SSL & digital certificates

If you're running an intranet environment (no 3rd party access to web server), do you need to get DC (digital certificate) verification from a certifice providor, such as Verisign (i.e. have your DC verified by them for a cost)? or will creating one on the web server be enough?

Chewy,
You can't actually create the certificate. On the web server, you create the key. This key then needs to be send to a certificate provider such as verisign. They decrypt the key and prodive you back with a checksum certificate, which you then import. If you need one for a LAN, i'm not too sure how you go about it. Just email verisign, they should be able to tell you exactly what to do.

You will need a certificate authority setup within your lan. CA can be setup with win2k server. Once setup CA can issue DC and authenticate DC within the LAN

so, the only way to get the little padlock in the bottom of the browser for my intranet is to pay a CA to issue and authenticate a DC? i.e. pay them!

I never said u have to pay them. You could setup your own CA. One like verisign. IE just won't say. your CA is trusted CA, unless Verisign or other public CA verifies you CA as a valid CA... its a complicated process

There are other alternative methods to encrypt communications within intranet you know. They are free too. If its intranet. You could try using IPSec. which is PtoP encryption

I could explain it to you how CA works though and how you can set it up within your lan . lol

Don't suppose you could advise on alternative methods for generating certificates, could you ? I don't have a server set up to act as a CA, but would still like to use https for a dev server on a win2k pro box. Are there any win32 apps available thatwould allow me to generate a certificate ?
(I've seen some linux distributions have a tool that can be used with apache to create a self-signed certificate).
Ta,

Will.

well, i don't know much about linux so i can't tell ya abotu that..

but yeah sure.. certificates and those digital signing is a standard so its avaliable in linux too!