• SonicOS 7.1
• About SonicOS
  • Working with SonicOS
  • SonicOS Workflow
  • How to Use the SonicOS Administration Guides
  • Guide Conventions
• About Device Settings
• Managing SonicWall Licenses
  • Licenses
  • Managing Security Services
    • Services Summary
    • Managing Security Services Online
      • Managing Services from SonicOS Management Interface
      • Synchronizing Changes
    • Manual Upgrade for Closed Environments
  • Registering Your SonicWall Appliance
  • Activating the Gateway Anti-Virus, Anti-Spyware, and IPS License
  • Activating FREE TRIALs
• System Administration
  • Configuring the Firewall Name
  • Enabling Wireless LAN and IPv6
  • Changing the Administrator Name and Password
  • Configuring Login Security
    • Configuring Password Compliance
    • Configuring Login Constraints
  • Multiple Administrators Support
    • Working of Multiple Administrators Support
      • Configuration Modes
      • User Groups
      • Priority for Preempting Administrators
      • GMS and Multiple Administrator Support
    • Configuring Multiple Administrator Access
  • Enabling Enhanced Audit Logging Support
  • Configuring the Wireless LAN Controller
  • Enabling SonicOS API and Configuring Authentication Methods
  • Enabling GMS Management
  • Configuring the Management Interface
    • Managing through HTTP/HTTPS
    • Selecting a Security Certificate
    • Controlling the Management Interface Tables
    • Enforcing TLS Version
    • Switching Configuration Modes
    • Deleting Browser Cookies
    • Configuring SSH Management
  • Client Certificate Verification
    • About Common Access Card
    • Configuring Client Certificate Verification
    • Using the Client Certificate Check
    • Checking Certificate Expiration
    • Troubleshooting User Lock Out
  • Selecting a Language
• Configuring Time Settings
  • Setting System Time
  • Configuring NTP Settings
    • Using a Custom NTP Server for Updating the Firewall Clock
    • Adding an NTP Server
    • Editing an NTP Server Entry
    • Deleting NTP Server Entry
• Managing Certificates
  • About Digital Certificates
  • About the Certificates Table
  • About Certificate Details
  • Importing Certificates
    • Importing a Local Certificate
    • Importing a Certificate Authority Certificate
    • Creating a PKCS-12 Formatted Certificate File (Linux Systems Only)
  • Deleting Certificates
  • Generating a Certificate Signing Request
  • Configuring Simple Certificate Enrollment Protocol
• Administering SNMP
  • About SNMP
  • Setting Up SNMP Access
    • Enabling and Configuring SNMP Access
      • Configuring Basic Functionality
      • Configuring SNMPv3 Engine IDs
      • Configuring Object IDs for SNMPv3 Views
    • Setting Up SNMPv3 Groups and Access
      • Creating Groups and Adding Users and Access
        • Creating a Group
        • Adding Access
        • Adding Users
  • Configuring SNMP as a Service and Adding Rules
• Firmware Settings
  • Firmware Management and Backup
    • Firmware Management & Backup Tables
      • Local Table
      • Cloud Table
      • Show Configuration Files Table
    • Searching the Table
  • Creating a Backup Firmware Image
    • Creating a Local Backup Firmware Image
    • Creating a Cloud Backup Firmware Image
    • Scheduling Firmware Image Backups
      • Scheduling a One-Time Backup
      • Scheduling Recurring Backups
      • Deleting Scheduled Backups
  • Updating Firmware
    • Updating Firmware Manually
    • Firmware Auto Update
    • Using SafeMode to Upgrade Firmware
  • Importing and Exporting Settings
    • Importing Settings
    • Exporting Settings
  • Configuring Firmware and Backup Settings
    • Send Settings or Reports by FTP
    • Sending Diagnostic Reports to Technical Support
    • Boot Settings
    • One-Touch Configuration Overrides
    • Enabling FIPS Mode
    • Enabling NDPP mode
• Storage
  • Storage Overview Tab
    • Diagnostics Data
    • Configuration Backup
    • System Logs
    • Threat Logs
    • Packet Captures
    • Logs (Legacy)
• Restarting the System
• SonicWall Support
  • About This Document

About Digital Certificates

A digital certificate is an electronic means to verify identity by a trusted third party known as a Certificate Authority (CA). The X.509 v3 certificate standard is a specification used with cryptographic certificates and allows you to define extensions that you can include with your certificate. SonicWall has implemented this standard in its third-party certificate support.

You can use a certificate signed and verified by a third-party CA to use with an IKE (Internet Key Exchange) VPN policy. IKE is an important part of IPsec VPN solutions, and it can use digital certificates to authenticate peer devices before setting up Security Associations (SAs). Without digital certificates, VPN users must authenticate by manually exchanging shared secrets or symmetric keys. Devices or clients using digital signatures do not require configuration changes every time a new device or client is added to the network.

A typical certificate consists of two sections: a data section and a signature section. The data section typically contains information such as the version of X.509 supported by the certificate, a certificate serial number, information about the user’s public key, the Distinguished Name (DN), validation period for the certificate, and optional information such as the target use of the certificate. The signature section includes the cryptographic algorithm used by the issuing CA, and the CA digital signature.

SonicWall Security Appliances interoperate with any X.509v3-compliant provider of Certificates. SonicWall Security Appliance have been tested with the following vendors of Certificate Authority Certificates:

• Entrust
• Microsoft
• OpenCA
• OpenSSL and TLS
• VeriSign

• About the Certificates Table
• Importing Certificates
• Deleting Certificates
• Generating a Certificate Signing Request
• Configuring Simple Certificate Enrollment Protocol