How to Configure Certificate Services in Server 2022

Posted on 18th June 2023

Introduction

Certificate Services is a key component of many Microsoft server technologies. Certificate Services allows a server to function as a Certificate Authority (CA), which can issue digital certificates to clients and servers. These certificates can be used for a variety of purposes, such as authenticating users and encrypting communication.

In this article, we will show you how to configure Certificate Services in Microsoft Server 2022. We will cover the following topics:

  • Installing Certificate Services
  • Configuring Certificate Services
  • Creating and Configuring Certificate Templates
  • Deploying Certificate Services

Installing Certificate Services

Before you can configure Certificate Services, you must first install it. To install Certificate Services, follow these steps:

  1. Log in to the server with an account that has administrator privileges.
  2. Open the Server Manager console.
  3. In the left-hand pane, expand the Roles node.
  4. Right-click on Certificate Services and select Add Roles from the context menu.
  5. This will launch the Add Roles Wizard. Click Next to continue.
  6. On the Select Server Roles page, select the Certificate Services role and click Next to continue.
  7. On the Confirm Installation Selections page, review the selected roles and click Install to begin the installation.
  8. Once the installation is complete, click Close to close the Add Roles Wizard.

Configuring Certificate Services

Now that Certificate Services is installed, you can begin configuring it. To configure Certificate Services, follow these steps:

  1. Log in to the server with an account that has administrator privileges.
  2. Open the Server Manager console.
  3. In the left-hand pane, expand the Roles node.
  4. Right-click on Certificate Services and select Configure Certificate Services from the context menu.
  5. This will launch the Certificate Services Configuration Wizard. Click Next to continue.
  6. On the Role Services page, select the Certification Authority and Certification Authority Web Enrollment role services. Click Next to continue.
  7. On the Private Key page, select the Create a new private key option and enter a password for the key. Click Next to continue.
  8. On the Cryptography page, select a Cryptographic provider and a Hash algorithm. Click Next to continue.
  9. On the CA Name page, enter the Common name for the CA. Click Next to continue.
  10. On the CA Database page, select the Create a new CA database option. Click Next to continue.
  11. On the Confirm Installation Selections page, review the selected options and click Install to begin the installation.
  12. Once the installation is complete, click Finish to close the Certificate Services Configuration Wizard.

Creating and Configuring Certificate Templates

Once Certificate Services is installed and configured, you can begin creating certificate templates. Certificate templates are used to issue certificates to clients and servers. To create a certificate template, follow these steps:

  1. Log in to the server with an account that has administrator privileges.
  2. Open the Server Manager console.
  3. In the left-hand pane, expand the Roles node.
  4. Right-click on Certificate Services and select Manage Certificate Templates from the context menu.
  5. This will launch the Certificate Templates Console. In the Actions pane, click New and then Certificate Template to Issue.
  6. On the Specify Certificate Template Information page, enter a Template display name and Template name. Click Next to continue.
  7. On the Select Certificate Type page, select the Security Device Enrollment Service certificate type and click Next to continue.
  8. On the Specify Application Policies page, select the Client Authentication and Server Authentication application policies. Click Next to continue.
  9. On the Specify Cryptographic Settings page, select the SHA256 cryptographic algorithm and click Next to continue.
  10. On the Specify Key Usage page, select the Signature is not required option and click Next to continue.
  11. On the Configure Subject Name page, select the Supply in the request option and click Next to continue.
  12. On the Configure Subject Alternative Name page, select the DNS name type and enter the DNS name of the server. Click Add and then Next to continue.
  13. On the Configure Basic Constraints page, select the Create and issue certificates for this CA only option and click Next to continue.
  14. On the Configure Certificate Extensions page, select the Application Policies and Key Usage certificate extensions. Click Next to continue.
  15. On the Configure Issuance Policies page, select the Grant this application the following certificate issuance policies option and click Next to continue.
  16. On the Configure Certificate Enrollment page, select the Allow enrollment of certificates that are compliant with the Enrollment Agent policy option and click Next to continue.
  17. On the Configure CSPs page, select the Microsoft Enhanced Cryptographic Provider v1.0 cryptographic service provider and click Next to continue.
  18. On the Review Options page, review the selected options and click Next to continue.
  19. On the Complete page, click Finish to close the Certificate Template.

Deploying Certificate Services

Once you have installed Certificate Services and created a certificate template, you can begin deploying Certificate Services. To deploy Certificate Services, follow these steps:

  1. Log in to the server with an account that has administrator privileges.
  2. Open the Server Manager console.
  3. In the left-hand pane, expand the Roles node.
  4. Right-click on