RSA (Rivest Shamir Adleman) is the original encryption algorithm that is based on the concept of a public and a private key. When a public site attempts to communicate with a device such as the BIG-IP system, the device sends the site a public key that the site uses to encrypt data before sending that data back to the device. The device uses its private key associated with the public key to decrypt the data. Only the private key can be used to decrypt data encrypted with the public key.

The RSA encryption algorithm includes an authentication mechanism.

DSA (Digital Signature Algorithm) uses a different algorithm for signing key exchange messages than that of RSA. DSA is paired with a key exchange method such as Diffie-Hellman or Elliptical Curve Diffie-Hellman to achieve a comparable level of security to RSA. Because DSA is generally endorsed by federal agencies, specifying a DSA key type makes it easier to comply with new government standards, such as those for specific key lengths.

When creating certificates on the BIG-IP system, you can create a certificate with a key type of ECDSA (Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm). An ECDSA key is based on Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC), and provides better security and performance with significantly shorter key lengths.

For example, an RSA key size of 2048 bits is equivalent to an ECC key size of only 224 bits. As a result, less computing power is required, resulting in faster, more secure connections. Encryption based on ECC is ideally suited for mobile devices that cannot store large keys. The BIG-IP system supports both the prime256v1 and secp384r1 curve names, although only prime256v1 can be associated with an SSL profile.

1. On the Main tab, click System > File Management > SSL Certificate List. The SSL Certificate List screen opens.
2. Click Create.
3. In the Name field, type a unique name for the SSL certificate.
4. From the Issuer list, select Self.
5. In the Common Name field, type a name. This is typically the name of a web site, such as www.siterequest.com.
6. In the Division field, type your department name.
7. In the Organization field, type your company name.
8. In the Locality field, type your city name.
9. In the or State or Province field, type your state or province name.
10. From the Country list, select the name of your country.
11. In the E-mail Address field, type your email address.
12. In the Lifetime field, type a number of days, or retain the default, 365.
13. In the Subject Alternative Name field, type a name. This name is embedded in the certificate for X509 extension purposes. By assigning this name, you can protect multiple host names with a single SSL certificate.
14. From the Key Type list, select a key type. Possible values are: RSA, DSA, and ECDSA.
15. From the Size or Curve Name list, select either a size, in bits, or a curve name.
16. If the BIG-IP system contains an internal HSM module, specify a location for storing the private key.
17. Click Finished.

1. On the Main tab, click System > File Management > SSL Certificate List. The SSL Certificate List screen opens.
2. Click Create.
3. In the Name field, type a unique name for the SSL certificate.
4. From the Issuer list, select Certificate Authority.
5. In the Common Name field, type a name. This is typically the name of a web site, such as www.siterequest.com.
6. In the Division field, type your department name.
7. In the Organization field, type your company name.
8. In the Locality field, type your city name.
9. In the or State or Province field, type your state or province name.
10. From the Country list, select the name of your country.
11. In the E-mail Address field, type your email address.
12. In the Lifetime field, type a number of days, or retain the default, 365.
13. In the Subject Alternative Name field, type a name. This name is embedded in the certificate for X509 extension purposes. By assigning this name, you can protect multiple host names with a single SSL certificate.
14. In the Challenge Password field, type a password.
15. In the Confirm Password field, re-type the password you typed in the Challenge Password field.
16. From the Key Type list, select a key type. Possible values are: RSA, DSA, and ECDSA.
17. From the Size or Curve Name list, select either a size, in bits, or a curve name.
18. If the BIG-IP system contains an internal HSM module, specify a location for storing the private key.
19. Click Finished. The Certificate Signing Request screen displays.
20. Do one of the following to download the request into a file on your system.
    • In the Request Text field, copy the certificate.
    • For Request File, click the button.
21. Follow the instructions on the relevant certificate authority web site for either pasting the copied request or attaching the generated request file.
22. Click Finished. The Certificate Signing Request screen displays.

You can import several types of SSL files onto the BIG-IP system.

1. On the Main tab, click System > File Management > SSL Certificate List. The SSL Certificate List screen opens.
2. Click the name of the certificate you want to export. The General Properties screen displays.
3. Click Export. The Certificate Export screen displays the contents of the certificate in the Certificate Text box.
4. To obtain the certificate, do one of the following:
   • Copy the text from the Certificate Text field, and paste it as needed into an interface on another system.
   • At the Certificate File option, click Download filename where filename is the name of the certificate file, such as mycert.crt.

1. On the Main tab, click System > File Management > SSL Certificate List. The SSL Certificate List screen opens.
2. In the Name column, view the list of certificates on the system.

When you use the BIG-IP Configuration utility to view the list of digital certificates that you have installed on the BIG-IP system, you can see information for each certificate.