Apply for an Institutional Certificate
The application process for a CREN Institutional Certificate has two phases:
- Application and registration process that validates the Institutional Representatives,
and sets up secure communication channels
- Request, issuance and acceptance of the Institutional Certificate
Download the CREN CA Application - Version 3.0 (August 1, 2002)
[Download in Microsoft Word or PDF Format]
An institution's Member Representative fills out the application form and then it is signed by the Campus Certificate Authority Executive Officer.
You may find it helpful to also download and print the
Step-by-Step Guide - Version 3.0 (August 1, 2002)
[Download in Microsoft Word or PDF Format]
This Step by Step Guide has detailed email templates to guide institutional contacts through the application and signing process.
To renew a CREN Institutional Certificate, an institution's Member Representative must fill out the following renewal application form and then have it signed by the Campus Certificate Authority Executive Officer. - Version 3.0 (August 1, 2002)
[Download in Microsoft Word or PDF Format]
Begin Communicating Securely
PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) is another security tool similar to digital certificates. One advantage of PGP is that individuals and small groups can begin using PGP for securing their email with little overhead. At CREN, we use PGP to set up a secure communication channel with a technical contact at an institution during the process of requesting a CREN-signed institutional certificate.
The PGP Personal Public Keys that are
distributed and signed during the application process are not to be confused with the Public Keys
being generated for inclusion in the CREN-signed Institutional Certificates.
The PGP software may be found at the location below:
[Download a free version of PGP now from: https://web.mit.edu/network/pgp.html]
For installation tips and more information on PGP, download the CREN PGP One-Pager:
[Download: Microsoft Word or PDF Format]
Locate public keys of the CREN staff at:
https://www.cren.net/crenca/abcpages/crenpubkeys.html
Documents and Policies for the CREN CA
I. The policies that govern the CREN CA are currently in a combined Certificate Policy/Certificate
Policy Statement.
CREN CP/CPS - Version 3.0 (January 27, 2000)
[Download: Microsoft Word or PDF Format]
The CREN CP/CPS details and controls the application process from the initial verification
of the institutional requestor and the request for certificate process, through the issuing,
acceptance, using, suspending, revoking, and renewing of CREN CA certificates.
II. The policies created by the HEPKI groups relating to the practices of a CA are included in the following CP/CPS.
HEPKI-Lite CP/CPS - Version -v 4.3 (Dec 19, 2001)
[Download: Microsoft Word or PDF Format]
The HEPKI-Lite CP/CPS describes the recommended best practices for a campus certificate authority implementing a PKI-Lite environment. A PKI-Lite enviornment is a full-featured PKI technology deployed with existing campus standards for identification and authentication (I & A) and security. The other two documents supporting a PKI-Lite Trust enviornment are the HEPKI-TAG Certificate Profiles, and the Relying Party Statement.
-
