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To configure the Apache HTTP Server, you need to perform the following tasks:
  1. Set FXPKCS11 environment variables.
  2. Create a key pair on the Vectera Plus with pkcs11-tool.
  3. Generate a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) by using the Apache Server private key.
  4. Create a self-signed root certificate authority (CA).
  5. Sign the Apache Server CSR.
  6. Configure Apache to use the signed certificate and the private key stored on the Vectera Plus.
  7. (Optional) Create a client certificate for the browser that connects to Apache HTTP Server.
  8. Confirm that Apache uses the new TLS Certificate and private key (stored on the Vectera Plus) for HTTPS connections.
The following sections provide the steps for these tasks.

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Set FXPKCS11 environment variables

Perform the following steps to set the FXPKCS11 environment variables:
1
In a terminal, run the following sequence of commands to set the required FXPKCS11 environment variables:
Shell
export FXPKCS11_MODULE=/path/to/libfxpkcs11.so;
export FXPKCS11_CFG=/path/to/fxpkcs11.cfg;
Be sure to modify the file path to match the location where the libfxpkcs11.so and fxpkcs11.cfg files are stored on your system.

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Create a key pair

Perform the following steps to create a key pair on the Vectera Plus with pkcs11-tool:
1
In a terminal, run the following command to create a new key pair on the Vectera Plus with pkcs11-tool:
Shell
sudo pkcs11-tool --module $FXPKCS11_MODULE --login --keypairgen --key-type EC:prime256v1 --label "apache_ecc_privatekey" --id "123456"
Currently, Apache has a bug that prevents RSA certificates from being served correctly to the browser. This bug might be fixed, but we recommend that you create and use an ECC certificate, as demonstrated in the code example.
2
Enter the password of the identity configured in fxpkcs11.cfg when prompted for your PIN.
If the command succeeds, the output includes the keys, as shown in the following output sample:
None
Key pair generated:
Private Key Object; EC
   label: apacheeccprivatekey
   ID: 123456
   Usage: sign
Public Key Object; EC ECPOINT 256 bits
   ECPOINT: 04410455ff9a32b8c9734cc2d37825a009916abf09f053e3
   b6b1a2c4ce2e0f87fa2a2a76b4bf82b3fce388c4804c3d031cc343006e
   f6ff80acf6bd72ae2044d1be5efd
   ECPARAMS: 06082a8648ce3d030107
   label: apacheecc_privatekey
   ID: 123456
   Usage: verify, derive
One private ECC 256-bit key was created with asymmetric-sign usage, and one public ECC 256-bit key was created with verify usage.

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Generate a CSR

Before completing the steps in this section, create a directory to store the TLS certificates that will be created, and go to that directory. In a terminal, run the following command to generate a CSR using the private key that you created on the Vectera Plus for Apache Server:
Shell
sudo openssl req -new -engine pkcs11 -keyform engine -key "pkcs11:object=apache_ecc_privatekey" -out apache-cert-req.pem
The common name for the Apache server certificate should match the domain name of the virtual host that uses it.

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Create a self-signed CA

Perform the following steps to create a self-signed root CA: We use a self-signed root CA in this section for demonstration purposes. In a production environment, you should use a secure certificate authority (such as the KMES Series 3) for all private key generation and certificate signing operations. In a terminal, run the following sequence of commands to generate a root private key and self-signed certificate. This certificate signs the Apache Server certificate in the next section.
Shell
sudo openssl genrsa -out ssl-ca-privatekey.pem 2048
sudo openssl req -new -x509 -key ssl-ca-privatekey.pem -out ssl-ca-cert.pem -days 365

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Sign the CSR

In a terminal, run the following command to issue a signed Apache Server certificate by using the self-signed root CA created in the previous step:
Shell
sudo openssl x509 -req -in apache-cert-req.pem -CA ssl-ca-cert.pem -CAkey ssl-ca-privatekey.pem -CAcreateserial -days 365 -out signed-apache-cert.pem

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Configure Apache to use the certificate and the private key

This section explains how to modify the configuration file for a virtual host running in Apache. Configuring a virtual host is outside of the scope of this guide. Refer to this documentation (www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorial-collections/how-to-install-apache) specific to your operating system if you have not already configured a virtual host. Perform the following steps to configure Apache to use the signed certificate and the private key stored on the Vectera Plus:
1
In a text editor, open the configuration file for the virtual host for which you want to configure HTTPS. The location of the configuration file is specific to your system. Modify the file as shown in the following example:
None
<IfModule mod_ssl.c>
       <VirtualHost _default_:443>

               ServerAdmin webmaster@localhost
               ServerName myserver.local
               DocumentRoot /var/www/myserver.local
               ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/error.log
               CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/access.log combined
               SSLEngine on
               SSLCertificateFile /etc/apache2/ssl/signed-apache-cert.pem
               SSLCertificateKeyFile "pkcs11:object=apache_ecc_privatekey;type=private"

               <FilesMatch "\.(?:cgi|shtml|phtml|php)$">
                               SSLOptions +StdEnvVars
               </FilesMatch>
               <Directory /usr/lib/cgi-bin>
                               SSLOptions +StdEnvVars
               </Directory>
       </VirtualHost>
</IfModule>
You must modify the location of the signed Apache certificate specified in the SSLCertificateFiledefine according to where it is stored on your system.
You must modify the object name of the Apache private key specified in the SSLCertificateKeyFile define so it matches the label set in the pkcs11-tool command.
2
Restart Apache to save and apply the modified configuration.

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(Optional) Create a client certificate

Complete this step only if you want to use mutual authentication. Perform the following steps to create a client certificate for the browser that connects to Apache HTTP Server:
1
In a terminal, generate a client key pair by using the following command:
Shell
sudo openssl genrsa -out ssl-client-privatekey.pem 2048
2
Run the following command to create a client certificate signing request:
Shell
sudo openssl req -new -key ssl-client-privatekey.pem -out ssl-client-req.pem -days 365
3
Run the following command to sign the CSR with the CA certificate created earlier in this section:
Shell
sudo openssl x509 -req -in ssl-client-req.pem -CA ssl-ca-cert.pem -CAkey ssl-ca-privatekey.pem -CAcreateserial -days 365 -out ssl-client-cert.pem
4
Run the following command to convert the signed client certificate to PKCS #12 format for insertion into the browser:
Shell
sudo openssl pkcs12 -inkey ssl-client-privatekey.pem -in ssl-client-cert.pem -CAfile ssl-ca-cert.pem -export -out ssl-client-pkcs12.p12

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Confirm that Apache uses the certificate and private key

If you did not create a client certificate for mutual authentication in the previous section, start at step 4 of the following procedure.
The following steps assume you are using a Firefox web browser. Some actions might have different results when using other browsers, but the overall experience is the same. Perform the following steps to confirm that Apache uses the new TLS certificate and private key (stored on the Vectera Plus) for HTTPS connections:
1
In Firefox, go to Settings> Privacy & Security> Certificates and then select [ View Certificates ].
2
On the Your Certificates tab, select [ Import ] to import the client certificate that was converted to PKCS #12 (such as ssl-client-pkcs12.p12).
3
On the Authorities tab, select [ Import ] to import the CA certificate (such as ssl-ca-cert.pem).
4
Go to the IP address from which Apache is running over HTTPS.
If you configured a client certificate in the browser for mutual authentication, you should see a lock icon next to the web address. If you did not configure a client certificate, bypass the warning that displays and connect to the website anyway.
5
View the certificate that the website served to the browser and confirm that it is the certificate configured in Apache.