Installing your SSL certificate: IIS 7

This article will show you how to install your SSL certificate onto IIS 7

When you receive your SSL certificate, save it to your server with an extension of .crt. The location is not important, but you will need to locate the file at a later stage, so keep it somewhere you can find it.

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Find the directory on your server where your certificate and key files are stored, and then copy the following files into that folder:

  • Your intermediate certificate – i.e. ‘gd_iis_intermediates.p7b’)
  • Your primary certificate – this will appear as a .crt file with a randomised name
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Once you’ve done this, click your Start Menu in the bottom-left corner of your screen and open the Run function.

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Enter mmc into the prompt and then click OK.

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This will open the Console Root. From here, click File and then select Add/Remove Snap-in from the drop-down menu that appears.

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A pop-up window will now appear where you can add or remove snap-ins. Simply select Certificates from the Available snap-ins menu and then click Add.

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After you’ve done this, select Computer Management from the Available snap-ins menu and then click Add.

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A pop-up window will now appear where you’ll need to select the computer you want this snap-in to manage. Simply select Local computer and then click Finish.

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Click OK to close the Add/Remove Snap-in window.

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In the left-hand menu, expand Certificates by clicking the arrow alongside it.

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This will give you a list of folders. From here, right-click the Intermediate Certification Authorities folder, hover your cursor over All Tasks and then click Import.

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This will start up the Certificate Import Wizard. Simply click Next to continue.

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You’ll now need to find and upload your intermediate certificate file by using the Browse function. Once you’ve selected it, click Next to continue.

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On the next page, verify that the certificate information is correct and then click Finish.

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You’ll now be shown a confirmation notification, informing you that the import was successful.

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Next, you’ll need to open the Run function once more via your Start Menu.

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Enter inetmgr into the prompt and then click OK.

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This will open the Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager. From here, click Server Name within the Connections panel.

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From the centre menu, double-click Server Certificates in the Security section.

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Select the Actions menu from the right and then click Complete Certificate Request.

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This will open the Complete Certificate Request wizard.

Simply click to find your previously uploaded primary certificate. Once you’ve found and selected it, click Open.

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Next, enter a Friendly Name so that you can easily find and identify this certificate in the future. Once you’ve done this, click OK.

Please note: for a Wildcard SSL certificate, the friendly name must be the domain name that will be associated with it.

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From the Connections menu, expand the Sites folder by clicking the arrow that appears alongside it.

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Find and click the Site Name you want to install your SSL certificate onto.

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From the right-hand Actions menu, click Bindings within the Edit Site section.

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This will open the Site Bindings window. From here, click Add.

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On the next window, enter the following information:

  • Type: choose https
  • IP Address: select All Unassigned
  • Port: enter 443
  • Host name: leave this field empty

SSL Certificate: select your previously installed SSL

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Once you’ve entered this information, click OK to confirm your changes and then close the Site Bindings window.

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You’ll now need to restart IIS to complete the operation.

From the right-hand Actions menu, click Restart under the Manage Website section.