Use OpenSSL for CSRs and certificates on Slackware

1. When to use it

Practical guide for when you need to issue an internal certificate or prepare a request for an external CA.

2. Base setup

openssl genrsa -out server.key 4096
openssl req -new -key server.key -out server.csr
openssl x509 -req -days 365 -in server.csr -signkey server.key -out server.crt

Adjust host names, IPs, interfaces, paths, and versions to the real system before making the change persistent.

3. Quick verification

openssl x509 -in server.crt -noout -text | head -n 20
openssl rsa -in server.key -check
openssl req -in server.csr -noout -subject

Confirm that the output matches the expected state before considering the intervention complete.

4. Operational notes

Keep the private key in paths that are not world-readable: a certificate can be regenerated, a compromised key cannot.

Quick checklist

[ ] Steps completed\n[ ] Config updated\n[ ] Tests executed\n[ ] Rollback ready\n[ ] Logs checked

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