--- /dev/null
+
+=pod
+
+=head1 NAME
+
+CA.pl - friendlier interface for OpenSSL certificate programs
+
+=head1 SYNOPSIS
+
+B<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 DESCRIPTION
+
+The B<CA.pl> script is a perl script that supplies the relevant command line
+arguments to the B<openssl> command for some common certificate operations.
+It is intended to simplify the process of certificate creation and management
+by 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 are
+written to the file "newreq.pem".
+
+=item B<-newreq>
+
+creates a new certificate request. The private key and request are
+written 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 CA
+certificates (which should also contain the private key) or by hitting ENTER
+details of the CA will be prompted for. The relevant files and directories
+are 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 CA
+certificate. It expects the user certificate and private key to be in the
+file "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 the
+B<-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 browser
+list box), otherwise the name "My Certifictate" is used.
+
+=item B<-sign>, B<-signreq>, B<-xsign>
+
+calls the B<ca> program to sign a certificate request. It expects the request
+to be in the file "newreq.pem". The new certificate is written to the file
+"newcert.pem" except in the case of the B<-xcert> option when it is written
+to standard output.
+
+=item B<-signcert>
+
+this option is the same as B<-sign> except it expects a self signed certificate
+to be present in the file "newreq.pem".
+
+=item B<-verify>
+
+verifies certificates against the CA certificate for "demoCA". If no certificates
+are 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 EXAMPLES
+
+Create a CA hierarchy:
+
+ CA.pl -newca
+
+Complete certificate creation example: create a CA, create a request, sign
+the 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 NOTES
+
+Most 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 not
+overwrite it and will do nothing. This can happen if a previous call using
+the B<-newca> option terminated abnormally. To get the correct behaviour
+delete the demoCA directory if it already exists.
+
+Under some environments it may not be possible to run the B<CA.pl> script
+directly (for example Win32) and the default configuration file location may
+be wrong. In this case the command:
+
+ perl -S CA.pl
+
+can 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 use
+by a beginner. Its behaviour isn't always what is wanted. For more control over the
+behaviour of the certificate commands call the B<openssl> command directly.
+
+=head1 ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
+
+The variable B<OPENSSL_CONF> if defined allows an alternative configuration
+file location to be specified, it should contain the full path to the
+configuration file, not just its directory.
+
+=head1 SEE ALSO
+
+L<x509(1)|x509(1)>, L<ca(1)|ca(1)>, L<req(1)|req(1)>, L<pkcs12(1)|pkcs12(1)>, L<config(1)|config(1)>
+
+=cut
projects / openssl.git / blobdiff