Microsoft Exchange 2010 – SSL Installation

Like the majority of server systems you will install your SSL certificate on the same server where your Certificate Signing Request (CSR) was created. This is because your private key will always be left on the server system where the CSR was originally created. With Microsoft systems the private key is hidden away and will only appear once the CSR request has been completed. Your SSL certificate will not work without this private key file. We will assume that this is the original system.

To Install your SSL certificate on Exchange 2010 perform the following.

Step 1: Picking up your SSL Certificate.

1. If you had the option of server type during enrollment and selected IIS you will receive a pkcs#7/.p7b version of your certificate within the email. Alternately you can access your Certificate User Portal by the supplied link in the email to pick up the pkcs#7 version of your certificate.
2. Copy the SSL certificate and make sure to copy the —–BEGIN CERTIFICATE—–
   and —–END CERTIFICATE—– header and footer Ensure there are no white spaces, extra line breaks or additional characters. Use a plain text editor such as Notepad, paste the content of the certificate and save it with extension .p7b (When performing this on a Windows system the Icon of the file should change into a certificate icon )

Step 2: Installing your SSL certificate:

1. Start the Exchange Management Console by going to
   Start > Programs > Microsoft Exchange 2010 > Exchange Management Console.
2. Select “Manage Databases“, and then select “Server configuration“.
3. Select the certificate from the center menu (listed by its Friendly Name), and then select “Complete Pending Request” from the “Actions” menu.
    

   Note: If you do not see the Complete option to a pending request then perform the following Troubleshooting.

4. Browse to the certificate file, then select Open > Complete.
   Note: You may receive an error when the system is performing the install. This is typically with a glitch with the IIS 7 to 8 series
   1. Click Ok to acknowledge the error message, and Cancel out of the Complete Certificate Request Wizard.
   2. Hit F5 on your keyboard to refresh the IIS console. Your new certificate should appear in the Middle pane under Server Certificates. It might be missing a friendly name. If you see the new certificate in this pane it means that installation was successful.
      Note: If your certificate still does not appears then either the CSR request was never created on this system, or your private key was damaged. You will have to generate a new CSR request and perform a reissue of the certificate.

Step 3: Enabling the SSL certificate:

1. To enable the certificate, go back to the Exchange Management Console.
2. Select “Manage Databases“, and then select “Server configuration” and click on the link  “Assign Services to Certificate.”
   
3. Select the services for which the certificate must be enabled then click Next > Assign > Finish.

The certificate is now installed and enabled for use with Exchange 2010.

If you are unable to use these instructions for your server, Acmetek recommends that you contact either the vendor of your software or the organization that supports it.

Microsoft Support

For more information refer to Microsoft.