Kai Engert wrote:
> Larry J. Riffle wrote:
> 
>>
>>
>> Kai Engert wrote:
>>  > Usually, when you import a certificate into Mozilla, each certificate
>>  > will get assigned a unique "nickname". The cert stored in the internal
>>  > database will remember the association from actual cert to nickname.
>>  >
>>  > The configuration in mail remembers the cert nickname.
>>
>> I have tried setting the "-name" flag on openssl pkcs12 before importing
>> and the "-setalias" flag on openssl x509 when signing. Even when they 
>> are unique my selections keep getting changed.
>>
>> ...or perhaps nickname means something else I'm not aware of?
>>
>>  >
>>  > If you are testing and doing trial and error, I guess you are playing
>>  > with your own CA and generating your own certs.
>>
>> An intermediate CA from CREN actually.
>>
>>  >
>>  > Make sure you don't confuse Mozilla by re-using the same certificate
>>  > serial numbers. Mozilla's crypto library NSS uses the pair
>>  > {issuer,serial number} to uniquely identify a cert. If you reuse 
>> serial
>>  > numbers, you pretty much confuse Mozilla.
>>
>> No, I understand that. Serial numbers are all unique.
>>
>>  >
>>  > If you ensure that, Mozilla should be clever enough to remember which
>>  > exact certificate you have selected for email configuration and to
>>  > automatically switch to a different one.
>>
>> Its starting to seem to me like when Mozilla has multiple certs with 
>> key usage keyEncipherment and the same email address, both in the 
>> subject and subjectAltname, the newest one replaces my selected 
>> encryption cert and becomes the only one in the selection list until I 
>> delete it. Likewise, if key usage is digitalSigning it becomes the 
>> email signing cert and the only choice.
> 
> 
> Could you confirm the following?
> 
> Up to now I believe you only spoke about the contents of the list when 
> configuring the cert in email preferences. You say only one cert for 
> your nickname is shown, and you suspect only the latest one is shown.
> 
> Only the latest one would be shown, if your older other certs have 
> already become invalid,

All are valid though some have some pretty strange extensions. As I 
said, I'm new to this.

> - possibly because you have loaded a CRL with the older certs revoked

PKI-Lite, No CRL's.

> - you are using OCSP and the older certs have already been revoked.

No OCSP.

> 
> If that is not true, then please have a look at certificate manager in 
> edit/prefs/privacy/certs/manage.
> 
> You say you expect multiple certs in your database. If that is indeed 
> the case, then cert manager should list all of them in the "Your 
> Certificates" tab. Can you confirm?

Yes, they are all listed. The trust chains are all complete, none have 
expired and all seem valid. I can send examples if you like but I think 
we've hit on the problem below.

> 
> Assuming you indeed have multiple certs, let's confirm whether Mozilla 
> has assigned different nicknames to each of them.
> 
> You can view the nickname by using the "view" button. The title line of 
> the dialog that opens shows the nickname.
> Is the nickname unique for each of your certs?

No, they all are "Imported Certificate". How do I control that?

I can't confirm this until I get back to work Tuesday but I think 
Mozilla 1.1 under Linux RH 7.3 showed the value from "openssl pkcs12 
-name" there. I'm on Win2k right now, also Mozilla 1.1, and nothing I do 
seems to change "Imported Certificate". Obviously that's the source of 
the ambiguity. Should that correspond to the value of "-name" on 
"openssl pkcs12"?

I really appreciate your help. I have a long learning curve ahead of me 
and this has me stumped.

- Larry

> 
> Kai
> 
> 
> 

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