Systems and methods for automated configuration of secure web site publishing
View Patent ↗The present invention provides systems and methods to automatically install and trust a self-signed (e.g., untrusted) web site certificate on one or more web clients local to the network. In addition, the systems and methods provide for automatic installation of the self-signed certificate and/or a signed (e.g., trusted) certificate on a web server, and automatic configuration to enable an authentication and/or encryption mechanism (e.g., SSL encryption) with at least a portion of the web site. Conventionally, certificate installation, configuration and trusting are achieved manually, which can be time consuming and prone to errors such as trusting a fictitious certificate, for example. The systems and methods of the present invention provide a novel approach to mitigate manual web site certificate installation (e.g., trusted and untrusted) and trusting, web client interruption via untrusted web site warning notifications, and domain web site redirection to a fictitious web site.
1. A computer implemented system that facilitates web site certificate installation on local domain web clients, comprising the following computer executable components stored on one or more computer readable media:
an input component that obtains a self-signed web site certificate and conveys the web site certificate to a signature component; and
the signature component automatically installs the certificate on a web server and a domain web client local to the web server and mitigates appearance of an untrusted certificate warning to the web client by automatically trusting the self-signed website certificate on the web client.
2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a user interface that includes the input component.
3. The system of claim 2 , the user interface comprising one of a wizard, an installation shell utility, and an API.
4. The system of claim 2 , the user interface employed to interact with a web publisher to provide and/or create the self-signed web site certificate.
5. The system of claim 1 , the web server comprising an Internet Information Server (IIS).
6. The system of claim 1 , the signature component further employed to automatically configure the web server to employ an encryption mechanism.
7. The system of claim 6 , the encryption mechanism comprising Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption.
8. The system of claim 1 , the signature component further employed to automatically configure the web client to employ an encryption mechanism.
9. The system of claim 8 , the encryption mechanism comprising Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption.
10. A computer executable system to automatically create, deploy and trust web site certificates, comprising the following computer executable components stored on computer readable media:
a certificate generating component to create and convey a self-signed web site certificate to a certificate loading component;
the certificate loading component automatically installs the self-signed web site certificate on a web server; and
a certificate authenticating component that prevents an untrusted certificate warning to a domain web client local to the web server by automatically installing and trusting the self-signed web site certificate on the domain web client.
11. The system of claim 10 , the self-signed web site certificate comprising an external domain name, local server name and a local host name associated with the web site.
12. The system of claim 10 , the web server comprising an Internet Information Server (IIS).
13. The system of claim 10 , the loading component further employed to automatically configure the web server to employ an encryption mechanism.
14. The system of claim 13 , the encryption mechanism comprising Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption.
15. The system of claim 13 , the encryption mechanism configured to specifically require Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption in connection with a portion of the web site.
16. The system of claim 10 , the authenticating component further employed to automatically configure the domain web client to employ an encryption mechanism.
17. The system of claim 16 , the encryption mechanism comprising Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption.
18. A computer executable system to facilitate web site publishing, comprising the following computer executable components stored on computer readable media:
a user interface component (UI) that receives a request to create a self-signed web site certificate;
a certificate creating component that creates and conveys a self-signed web site certificate to a certificate loading component upon receiving the request to create a web site certificate; and
the certificate loading component prevents the web clients from receiving a certificate warning by automatically installing and trusting the self-signed web site certificate on a web server and one or more of its domain web clients.
19. The system of claim 18 , the UI comprising one of a graphical user interface (GUI), a command line interface, and an API.
20. The system of claim 19 , the GUI comprising at least one of a dialogue box, a static control, a drop-down-menu, a list box, a pop-up menu, a graphic box, a vertical scroll bar, a horizontal scroll bar, an edit control, a combo box, a radio button, a check box, and a push button.
21. The system of claim 18 , the UI employed in connection with at least one of a mouse, a roller ball, a keypad, a keyboard, a pen and voice activation.
22. The system of claim 18 , the self-signed web site certificate comprising an external domain name, local server name and a local host name associated with the web site.
23. The system of claim 18 , the web server comprising an Internet Information Server (IIS).
24. The system of claim 18 , the loading component further employed to automatically configure the web server to employ an encryption mechanism.
25. The system of claim 24 , the encryption mechanism comprising Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption.
26. The system of claim 24 , the encryption mechanism configured to specifically require Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption in connection with a portion of the web site.
27. The system of claim 18 , the authenticating component further employed to automatically configure the one or more domain web clients to employ an encryption mechanism.
28. The system of claim 27 , the encryption mechanism comprising Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption.
29. The system of claim 18 , further comprising a component to alter the self-signed web site certificate by one of merging a modification into with the self-signed web site certificate and concatenating a modification with the self-signed web site certificate.
30. A method to automatically trust a self-signed web site certificate on a domain web client, comprising:
generating and conveying a self-signed certificate associated with a web site upon receiving a request for the web site certificate;
receiving the self-signed web site certificate;
automatically installing the self-signed web site certificate on a web server; and
preventing an appearance of a warning to a domain web client by automatically installing and trusting the self-signed web site certificate on the domain web client local to the web server.
31. The method of claim 30 , further comprising automatically enabling SSL encryption on the web server and the web client.
32. The method of claim 30 , further comprising installing the self-signed web site certificate into one of a folder on the domain web client and a trusted root certificate store on the domain web client.
33. The method of claim 32 , the folder comprising a secured and shared folder.
34. The method of claim 32 , the domain client employing a mechanism to copy the self-signed web site certificate from the folder to a trusted root certificate store.
35. The method of claim 30 , the self-signed web site certificate comprising an external domain name, local server name and a local host name associated with the web site.
36. The method of claim 30 , employed in connection with an API.
37. A method to automatically install signed web site certificate on a web server, comprising:
generating and conveying a self-signed certificate associated with a web site to a certificate loading component upon receiving a request for the web site certificate;
receiving a signed web site certificate associated with the web site;
automatically installing the signed web site certificate on a web server; and
automatically enabling SSL encryption on the web server; and
facilitating warning-free navigation of a domain web client to the web site by automatically installing and trusting the self-signed web site certificate on domain web client local to the web server.
38. The system of claim 37 , further comprising configuring the web server to specifically require SSL encryption in connection with a portion of the web site.
39. The method of claim 37 , employed in connection with an API.
40. A method to facilitate secure communication between a domain web client and a web server employing a self-signed web site certificate, comprising:
generating the self-signed web site certificate;
automatically conveying and installing the self-signed web site certificate on a web server such that the web server can use the self-signed certificate to facilitate SSL encryption when serving web clients;
automatically enabling SSL encryption on the web server;
automatically installing and trusting the self-signed web site certificate on the domain web client such that the domain web client can use the self-signed certificate without a warning to facilitate SSL encryption when being served by the web server; and
automatically enabling SSL encryption on the domain web client.
41. The method of claim 40 , the self-signed certificate comprising at least one of an external domain name, local server name and a local host name.
42. A data packet transmitted between two or more computer components that facilitates installing and trusting self-signed web site certificates on a domain web client, comprising:
a component to create and convey a self-signed web site certificate to an installation component, a component to automatically install the self-signed web site certificate on a web server and a domain web client, a component to automatically employ an encryption mechanism in connection with the web server and the domain web client, and a component to automatically trust the self-signed web site certificate on the domain web client.
43. A computer readable medium storing computer executable components to automatically install and trust self-signed certificates on a domain web client, comprising:
a component to automatically transmit and install the self-signed certificate on a web server;
a component to automatically enable an encryption mechanism on the web server;
a component to automatically install the self-signed certificate on a domain web client;
a component to automatically enable an encryption mechanism on the domain web client; and
a component to prevent a warning to the web client by automatically trusting the self-signed certificate on the domain web client.
44. A system to automatically trust a self-signed web site certificate on a domain web client, comprising:
means for obtaining the self-signed web site certificate generated by a web publisher;
means for automatically installing the self-signed web site certificate to a web server and a trusted root certificate store on the domain web client hence preventing a warning when the web client navigates to the web site.
45. An API employed to generate, install and trust a self-signed web site certificate, comprising:
constructing and conveying the self-signed web site certificate with at least a server name to a web server;
automatically installing the self-signed web site certificate on the web server;
automatically installing the self-signed web site certificate on a domain web client; and
automatically trusting the self-signed web site certificate on the domain web client hence preventing a warning message to the web client when it accesses the web site.
46. The API of claim 45 , further comprising pre-populating the self-signed certificate with an external domain name, a local server name and a local host name.
47. The API of claim 45 , further comprising automatically enabling SSL encryption on the web server.
48. The API of claim 45 , further comprising automatically enabling SSL encryption on the domain web client.
49. The API of claim 45 , further comprising installing the self-signed web site certificate into one of a folder on the domain web client and a trusted root certificate store on the domain web client.
50. The API of claim 49 , the folder comprising a secured and shared folder.
51. The API of claim 50 , the domain web client employing a mechanism to copy the self-signed web site certificate from the folder to a trusted root certificate store.
52. A system to facilitate web site publishing, comprising:
a user interface component (UI) that obtains a self-signed web site certificate generated and conveyed by a web publisher;
a certificate transforming component that modifies the self-signed web site certificate, and a certificate loading component that mitigates appearance of a warning to a local domain web client by automatically installing and trusting the modified certificate on a web server and the domain web client.
53. The system of claim 1 , the untrusted website certificate is generated by a web publisher.