Can Red Hat Satellite 6.x be configured with a custom SSL certificate whose keys are 2048 bits rather than 4096 bits long?

Solution Verified - Updated

Environment

  • Red Hat Satellite 6.15

Issue

  • When creating a certificate signing request (CSR) for a custom SSL certificate to configure the Red Hat Satellite 6.x server with, the procedure in the Red Hat Satellite 6.x installation guide uses the following command to generate a 4096-bit private key:

    # openssl genrsa -out /root/satellite_cert/satellite_cert_key.pem 4096

    Can a 2048-bit private key be used instead?

Resolution

Although it is highly recommended to use a 4096-bit private key to create a certificate signing request (CSR) for a custom SSL certificate for Red Hat Satellite 6.x, this can also be done using a 2048-bit private key instead. However, please be aware that a 4096-bit key offers higher security level than a 2048-bit one.

To generate a certificate signing request (CSR) for a custom SSL certificate for Red Hat Satellite 6.x using a 2048-bit private key, use the following command:

# openssl genrsa -out /root/satellite_cert/satellite_cert_key.pem 2048

For more KB articles/solutions related to Red Hat Satellite 6.x SSL Certificates Issues, please refer to the Consolidated Troubleshooting Article for Red Hat Satellite 6.x SSL Certificates Issues

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