6.7

Table Of Contents
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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.
2 Prepare a certificate file that includes the signed VMCA certificate and the full CA chain of your third-
party CA or enterprise CA. Save the file, for example as rootca1.crt.
You can accomplish this step by copying all CA certificates in PEM format into a single file. You start
with the VMCA root certificate and end up with the root CA PEM certificate. For example:
-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
<Certificate of VMCA>
-----END CERTIFICATE-----
-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
<Certificate of intermediary CA>
-----END CERTIFICATE-----
-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
<Certificate of Root CA>
-----END CERTIFICATE-----
Platform Services Controller Administration
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