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.
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
Once you’ve done this, click your Start Menu in the bottom-left corner of your screen and open the Run function.
Enter mmc into the prompt and then click OK.
This will open the Console Root. From here, click File and then select Add/Remove Snap-in from the drop-down menu that appears.
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.
After you’ve done this, select Computer Management from the Available snap-ins menu and then click Add.
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.
Click OK to close the Add/Remove Snap-in window.
In the left-hand menu, expand Certificates by clicking the arrow alongside it.
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.
This will start up the Certificate Import Wizard. Simply click Next to continue.
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.
On the next page, verify that the certificate information is correct and then click Finish.
You’ll now be shown a confirmation notification, informing you that the import was successful.
Next, you’ll need to open the Run function once more via your Start Menu.
Enter inetmgr into the prompt and then click OK.
This will open the Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager. From here, click Server Name within the Connections panel.
From the centre menu, double-click Server Certificates in the Security section.
Select the Actions menu from the right and then click Complete Certificate Request.
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.
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.
From the Connections menu, expand the Sites folder by clicking the arrow that appears alongside it.
Find and click the Site Name you want to install your SSL certificate onto.
From the right-hand Actions menu, click Bindings within the Edit Site section.
This will open the Site Bindings window. From here, click Add.
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
Once you’ve entered this information, click OK to confirm your changes and then close the Site Bindings window.
You’ll now need to restart IIS to complete the operation.
From the right-hand Actions menu, click Restart under the Manage Website section.