
Chapter 2. Secure Sockets Layer support 11
The
public-key certificate
is a means of guaranteeing the integrity of a public
key.
Public-key certificates are special files adhering to the X.509 standard and
issued by a certifying authority (CA). Being in a standard form, they can be
recognized and validated by software, and they are, of course, tamper proof.
A public-key certificate contains the following identifying components:
• The subject’s distinguished name, which consists of the common name, or
host name, of the Web site (server) that will use the certificate - for
example, rs60030.itso.ral.ibm.com
• The organization name - for example, IBM
• Optionally ...