- Back up the CA database, CA certificate, and private key on the AD CS server.
- Remove the CA role service from the AD CS server.
- Import the private key into the KMES Series 3 by using FXCLI.
- Restore the AD CS server.
Back up the CA database, CA certificate, and private key
To back up the CA database, certificate, and private key on the AD CS server, you must use an account that is a CA administrator. On an enterprise CA, the default configuration for CA administrators includes the local Administrators group, the Enterprise Admins group, and the Domain Admins group. On a standalone CA, the default configuration for CA administrators includes the local Administrators group. The following steps use the CA snap-in tool to back up the CA database and private key. If you prefer to complete these steps by using Powershell or Certutil.exe, see the following Microsoft knowledge base article: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/windows/it-pro/windows-server-2012-r2-and-2012/dn486805(v=ws.11)In the Items to Back Up window, select the Private key and CA certificate and Certificate database and certificate database log check boxes, specify the backup location, and then select [ Next ].
In the Select a Password window, type a password to protect the CA private key and select [ Next ].
After the backup completes, verify the following files in the location you specified:
CAName.p12, which contains the CA certificate and private key.- The database folder contains the
certbkxp.dat,edb#####.log, andCAName.edbfiles.
Remove the CA role service
Perform the following steps to remove the CA role service from the AD CS server:Import the private key into the KMES Series 3
This section shows you how to create a new empty certificate container in the KMES application interface and then use the fxcli-kmes application to import the private key that you backed up from AD CS.The following example connects to the System/Host API port of the KMES anonymously. Be sure to select the Allow Anonymous Connections checkbox for the System/Host API connection pair before trying to connect.
Create a new certificate container
Perform the following steps to create a new certificate container on the KMES:Import the private key
Perform the following steps to import the Microsoft ADCS CA private key into the KMES by using FXCLI:You must import the Microsoft ADCS CA private key into the KMES as a PKCS #12 file. This imports both the private key and the certificate as a bundle, but Microsoft ADCS uses only the private key for operations.
Run the fxcli-kmes program to enter the Futurex Command Line Interface, as shown in the following example:
Powershell
Modify the FXCLI TLS configuration file as shown in the following sample to connect anonymously:
FXCLI
Run the following command twice to log in with the two default Admin identities and provide a username and password for each identity:
FXCLI
Restore the AD CS server
This section shows you how to restore the AD CS server by performing the following tasks:- Import the CA certificate.
- Re-add the CA role service.
- Restore the CA database and configuration.
Import the CA certificate
Perform the following steps to import the CA certificate:On the Action menu, select All Tasks and select Import to open the Certificate Import Wizard. Select [ Next ].
Locate the
<CAName>.p12 file created by the CA certificate and private key backup and select [ Open ].Verify Personal displays in the Certificate store. If you don’t see it, select Browse, select Personal, and then select [ OK ].
The imported CA certificate file was in PKCS #12 format, containing both the certificate and the private key. However, the private key should not exist in AD CS because it is stored on the HSM. The following steps delete both the private key and its association with the CA certificate.
On the Action menu, select [ Open ]. Go to the Details tab, copy the serial number to the Clipboard, and select [ OK ].
From the output of the preceding command, copy the value that is in the Unique container name field to the clipboard.
Run the following command to delete the private key association with the CA certificate:
Powershell
Run the following command to delete the private key:
Powershell
The Key Name value is the same as the certificate name, as shown in the Certificates snap-in menu.
Re-add the CA role service
Perform the following steps to re-add the CA role service by using the server manager:In the Select Server Roles window, select the Active Directory Certificate Services checkbox and select [ Next ].
In the Specify Setup Type window, specify either Enterprise or Standalone, to match the source CA. Then select [ Next ].
In the Specify CA Type window, specify either Root CA or Subordinate CA to match the source CA. Then, select [ Next ].
In the Set Up Private Key window, select Use existing private key and Select a certificate and use its associated private key.
In the CA Database window, specify the locations for the CA database and log files. Select [ Next ].
Restore the CA database and configuration
After you reinstall the CA role service, perform the following steps, which use the CA snap-in tool to restore the CA database and configuration:Select [ Browse ]. Navigate to the parent folder that holds the Database folder (the folder that contains the CA database files created during the CA database backup).
Do not select the Database folder. Select its parent folder.

