In this article, you will learn how to generate a CSR code and install an SSL Certificate on Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager (CPPM). Besides configuration instructions, you will also discover a few interesting facts about Aruba ClearPass. Finally, in the last section, we’ll reveal the best place to shop for affordable SSL Certificates, so keep reading until the end.
If you’ve already generated the CSR elsewhere, and received the SSL Certificate from your CA, feel free to skip part one and jump straight to the installation steps.
Generate a CSR code on Aruba ClearPass
When applying for an SSL certificate, one of the requirements is to create a CSR (Certificate Signing Request) code and submit it to the CA. The CSR is a block of encoded text with your contact details such as domain and company identity. Along with the CSR, you’ll also generate the private key, an essential part of the digital certificate required during the SSL installation.
To create your CSR code on Aruba ClearPass, follow the steps below:
- Log into your Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager
- From the left menu, expand Administration > Certificates then click on Server Certificate
- On the right, click Create Certificate Signing Request
- In the Create Certificate Signing Request window, enter the following information:
- Common Name (CN): Enter the FQDN (fully-qualified domain name) you want to secure. For example, yoursite.com. If you have a wildcard certificate, add an asterisk in front of the domain name (e.g., *.yoursite.com)
- Organization (O): Write the full legal name of your company. For instance, GPI Holding LLC
- Organizational Unit (OU): Specify the unit within your company requesting the digital certificate. For example, Web Administration
- Location (L): Provide the city where your company is registered. For instance, San Jose
- State (ST): Enter the full name of the state where your company is located. For example, California
- Country (C): Provide the two-letter code of your country. For instance, US
- Subject Alternative Name (SAN): Leave this field blank. If you want to secure multiple domains, you will specify them during the SSL enrollment
- Private Key Password: create a password to protect your private key
- Verify Private Key Password: Re-enter the private key password
- Key Length: Select 2048 bits
- Digest Algorithm: Select SHA-2
- Valid for: Skip this field
- Verify the info you’ve just filled in, then click Submit
- You will see the contents of your CSR. Click Download CSR and Private Key Files, to download the following files:
- csr – the CSR code
- pkey –the Private Key
- Open the CSR file with any text editor of your choice such as Notepad and copy its contents into the corresponding box during your SSL certificate order on your vendor’s page.
Install an SSL Certificate on Aruba ClearPass
After the CA validates your SSL request, it will send the necessary installation files to your inbox. Download the ZIP folder, and extract its contents. You should have the following files
- The Signed SSL Certificate
- The CA Bundle file containing the root and intermediate certificates
To install an SSL Certificate on Aruba ClearPass, you need to merge all the certificates into a single .pem file, and then convert it into a .pfx file with the private key that you’ve generated during the CSR creation.
Open each certificate file with a text editor of your choice such as Notepad, and copy its contents into a single plain text file with .pem extension. Your .pem file should look like this:
——BEGIN CERTIFICATE——
*The Signed SSL Certificate for your domain*
——END CERTIFICATE——
——BEGIN CERTIFICATE——
*Intermediate CA cert *
——END CERTIFICATE——–
——BEGIN CERTIFICATE——
*Root CA cert *
——END CERTIFICATE——
For the purpose of this demonstration, we’ll name the combined SSL file full-cert.pem, but you can give it any name you wish.
To import your SSL file and the private key, perform the following;
- Log into your Aruba ClearPass CPPM console
- Go to Administration > Certificate > Server Certificate
- On the right, click Import Server Certificate
- In the Import Server Certificate window, upload your SSL certificate and private key:
- Certificate File: import the full-cert.pem (the combined SSL file)
- Private Key File: import the pkey file that you’ve created during the CSR generation
- Private Key Password: enter the password for your private key file
- Click Import.
Congratulations, you’ve successfully installed an SSL Certificate on Aruba ClearPass.
Test your SSL installation
After you install an SSL Certificate on Aruba ClearPass, you should perform a thorough check of your SSL configuration. These highly efficient SSL tools will help you spot any potential vulnerabilities within your SSL installation. With instant scans and details reports, you’ll always keep your SSL certificate up and running.
Aruba ClearPass history and versions
Aruba ClearPass is a product of Aruba Networks, the wireless networking subsidiary of Hewlett-Packard Enterprise. Aruba Networks was founded in 2002, and subsequently acquired by Hewlett-Packard in 2015, in a deal worth $3 billion.
Aruba ClearPass is a policy management platform that lets users securely connect business and personal devices to various networks. It allows businesses to grant full or limited access to devices based on different factors such as device type, cybersecurity state and users’ roles.
The latest release of Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager is version 6.8.0 released in March 2019. Previous Aruba ClearPass versions are listed below:
- ClearPass 6.6.0
- ClearPass 6.7.0