ECS: Certificate upload Error: "Failed to load the private key"

Summary: Customer provided private-key failing to upload with a message "Failed to load the private key." There are customers who generate CSR outside of the ECS and provide a signed certificate bundle along with the private key. ...

This article applies to This article does not apply to This article is not tied to any specific product. Not all product versions are identified in this article.
Check out other resources

Symptoms

A quick way to check for the key file is to compare the certificate modules of the signed certificate and the private-key provided.
1. The modulus of the server certificate and the private key should be the same.
Command to verify the certificate modulus. 
openssl x509 -noout -modulus -in < server certificate > | openssl md5
Command to verify the private key modulus. 
openssl rsa -noout -modulus -in <private-key> | openssl md5
2. Check for the header and footer of the private key.
Example: 
-----BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY-----

       Private Key Hash

-----END RSA PRIVATE KEY-----
However, there are private key formats which look identical to the PEM format when we open it using the Linux cat command.

Cause

The private key provide format can be different from which is expected in ECS.

Resolution

If the certificate modules of the server certificate and the private key are matching and the private key format is similar to the PEM format. Covert the key to PEM using below command is worth a try.
Use the below command to convert the provided private-key to PEM format. 
openssl rsa -in <private key> -out <private-key.pem>
Article Properties
Article Number: 000216155
Article Type: Solution
Last Modified: 09 Feb 2024
Version:  4
Find answers to your questions from other Dell users
Support Services
Check if your device is covered by Support Services.