Using PowerShell<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nWe will discuss each of these approaches one by one.<\/p>\n
Method 1: Install SSL Certificate via MMC<\/h2>\n
The easiest way to install non-IIS-based SSL certificates is via the Microsoft Management Console (MMC).<\/p>\n
Step-1: Open MMC<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- Click on the Press Windows + R, mmc & press Enter.<\/li>\n
- In MMC, click File \u2192 Add\/Remove Snap-in.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Step-2: Click the Certificates Snap-in<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- Select Certificates from the list and click Add.<\/li>\n
- Select Computer Account, and select Local Computer.<\/li>\n
- Click Finish, then OK.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Step-3: Import the SSL Certificate<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- Under MMC, expand Certificates (Local Computer) Personal Certificates.<\/li>\n
- Right-click Certificates, and then choose All Tasks, Import.<\/li>\n
- The Certificate Import Wizard opens.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Step-4: Fill out the Import Wizard<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- Select a file that contains an SSL certificate (.pfx or .cer).<\/li>\n
- In the case of a .pfx file, write the password of the private key.<\/li>\n
- Ensure that you have checked \u201cMark this key as exportable\u201d.<\/li>\n
- Place the certificate in the Personal store.<\/li>\n
- Click Finish.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Step-5: Check the Certificate Installation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- The certificate of the SSL must now be found under Personal Certificates.<\/li>\n
- You need to click twice to confirm its validity and make sure that the certificate chain is trusted.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
By this time, the SSL certificate is in place and is set to be bound to any service like Exchange, RDS, or SQL Server.<\/p>\n
Method 2: Install SSL Certificate via PowerShell<\/h2>\n
To the extent that this is not the property that the administrators seek and that automation is the sought feature, PowerShell could also be a simplistic way of importing and maintaining the certificates.<\/p>\n
Step 1: Open PowerShell as Administrator<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- Right-click Start \u2192 select Windows PowerShell (Admin).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Step 2: Import the SSL Certificate<\/strong><\/p>\nOnce you have a .pfx file, then the following command is used:<\/p>\n
powershell\u00a0 \u00a0Copy code<\/strong>\r\n$password = ConvertTo-SecureString -String \"yourPFXpassword\" -Force -AsPlainText\r\nImport-PfxCertificate -FilePath \"C:\\path\\to\\certificate.pfx\" -CertStoreLocation Cert:\\LocalMachine\\My -Password $password<\/pre>\n\n- Replace “yourPFXpassword” with your actual PFX password.<\/li>\n
- Replace “C:\\path\\to\\certificate.pfx” with your certificate path.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Step 3: Confirm Installation<\/strong><\/p>\nTo view the installed certificates, do the following:<\/p>\n
powershell Copy code<\/strong>\r\nGet-ChildItem Cert:\\LocalMachine\\My<\/pre>\nThis lists all certificates in the Personal store.<\/p>\n
Step 4: Bind the Certificate to a Service (Optional)<\/strong><\/p>\nTo bind the Remote Desktop to SSL, type:<\/p>\n
powershell Copy code<\/strong>\r\n$cert = Get-ChildItem -Path Cert:\\LocalMachine\\My | Where-Object { $_.Subject -match \"yourdomain.com\" }\r\nSet-RDCertificate -Role RDS-Connection-Broker -Thumbprint $cert.Thumbprint<\/pre>\nThis uses the SSL certificate to protect Remote Desktop.<\/p>\n
Application Binding of SSL Certificates<\/h2>\n
Once an SSL certificate has been installed, you have to bind it to the application or service. The most typical bindings are:<\/p>\n
\n- Exchange Server<\/strong> \u2013 Use Exchange Admin Center (EAC) or PowerShell to configure the certificate on SMTP, IMAP, POP, and IIS services.<\/li>\n
- SQL Server<\/strong> \u2013 Configure encryption under SQL Server Configuration Manager \u2192 SQL Server Network Configuration \u2192 Protocols \u2192 Certificates.<\/li>\n
- Remote Desktop Services (RDS)<\/strong> \u2013 Remote Desktop Services Deployments Certificates Assigning SSL – Use Server Manager Remote Desktop Services Deployments Certificates.<\/li>\n
- Third-party servers (Apache, Nginx, Tomcat, etc.)<\/strong> \u2013 Enable the use of SSL within the server configuration files of the respective servers by indicating the installed certificate.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n