SSL certificates

An SSL certificate, which is an integral part of any SSL transaction, is a digital data form (X509) that identifies a company (domain) or an individual. The certificate has a public key component that is visible to any client that wants to initiate a secure transaction with the server. The corresponding private key, which resides securely on the NetScaler appliance, is used to complete asymmetric key (or public key) encryption and decryption.

You can obtain an SSL certificate and key in either of the following ways:

• From an authorized certificate authority (CA), such as VeriSign
• By generating a new SSL certificate and key on the NetScaler appliance

Alternately, you can use an existing SSL certificate on the appliance.

Caution: Citrix recommends that you use certificates obtained from authorized CAs, such as VeriSign, for all your SSL transactions. Certificates generated on the NetScaler appliance should be used for testing purposes only, not in any live deployment.