Generating Public and Private Keys with openssl.exe

To perform the following actions for Windows or Linux, you must have OpenSSL installed on your system.

Generating the Private Key -- Windows

In Windows:

1. Open the Command Prompt (Start > Programs > Accessories > Command Prompt).

2. Navigate to the following folder:

     C:\Program Files\ListManager\tclweb\bin\certs

3. Type the following:

openssl genrsa -out rsa.private 1024

4. Press ENTER. The private key is generated and saved in a file named "rsa.private" located in the same folder.

NOTE The number "1024" in the above command indicates the size of the private key. You can choose one of five sizes: 512, 758, 1024, 1536 or 2048 (these numbers represent bits). The larger sizes offer greater security, but this is offset by a penalty in CPU performance. We recommend the best practice size of 1024.

Generating the Public Key -- Windows

1. At the command prompt, type the following:

openssl rsa -in rsa.private -out rsa.public -pubout -outform PEM

2. Press ENTER. The public key is saved in a file named rsa.public located in the same folder.

Generating the Private Key -- Linux

1. Open the Terminal.

2. Navigate to the folder with the ListManager directory.

3. Type the following:

openssl genrsa -out rsa.private 1024

4. Press ENTER. The private key is generated and saved in a file named "rsa.private" located in the same folder.

Generating the Public Key -- Linux

1. Open the Terminal.

2. Type the following:

openssl rsa -in rsa.private -out rsa.public -pubout -outform PEM

2. Press ENTER. The public key is saved in a file named rsa.public located in the same folder.