User's Manual

P-2612HW Series User’s Guide
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CHAPTER 15
Certificates
15.1 Overview
The ZyXEL Device can use certificates (also called digital IDs) to authenticate
users. Certificates are based on public-private key pairs. A certificate contains the
certificate owner’s identity and public key. Certificates provide a way to exchange
public keys for use in authentication.
15.1.1 What You Can Do in the Certificate Screens
•Use the My Certificate screens (see Section 15.2 on page 295) to generate and
export self-signed certificates or certification requests and import the ZyXEL
Device’s CA-signed certificates.
•Use the Trusted CA screens (see Section 15.5 on page 304) to save the
certificates of trusted CAs to the ZyXEL Device. You can also export the
certificates to a computer.
•Use the Trusted Remote Hosts screens (see Section 15.8 on page 311) to
import self-signed certificates from trusted remote hosts.
•Use the Directory Servers screen (see Section 15.11 on page 316) to
configure a list of addresses of directory servers (that contain lists of valid and
revoked certificates).
15.1.2 What You Need to Know About Certificates
Certification Authorities
A Certification Authority (CA) issues certificates and guarantees the identity of
each certificate owner. There are commercial certification authorities like
CyberTrust or VeriSign and government certification authorities. You can use the
ZyXEL Device to generate certification requests that contain identifying
information and public keys and then send the certification requests to a
certification authority.