gets information about a certificate request.
Delete a certificate request Deletes a certificate request from a keystore.
Extract a certificate request Extracts a certificate request to a file.

Related concepts

Certificate management

Related tasks

Creating a keystore configuration

Types of certificates	Functions	Description
Personal certificates	Create a self-signed certificate	Creates a self-signed certificate and stores it in a keystore.
	List personal certificates	Lists all the personal certificates in a keystore.
	Get information about a personal certificate	Gets information about a personal certificate.
	Delete a personal certificate	Deletes a personal certificate from a keystore.
	Import a certificate	Imports a certificate from a keystore to a keystore.
	Export a certificate	Exports a certificate from a keystore to another keystore.
	Extract a certificate	Extracts the signer part of a personal certificate to a file.
	Receive a certificate	Reads a certificate that comes from a certificate authority (CA) into a keystore.
Signer certificates	Add a signer certificate	Adds a signer certificate from a file to a keystore.
	List signer certificates	Lists all the signer certificates in a keystore.
	Get information about a signer certificate	Gets information about a signer certificate.
	Delete a signer certificate	Deletes a signer certificate from a keystore.
	Extract a signer certificate	Extracts a signer certificate from a keystore, and stores the certificate in a file.
Certificate requests	Create a certificate request	Creates a certificate request that can be sent to a CA.
	List certificate requests	Lists the certificate requests in a keystore.
	Get information about a certificate request	Gets information about a certificate request.
	Delete a certificate request	Deletes a certificate request from a keystore.
	Extract a certificate request	Extracts a certificate request to a file.