6.5.1

Table Of Contents
4 Replace the VMware Directory Service Certificate in Mixed Mode Environments
During upgrade, your environment might temporarily include both vCenter Single Sign-On version
5.5 and vCenter Single Sign-On version 6.x. For that case, you have to perform additional steps to
replace the VMware Directory Service SSL certificate if you replace the SSL certificate of the node
on which the vCenter Single Sign-On service is running.
Replace the Root Certificate (Intermediate CA)
The first step in replacing the VMCA certificates with custom certificates is generating a CSR, sending the
CSR to be signed. You then add the signed certificate to VMCA as a root certificate.
You can use the Certificate Manager utility or other tool to generate the CSR. The CSR must meet the
following requirements:
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Key size: 2048 bits or more
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PEM format. VMware supports PKCS8 and PKCS1 (RSA keys). When keys are added to VECS, they
are converted to PKCS8
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x509 version 3
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If you are using custom certificates, the CA extension must be set to true for root certificates, and cert
sign must be in the list of requirements.
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CRL signing must be enabled.
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Enhanced Key Usage must not contain Client Authentication or Server Authentication.
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No explicit limit to the length of the certificate chain. VMCA uses the OpenSSL default, which is 10
certificates.
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Certificates with wildcards or with more than one DNS name are not supported.
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You cannot create subsidiary CAs of VMCA.
See VMware Knowledge Base Article 2112009, Creating a Microsoft Certificate Authority Template for
SSL certificate creation in vSphere 6.0, for an example using Microsoft Certificate Authority.
VMCA validates the following certificate attributes when you replace the root certificate:
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Key size 2048 bits or more
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Key Usage: Cert Sign
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Basic Constraint: Subject Type CA
Procedure
1 Generate a CSR and send it to your CA.
Follow your CA's instructions.
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