Install an SSL Certificate on Microsoft IIS 7
Here is how you install an SSL Certificate on a Microsoft IIS 7 server:
- You will need the ZIP file that holds your SSL Certificate. Open it. Find the file named my_domain_name.cer. Save it to the desktop of the IIS 7 server you are working with.
- Go to the IIS Manager.
- Navigate to the Connections panel, then select the server name. Find the Server Certificates in the central menu and then double-click it.
- Find the Actions menu. Then you need to click on Complete Certificate Request. You will be taken to the Complete Certificate Request wizard.
- Fill in the required fields on the next screen and click OK. The required inputs are listed below.
This is what you need to enter in the fields:
File name Browse your computer for your_domain_name.cer Friendly name This is the name you'll use to identify the certificate in the future.
- After you have installed the SSL Certificate, you will need to connect it to the right website. For this you'll need to use IIS.
- Find the Connections menu located in the main Manager window. There you will need to select the name of the server where you installed your SSL Certificate. Go to Sites and select the site that you want to make TLS connections with.
- Find the Actions window. Select Bindings.
- Go to Site Bindings. Click Add.
- Next, fill in the required fields and hit OK. Below is the necessary input for those fields.
Below is a description of the fields:
Type https IP address The IP address of the site you want to secure, or All Unassigned. Port 443 SSL Certificate Give the identification for the certificate that you just installed (the Friendly name).
- Click OK. Your website will now be able to make secure TLS connections over https.
NOTE: There is a certain chance that you'll receive an error message once you have installed your certificate. It may read like this: Cannot find the certificate request associated with this certificate file. A certificate request must be completed on the computer where it was created or ASN1 bad tag value met.
More often than not, provided that you used this computer to generate your CSR, this error is generated erroneously. The certificate is probably already installed. Quit and restart the IIS manager and the certificate should appear in the list.
If it is not, then an error has occurred. Unfortunately, this means that you'll have to create a new CSR and re-key your certificate.