=pod=head1 NAMECA.pl - friendlier interface for OpenSSL certificate programs=head1 SYNOPSISB<CA.pl>[B<-?>][B<-h>][B<-help>][B<-newcert>][B<-newreq>][B<-newca>][B<-xsign>][B<-sign>][B<-signreq>][B<-signcert>][B<-verify>][B<files>]=head1 DESCRIPTIONThe B<CA.pl> script is a perl script that supplies the relevant command linearguments to the B<openssl> command for some common certificate operations.It is intended to simplify the process of certificate creation and managementby the use of some simple options.=head1 COMMAND OPTIONS=over 4=item B<?>, B<-h>, B<-help>prints a usage message.=item B<-newcert>creates a new self signed certificate. The private key and certificate arewritten to the file "newreq.pem".=item B<-newreq>creates a new certificate request. The private key and request arewritten to the file "newreq.pem".=item B<-newca>creates a new CA hierarchy for use with the B<ca> program (or the B<-signcert>and B<-xsign> options). The user is prompted to enter the filename of the CAcertificates (which should also contain the private key) or by hitting ENTERdetails of the CA will be prompted for. The relevant files and directoriesare created in a directory called "demoCA" in the current directory.=item B<-pkcs12>create a PKCS#12 file containing the user certificate, private key and CAcertificate. It expects the user certificate and private key to be in thefile "newcert.pem" and the CA certificate to be in the file demoCA/cacert.pem,it creates a file "newcert.p12". This command can thus be called after theB<-sign> option. The PKCS#12 file can be imported directly into a browser.If there is an additional argument on the command line it will be used as the"friendly name" for the certificate (which is typically displayed in the browserlist box), otherwise the name "My Certificate" is used.=item B<-sign>, B<-signreq>, B<-xsign>calls the B<ca> program to sign a certificate request. It expects the requestto be in the file "newreq.pem". The new certificate is written to the file"newcert.pem" except in the case of the B<-xsign> option when it is writtento standard output.=item B<-signCA>this option is the same as the B<-signreq> option except it uses the configurationfile section B<v3_ca> and so makes the signed request a valid CA certificate. Thisis useful when creating intermediate CA from a root CA.=item B<-signcert>this option is the same as B<-sign> except it expects a self signed certificateto be present in the file "newreq.pem".=item B<-verify>verifies certificates against the CA certificate for "demoCA". If no certificatesare specified on the command line it tries to verify the file "newcert.pem". =item B<files>one or more optional certificate file names for use with the B<-verify> command.=back=head1 EXAMPLESCreate a CA hierarchy: CA.pl -newcaComplete certificate creation example: create a CA, create a request, signthe request and finally create a PKCS#12 file containing it. CA.pl -newca CA.pl -newreq CA.pl -signreq CA.pl -pkcs12 "My Test Certificate"=head1 DSA CERTIFICATESAlthough the B<CA.pl> creates RSA CAs and requests it is still possible touse it with DSA certificates and requests using the L<req(1)|req(1)> commanddirectly. The following example shows the steps that would typically be taken.Create some DSA parameters: openssl dsaparam -out dsap.pem 1024Create a DSA CA certificate and private key: openssl req -x509 -newkey dsa:dsap.pem -keyout cacert.pem -out cacert.pemCreate the CA directories and files: CA.pl -newcaenter cacert.pem when prompted for the CA file name.Create a DSA certificate request and private key (a different set of parameterscan optionally be created first): openssl req -out newreq.pem -newkey dsa:dsap.pem Sign the request: CA.pl -signreq=head1 NOTESMost of the filenames mentioned can be modified by editing the B<CA.pl> script.If the demoCA directory already exists then the B<-newca> command will notoverwrite it and will do nothing. This can happen if a previous call usingthe B<-newca> option terminated abnormally. To get the correct behaviourdelete the demoCA directory if it already exists.Under some environments it may not be possible to run the B<CA.pl> scriptdirectly (for example Win32) and the default configuration file location maybe wrong. In this case the command: perl -S CA.plcan be used and the B<OPENSSL_CONF> environment variable changed to point to the correct path of the configuration file "openssl.cnf".The script is intended as a simple front end for the B<openssl> program for useby a beginner. Its behaviour isn't always what is wanted. For more control over thebehaviour of the certificate commands call the B<openssl> command directly.=head1 ENVIRONMENT VARIABLESThe variable B<OPENSSL_CONF> if defined allows an alternative configurationfile location to be specified, it should contain the full path to theconfiguration file, not just its directory.=head1 SEE ALSOL<x509(1)|x509(1)>, L<ca(1)|ca(1)>, L<req(1)|req(1)>, L<pkcs12(1)|pkcs12(1)>,L<config(5)|config(5)>=cut