The instructions in these topics use OpenSSL to demonstrate how you can generate key pairs and certificates. You can, however, use another tool of your choice.
OpenSSL is an open-source toolkit that implements the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL v2 and v3) and Transport Layer Security (TLS v1) protocols. It is also a general-purpose cryptographic library.
OpenSSL comes with a command-line tool through which you can perform the following cryptographic operations:
Create and manage public/private key pairs
Cryptographic operations with public and private keys
Create X.509 certificates and PKCS #10 certificate requests
You can download OpenSSL at the following locations:
The procedures in these topics assume that you have installed OpenSSL 0.9.8l or later.