How to generate the CSR for the Aria Operations for Networks appliance using the VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle

Products

• VCF Operations for Networks
• VMware vRealize Suite Lifecycle Manager 8.x

Issue/Introduction

Installing custom CA certificates on Aria Operations for Networks involves two steps: generating the Certificate Signing Request (CSR) and installing the signed certificate on the appliances.

This Knowledge Base (KB) article details the instructions for generating the CSR using VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle for the Aria Operations for Networks appliance.

This method simplifies the submission of all SAN and IP details. Once the custom CA certificate is ready, refer to the "Validating the custom certificate files" section in KB 324471 to complete the installation.

Environment

VCF Aria Operations for Networks

Resolution

Follow the steps to generate the CSR using VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle:

• From the VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle My Services dashboard, click Locker.
• Select Generate to Generate CSR.
• Fill in all details for the Server Domain and IP Address sections; you can enter all the SAN (Subject Alternative Name) and IP addresses, separated by a comma.

• Click on Generate and generate CSR downloads a PEM file.  The pem file downloaded will have the private key and certificate request chain. You must be cautious and share only the CSR part of the pem file but not the key for the certificate signing.

• Copy the first part of the PEM file (containing the Certificate Request), save it, and send it to the CA authority for signing by the custom CA.
• Copy the second part of the PEM file (containing the Private key), save it in .key format, and upload it to the Aria Operations for Networks platform appliance.
• Once the Certificate is ready, upload it to the Aria Operations for Networks platform appliance.
• For further steps on validating and installing the certificate, refer to the following KB article: https://knowledge.broadcom.com/external/article/324471/how-to-install-a-custom-certificate-on-v.html