SOLVED: How to Source and Install a Certificate for Server 2012 RDWeb Site (or any other IIS 8 Site)

This is part TWO of a series of tutorials on Server 2012 Remote Desktop Services.

HOW TO CREATE & INSTALL A CERTIFICATE FOR YOUR RDS RDWEB SITE ON SERVER 2012

1. Start IIS MANAGER
2. Click on your servers host name
3. Click SERVER CERTIFICATES
4. Right click and select CREATE CERTIFICATE REQUEST
5. Enter all of the required info and click NEXT.  Be sure to enter a FULLY quanlified domain name
6. Set the level to 2048
7. Open your Certificate Request, copy the contents to your providers form (in my case GoDaddy) and wait for the certificate.
8. OPTIONAL: In my case I bought a $20/year cert from GoDaddy which required me to add an “intermediate cert” which I did following GoDaddy’s instructions http://help.securepaynet.net/article/4801 – If you don’t have any intermediate certs (i.e. you paid $50/years, then you can skip this step)
9. In IIS click on your servers Host Name and then COMPLETE CERTIFICATE REQUEST from the Actions menu (right side)
10. Browse to the cert, set the friendly name to be the FQDN name (i.e. MyHost.MyDomain.Org), then click OK
11. In IIS, click on the DEFAULT WEB SITE, then BINDINGS (from the Actions menu on the right)
12. Double click the PORT 443 entry and in the HOST NAME enter the FQDN name (i.e. MyHost.MyDomain.Org)
13. Click SELECT button, find your cert, and click OK (note you may have to changed the FILE TYPE drop down to *.* to see your .CER or CERT file)
14. OPTIONAL: In my case I restart IIS using IISRESET in an elevated CMD window but I don’t think it was required

Now when you surf to your FQDN name \RDWeb (i.e. https://MyHost.MyDomain.Org/RDWeb ) , all of the red certificate warning will be gone.