OpenSSL "ca" Error "cannot lookup how many days ..."

Q

Why I am getting the "cannot lookup how many days to certify for" error when running OpenSSL "ca" command?

✍: FYIcenter.com

A

You are getting the "cannot lookup how many days to certify for" error, because OpenSSL "ca" command can not find the required "default_days" option in the configuration file.

For example, if you have the follow configuration file, test.cnf, without "default_days" option defined:

# Unnamed section of generic options

# section for the "default_ca" option
[ca]
default_ca    = my_ca_default

# default section for "ca" command options
[my_ca_default]
new_certs_dir = ./my_ca/certs
database      = ./my_ca/certs.db
default_md    = md5
policy        = my_ca_policy
serial        = ./my_ca/certs.seq

You will get an error, because "default_days" is a required option:

C:\Users\fyicenter>\local\OpenSSL-Win32\bin\openssl.exe
OpenSSL> ca -in test.csr -keyfile my_ca.key -cert my_ca.crt -config test.cnf
Using configuration from test.cnf
Enter pass phrase for my_ca.key:
cannot lookup how many days to certify for
4420:error:0E06D06C:configuration file routines:NCONF_get_string:no value:
   .\crypto\conf\conf_lib.c:324:group=my_ca_default name=default_days
error in ca

Fixing this error is easy. Just add the "default_days" option in the section pointed by the "default_ca" option in the configuration file:

# Unnamed section of generic options

# section for the "default_ca" option
[ca]
default_ca    = my_ca_default

# default section for "ca" command options
[my_ca_default]
new_certs_dir = ./my_ca/certs
database      = ./my_ca/certs.db
default_md    = md5
policy        = my_ca_policy
serial        = ./my_ca/certs.seq
default_days  = 365

"default_days = 365" tells OpenSSl "ca" command to generate certificate valid for 365 days only.

 

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2016-09-08, 4710👍, 0💬