PKI Uncovered

Book excerpt: The only complete guide to designing, implementing, and supporting state-of-the-art certificate-based identity solutions with PKI Layered approach is designed to help readers with widely diverse backgrounds quickly learn what they need to know Covers the entire PKI project lifecycle, making complex PKI architectures simple to understand and deploy Brings together theory and practice, including on-the-ground implementers' knowledge, insights, best practices, design choices, and troubleshooting details PKI Uncovered brings together all the techniques IT and security professionals need to apply PKI in any environment, no matter how complex or sophisticated. At the same time, it will help them gain a deep understanding of the foundations of certificate-based identity management. Its layered and modular approach helps readers quickly get the information they need to efficiently plan, design, deploy, manage, or troubleshoot any PKI environment. The authors begin by presenting the foundations of PKI, giving readers the theoretical background they need to understand its mechanisms. Next, they move to high-level design considerations, guiding readers in making the choices most suitable for their own environments. The authors share best practices and experiences drawn from production customer deployments of all types. They organize a series of design "modules" into hierarchical models which are then applied to comprehensive solutions. Readers will be introduced to the use of PKI in multiple environments, including Cisco router-based DMVPN, ASA, and 802.1X. The authors also cover recent innovations such as Cisco GET VPN. Throughout, troubleshooting sections help ensure smooth deployments and give readers an even deeper "under-the-hood" understanding of their implementations.