Certificate Authority Functions Fields

This table provides details on the available fields for Certificate Authority Functions when configuring phones - see Configure Phones.

Title	Description
Certificate Operation *	From the drop-down list box, choose one of the following options: No Pending Operation: Displays when no certificate operation is occurring (default setting). Install/Upgrade: Installs a new or upgrades an existing locally significant certificate in the phone. Delete: Deletes the locally significant certificate that exists in the phone. Troubleshoot: Retrieves the locally significant certificate (LSC) or the manufacture installed certificate (MIC), so you can view the certificate credentials in the CAPF trace file. If both certificate types exist in the phone, Cisco Unified CM creates two trace files, one for each certificate type. By choosing the Troubleshooting option, you can verify that an LSC or MIC exists in the phone. For more information on CAPF operations, see the Cisco Unified Communications Manager Security Guide. Default: No Pending Operation
Authentication Mode	This field allows you to choose the authentication method that the phone uses during the CAPF certificate operation. From the drop-down list box, choose one of the following options: By Authentication String: Installs/upgrades, deletes, or troubleshoots a locally significant certificate only when the user enters the CAPF authentication string on the phone. By Null String: Installs/upgrades, deletes, or troubleshoots a locally significant certificate without user intervention. This option provides no security; Cisco strongly recommends that you choose this option only for closed, secure environments. By Existing Certificate (Precedence to LSC): Installs/upgrades, deletes, or troubleshoots a locally significant certificate if a manufacture-installed certificate (MIC) or locally significant certificate (LSC) exists in the phone. If a LSC exists in the phone, authentication occurs via the LSC, regardless whether a MIC exists in the phone. If a MIC and LSC exist in the phone, authentication occurs via the LSC. If a LSC does not exist in the phone, but a MIC does exist, authentication occurs via the MIC. Before you choose this option, verify that a certificate exists in the phone. If you choose this option and no certificate exists in the phone, the operation fails. At any time, the phone uses only one certificate to authenticate to CAPF even though a MIC and LSC can exist in the phone at the same time. If the primary certificate, which takes precedence, becomes compromised for any reason, or, if you want to authenticate via the other certificate, you must update the authentication mode. By Existing Certificate (Precedence to MIC): Installs, upgrades, deletes, or troubleshoots a locally significant certificate if a LSC or MIC exists in the phone. If a MIC exists in the phone, authentication occurs via the MIC, regardless whether a LSC exists in the phone. If a LSC exists in the phone, but a MIC does not exist, authentication occurs via the LSC. Before you choose this option, verify that a certificate exists in the phone. If you choose this option and no certificate exists in the phone, the operation fails. Note The CAPF settings that are configured in the Phone Security Profile window interact with the CAPF parameters that are configured in the Phone Configuration window. Default: By Null String
Authentication String	If you chose the By Authentication String option in the Authentication Mode drop-down list box, this field applies. Manually enter a string or generate a string by clicking the Generate String button. Ensure that the string contains 4 to 10 digits. To install, upgrade, delete, or troubleshoot a locally significant certificate, the phone user or administrator must enter the authentication string on the phone.
Authentication Server	Enter the URL that the phone uses to validate requests that are made to the phone web server. If you do not provide an authentication URL, the advanced features on the Cisco Unified IP Phone that require authentication will not function. By default, this URL accesses a Cisco Unified Communications Self Care Portal window that was configured during installation. Leave this field blank to accept the default setting.
Key Order	keyOrder can be updated only if certificateOperation field is Install/Upgrade,Delete or Troubleshoot. Default: RSA Only
Key Size (Bits)	For this setting that is used for CAPF, choose the key size for the certificate from the drop-down list box. The default setting equals 1024. Other options include 512 and 2048. If you choose a higher key size than the default setting, the phones take longer to generate the entropy that is required to generate the keys. Key generation, which is set at low priority, allows the phone to function while the action occurs. Depending on the phone model, you may notice that key generation takes up to 30 or more minutes to complete. Note The CAPF settings that are configured in the Phone Security Profile window interact with the CAPF parameters that are configured in the Phone Configuration window. Default: 1024
EC Key Size (Bits)	ecKeySize can be updated only if certificateOperation field is Install/Upgrade,Delete or Troubleshoot. Default: 384
Operation Completes By	The completion deadline for the operation (CCYY:MM:DD:HH:MM)