[This is preliminary documentation and subject to change]

# Certificates

Certificates are a form of digital identification for your server, and for clients requesting information from your server. Their function is similar to that of a passport, or other official identity card, which identifies the person carrying it. Certificates are part of the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) features of IIS that establish a secured connection over which sensitive information can be sent.

This section contains:

- About Certificates: A conceptual overview of certificates.
- Setting Up SSL on Your Server: How to set up and administer Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) on your server.
- Using the New Security Task Wizards: A conceptual overview of the features accessible in the Certificate, CTL, and Permissions wizards.
- Obtaining a Server Certificate: Learn how to obtain a server certificate needed to use SSL.
- Using Certificate Trust Lists: Add new certification authorities to your server's list of trusted issuing authorities.
- Obtaining a Client Certificate: How to obtain user digital identifications, called client certificates.
- Enabling Client Certificates: A procedure for enabling SSL authentication of client certificates.
- Mapping Client Certificates to User Accounts: Use client certificates to connect users directly to Windows user accounts.

This section does not contain information on:

- Regulating how users access your Web server files and directories; see Access Control.
- Information about setting up or changing encryption; see Encryption.

© 1997-2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.