Designing a Public Key Infrastructure

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

Note

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Windows® Server 2003 enables a variety of secure applications and business scenarios based on the use of digital certificates. Before you can use digital certificates, however, you need to design a public key infrastructure (PKI), which involves planning configuration options for one or more certification authorities, preparing certificates to meet the needs of your organization, and creating a PKI management plan.

In This Chapter

Overview of the PKI Design Process

Defining Certificate Requirements

Designing Your CA Infrastructure

Extending Your CA Infrastructure

Defining Certificate Configuration Options

Creating a Certificate Management Plan

Deploying the PKI

Additional Resources for Designing a Public Key Infrastructure

  • For more information about Windows Server 2003 public key features, see the Windows Security Collection of the Windows Server 2003 Technical Reference (or see the Windows Security Collection.

  • For more information about using certificates in conjunction with Encrypting File System, see the Windows Security Collection of the Windows Server 2003 Technical Reference (or see the Windows Security Collection.

  • For more information about deploying smart cards, see "Planning a Smart Card Deployment" in this book.