<li><a href="#pemder">How can I convert a certificate from PEM to DER
format?</a></li>
<li><a href="#gid">Why do browsers complain that they cannot
-verify my Verisign Global ID server certificate?</a></li>
+verify my server certificate?</a></li>
</ul>
<h3><a name="keyscerts" id="keyscerts">What are RSA Private Keys, CSRs and Certificates?</a></h3>
<code><strong>$ openssl x509 -in cert.pem -out cert.der -outform DER</strong></code></p>
-<h3><a name="gid" id="gid">Why do browsers complain that they cannot
-verify my Verisign Global ID server certificate?</a></h3>
-<p>Verisign uses an intermediate CA certificate between the root CA
- certificate (which is installed in the browsers) and the server
- certificate (which you installed on the server). You should have
- received this additional CA certificate from Verisign.
- If not, complain to them. Then, configure this certificate with the
+<h3><a name="gid" id="gid">Why do browsers complain that they cannot verify my server certificate?</a></h3>
+
+ <p>One reason this might happen is because your server certificate is signed
+ by an intermediate CA. Various CAs, such as Verisign or Thawte, have started
+ signing certificates not with their root certificate but with intermediate
+ certificates.</p>
+
+ <p>Intermediate CA certificates lie between the root CA certificate (which is
+ installed in the browsers) and the server certificate (which you installed
+ on the server). In order for the browser to be able to traverse and verify
+ the trust chain from the server certificate to the root certificate it
+ needs need to be given the intermediate certificates. The CAs should
+ be able to provide you such intermediate certificate packages that can be
+ installed on the server.</p>
+
+ <p>You need to include those intermediate certificates with the
<code class="directive"><a href="../mod/mod_ssl.html#sslcertificatechainfile">SSLCertificateChainFile</a></code>
- directive. This ensures that the intermediate CA certificate is
- sent to the browser, filling the gap in the certificate chain.</p>
+ directive.</p>
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<div class="section">