Chapter 12. Creating and Managing Digital Certificates

Exam Objectives in this Chapter:

• Configure Active Directory directory service for certificate publication (Exam 70-296).

• Plan a public key infrastructure (PKI) using Certificate Services (Exam 70-296).

  • Identify the appropriate type of certification authority to support certificate issuance requirements.

  • Plan the enrollment and distribution of certificates.

  • Plan for the use of smart cards for authentication.

• Configure the user environment by using Group Policy (Exam 70-296).

  • Automatically enroll user certificates by using Group Policy.

Why This Chapter Matters The public key infrastructure (PKI) is an important element of the security philosophy of the Microsoft Windows Server 2003 family, and digital certificates provide the cornerstone of the PKI. With certificates, you can protect network data and secure communications using a variety of cryptographic algorithms and key lengths that enable you to implement as much security as you need for your organization. Before you actually use certificates on your network, you must understand the architecture of the PKI and create a plan that is suitable for your network.