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2 <!DOCTYPE refentry PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook XML V4.2//EN"
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4 <!ENTITY date SYSTEM "date.xml">
5 <!ENTITY version SYSTEM "version.xml">
6 ]>
8 <refentry id="certutil">
10 <refentryinfo>
11 <date>&date;</date>
12 <title>NSS Security Tools</title>
13 <productname>nss-tools</productname>
14 <productnumber>&version;</productnumber>
15 </refentryinfo>
17 <refmeta>
18 <refentrytitle>CERTUTIL</refentrytitle>
19 <manvolnum>1</manvolnum>
20 </refmeta>
22 <refnamediv>
23 <refname>certutil</refname>
24 <refpurpose>Manage keys and certificate in both NSS databases and other NSS tokens</refpurpose>
25 </refnamediv>
27 <refsynopsisdiv>
28 <cmdsynopsis>
29 <command>certutil</command>
30 <arg><replaceable>options</replaceable></arg>
31 <arg>[<replaceable>arguments</replaceable>]</arg>
32 </cmdsynopsis>
33 </refsynopsisdiv>
35 <refsection>
36 <title>STATUS</title>
37 <para>This documentation is still work in progress. Please contribute to the initial review in <ulink url="https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=836477">Mozilla NSS bug 836477</ulink>
38 </para>
39 </refsection>
41 <refsection id="description">
42 <title>Description</title>
44 <para>The Certificate Database Tool, <command>certutil</command>, is a command-line utility that can create and modify certificate and key databases. It can specifically list, generate, modify, or delete certificates, create or change the password, generate new public and private key pairs, display the contents of the key database, or delete key pairs within the key database.</para>
45 <para>Certificate issuance, part of the key and certificate management process, requires that keys and certificates be created in the key database. This document discusses certificate and key database management. For information on the security module database management, see the <command>modutil</command> manpage.</para>
47 </refsection>
49 <refsection id="options">
50 <title>Command Options and Arguments</title>
51 <para>Running <command>certutil</command> always requires one and only one command option to specify the type of certificate operation. Each command option may take zero or more arguments. The command option <option>-H</option> will list all the command options and their relevant arguments.</para>
52 <para><command>Command Options</command></para>
53 <variablelist>
55 <varlistentry>
56 <term>-A </term>
57 <listitem><para>Add an existing certificate to a certificate database. The certificate database should already exist; if one is not present, this command option will initialize one by default.</para></listitem>
58 </varlistentry>
60 <varlistentry>
61 <term>-B</term>
62 <listitem><para>Run a series of commands from the specified batch file. This requires the <option>-i</option> argument.</para></listitem>
63 </varlistentry>
65 <varlistentry>
66 <term>-C </term>
67 <listitem><para>Create a new binary certificate file from a binary certificate request file. Use the <option>-i</option> argument to specify the certificate request file. If this argument is not used, <command>certutil</command> prompts for a filename. </para></listitem>
68 </varlistentry>
70 <varlistentry>
71 <term>-D </term>
72 <listitem><para>Delete a certificate from the certificate database.</para></listitem>
73 </varlistentry>
75 <varlistentry>
76 <term>--rename </term>
77 <listitem><para>Change the database nickname of a certificate.</para></listitem>
78 </varlistentry>
80 <varlistentry>
81 <term>-E </term>
82 <listitem><para>Add an email certificate to the certificate database.</para></listitem>
83 </varlistentry>
85 <varlistentry>
86 <term>-F</term>
87 <listitem><para>Delete a private key and the associated certificate from a database. Specify the key to delete with the -n argument or the -k argument. Specify the database from which to delete the key with the
88 <option>-d</option> argument.
89 </para>
90 <para>
91 Some smart cards do not let you remove a public key you have generated. In such a case, only the private key is deleted from the key pair.</para></listitem>
92 </varlistentry>
94 <varlistentry>
95 <term>-G </term>
96 <listitem><para>Generate a new public and private key pair within a key database. The key database should already exist; if one is not present, this command option will initialize one by default. Some smart cards can store only one key pair. If you create a new key pair for such a card, the previous pair is overwritten.</para></listitem>
97 </varlistentry>
99 <varlistentry>
100 <term>-H </term>
101 <listitem><para>Display a list of the command options and arguments.</para></listitem>
102 </varlistentry>
104 <varlistentry>
105 <term>-K </term>
106 <listitem><para>List the key ID of keys in the key database. A key ID is the modulus of the RSA key or the publicValue of the DSA key. IDs are displayed in hexadecimal ("0x" is not shown).</para></listitem>
107 </varlistentry>
109 <varlistentry>
110 <term>-L </term>
111 <listitem><para>List all the certificates, or display information about a named certificate, in a certificate database.
112 Use the -h tokenname argument to specify the certificate database on a particular hardware or software token.</para></listitem>
113 </varlistentry>
115 <varlistentry>
116 <term>-M </term>
117 <listitem><para>Modify a certificate's trust attributes using the values of the -t argument.</para></listitem>
118 </varlistentry>
120 <varlistentry>
121 <term>-N</term>
122 <listitem><para>Create new certificate and key databases.</para></listitem>
123 </varlistentry>
125 <varlistentry>
126 <term>-O </term>
127 <listitem><para>Print the certificate chain.</para></listitem>
128 </varlistentry>
130 <varlistentry>
131 <term>-R</term>
132 <listitem><para>Create a certificate request file that can be submitted to a Certificate Authority (CA) for processing into a finished certificate. Output defaults to standard out unless you use -o output-file argument.
134 Use the -a argument to specify ASCII output.</para></listitem>
135 </varlistentry>
137 <varlistentry>
138 <term>-S </term>
139 <listitem><para>Create an individual certificate and add it to a certificate database.</para></listitem>
140 </varlistentry>
142 <varlistentry>
143 <term>-T </term>
144 <listitem><para>Reset the key database or token.</para></listitem>
145 </varlistentry>
147 <varlistentry>
148 <term>-U </term>
149 <listitem><para>List all available modules or print a single named module.</para></listitem>
150 </varlistentry>
152 <varlistentry>
153 <term>-V </term>
154 <listitem><para>Check the validity of a certificate and its attributes.</para></listitem>
155 </varlistentry>
157 <varlistentry>
158 <term>-W </term>
159 <listitem><para>Change the password to a key database.</para></listitem>
160 </varlistentry>
162 <varlistentry>
163 <term>--merge</term>
164 <listitem><para>Merge two databases into one.</para></listitem>
165 </varlistentry>
167 <varlistentry>
168 <term>--upgrade-merge</term>
169 <listitem><para>Upgrade an old database and merge it into a new database. This is used to migrate legacy NSS databases (<filename>cert8.db</filename> and <filename>key3.db</filename>) into the newer SQLite databases (<filename>cert9.db</filename> and <filename>key4.db</filename>).</para></listitem>
170 </varlistentry>
171 </variablelist>
173 <para><command>Arguments</command></para>
174 <para>Arguments modify a command option and are usually lower case, numbers, or symbols.</para>
175 <variablelist>
176 <varlistentry>
177 <term>-a</term>
178 <listitem><para>Use ASCII format or allow the use of ASCII format for input or output. This formatting follows RFC 1113.
179 For certificate requests, ASCII output defaults to standard output unless redirected.</para></listitem>
180 </varlistentry>
182 <varlistentry>
183 <term>--simple-self-signed</term>
184 <listitem><para>When printing the certificate chain, don't search for a chain if issuer name equals to subject name.</para></listitem>
185 </varlistentry>
186 <varlistentry>
187 <term>-b validity-time</term>
188 <listitem><para>Specify a time at which a certificate is required to be valid. Use when checking certificate validity with the <option>-V</option> option. The format of the <emphasis>validity-time</emphasis> argument is <emphasis>YYMMDDHHMMSS[+HHMM|-HHMM|Z]</emphasis>, which allows offsets to be set relative to the validity end time. Specifying seconds (<emphasis>SS</emphasis>) is optional. When specifying an explicit time, use a Z at the end of the term, <emphasis>YYMMDDHHMMSSZ</emphasis>, to close it. When specifying an offset time, use <emphasis>YYMMDDHHMMSS+HHMM</emphasis> or <emphasis>YYMMDDHHMMSS-HHMM</emphasis> for adding or subtracting time, respectively.
189 </para>
190 <para>
191 If this option is not used, the validity check defaults to the current system time.</para></listitem>
192 </varlistentry>
194 <varlistentry>
195 <term>-c issuer</term>
196 <listitem><para>Identify the certificate of the CA from which a new certificate will derive its authenticity.
197 Use the exact nickname or alias of the CA certificate, or use the CA's email address. Bracket the issuer string
198 with quotation marks if it contains spaces. </para></listitem>
199 </varlistentry>
201 <varlistentry>
202 <term>-d [prefix]directory</term>
203 <listitem>
204 <para>Specify the database directory containing the certificate and key database files.</para>
205 <para><command>certutil</command> supports two types of databases: the legacy security databases (<filename>cert8.db</filename>, <filename>key3.db</filename>, and <filename>secmod.db</filename>) and new SQLite databases (<filename>cert9.db</filename>, <filename>key4.db</filename>, and <filename>pkcs11.txt</filename>). </para>
206 <para>NSS recognizes the following prefixes:</para>
207 <itemizedlist>
208 <listitem><para><command>sql:</command> requests the newer database</para></listitem>
209 <listitem><para><command>dbm:</command> requests the legacy database</para></listitem>
210 </itemizedlist>
211 <para>If no prefix is specified the default type is retrieved from NSS_DEFAULT_DB_TYPE. If NSS_DEFAULT_DB_TYPE is not set then <command>sql:</command> is the default.</para>
212 </listitem>
213 </varlistentry>
215 <varlistentry>
216 <term>--dump-ext-val OID </term>
217 <listitem><para>For single cert, print binary DER encoding of extension OID.</para></listitem>
218 </varlistentry>
220 <varlistentry>
221 <term>-e </term>
222 <listitem><para>Check a certificate's signature during the process of validating a certificate.</para></listitem>
223 </varlistentry>
225 <varlistentry>
226 <term>--email email-address</term>
227 <listitem><para>Specify the email address of a certificate to list. Used with the -L command option.</para></listitem>
228 </varlistentry>
230 <varlistentry>
231 <term>--extGeneric OID:critical-flag:filename[,OID:critical-flag:filename]... </term>
232 <listitem>
233 <para>
234 Add one or multiple extensions that certutil cannot encode yet, by loading their encodings from external files.
235 </para>
236 <itemizedlist>
237 <listitem>
238 <para>OID (example): 1.2.3.4</para>
239 </listitem>
240 <listitem>
241 <para>critical-flag: critical or not-critical</para>
242 </listitem>
243 <listitem>
244 <para>filename: full path to a file containing an encoded extension</para>
245 </listitem>
246 </itemizedlist>
247 </listitem>
248 </varlistentry>
250 <varlistentry>
251 <term>-f password-file</term>
252 <listitem><para>Specify a file that will automatically supply the password to include in a certificate
253 or to access a certificate database. This is a plain-text file containing one password. Be sure to prevent
254 unauthorized access to this file.</para></listitem>
255 </varlistentry>
257 <varlistentry>
258 <term>-g keysize</term>
259 <listitem><para>Set a key size to use when generating new public and private key pairs. The minimum is 512 bits and the maximum is 16384 bits. The default is 2048 bits. Any size between the minimum and maximum is allowed.</para></listitem>
260 </varlistentry>
263 <varlistentry>
264 <term>-h tokenname</term>
265 <listitem><para>Specify the name of a token to use or act on. If not specified the default token is the internal database slot.</para>
266 <para>The name can also be a PKCS #11 URI. For example, the NSS internal certificate store can be unambiguously specified as "pkcs11:token=NSS%20Certificate%20DB". For details about the format, see RFC 7512.</para></listitem>
267 </varlistentry>
269 <varlistentry>
270 <term>-i input_file</term>
271 <listitem><para>Pass an input file to the command. Depending on the command option, an input file can be a specific certificate, a certificate request file, or a batch file of commands.</para></listitem>
272 </varlistentry>
274 <varlistentry>
275 <term>-k key-type-or-id</term>
276 <listitem>
277 <para>Specify the type or specific ID of a key.</para>
278 <para>
279 The valid key type options are rsa, dsa, ec, or all. The default
280 value is rsa. Specifying the type of key can avoid mistakes caused by
281 duplicate nicknames. Giving a key type generates a new key pair;
282 giving the ID of an existing key reuses that key pair (which is
283 required to renew certificates).
284 </para>
285 </listitem>
286 </varlistentry>
288 <varlistentry>
289 <term>-l </term>
290 <listitem><para>Display detailed information when validating a certificate with the -V option.</para></listitem>
291 </varlistentry>
293 <varlistentry>
294 <term>-m serial-number</term>
295 <listitem><para>Assign a unique serial number to a certificate being created. This operation should be performed by a CA. If no serial number is provided a default serial number is made from the current time. Serial numbers are limited to integers </para></listitem>
296 </varlistentry>
298 <varlistentry>
299 <term>-n nickname</term>
300 <listitem><para>Specify the nickname of a certificate or key to list, create, add to a database, modify, or validate. Bracket the nickname string with quotation marks if it contains spaces.</para>
301 <para>The nickname can also be a PKCS #11 URI. For example, if you have a certificate named "my-server-cert" on the internal certificate store, it can be unambiguously specified as "pkcs11:token=NSS%20Certificate%20DB;object=my-server-cert". For details about the format, see RFC 7512.</para></listitem>
302 </varlistentry>
304 <varlistentry>
305 <term>-o output-file</term>
306 <listitem><para>Specify the output file name for new certificates or binary certificate requests. Bracket the output-file string with quotation marks if it contains spaces. If this argument is not used the output destination defaults to standard output.</para></listitem>
307 </varlistentry>
309 <varlistentry>
310 <term>-P dbPrefix</term>
311 <listitem><para>Specify the prefix used on the certificate and key database file. This argument is provided to support legacy servers. Most applications do not use a database prefix.</para></listitem>
312 </varlistentry>
314 <varlistentry>
315 <term>-p phone</term>
316 <listitem><para>Specify a contact telephone number to include in new certificates or certificate requests. Bracket this string with quotation marks if it contains spaces.</para></listitem>
317 </varlistentry>
319 <varlistentry>
320 <term>-q pqgfile or curve-name</term>
321 <listitem>
322 <para>Read an alternate PQG value from the specified file when generating DSA key pairs. If this argument is not used, <command>certutil</command> generates its own PQG value. PQG files are created with a separate DSA utility.</para>
323 <para>Elliptic curve name is one of the ones from nistp256, nistp384, nistp521, curve25519.</para>
324 <para>
325 If a token is available that supports more curves, the foolowing curves are supported as well:
326 sect163k1, nistk163, sect163r1, sect163r2,
327 nistb163, sect193r1, sect193r2, sect233k1, nistk233,
328 sect233r1, nistb233, sect239k1, sect283k1, nistk283,
329 sect283r1, nistb283, sect409k1, nistk409, sect409r1,
330 nistb409, sect571k1, nistk571, sect571r1, nistb571,
331 secp160k1, secp160r1, secp160r2, secp192k1, secp192r1,
332 nistp192, secp224k1, secp224r1, nistp224, secp256k1,
333 secp256r1, secp384r1, secp521r1,
334 prime192v1, prime192v2, prime192v3,
335 prime239v1, prime239v2, prime239v3, c2pnb163v1,
336 c2pnb163v2, c2pnb163v3, c2pnb176v1, c2tnb191v1,
337 c2tnb191v2, c2tnb191v3,
338 c2pnb208w1, c2tnb239v1, c2tnb239v2, c2tnb239v3,
339 c2pnb272w1, c2pnb304w1,
340 c2tnb359w1, c2pnb368w1, c2tnb431r1, secp112r1,
341 secp112r2, secp128r1, secp128r2, sect113r1, sect113r2,
342 sect131r1, sect131r2
343 </para>
344 </listitem>
346 </varlistentry>
348 <varlistentry>
349 <term>-r </term>
350 <listitem><para>Display a certificate's binary DER encoding when listing information about that certificate with the -L option.</para></listitem>
351 </varlistentry>
353 <varlistentry>
354 <term>-s subject</term>
355 <listitem><para>Identify a particular certificate owner for new certificates or certificate requests. Bracket this string with quotation marks if it contains spaces. The subject identification format follows RFC #1485.</para></listitem>
356 </varlistentry>
358 <varlistentry>
359 <term>-t trustargs</term>
360 <listitem><para>Specify the trust attributes to modify in an existing certificate or to apply to a certificate when creating it or adding it to a database. There are three available trust categories for each certificate, expressed in the order <emphasis>SSL, email, object signing</emphasis> for each trust setting. In each category position, use none, any, or all
361 of the attribute codes:
362 </para>
363 <itemizedlist>
364 <listitem>
365 <para>
366 <command>p</command> - Valid peer
367 </para>
368 </listitem>
369 <listitem>
370 <para>
371 <command>P</command> - Trusted peer (implies p)
372 </para>
373 </listitem>
374 <listitem>
375 <para>
376 <command>c</command> - Valid CA
377 </para>
378 </listitem>
379 <listitem>
380 <para>
381 <command>C</command> - Trusted CA (implies c)
382 </para>
383 </listitem>
384 <listitem>
385 <para>
386 <command>T</command> - trusted CA for client authentication (ssl server only)
387 </para>
388 </listitem>
389 </itemizedlist>
390 <para>
391 The attribute codes for the categories are separated by commas, and the entire set of attributes enclosed by quotation marks. For example:
392 </para>
393 <para><command>-t "TC,C,T"</command></para>
394 <para>
395 Use the -L option to see a list of the current certificates and trust attributes in a certificate database. </para>
396 <para>
397 Note that the output of the -L option may include "u" flag, which means that there is a private key associated with the certificate. It is a dynamic flag and you cannot set it with certutil. </para></listitem>
398 </varlistentry>
400 <varlistentry>
401 <term>-u certusage</term>
402 <listitem><para>Specify a usage context to apply when validating a certificate with the -V option.</para><para>The contexts are the following:</para>
403 <itemizedlist>
404 <listitem>
405 <para><command>C</command> (as an SSL client)</para>
406 </listitem>
407 <listitem>
408 <para><command>V</command> (as an SSL server)</para>
409 </listitem>
410 <listitem>
411 <para><command>L</command> (as an SSL CA)</para>
412 </listitem>
413 <listitem>
414 <para><command>A</command> (as Any CA)</para>
415 </listitem>
416 <listitem>
417 <para><command>Y</command> (Verify CA)</para>
418 </listitem>
419 <listitem>
420 <para><command>S</command> (as an email signer)</para>
421 </listitem>
422 <listitem>
423 <para><command>R</command> (as an email recipient)</para>
424 </listitem>
425 <listitem>
426 <para><command>O</command> (as an OCSP status responder)</para>
427 </listitem>
428 <listitem>
429 <para><command>J</command> (as an object signer)</para>
430 </listitem>
431 <listitem>
432 <para><command>I</command> (as an IPSEC user)</para>
433 </listitem>
434 </itemizedlist></listitem>
435 </varlistentry>
437 <varlistentry>
438 <term>-v valid-months</term>
439 <listitem><para>Set the number of months a new certificate will be valid. The validity period begins at the current system time unless an offset is added or subtracted with the <option>-w</option> option. If this argument is not used, the default validity period is three months. </para></listitem>
440 </varlistentry>
442 <varlistentry>
443 <term>-w offset-months</term>
444 <listitem><para>Set an offset from the current system time, in months,
445 for the beginning of a certificate's validity period. Use when creating
446 the certificate or adding it to a database. Express the offset in integers,
447 using a minus sign (-) to indicate a negative offset. If this argument is
448 not used, the validity period begins at the current system time. The length
449 of the validity period is set with the -v argument. </para></listitem>
450 </varlistentry>
452 <varlistentry>
453 <term>-X </term>
454 <listitem><para>Force the key and certificate database to open in read-write mode. This is used with the <option>-U</option> and <option>-L</option> command options.</para></listitem>
455 </varlistentry>
457 <varlistentry>
458 <term>-x </term>
459 <listitem><para>Use <command>certutil</command> to generate the signature for a certificate being created or added to a database, rather than obtaining a signature from a separate CA.</para></listitem>
460 </varlistentry>
462 <varlistentry>
463 <term>-y exp</term>
464 <listitem><para>Set an alternate exponent value to use in generating a new RSA public key for the database, instead of the default value of 65537. The available alternate values are 3 and 17.</para></listitem>
465 </varlistentry>
467 <varlistentry>
468 <term>--pss</term>
469 <listitem><para>Restrict the generated certificate (with the <option>-S</option> option) or certificate request (with the <option>-R</option> option) to be used with the RSA-PSS signature scheme. This only works when the private key of the certificate or certificate request is RSA.</para></listitem>
470 </varlistentry>
472 <varlistentry>
473 <term>--pss-sign</term>
474 <listitem><para>Sign the generated certificate with the RSA-PSS signature scheme (with the <option>-C</option> or <option>-S</option> option). This only works when the private key of the signer's certificate is RSA. If the signer's certificate is restricted to RSA-PSS, it is not necessary to specify this option.</para></listitem>
475 </varlistentry>
477 <varlistentry>
478 <term>-z noise-file</term>
479 <listitem><para>Read a seed value from the specified file to generate a new private and public key pair. This argument makes it possible to use hardware-generated seed values or manually create a value from the keyboard. The minimum file size is 20 bytes.</para></listitem>
480 </varlistentry>
482 <varlistentry>
483 <term>-Z hashAlg</term>
484 <listitem>
485 <para>Specify the hash algorithm to use with the -C, -S or -R command options. Possible keywords:</para>
486 <itemizedlist>
487 <listitem><para>MD2</para></listitem>
488 <listitem><para>MD4</para></listitem>
489 <listitem><para>MD5</para></listitem>
490 <listitem><para>SHA1</para></listitem>
491 <listitem><para>SHA224</para></listitem>
492 <listitem><para>SHA256</para></listitem>
493 <listitem><para>SHA384</para></listitem>
494 <listitem><para>SHA512</para></listitem>
495 </itemizedlist>
496 </listitem>
497 </varlistentry>
499 <varlistentry>
500 <term>-0 SSO_password</term>
501 <listitem><para>Set a site security officer password on a token.</para></listitem>
502 </varlistentry>
504 <varlistentry>
505 <term>-1 | --keyUsage keyword,keyword</term>
506 <listitem><para>Set an X.509 V3 Certificate Type Extension in the certificate. There are several available keywords:</para>
507 <itemizedlist>
508 <listitem>
509 <para>
510 digitalSignature
511 </para>
512 </listitem>
513 <listitem>
514 <para>
515 nonRepudiation
516 </para>
517 </listitem>
518 <listitem>
519 <para>
520 keyEncipherment
521 </para>
522 </listitem>
523 <listitem>
524 <para>
525 dataEncipherment
526 </para>
527 </listitem>
528 <listitem>
529 <para>
530 keyAgreement
531 </para>
532 </listitem>
533 <listitem>
534 <para>
535 certSigning
536 </para>
537 </listitem>
538 <listitem>
539 <para>
540 crlSigning
541 </para>
542 </listitem>
543 <listitem>
544 <para>
545 critical
546 </para>
547 </listitem>
548 </itemizedlist>
549 </listitem>
550 </varlistentry>
552 <varlistentry>
553 <term>-2 </term>
554 <listitem><para>Add a basic constraint extension to a certificate that is being created or added to a database. This extension supports the certificate chain verification process. <command>certutil</command> prompts for the certificate constraint extension to select.</para>
555 <para>X.509 certificate extensions are described in RFC 5280.</para></listitem>
556 </varlistentry>
558 <varlistentry>
559 <term>-3 </term>
560 <listitem><para>Add an authority key ID extension to a certificate that is being created or added to a database. This extension supports the identification of a particular certificate, from among multiple certificates associated with one subject name, as the correct issuer of a certificate. The Certificate Database Tool will prompt you to select the authority key ID extension.</para>
561 <para>X.509 certificate extensions are described in RFC 5280.</para></listitem>
562 </varlistentry>
564 <varlistentry>
565 <term>-4 </term>
566 <listitem><para>Add a CRL distribution point extension to a certificate that is being created or added to a database. This extension identifies the URL of a certificate's associated certificate revocation list (CRL). <command>certutil</command> prompts for the URL.</para>
567 <para>X.509 certificate extensions are described in RFC 5280.</para></listitem>
568 </varlistentry>
570 <varlistentry>
571 <term>-5 | --nsCertType keyword,keyword</term>
572 <listitem><para>Add an X.509 V3 certificate type extension to a certificate that is being created or added to the database. There are several available keywords:</para>
573 <itemizedlist>
574 <listitem>
575 <para>
576 sslClient
577 </para>
578 </listitem>
579 <listitem>
580 <para>
581 sslServer
582 </para>
583 </listitem>
584 <listitem>
585 <para>
586 smime
587 </para>
588 </listitem>
589 <listitem>
590 <para>
591 objectSigning
592 </para>
593 </listitem>
594 <listitem>
595 <para>
596 sslCA
597 </para>
598 </listitem>
599 <listitem>
600 <para>
601 smimeCA
602 </para>
603 </listitem>
604 <listitem>
605 <para>
606 objectSigningCA
607 </para>
608 </listitem>
609 <listitem>
610 <para>
611 critical
612 </para>
613 </listitem>
614 </itemizedlist>
616 <para>X.509 certificate extensions are described in RFC 5280.</para></listitem>
617 </varlistentry>
619 <varlistentry>
620 <term>-6 | --extKeyUsage keyword,keyword</term>
621 <listitem><para>Add an extended key usage extension to a certificate that is being created or added to the database. Several keywords are available:</para>
622 <itemizedlist>
623 <listitem>
624 <para>
625 serverAuth
626 </para>
627 </listitem>
628 <listitem>
629 <para>
630 clientAuth
631 </para>
632 </listitem>
633 <listitem>
634 <para>
635 codeSigning
636 </para>
637 </listitem>
638 <listitem>
639 <para>
640 emailProtection
641 </para>
642 </listitem>
643 <listitem>
644 <para>
645 timeStamp
646 </para>
647 </listitem>
648 <listitem>
649 <para>
650 ocspResponder
651 </para>
652 </listitem>
653 <listitem>
654 <para>
655 stepUp
656 </para>
657 </listitem>
658 <listitem>
659 <para>
660 msTrustListSign
661 </para>
662 </listitem>
663 <listitem>
664 <para>
665 critical
666 </para>
667 </listitem>
668 <listitem>
669 <para>
670 x509Any
671 </para>
672 </listitem>
673 <listitem>
674 <para>
675 ipsecIKE
676 </para>
677 </listitem>
678 <listitem>
679 <para>
680 ipsecIKEEnd
681 </para>
682 </listitem>
683 <listitem>
684 <para>
685 ipsecIKEIntermediate
686 </para>
687 </listitem>
688 <listitem>
689 <para>
690 ipsecEnd
691 </para>
692 </listitem>
693 <listitem>
694 <para>
695 ipsecTunnel
696 </para>
697 </listitem>
698 <listitem>
699 <para>
700 ipsecUser
701 </para>
702 </listitem>
703 </itemizedlist>
704 <para>X.509 certificate extensions are described in RFC 5280.</para></listitem>
705 </varlistentry>
707 <varlistentry>
708 <term>-7 emailAddrs</term>
709 <listitem><para>Add a comma-separated list of email addresses to the subject alternative name extension of a certificate or certificate request that is being created or added to the database. Subject alternative name extensions are described in Section 4.2.1.7 of RFC 3280.</para></listitem>
710 </varlistentry>
712 <varlistentry>
713 <term>-8 dns-names</term>
714 <listitem><para>Add a comma-separated list of DNS names to the subject alternative name extension of a certificate or certificate request that is being created or added to the database. Subject alternative name extensions are described in Section 4.2.1.7 of RFC 3280.</para></listitem>
715 </varlistentry>
717 <varlistentry>
718 <term>--extAIA</term>
719 <listitem><para>Add the Authority Information Access extension to the certificate. X.509 certificate extensions are described in RFC 5280.</para></listitem>
720 </varlistentry>
722 <varlistentry>
723 <term>--extSIA</term>
724 <listitem><para>Add the Subject Information Access extension to the certificate. X.509 certificate extensions are described in RFC 5280.</para></listitem>
725 </varlistentry>
727 <varlistentry>
728 <term>--extCP</term>
729 <listitem><para>Add the Certificate Policies extension to the certificate. X.509 certificate extensions are described in RFC 5280.</para></listitem>
730 </varlistentry>
732 <varlistentry>
733 <term>--extPM</term>
734 <listitem><para>Add the Policy Mappings extension to the certificate. X.509 certificate extensions are described in RFC 5280.</para></listitem>
735 </varlistentry>
737 <varlistentry>
738 <term>--extPC</term>
739 <listitem><para>Add the Policy Constraints extension to the certificate. X.509 certificate extensions are described in RFC 5280.</para></listitem>
740 </varlistentry>
742 <varlistentry>
743 <term>--extIA</term>
744 <listitem><para>Add the Inhibit Any Policy Access extension to the certificate. X.509 certificate extensions are described in RFC 5280.</para></listitem>
745 </varlistentry>
747 <varlistentry>
748 <term>--extSKID</term>
749 <listitem><para>Add the Subject Key ID extension to the certificate. X.509 certificate extensions are described in RFC 5280.</para></listitem>
750 </varlistentry>
752 <varlistentry>
753 <term>--extNC</term>
754 <listitem><para>Add a Name Constraint extension to the certificate. X.509 certificate extensions are described in RFC 5280.</para></listitem>
755 </varlistentry>
757 <varlistentry>
758 <term>--extSAN type:name[,type:name]...</term>
759 <listitem><para>
760 Create a Subject Alt Name extension with one or multiple names.
761 </para>
762 <para>
763 -type: directory, dn, dns, edi, ediparty, email, ip, ipaddr, other, registerid, rfc822, uri, x400, x400addr
764 </para>
765 </listitem>
766 </varlistentry>
768 <varlistentry>
769 <term>--empty-password</term>
770 <listitem><para>Use empty password when creating new certificate database with -N.</para></listitem>
771 </varlistentry>
773 <varlistentry>
774 <term>--keyAttrFlags attrflags</term>
775 <listitem><para>
776 PKCS #11 key Attributes. Comma separated list of key attribute flags, selected from the following list of choices: {token | session} {public | private} {sensitive | insensitive} {modifiable | unmodifiable} {extractable | unextractable}</para></listitem>
777 </varlistentry>
779 <varlistentry>
780 <term>--keyOpFlagsOn opflags</term>
781 <term>--keyOpFlagsOff opflags</term>
782 <listitem><para>
783 PKCS #11 key Operation Flags.
784 Comma separated list of one or more of the following:
785 {token | session} {public | private} {sensitive | insensitive} {modifiable | unmodifiable} {extractable | unextractable}
786 </para></listitem>
787 </varlistentry>
789 <varlistentry>
790 <term>--new-n nickname</term>
791 <listitem><para>A new nickname, used when renaming a certificate.</para></listitem>
792 </varlistentry>
794 <varlistentry>
795 <term>--source-dir certdir</term>
796 <listitem><para>Identify the certificate database directory to upgrade.</para></listitem>
797 </varlistentry>
799 <varlistentry>
800 <term>--source-prefix certdir</term>
801 <listitem><para>Give the prefix of the certificate and key databases to upgrade.</para></listitem>
802 </varlistentry>
804 <varlistentry>
805 <term>--upgrade-id uniqueID</term>
806 <listitem><para>Give the unique ID of the database to upgrade.</para></listitem>
807 </varlistentry>
809 <varlistentry>
810 <term>--upgrade-token-name name</term>
811 <listitem><para>Set the name of the token to use while it is being upgraded.</para></listitem>
812 </varlistentry>
814 <varlistentry>
815 <term>-@ pwfile</term>
816 <listitem><para>Give the name of a password file to use for the database being upgraded.</para></listitem>
817 </varlistentry>
819 </variablelist>
820 </refsection>
822 <refsection id="basic-usage">
823 <title>Usage and Examples</title>
824 <para>
825 Most of the command options in the examples listed here have more arguments available. The arguments included in these examples are the most common ones or are used to illustrate a specific scenario. Use the <option>-H</option> option to show the complete list of arguments for each command option.
826 </para>
827 <para><command>Creating New Security Databases</command></para>
828 <para>
829 Certificates, keys, and security modules related to managing certificates are stored in three related databases:
830 </para>
831 <itemizedlist>
832 <listitem>
833 <para>
834 cert8.db or cert9.db
835 </para>
836 </listitem>
837 <listitem>
838 <para>
839 key3.db or key4.db
840 </para>
841 </listitem>
842 <listitem>
843 <para>
844 secmod.db or pkcs11.txt
845 </para>
846 </listitem>
847 </itemizedlist>
848 <para>
849 These databases must be created before certificates or keys can be generated.
850 </para>
851 <programlisting>certutil -N -d directory</programlisting>
853 <para><command>Creating a Certificate Request</command></para>
854 <para>
855 A certificate request contains most or all of the information that is used to generate the final certificate. This request is submitted separately to a certificate authority and is then approved by some mechanism (automatically or by human review). Once the request is approved, then the certificate is generated.
856 </para>
857 <programlisting>$ certutil -R -k key-type-or-id [-q pqgfile|curve-name] -g key-size -s subject [-h tokenname] -d directory [-p phone] [-o output-file] [-a]</programlisting>
858 <para>
859 The <option>-R</option> command options requires four arguments:
860 </para>
861 <itemizedlist>
862 <listitem>
863 <para>
864 <option>-k</option> to specify either the key type to generate or, when renewing a certificate, the existing key pair to use
865 </para>
866 </listitem>
867 <listitem>
868 <para>
869 <option>-g</option> to set the keysize of the key to generate
870 </para>
871 </listitem>
872 <listitem>
873 <para>
874 <option>-s</option> to set the subject name of the certificate
875 </para>
876 </listitem>
877 <listitem>
878 <para>
879 <option>-d</option> to give the security database directory
880 </para>
881 </listitem>
882 </itemizedlist>
883 <para>
884 The new certificate request can be output in ASCII format (<option>-a</option>) or can be written to a specified file (<option>-o</option>).
885 </para>
886 <para>
887 For example:
888 </para>
889 <programlisting>$ certutil -R -k rsa -g 1024 -s "CN=John Smith,O=Example Corp,L=Mountain View,ST=California,C=US" -d $HOME/nssdb -p 650-555-0123 -a -o cert.cer
891 Generating key. This may take a few moments...
893 </programlisting>
895 <para><command>Creating a Certificate</command></para>
896 <para>
897 A valid certificate must be issued by a trusted CA. This can be done by specifying a CA certificate (<option>-c</option>) that is stored in the certificate database. If a CA key pair is not available, you can create a self-signed certificate using the <option>-x</option> argument with the <option>-S</option> command option.
898 </para>
899 <programlisting>$ certutil -S -k rsa|dsa|ec -n certname -s subject [-c issuer |-x] -t trustargs -d directory [-m serial-number] [-v valid-months] [-w offset-months] [-p phone] [-1] [-2] [-3] [-4] [-5 keyword] [-6 keyword] [-7 emailAddress] [-8 dns-names] [--extAIA] [--extSIA] [--extCP] [--extPM] [--extPC] [--extIA] [--extSKID]</programlisting>
900 <para>
901 The series of numbers and <option>--ext*</option> options set certificate extensions that can be added to the certificate when it is generated by the CA. Interactive prompts will result.
902 </para>
903 <para>
904 For example, this creates a self-signed certificate:
905 </para>
906 <programlisting>$ certutil -S -s "CN=Example CA" -n my-ca-cert -x -t "C,C,C" -1 -2 -5 -m 3650</programlisting>
907 <para>
908 The interative prompts for key usage and whether any extensions are critical and responses have been ommitted for brevity.
909 </para>
910 <para>
911 From there, new certificates can reference the self-signed certificate:
912 </para>
913 <programlisting>$ certutil -S -s "CN=My Server Cert" -n my-server-cert -c "my-ca-cert" -t ",," -1 -5 -6 -8 -m 730</programlisting>
915 <para><command>Generating a Certificate from a Certificate Request</command></para>
916 <para>
917 When a certificate request is created, a certificate can be generated by using the request and then referencing a certificate authority signing certificate (the <emphasis>issuer</emphasis> specified in the <option>-c</option> argument). The issuing certificate must be in the certificate database in the specified directory.
918 </para>
919 <programlisting>certutil -C -c issuer -i cert-request-file -o output-file [-m serial-number] [-v valid-months] [-w offset-months] -d directory [-1] [-2] [-3] [-4] [-5 keyword] [-6 keyword] [-7 emailAddress] [-8 dns-names]</programlisting>
920 <para>
921 For example:
922 </para>
923 <programlisting>$ certutil -C -c "my-ca-cert" -i /home/certs/cert.req -o cert.cer -m 010 -v 12 -w 1 -d $HOME/nssdb -1 nonRepudiation,dataEncipherment -5 sslClient -6 clientAuth -7 jsmith@example.com</programlisting>
925 <para><command>Listing Certificates</command></para>
926 <para>
927 The <option>-L</option> command option lists all of the certificates listed in the certificate database. The path to the directory (<option>-d</option>) is required.
928 </para>
929 <programlisting>$ certutil -L -d /home/my/sharednssdb
931 Certificate Nickname Trust Attributes
932 SSL,S/MIME,JAR/XPI
934 CA Administrator of Instance pki-ca1's Example Domain ID u,u,u
935 TPS Administrator's Example Domain ID u,u,u
936 Google Internet Authority ,,
937 Certificate Authority - Example Domain CT,C,C</programlisting>
938 <para>
939 Using additional arguments with <option>-L</option> can return and print the information for a single, specific certificate. For example, the <option>-n</option> argument passes the certificate name, while the <option>-a</option> argument prints the certificate in ASCII format:
940 </para>
941 <programlisting>
942 $ certutil -L -d $HOME/nssdb -a -n my-ca-cert
943 -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
944 MIIB1DCCAT2gAwIBAgICDkIwDQYJKoZIhvcNAQEFBQAwFTETMBEGA1UEAxMKRXhh
945 bXBsZSBDQTAeFw0xMzAzMTMxOTEwMjlaFw0xMzA2MTMxOTEwMjlaMBUxEzARBgNV
946 BAMTCkV4YW1wbGUgQ0EwgZ8wDQYJKoZIhvcNAQEBBQADgY0AMIGJAoGBAJ4Kzqvz
947 JyBVgFqDXRYSyTBNw1DrxUU/3GvWA/ngjAwHEv0Cul/6sO/gsCvnABHiH6unns6x
948 XRzPORlC2WY3gkk7vmlsLvYpyecNazAi/NAwVnU/66HOsaoVFWE+gBQo99UrN2yk
949 0BiK/GMFlLm5dXQROgA9ZKKyFdI0LIXtf6SbAgMBAAGjMzAxMBEGCWCGSAGG+EIB
950 AQQEAwIHADAMBgNVHRMEBTADAQH/MA4GA1UdDwEB/wQEAwICBDANBgkqhkiG9w0B
951 AQUFAAOBgQA6chkzkACN281d1jKMrc+RHG2UMaQyxiteaLVZO+Ro1nnRUvseDf09
952 XKYFwPMJjWCihVku6bw/ihZfuMHhxK22Nue6inNQ6eDu7WmrqL8z3iUrQwxs+WiF
953 ob2rb8XRVVJkzXdXxlk4uo3UtNvw8sAz7sWD71qxKaIHU5q49zijfg==
954 -----END CERTIFICATE-----
955 </programlisting>
956 <para>For a human-readable display</para>
957 <programlisting>$ certutil -L -d $HOME/nssdb -n my-ca-cert
958 Certificate:
959 Data:
960 Version: 3 (0x2)
961 Serial Number: 3650 (0xe42)
962 Signature Algorithm: PKCS #1 SHA-1 With RSA Encryption
963 Issuer: "CN=Example CA"
964 Validity:
965 Not Before: Wed Mar 13 19:10:29 2013
966 Not After : Thu Jun 13 19:10:29 2013
967 Subject: "CN=Example CA"
968 Subject Public Key Info:
969 Public Key Algorithm: PKCS #1 RSA Encryption
970 RSA Public Key:
971 Modulus:
972 9e:0a:ce:ab:f3:27:20:55:80:5a:83:5d:16:12:c9:30:
973 4d:c3:50:eb:c5:45:3f:dc:6b:d6:03:f9:e0:8c:0c:07:
974 12:fd:02:ba:5f:fa:b0:ef:e0:b0:2b:e7:00:11:e2:1f:
975 ab:a7:9e:ce:b1:5d:1c:cf:39:19:42:d9:66:37:82:49:
976 3b:be:69:6c:2e:f6:29:c9:e7:0d:6b:30:22:fc:d0:30:
977 56:75:3f:eb:a1:ce:b1:aa:15:15:61:3e:80:14:28:f7:
978 d5:2b:37:6c:a4:d0:18:8a:fc:63:05:94:b9:b9:75:74:
979 11:3a:00:3d:64:a2:b2:15:d2:34:2c:85:ed:7f:a4:9b
980 Exponent: 65537 (0x10001)
981 Signed Extensions:
982 Name: Certificate Type
983 Data: none
985 Name: Certificate Basic Constraints
986 Data: Is a CA with no maximum path length.
988 Name: Certificate Key Usage
989 Critical: True
990 Usages: Certificate Signing
992 Signature Algorithm: PKCS #1 SHA-1 With RSA Encryption
993 Signature:
994 3a:72:19:33:90:00:8d:db:cd:5d:d6:32:8c:ad:cf:91:
995 1c:6d:94:31:a4:32:c6:2b:5e:68:b5:59:3b:e4:68:d6:
996 79:d1:52:fb:1e:0d:fd:3d:5c:a6:05:c0:f3:09:8d:60:
997 a2:85:59:2e:e9:bc:3f:8a:16:5f:b8:c1:e1:c4:ad:b6:
998 36:e7:ba:8a:73:50:e9:e0:ee:ed:69:ab:a8:bf:33:de:
999 25:2b:43:0c:6c:f9:68:85:a1:bd:ab:6f:c5:d1:55:52:
1000 64:cd:77:57:c6:59:38:ba:8d:d4:b4:db:f0:f2:c0:33:
1001 ee:c5:83:ef:5a:b1:29:a2:07:53:9a:b8:f7:38:a3:7e
1002 Fingerprint (MD5):
1003 86:D8:A5:8B:8A:26:BE:9E:17:A8:7B:66:10:6B:27:80
1004 Fingerprint (SHA1):
1005 48:78:09:EF:C5:D4:0C:BD:D2:64:45:59:EB:03:13:15:F7:A9:D6:F7
1007 Certificate Trust Flags:
1008 SSL Flags:
1009 Valid CA
1010 Trusted CA
1011 User
1012 Email Flags:
1013 Valid CA
1014 Trusted CA
1015 User
1016 Object Signing Flags:
1017 Valid CA
1018 Trusted CA
1019 User
1021 </programlisting>
1023 <para><command>Listing Keys</command></para>
1024 <para>
1025 Keys are the original material used to encrypt certificate data. The keys generated for certificates are stored separately, in the key database.
1026 </para>
1027 <para>
1028 To list all keys in the database, use the <option>-K</option> command option and the (required) <option>-d</option> argument to give the path to the directory.
1029 </para>
1030 <programlisting>$ certutil -K -d $HOME/nssdb
1031 certutil: Checking token "NSS Certificate DB" in slot "NSS User Private Key and Certificate Services "
1032 < 0> rsa 455a6673bde9375c2887ec8bf8016b3f9f35861d Thawte Freemail Member's Thawte Consulting (Pty) Ltd. ID
1033 < 1> rsa 40defeeb522ade11090eacebaaf1196a172127df Example Domain Administrator Cert
1034 < 2> rsa 1d0b06f44f6c03842f7d4f4a1dc78b3bcd1b85a5 John Smith user cert</programlisting>
1035 <para>
1036 There are ways to narrow the keys listed in the search results:
1037 </para>
1038 <itemizedlist>
1039 <listitem>
1040 <para>
1041 To return a specific key, use the <option>-n</option> <emphasis>name</emphasis> argument with the name of the key.
1042 </para>
1043 </listitem>
1044 <listitem>
1045 <para>
1046 If there are multiple security devices loaded, then the <option>-h</option> <emphasis>tokenname</emphasis> argument can search a specific token or all tokens.
1047 </para>
1048 </listitem>
1049 <listitem>
1050 <para>
1051 If there are multiple key types available, then the <option>-k</option> <emphasis>key-type</emphasis> argument can search a specific type of key, like RSA, DSA, or ECC.
1052 </para>
1053 </listitem>
1054 </itemizedlist>
1056 <para><command>Listing Security Modules</command></para>
1057 <para>
1058 The devices that can be used to store certificates -- both internal databases and external devices like smart cards -- are recognized and used by loading security modules. The <option>-U</option> command option lists all of the security modules listed in the <filename>secmod.db</filename> database. The path to the directory (<option>-d</option>) is required.
1059 </para>
1060 <programlisting>$ certutil -U -d /home/my/sharednssdb
1062 slot: NSS User Private Key and Certificate Services
1063 token: NSS Certificate DB
1064 uri: pkcs11:token=NSS%20Certificate%20DB;manufacturer=Mozilla%20Foundation;serial=0000000000000000;model=NSS%203
1066 slot: NSS Internal Cryptographic Services
1067 token: NSS Generic Crypto Services
1068 uri: pkcs11:token=NSS%20Generic%20Crypto%20Services;manufacturer=Mozilla%20Foundation;serial=0000000000000000;model=NSS%203</programlisting>
1070 <para><command>Adding Certificates to the Database</command></para>
1071 <para>
1072 Existing certificates or certificate requests can be added manually to the certificate database, even if they were generated elsewhere. This uses the <option>-A</option> command option.
1073 </para>
1074 <programlisting>certutil -A -n certname -t trustargs -d directory [-a] [-i input-file]</programlisting>
1075 <para>
1076 For example:
1077 </para>
1078 <programlisting>$ certutil -A -n "CN=My SSL Certificate" -t ",," -d /home/my/sharednssdb -i /home/example-certs/cert.cer</programlisting>
1079 <para>
1080 A related command option, <option>-E</option>, is used specifically to add email certificates to the certificate database. The <option>-E</option> command has the same arguments as the <option>-A</option> command. The trust arguments for certificates have the format <emphasis>SSL,S/MIME,Code-signing</emphasis>, so the middle trust settings relate most to email certificates (though the others can be set). For example:
1081 </para>
1082 <programlisting>$ certutil -E -n "CN=John Smith Email Cert" -t ",P," -d /home/my/sharednssdb -i /home/example-certs/email.cer</programlisting>
1084 <para><command>Deleting Certificates to the Database</command></para>
1085 <para>
1086 Certificates can be deleted from a database using the <option>-D</option> option. The only required options are to give the security database directory and to identify the certificate nickname.
1087 </para>
1088 <programlisting>certutil -D -d directory -n "nickname"</programlisting>
1089 <para>
1090 For example:
1091 </para>
1092 <programlisting>$ certutil -D -d /home/my/sharednssdb -n "my-ssl-cert"</programlisting>
1094 <para><command>Validating Certificates</command></para>
1095 <para>
1096 A certificate contains an expiration date in itself, and expired certificates are easily rejected. However, certificates can also be revoked before they hit their expiration date. Checking whether a certificate has been revoked requires validating the certificate. Validation can also be used to ensure that the certificate is only used for the purposes it was initially issued for. Validation is carried out by the <option>-V</option> command option.
1097 </para>
1098 <programlisting>certutil -V -n certificate-name [-b time] [-e] [-u cert-usage] -d directory</programlisting>
1099 <para>
1100 For example, to validate an email certificate:
1101 </para>
1102 <programlisting>$ certutil -V -n "John Smith's Email Cert" -e -u S,R -d /home/my/sharednssdb</programlisting>
1104 <para><command>Modifying Certificate Trust Settings</command></para>
1105 <para>
1106 The trust settings (which relate to the operations that a certificate is allowed to be used for) can be changed after a certificate is created or added to the database. This is especially useful for CA certificates, but it can be performed for any type of certificate.
1107 </para>
1108 <programlisting>certutil -M -n certificate-name -t trust-args -d directory</programlisting>
1109 <para>
1110 For example:
1111 </para>
1112 <programlisting>$ certutil -M -n "My CA Certificate" -d /home/my/sharednssdb -t "CT,CT,CT"</programlisting>
1114 <para><command>Printing the Certificate Chain</command></para>
1115 <para>
1116 Certificates can be issued in <emphasis>chains</emphasis> because every certificate authority itself has a certificate; when a CA issues a certificate, it essentially stamps that certificate with its own fingerprint. The <option>-O</option> prints the full chain of a certificate, going from the initial CA (the root CA) through ever intermediary CA to the actual certificate. For example, for an email certificate with two CAs in the chain:
1117 </para>
1118 <programlisting>$ certutil -d /home/my/sharednssdb -O -n "jsmith@example.com"
1119 "Builtin Object Token:Thawte Personal Freemail CA" [E=personal-freemail@thawte.com,CN=Thawte Personal Freemail CA,OU=Certification Services Division,O=Thawte Consulting,L=Cape Town,ST=Western Cape,C=ZA]
1121 "Thawte Personal Freemail Issuing CA - Thawte Consulting" [CN=Thawte Personal Freemail Issuing CA,O=Thawte Consulting (Pty) Ltd.,C=ZA]
1123 "(null)" [E=jsmith@example.com,CN=Thawte Freemail Member]</programlisting>
1125 <para><command>Resetting a Token</command></para>
1126 <para>
1127 The device which stores certificates -- both external hardware devices and internal software databases -- can be blanked and reused. This operation is performed on the device which stores the data, not directly on the security databases, so the location must be referenced through the token name (<option>-h</option>) as well as any directory path. If there is no external token used, the default value is internal.
1128 </para>
1129 <programlisting>certutil -T -d directory -h token-name -0 security-officer-password</programlisting>
1130 <para>
1131 Many networks have dedicated personnel who handle changes to security tokens (the security officer). This person must supply the password to access the specified token. For example:
1132 </para>
1133 <programlisting>$ certutil -T -d /home/my/sharednssdb -h nethsm -0 secret</programlisting>
1135 <para><command>Upgrading or Merging the Security Databases</command></para>
1136 <para>
1137 Many networks or applications may be using older BerkeleyDB versions of the certificate database (<filename>cert8.db</filename>). Databases can be upgraded to the new SQLite version of the database (<filename>cert9.db</filename>) using the <option>--upgrade-merge</option> command option or existing databases can be merged with the new <filename>cert9.db</filename> databases using the <option>---merge</option> command.
1138 </para>
1139 <para>
1140 The <option>--upgrade-merge</option> command must give information about the original database and then use the standard arguments (like <option>-d</option>) to give the information about the new databases. The command also requires information that the tool uses for the process to upgrade and write over the original database.
1141 </para>
1142 <programlisting>certutil --upgrade-merge -d directory [-P dbprefix] --source-dir directory --source-prefix dbprefix --upgrade-id id --upgrade-token-name name [-@ password-file]</programlisting>
1143 <para>
1144 For example:
1145 </para>
1146 <programlisting>$ certutil --upgrade-merge -d /home/my/sharednssdb --source-dir /opt/my-app/alias/ --source-prefix serverapp- --upgrade-id 1 --upgrade-token-name internal</programlisting>
1147 <para>
1148 The <option>--merge</option> command only requires information about the location of the original database; since it doesn't change the format of the database, it can write over information without performing interim step.
1149 </para>
1150 <programlisting>certutil --merge -d directory [-P dbprefix] --source-dir directory --source-prefix dbprefix [-@ password-file]</programlisting>
1151 <para>
1152 For example:
1153 </para>
1154 <programlisting>$ certutil --merge -d /home/my/sharednssdb --source-dir /opt/my-app/alias/ --source-prefix serverapp-</programlisting>
1156 <para><command>Running certutil Commands from a Batch File</command></para>
1157 <para>
1158 A series of commands can be run sequentially from a text file with the <option>-B</option> command option. The only argument for this specifies the input file.
1159 </para>
1160 <programlisting>$ certutil -B -i /path/to/batch-file</programlisting>
1161 </refsection>
1163 <refsection id="databases"><title>NSS Database Types</title>
1164 <para>NSS originally used BerkeleyDB databases to store security information.
1165 The last versions of these <emphasis>legacy</emphasis> databases are:</para>
1166 <itemizedlist>
1167 <listitem>
1168 <para>
1169 cert8.db for certificates
1170 </para>
1171 </listitem>
1172 <listitem>
1173 <para>
1174 key3.db for keys
1175 </para>
1176 </listitem>
1177 <listitem>
1178 <para>
1179 secmod.db for PKCS #11 module information
1180 </para>
1181 </listitem>
1182 </itemizedlist>
1184 <para>BerkeleyDB has performance limitations, though, which prevent it from being easily used by multiple applications simultaneously. NSS has
1185 some flexibility that allows applications to use their own, independent database engine while keeping a shared database and working around the access issues. Still, NSS
1186 requires more flexibility to provide a truly shared security database.</para>
1188 <para>In 2009, NSS introduced a new set of databases that are SQLite databases rather than
1189 BerkeleyDB. These new databases provide more accessibility and performance:</para>
1190 <itemizedlist>
1191 <listitem>
1192 <para>
1193 cert9.db for certificates
1194 </para>
1195 </listitem>
1196 <listitem>
1197 <para>
1198 key4.db for keys
1199 </para>
1200 </listitem>
1201 <listitem>
1202 <para>
1203 pkcs11.txt, a listing of all of the PKCS #11 modules, contained in a new subdirectory in the security databases directory
1204 </para>
1205 </listitem>
1206 </itemizedlist>
1208 <para>Because the SQLite databases are designed to be shared, these are the <emphasis>shared</emphasis> database type. The shared database type is preferred; the legacy format is included for backward compatibility.</para>
1210 <para>By default, the tools (<command>certutil</command>, <command>pk12util</command>, <command>modutil</command>) assume that the given security databases use the SQLite type.
1211 Using the legacy databases must be manually specified by using the <command>dbm:</command> prefix with the given security directory. For example:</para>
1213 <programlisting>$ certutil -L -d dbm:/home/my/sharednssdb</programlisting>
1215 <para>To set the legacy database type as the default type for the tools, set the <envar>NSS_DEFAULT_DB_TYPE</envar> environment variable to <envar>dbm</envar>:</para>
1216 <programlisting>export NSS_DEFAULT_DB_TYPE="dbm"</programlisting>
1218 <para>This line can be set added to the <filename>~/.bashrc</filename> file to make the change permanent.</para>
1220 <itemizedlist>
1221 <listitem>
1222 <para>
1223 https://wiki.mozilla.org/NSS_Shared_DB_Howto</para>
1224 </listitem>
1225 </itemizedlist>
1226 <para>For an engineering draft on the changes in the shared NSS databases, see the NSS project wiki:</para>
1227 <itemizedlist>
1228 <listitem>
1229 <para>
1230 https://wiki.mozilla.org/NSS_Shared_DB
1231 </para>
1232 </listitem>
1233 </itemizedlist>
1234 </refsection>
1237 <refsection id="seealso">
1238 <title>See Also</title>
1239 <para>pk12util (1)</para>
1240 <para>modutil (1)</para>
1241 <para><command>certutil</command> has arguments or operations that use features defined in several IETF RFCs.</para>
1242 <itemizedlist>
1243 <listitem>
1244 <para>
1245 http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc5280
1246 </para>
1247 </listitem>
1248 <listitem>
1249 <para>
1250 http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc1113
1251 </para>
1252 </listitem>
1253 <listitem>
1254 <para>
1255 http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc1485
1256 </para>
1257 </listitem>
1258 </itemizedlist>
1260 <para>The NSS wiki has information on the new database design and how to configure applications to use it.</para>
1261 <itemizedlist>
1262 <listitem>
1263 <para>
1264 https://wiki.mozilla.org/NSS_Shared_DB_Howto</para>
1265 </listitem>
1266 <listitem>
1267 <para>
1268 https://wiki.mozilla.org/NSS_Shared_DB
1269 </para>
1270 </listitem>
1271 </itemizedlist>
1272 </refsection>
1274 <!-- don't change -->
1275 <refsection id="resources">
1276 <title>Additional Resources</title>
1277 <para>For information about NSS and other tools related to NSS (like JSS), check out the NSS project wiki at <ulink url="http://www.mozilla.org/projects/security/pki/nss/">http://www.mozilla.org/projects/security/pki/nss/</ulink>. The NSS site relates directly to NSS code changes and releases.</para>
1278 <para>Mailing lists: https://lists.mozilla.org/listinfo/dev-tech-crypto</para>
1279 <para>IRC: Freenode at #dogtag-pki</para>
1280 </refsection>
1282 <!-- fill in your name first; keep the other names for reference -->
1283 <refsection id="authors">
1284 <title>Authors</title>
1285 <para>The NSS tools were written and maintained by developers with Netscape, Red Hat, Sun, Oracle, Mozilla, and Google.</para>
1286 <para>
1287 Authors: Elio Maldonado <emaldona@redhat.com>, Deon Lackey <dlackey@redhat.com>.
1288 </para>
1289 </refsection>
1291 <!-- don't change -->
1292 <refsection id="license">
1293 <title>LICENSE</title>
1294 <para>Licensed under the Mozilla Public License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this file, You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/.
1295 </para>
1296 </refsection>
1298 </refentry>