Mac OS X Lion Server For Dummies®

Working with Secure SSL Certificates

A Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate is a small file that enables the server to prove its identity to client computers and other networks and enables encrypted communications. A certificate contains your server's domain name and organization information; it also has a cryptographic key associated with it (a public key). You can use SSL certificates with Address Book, Web, e-mail, iCal, and iChat services to encrypt data sent between clients and the server.

You can purchase an SSL certificate from a trusted certificate authority such as VeriSign (www.verisign.com), Thawte (www.thawte.com), and GlobalSign (www.globalsign.com). When you set up the Apple Push Notification service, the Server app guides you through obtaining a push notification certificate from Apple specifically for that service.

You can also create self-signed certificates on Lion Server. A self-signed certificate is created automatically when you install Lion Server. With self-signed certificates, the user's software asks the user whether the certificate should be trusted. With third-party certificates, the user's application accepts certificates without asking the user.

Using SSL certificates

In Lion Server, you won't see check boxes for SSL in the configuration screens for user services. Instead, you enable SSL for a service simply by assigning an SSL certificate. With the Server app, you can select a certificate to use, create a self-signed certificate, and import a certificate. ...