Dell EMC OpenManage Server Administrator Version 9.1 User's Guide

SSL Server Certificates

Server Administrator Web server is configured to use the industry-standard SSL security protocol to transfer encrypted data over a network. Built on an asymmetric encryption technology, SSL is widely accepted for providing authenticated and encrypted communication between clients and servers to prevent eavesdropping across a network.

The encryption process provides a high level of data protection. Server Administrator uses the most secure form of encryption generally available for Internet browsers in North America.

Server Administrator Web server has a self-signed unique SSL digital certificate by default. You can replace the default SSL certificate with a certificate signed by a well-known Certificate Authority (CA). A Certificate Authority is a business entity that is recognized in the Information Technology industry for meeting high standards of reliable screening, identification, and other important security criteria. Examples of CAs include Thawte and VeriSign. To initiate the process of obtaining a CA-signed certificate, use the Server Administrator Web interface to generate a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) with your company’s information. Then, submit the generated CSR to a CA such as VeriSign or Thawte. The CA can be a root CA or an intermediate CA. After you receive the CA-signed SSL certificate, upload the certificate to Server Administrator.

For each Server Administrator to be trusted by the management station, the SSL certificate of that Server Administrator must be placed in the certificate store of the management station. After the SSL certificate is installed on the management stations, supported browsers can access Server Administrator without certificate warnings.