| Definition: | The link that allows a server and client to communicate. A CA vouches for the identity of a server and client by issuing certificates stamped with the CA’s digital signature and including the CA’s trusted root certification. The digital signature assures the client and server that both the client certificate and the server certificate can be trusted. If the client and server can identify the digital signature on the certificate, then a secure SSL session can be established. Otherwise, the client and server cannot authenticate each other, and the session cannot be established. Clients and servers identify digital signatures by comparing them against the trusted root certificate.
A CA can be a third-party, commercial certifier, such as VeriSign, or a certifier that you establish at your organization using Notes and Domino. Third-party and Domino CAs create both server and client certificates. |