Subject: symmetric or asymmetric ?

From: Ringaby Anders <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 6 Feb 2004 18:09:45 +0100 (MET)

Hello !

I am one of many mod-ssl beginners, and I have two questions.

1. The modssl web site refers to the SSL cryptography algorithm
   as being conventional, or symmetric. But mod-ssl uses public
   and private keys, which are known as parts of asymmetric
   cryptography. Any explanation ?

2. I copied a mod-ssl-enhanced apache-2.0.48 installation to
   another machine, replaced the certificate file ( server.crt )
   with another certificate ( but same file name ), and made
   some small changes in httpd.conf and ssl.conf. Of course,
   this did not work. Is there any way that I can generate a
   new private key ( server.key file ) according to the
   public key in the new certificate file ? Or should I remove
   everything and install again, the proper way ?

Regards

Anders

______________________________________________________________________
Apache Interface to OpenSSL (mod_ssl)                   www.modssl.org
User Support Mailing List                      [email-masked]
Automated List Manager                            [email-masked]

---

From: Daniel Lopez <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 6 Feb 2004 09:35:54 -0800

>    cryptography. Any explanation ?

Asymmetric cryptography is used to agree and exchange keys for symmetric
cryptography (much faster)

>    everything and install again, the proper way ?

"it did not work" does not tell us much :) Which errors did you get?
What did you change? What is the current conf?

Since you are just starting with mod_ssl, I suggest reinstalling from
scratch rather than trying to figure out what may be going wrong.
You can find detailed information on how SSL works (symm/asymm.,
certificates, etc.) and how to get Apache 2 + mod_ssl working on a chapter I
have online at 

http://www.apacheworld.org/ty24/site.chapter17.html

Cheers

Daniel

---

From: Mads Toftum <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 6 Feb 2004 21:26:40 +0100

>    cryptography. Any explanation ?
mod_ssl uses both - if you want the details, read:
http://httpd.apache.org/docs-2.0/ssl/ssl_intro.html

>    everything and install again, the proper way ?
There's nothing that should keep the keys from working on different
machines, so chances are that it is either the installation or the
configuration that failed.

vh

Mads Toftum
-- 
`Darn it, who spiked my coffee with water?!' - lwall

---

From: Ringaby Anders <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 12 Feb 2004 16:15:29 +0100 (MET)

Hello !

Can anyone help me with this one ?

When the sign.sh script runs the following command:

openssl ca -config /opt/apache-2.0.48/conf/ca.config -out $CERT -infiles $CSR

Then I get this error message:

variable lookup failed for /opt/apache-2.0.48/conf::private_key

The private key file is there, and everything, but still ....

Any changes I try to make to the config files ca.config or openssl.cnf
does not make things any better, and no crt-file is created.

What am I doing wrong ?

Regards

Anders