Note: This article was originally published in 2006. Some steps, commands, or software versions may have changed. Check the current General documentation for the latest information.
I never ran into this issue with IIS as I usually install a Certificate Authority and do it that way, but I guess it might come in handy for personal websites and saving some money. Here are the details:
Create a self-signed SSL certificate with IIS 6.0 Resource Kit SelfSSL
The IIS 6.0 Resource Kit version 1.0 was released 5/30/2003. It contains a utility called SelfSSL.exe for instantly creating and installing a self-signed testing certificate into IIS. The resource kit is freely downloadable from the Microsoft website. Although the tool is intended for IIS 6.0, it works just as well on IIS 5.1. It is so simple to use that no instructions are required beyond the pointer to the download.
- (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=56fc92ee-a71a-4c73-b628-ade629c89499&DisplayLang=en)
- Install the resource kit (requires Windows Server 2003, Windows XP)
- From the Windows Start Menu, go to the “ProgramsIIS ResourcesSelfSSL” folder and select “SelfSSL”.
- Instructions will be listed in a command prompt. Type “selfssl” to run the program.
- Type “y” to confirm overriding/installing the certificate on the given site.
- Test that it worked by visiting https://localhost/.
If you want hand-holding through these steps, (http://www.visualwin.com/SelfSSL/) by Jonathan Maltz.
Microsoft has also provided (http://www.addall.com/New/BestSeller.cgi?isbn=0735614202&dispCurr=USD) the book for (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=80a1b6e6-829e-49b7-8c02-333d9c148e69&DisplayLang=en) via their website in whole or chapter.
obtained from: http://www.somacon.com/p42.php
Summary
You’ve successfully learned create a self-signed ssl certificate with iis 6. If you run into any issues, double-check the prerequisites and ensure your General environment is properly configured.