.pem SSL Creation Instructions

SSL .pem files (concatenated certificate container files), are frequently required for certificate installations when multiple certificates are being imported as one file.

This article contains multiple sets of instructions that walk through various .pem file creation scenarios.

Creating a .pem with the Entire SSL Certificate Trust Chain

1. Log into your Management Console, select the SSL Certificate product and select "get certificate" in the menu. Then download your Intermediate (second cert in Intermediate CA bundle), Root (first cert in Intermediate CA bundle) and Primary Certificate (your_domain_name.crt).

2. Open a text editor (such as wordpad) and paste the entire body of each certificate into one text file in the following order:

   1. The Primary Certificate - your_domain_name.crt
   2. The Intermediate Certificate - second cert in Intermediate CA bundle
   3. The Root Certificate - first cert in Intermediate CA bundle

   Make sure to include the beginning and end tags on each certificate. The result should look like this:

   -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE----- 
   (Your Primary SSL certificate: your_domain_name.crt) 
   -----END CERTIFICATE----- 
   -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE----- 
   (Your Intermediate certificate: second cert in Intermediate CA bundle) 
   -----END CERTIFICATE----- 
   -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE----- 
   (Your Root certificate: first cert in Intermediate CA bundle) 
   -----END CERTIFICATE-----

   Save the combined file as your_domain_name.pem. The .pem file is now ready to use.

Creating a .pem with the Server and Intermediate Certificates

1. Log into your Management Console, select the SSL Certificate product and select "get certificate" in the menu. Then download your Intermediate (second cert in Intermediate CA bundle) and Primary Certificate (your_domain_name.crt).

2. Open a text editor (such as wordpad) and paste the entire body of each certificate into one text file in the following order:

   1. The Primary Certificate - your_domain_name.crt
   2. The Intermediate Certificate - second cert in Intermediate CA bundle

   Make sure to include the beginning and end tags on each certificate. The result should look like this:

   -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE----- 
   (Your Primary SSL certificate: your_domain_name.crt) 
   -----END CERTIFICATE----- 
   -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE----- 
   (Your Intermediate certificate: second cert in Intermediate CA bundle) 
   -----END CERTIFICATE----- 

   Save the combined file as your_domain_name.pem. The .pem file is now ready to use.

Creating a .pem with the Private Key and Entire Trust Chain

1. Log into your Management Console, select the SSL Certificate product and select "get certificate" in the menu. Then download your Intermediate (second cert in Intermediate CA bundle), Root (first cert in Intermediate CA bundle) and Primary Certificate (your_domain_name.crt).

2. Open a text editor (such as wordpad) and paste the entire body of each certificate into one text file in the following order:

   1. The Private Key - your_domain_name.key
   2. The Primary Certificate - your_domain_name.crt
   3. The Intermediate Certificate - second cert in Intermediate CA bundle
   4. The Root Certificate - first cert in Intermediate CA bundle

   Make sure to include the beginning and end tags on each certificate. The result should look like this:

   -----BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY----- 
   (Your Private Key: your_domain_name.key) 
   -----END RSA PRIVATE KEY----- 
   -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE----- 
   (Your Primary SSL certificate: your_domain_name.crt) 
   -----END CERTIFICATE----- 
   -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE----- 
   (Your Intermediate certificate: second cert in Intermediate CA bundle) 
   -----END CERTIFICATE----- 
   -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE----- 
   (Your Root certificate: first cert in Intermediate CA bundle) 
   -----END CERTIFICATE-----

   Save the combined file as your_domain_name.pem. The .pem file is now ready to use.