How To Generate a CSR on Lync 2013 Server?

Welcome to our complete walkthrough on creating a Certificate Signing Request for Lync 2013. This post outlines the whole procedure sequentially, making it effortless to comprehend.

By following the steps mentioned below, you can acquire an SSL cert from a trusted CA for your Lync 2013 server without any hassle.

But, before proceeding with the steps, it would be better, if we are aware of what a CSR is. So, first, go through it. 

What is a CSR?

A Certificate Signing Request, or CSR, is an encoded block of text. Trusted organizations, known as Certificate Authorities (CAs), require this encoded text to confirm the details of the entity that’s requesting the SSL cert.

A CSR includes crucial information regarding the entity’s online presence, domain name, public key, signature, and much more. 

How to Generate a Certificate Signing Request For Lync 2013 Server?

Follow the steps mentioned below to generate a CSR on the Lync 2013 Server:

• Click Search, placed on the taskbar. 
• Type Lync Server Deployment Wizard and press Enter. 
• The Lync Server Deployment Wizard window will appear.
• In the Lync Server Deployment Wizard window, click Install or Update Lync Server System.
• Navigate to the Step 3: Request, Install or Assign Certificates section.
• Under the Step 3: Request, Install or Assign Certificates section, click the Run button. 
• The Certificate Wizard window will appear. 
• In the Certificate Wizard window, click the External Edge certificate option.
• Click Request.
• The Certificate Request window will appear. 
• In the Certificate Request window, click Next.
• Click the radio button placed in front of the Prepare the request now, but send it later (offline certificate request) option.
• Click Next.
• Click Browse. Select the location to save the CSR file.
• Click Next.
• On the Specify Alternate Certificate Template page, click Next.
• Type a friendly name for your cert (Something that you can remember).
• From the drop-down list, click 2048 Bit Length.
• If you have “n” number of machines in the edge cluster, select Mark the private key as exportable.
• Click Next. 
• The Organization Information page will appear. 
• In the Organization Information page, under the Organization field, type the legal name of your organization.
• In the Organization Information page, under the Organization unit field, type the legal name of your department.
• Click Next.
• The Geographical Information page will appear. 
• In the Geographical Information page, from the Country/Region list, select the country where the entity requesting the cert is located.
• In the Geographical Information page, from the State/Province field, enter the state name where the entity requesting the cert is located.
• In the Geographical Information page, from the City/Locality field, enter the city name where the entity requesting the cert is located.
• Click Next.
• The Subject Name and Subject Alternative Names page will appear. 
• Click Next.
• Check the checkbox placed under the configured SIP domains option.
• Click Next.
• The Configure Additional Subject Alternate Names page will appear. 
• In the Configure Additional Subject Alternate Names, type the SAN names you want to add.
• Click Next.
• The Summary page will appear. 
• In the Summary page, review all the details that you entered. 
• Click Next.
• The Executing Commands page will appear. 
• In the Executing Commands page, verify that the Task Status is completed.
• Click Next.
• The Certificate Request File page will appear. 
• In the Certificate Request File page, click View.
• Copy the content.
• Click Finish.

Kudos!! You have successfully generated a CSR for the Lync 2013 server.

Follow the Next Step: How to Install an SSL Certificate on a Lync 2013 server?