How do I create a CSR and import a third-party SSL certificate for MDaemon using Certreq?

Windows has a command line utility, certreq.exe that will allow you to create a certificate request and import the new certificate into the Windows Certificate Store, where it can be used with MDaemon.

MDaemon does not have a method of creating a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) for you in order to obtain a third party SSL certificate issued by a Trusted Root Authority (such as Verisign or GoDaddy). In the past, we have recommended installing Internet Information Server (IIS) and using it to generate the certificate request, but that may be difficult for Administrators who are not used to working with that product or who do not wish to install IIS on their server. 

The example below will generate a CSR for a 2048 bit key length certificate.

1. Purchase an SSL Certificate from an issuing authority.
2. Create the Certificate Signing Request (CSR): 
   • Log into your mail server using an Administrator account.
   • Create a file named CSRParameters.inf a directory in which the user has  permissions to read/write/interact with.  C:\ is used in this example.

   • Use the contents below as a template, replacing the Subject= section with the server name/location. 

     [NewRequest]
     Subject="CN=mail.company.test,OU=MDaemon Technologies,O=MDaemon Technologies,S=Texas,L=Grapevine,C=US"
     KeySpec=1
     KeyLength=2048
     Exportable=TRUE
     MachineKeySet=TRUE
     SMIME=False
     PrivateKeyArchive=FALSE
     UserProtected=FALSE
     UseExistingKeySet=FALSE
     ProviderName="Microsoft RSA SChannel Cryptographic Provider"
     ProviderType=12
     RequestType=PKCS10
     KeyUsage=0xa0
     Silent=TRUE
     [EnhancedKeyUsageExtension]
     OID=1.3.6.1.5.5.7.3.1 

   • Open a command prompt.
   • Change the directory to a directory in which the command prompt can read/write/interact with.  C:\ is used in this example.
   • Type in the following command:
     

     C:\>certreq -new CSRParameters.inf CSROutput.pem 

   • Open Windows Explorer and browse to the C:\ directory to locate the CSROutput.pem file.
   • Using the CSROutput.pem file, go back to the certificate authority and use the file to request your certificate.
3. Install the certificate:
   • Download the certificate as a CRT file
     • If the certificate authority asks which type of server to select, choose Apache.
   • On the server, open a command prompt.
   • Navigate to the directory that contains the CRT file (C:\ in this example).
   • Enter the following command (substitute mail.example.com.crt for the actual name of the .crt file you received from the certificate authority):
     

     C:\>certreq -accept mail.example.com.crt

4. The certificate will now be available in MDaemon when SSL/HTTP configurations have been created.