Deciding on a Certificate Authority

We can't tell you which certificate authority to choose. Your decision may be based on your past experiences, or on the experiences of your friends or colleagues, or purely on monetary factors. We will guide you through the process of getting a digital certificate from VeriSign and from Thawte, but you can choose a different CA.

Many other CAs exist. Click on the Security button on your Navigator toolbar or on the padlock icon at the bottom left of the screen, then click on Signers to see a list of certificate signers from whom your browser will accept certificates. You can also search the Web for CAs. The process of getting a certificate from a different CA will be similar to the processes described in this manual.

VeriSign Certificate Packages

VeriSign and Thawte are offering discounts off the retail prices listed below to Red Hat customers. To take advantage of this offer, refer to the token number and instructions printed on the VeriSign flyer included in your Red Hat Linux 6.2 Professional boxed set.

VeriSign and Thawte offer several tiers of server certificate options, as listed below. Please note that the prices listed were current at the time that this documentation was written. Check the appropriate website for up-to-date information.

Global Site ($895) and Global Site Plus ($1,295): These solutions include Global Server IDs, which enable 128-bit SSL encryption with both domestic and export versions of Microsoft and Netscape browsers; 128-bit SSL is the world's strongest encryption technology for Web servers.
VeriSign's Secure Site ($349) and Secure Site Plus ($595): These solutions include Secure Server IDs, which enable industry-standard 40-bit SSL when communicating with export-version Microsoft and Netscape browsers, and 128-bit SSL encryption when communicating with domestic-version Microsoft and Netscape browsers.
Thawte SSL Server Certificates ($125): SSL Server Certificates from Thawte Consulting provide basic SSL authentication and encryption.

The Global Site, Global Site Plus, Secure Site, and Secure Site Plus solutions each include an SSL server certificate (or ``Server ID'') plus other features, including:

The NetSure Protection Plan, an extended warranty program that protects VeriSign customers against up to $250,000 of economic loss resulting from the theft, corruption, impersonation, or loss of use of a certificate.
Training discounts toward the VeriSign course ``Building Secure Web Servers.''
An audited authentication process, which ensures that VeriSign verifies the identity of every site equipped with a Server ID.
The VeriSign Secure Site Seal, allowing visitors to check your Server ID's information and status in real time.
Global Site, Global Site Plus, Secure Site, and Secure Site Plus solutions also include Keynote Site Performance Measurement Services and Netcraft E-Commerce Security Analysis.

For more information about VeriSign's Server ID solutions, see http://www.verisign.com/server/index.html. For more information about Thawte SSL Server Certificates, see http://www.thawte.com/certs/server/contents.html.