This document describes how to configure Server and Client authentication when setting secure (SSL) connections between Chariot, MQTT Engine and MQTT Transmission.
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Available in Chariot version 2.3.1 and greater |
Prerequisites
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The command line tools openssl and keytool are used. Install the OpenSSL command line tool and add the OpenSSL PATH in the Windows environment variables if necessary. Keytool is part of the standard java distribution and is located in the bin sub-directory of your jdk installation directory. Chariot includes a java distribution under the <chariot_install_dir>/lib/runtime/jdk11.0.12_7/bin folder.Add the keytool PATH in the Windows environment variables if necessary. You will need to restart your any open command window to pick up this configuration change. |
Generating Certificates and Keys
As a first step, we need to generate the certificate hierarchy for Chariot, MQTT Engine and MQTT Transmission.
Create the following folder structure on your local drive to hold the various certificates in the hierarchy that we will be generating:
chariotcerts/
├── ca/
│ ├── engine/
│ ├── server/
│ └── transmission/
└── certs/
├── engine/
├── server/
└── transmission/
When creating a certificate hierarchy, the Root CA is the highest level of authority in the certificate hierarchy, and is responsible for issuing CA certificates to lower-level CAs, such as the Server CA and Client (Engine and Transmission) CAs. When the Root CA issues a CA certificate to a lower-level CA, it signs the certificate with its private key, which allows clients to verify the authenticity of the CA certificate using the Root CA's public key.
The Server CA and Client CA, in turn, use their own private keys to sign SSL certificates for servers and clients, respectively. These SSL certificates can then be verified by clients using the CA certificate issued by the Root CA.
The Root CA should sign the CA certificates for both the Server CA and Client CA, while the Server CA and Client CA themselves are responsible for signing SSL certificates for servers and clients, respectively.
These are the steps that need to be completed for the certificate hierarchy:
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| GenerateCACertificateChain |
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| GenerateCACertificateChain |
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Generate CA Certificate Chain
Navigate to the ChariotCerts parent folder to run the commands below:
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| GenerateRootCACertificate |
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| GenerateRootCACertificate |
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Generate
Root CA certificate signed with the Root CAGenerate a private key file (ca.key) for the Root CA using the command below. You will be required to enter a pass phrase to be associated with the ca.key file.
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Make note of this pass phrase for the Root CA private key file (ca.key) as it will be used multiple times whilst creating the certificate hierarchy. |
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openssl genrsa -des3 -out ca/ca.key 2048 |
Generate a self-signed certificate (ca.crt) for the Root CA using the command below. This command generates a new self-signed X.509 certificate named "ca.crt" valid for 3650 days (10 years) using the RSA private key "ca.key". You will be required to enter the pass phrase associated with the private key file "ca.key".
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openssl req -new -x509 -key ca/ca.key -days 3650 -out ca/ca.crt |
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There are a number of fields associated with the creation of the certificate. Fill them out with your relevant details where the Common Name must be the Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) of the Chariot server. |
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| GenerateServerCACertificate |
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| GenerateServerCACertificate |
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Generate Server CA certificate signed with the Root CA
Generate a private key file (serverCA.key) for the Server CA using the command below. You will be required to enter a pass phrase to be associated with the serverCA.key file.
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Make note of this pass phrase for the Server CA private key file (serverCA.key) as it will be used again whilst creating the certificate hierarchy. |
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openssl genrsa -des3 -out ca/server/serverCA.key 2048 |
Generate a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) for the server CA using the command below. This command generates a new CSR named "serverCA.csr’ using the RSA private key "serverCA.key" and you will be required to enter the pass phrase for the serverCA.key file created in the previous step.
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openssl req -new -key ca/server/serverCA.key -out ca/server/serverCA.csr |
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There are a number of fields associated with the creation of the certificate. Fill them out with your relevant details where theCommon Name must be the Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) of the Chariot server. |
Sign the Server CA with the Root CA using the command below. This command will sign the CSR "serverCA.csr" with the Root CA certificate ‘ca.crt’ and RSA private key ‘ca.key’, creating a new X.509 certificate named ‘serverCA.crt’ valid for 3650 days (10 years). You will be required to enter the pass phrase associated with the Root CA private key file "ca.key".
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openssl x509 -req -in ca/server/serverCA.csr -CA ca/ca.crt -CAkey ca/ca.key -CAcreateserial -out ca/server/serverCA.crt -days 3650 |
We are now going to repeat this process for the remaining certificates required in the certificate hierarchy.
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| GenerateMQTTEngineClientCACertificate |
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| GenerateMQTTEngineClientCACertificate |
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Generate
MQTT Engine Client CA certificate signed with the Root CAGenerate a private key file (engineCA.key) for MQTT Engine CA using the command below. You will be required to enter a pass phrase to be associated with the engineCA.key file.
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Make note of this pass phrase for the MQTT Engine CA private key file (engineCA.key) as it will be used again whilst creating the certificate hierarchy. |
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openssl genrsa -des3 -out ca/engine/engineCA.key 2048 |
Generate a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) for the MQTT Engine CA using the command below. This command generates a new CSR named "engineCA.csr’ using the RSA private key "engineCA.key" and you will be required to enter the pass phrase for the engineCA.key file created in the previous step.
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openssl req -new -key ca/engine/engineCA.key -out ca/engine/engineCA.csr |
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There are a number of fields associated with the creation of the certificate. Fill them out with your relevant details where the Common Name must be the Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) of the Chariot server. |
Sign the MQTT Engine CA with the Root CA using the command below. This command will sign the CSR "engineCA.csr" with the Root CA certificate ‘ca.crt’ and RSA private key ‘ca.key’, creating a new X.509 certificate named ‘engineCA.crt’ valid for 3650 days (10 years). You will be required to enter the pass phrase associated with the Root CA private key file "ca.key".
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openssl x509 -req -in ca/engine/engineCA.csr -CA ca/ca.crt -CAkey ca/ca.key -CAcreateserial -out ca/engine/engineCA.crt -days 3650 |
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| GenerateMQTTTransmissionClientCACertificate |
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| GenerateMQTTTransmissionClientCACertificate |
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Generate
MQTT Transmission Client CA certificate signed with the Root CAGenerate a private key file (transmissionCA.key) for MQTT Transmission CA using the command below. You will be required to enter a pass phrase to be associated with the transmissionCA.key file.
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Make note of this pass phrase for the MQTT Transmission CA private key file (transmissionCA.key) as it will be used again whilst creating the certificate hierarchy. |
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openssl genrsa -des3 -out ca/transmission/transmissionCA.key 2048 |
Generate a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) for the MQTT Transmission CA using the command below. This command generates a new CSR named "transmissionCA.csr’ using the RSA private key "transmissionCA.key" and you will be required to enter the pass phrase for the transmissionCA.key file created in the previous step.
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openssl req -new -key ca/transmission/transmissionCA.key -out ca/transmission/transmissionCA.csr |
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There are a number of fields associated with the creation of the certificate. Fill them out with your relevant details where the Common Name must be the Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) of the Chariot server. |
Sign the MQTT Transmission CA with the Root CA using the command below. This command will sign the CSR "transmissionCA.csr" with the Root CA certificate ‘ca.crt’ and RSA private key ‘ca.key’, creating a new X.509 certificate named ‘transmissionCA.crt’ valid for 3650 days (10 years). You will be required to enter the pass phrase associated with the Root CA private key file "ca.key".
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openssl x509 -req -in ca/transmission/transmissionCA.csr -CA ca/ca.crt -CAkey ca/ca.key -CAcreateserial -out ca/transmission/transmissionCA.crt -days 3650 |
You should have the following files created:
chariotcerts/
├── ca/
├── ca.crt
├── ca.key
├── engine/
│ ├── engineCA.crt
│ ├── engineCA.csr
│ ├── engineCA.key
|── server/
│ ├── serverCA.crt
│ ├── serverCA.csr
│ ├── serverCA.key
└── transmission/
├── transmissionCA.crt
├── transmissionCA.csr
├── transmissionCA.key
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Depending on the version of openSSL that you are using, you may see additional .srl files created which contain the signed certificate's unique serial number. These files are not used directly by the modules and not included in the certificate hierachy displayed above. |
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| GenerateServerCertificate |
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| GenerateServerCertificate |
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Generate Server certificate signed with Server CA private key
Generate private key in PKCS8 format (server.key) for the Chariot server using the command below.
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openssl genrsa -out certs/server/server.key 2048 |
******* Convert from PKCS8 format to PCKS1 until Chariot supports PKCS8 format CS-612 *********
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openssl rsa -in certs/server/server.key -traditional -out certs/server/server.key |
Generate a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) for the Chariot server using the command below. This command generates a new CSR named "server.csr’ using the RSA private key "server.key".
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openssl req -new -key certs/server/server.key -out certs/server/server.csr |
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There are a number of fields associated with the creation of the certificate. Fill them out with your relevant details where the Common Name must be the Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) of the Chariot server. |
Sign the Server CSR with the Server CA using the command below. This command will sign the CSR "server.csr" with the Server CA certificate ‘serverCA.crt’ and RSA private key ‘serverCA.key’, creating a new X.509 certificate named ‘serverCA.crt’ valid for 3650 days (10 years). You will be required to enter the pass phrase associated with the private key file "serverCA.key".
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openssl x509 -req -in certs/server/server.csr -CA ca/server/serverCA.crt -CAkey ca/server/serverCA.key -CAcreateserial -out certs/server/server.crt -days 3650 |
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| GenerateMQTTEngineClientCertificate |
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| GenerateMQTTEngineClientCertificate |
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Generate MQTT Engine Client certificate signed with the Engine CA’s private key
Generate private key in PSCK8 format (engine.key) for MQTT Engine using the command below.
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openssl genrsa -out certs/engine/engine.key 2048 |
Generate a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) for MQTT Engine using the command below. This command generates a new CSR named "engine.csr’ using the RSA private key "engine.key".
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openssl req -new -key certs/engine/engine.key -out certs/engine/engine.csr |
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There are a number of fields associated with the creation of the certificate. Fill them out with your relevant details where the Common Name must be the Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) of the Chariot server. |
Sign the MQTT Engine Client CSR with the Engine CA using the command below. This command will sign the CSR "engine.csr" with the Engine CA certificate ‘engineCA.crt’ and RSA private key ‘engineCA.key’, creating a new X.509 certificate named ‘engineCA.crt’ valid for 3650 days (10 years). You will be required to enter the pass phrase associated with the private key file "engineCA.key".
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openssl x509 -req -in certs/engine/engine.csr -CA ca/engine/engineCA.crt -CAkey ca/engine/engineCA.key -CAcreateserial -out certs/engine/engine.crt -days 3650 |
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| GenerateMQTTTransmissionClientCertificate |
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| GenerateMQTTTransmissionClientCertificate |
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Generate MQTT Transmission Client certificate signed with the Transmission CA’s private key
Generate private key in PKCS8 format (transmission.key) for MQTT Transmission using the command below.
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openssl genrsa -out certs/transmission/transmission.key 2048 |
Generate a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) for MQTT Transmission using the command below. This command generates a new CSR named "transmission.csr’ using the RSA private key "transmission.key".
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openssl req -new -key certs/transmission/transmission.key -out certs/transmission/transmission.csr |
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There are a number of fields associated with the creation of the certificate. Fill them out with your relevant details where the Common Name must be the Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) of the Chariot server. |
Sign the MQTT Transmission Client CSR with the Transmission CA using the command below. This command will sign the CSR "transmission.csr" with the Transmission CA certificate ‘transmissionCA.crt’ and RSA private key ‘transmissionCA.key’, creating a new X.509 certificate named ‘transmissionCA.crt’ valid for 3650 days (10 years). You will be required to enter the pass phrase associated with the private key file "transmissionCA.key".
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openssl x509 -req -in certs/transmission/transmission.csr -CA ca/transmission/transmissionCA.crt -CAkey ca/transmission/transmissionCA.key -CAcreateserial -out certs/transmission/transmission.crt -days 3650 |
We have now generated all the certificates and keys needed to setup SSL connections between Chariot and the MQTT Engine and MQTT Transmission modules:
chariotcerts/
├── ca/
│ ├── ca.crt
│ ├── ca.key
│ ├── engine/
│ │ ├── engineCA.crt
│ │ ├── engineCA.csr
│ │ ├── engineCA.key
│ ├── server/
│ │ ├── serverCA.crt
│ │ ├── serverCA.csr
│ │ ├── serverCA.key
│ └── transmission/
│ ├── transmissionCA.crt
│ ├── transmissionCA.csr
│ ├── transmissionCA.key
└── certs/
├── engine/
│ ├── engine.crt
│ ├── engine.csr
│ └── engine.key
├── server/
│ ├── server.crt
│ ├── server.csr
│ └── server.key
└── transmission/
├── transmission.crt
├── transmission.csr
└── transmission.key
Setting up SSL Connections Using Two-way Authentication
Now we are ready to setup SSL connections between two clients (MQTT Engine and Transmission) and the Chariot Server.
Here is a summary of what needs to be done:
Server Side Configuration
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| SetupSSLOnChariot |
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| SetupSSLOnChariot |
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Setup SSL on Chariot
Navigate to CONFIGURATION > System > Certificates configuration and upload the files as shown below. Once uploaded, select the Setup SSL button.
File Type | File Name | File Location |
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CA Chain | serverCA.crt | chariotcerts/ca/server |
Private Key | server.key | chariotcerts/certs/server |
Certificate | server.crt | chariotcerts/certs/server |
![](/download/attachments/143392877/image%20%286%29.png?version=2&modificationDate=1678403869504&api=v2)
![](/download/attachments/143392877/image%20%287%29.png?version=1&modificationDate=1678403901420&api=v2)
Navigate to CONFIGURATION > MQTT Server configuration and Enable Secure as shown below. Select the Update button to save the configuration.![](/download/attachments/143392877/image%20%288%29.png?version=1&modificationDate=1678403923900&api=v2)
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| ChariotTruststore |
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| ChariotTruststore |
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Update Chariot Truststore
By default Chariot comes with an empty truststore file clientcerts.jks which is located in the <chariot_install_dir>/security folder.
To view this file, run the command as shown below. You will be required to enter the keystore password and this can be found in the <chariot_install_dir>/conf/com.cirruslink.chariot.system configurationfile as the "trustStorePassword" parameter.
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keytool -list -v -keystore <chariot_install_dir>/security/clientcerts.jks |
You will see that the truststore contains no entries.
Use the following command to add the Engine client side certificate to the truststore using the "trustStorePassword" when prompted.
When prompted Trust this certificate? [no]: respond "yes"
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keytool -importcert -file ca/engine/engineCA.crt -keystore <chariot_install_dir>/security/clientcerts.jks -alias ca/engine/engineca |
Use the following command to add the Transmission client side certificate to the truststore using the "trustStorePassword" when prompted.
When prompted Trust this certificate? [no]: respond "yes"
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keytool -importcert -file ca/transmission/transmissionCA.crt -keystore <chariot_install_dir>/security/clientcerts.jks -alias ca/transmission/transmissionca |
Once completed, viewing the file will now show two entries similar to below:
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Keystore type: PKCS12
Keystore provider: SUN
Your keystore contains 2 entries
Alias name: engineca
Creation date: Mar 1, 2023
Entry type: trustedCertEntry
Owner: EMAILADDRESS=ilya.binshtok@cirrus-link.com, CN=MacBook-Pro.local, OU=MQTT Engine CA, O=Cirrus Link, L=Overland Park, ST=Kansas, C=US
Issuer: EMAILADDRESS=ilya.binshtok@cirrus-link.com, CN=MacBook-Pro.local, OU=CA, O=Cirrus Link, L=Overland Park, ST=Kansas, C=US
Serial number: b1d46c8c88db5c8e
Valid from: Wed Mar 01 10:37:08 CST 2023 until: Sat Feb 26 10:37:08 CST 2033
Certificate fingerprints:
SHA1: FE:3B:A0:A1:2D:AF:92:F3:A1:3C:8D:76:ED:8F:05:47:EE:A1:59:E2
SHA256: 8C:43:80:B8:14:90:7D:EB:89:69:58:FA:76:29:3D:50:8F:3D:8F:7E:D5:8F:C9:7C:5B:97:0E:DC:0E:E8:D6:3A
Signature algorithm name: SHA256withRSA
Subject Public Key Algorithm: 2048-bit RSA key
Version: 1
*******************************************
*******************************************
Alias name: transmissionca
Creation date: Mar 1, 2023
Entry type: trustedCertEntry
Owner: EMAILADDRESS=ilya.binshtok@cirrus-link.com, CN=MacBook-Pro.local, OU=MQTT Transmission CA, O=Cirrus Link, L=Overland Park, ST=Kansas, C=US
Issuer: EMAILADDRESS=ilya.binshtok@cirrus-link.com, CN=MacBook-Pro.local, OU=CA, O=Cirrus Link, L=Overland Park, ST=Kansas, C=US
Serial number: b1d46c8c88db5c8f
Valid from: Wed Mar 01 16:50:36 CST 2023 until: Sat Feb 26 16:50:36 CST 2033
Certificate fingerprints:
SHA1: 01:FD:41:DF:AE:CE:28:A4:16:F8:3E:66:E7:71:FE:88:2F:98:1B:86
SHA256: 9F:BC:1D:10:43:9C:F7:BE:D6:07:58:E1:DD:9D:09:0E:0D:01:82:37:DC:8E:FA:9A:3B:46:1A:98:1E:52:39:AE
Signature algorithm name: SHA256withRSA
Subject Public Key Algorithm: 2048-bit RSA key
Version: 1
*******************************************
******************************************* |
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| ChariotAuthenticationPolicy |
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| ChariotAuthenticationPolicy |
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Update Chariot Clients Authentication Policy
Using a text editor, set the "clientAuthPolicy" to "required" in the <chariot_install_dir>/conf/com.cirruslink.chariot.server configurationfile.
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clientAuthPolicy="required" |
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You will now need to restart the Chariot service to pickup up the configuration changes |
Client Side Configuration
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| MQTTEngineClientSide |
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| MQTTEngineClientSide |
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MQTT Engine Client Side Configuration
Add the certificates to the MQTT Engine > Servers > Certificates configuration as shown below:
Friendly Name | Certificate Filename | File Description | File Location |
ChariotCA_Certificate | serverCA.crt | Chariot CA Certificate | chariotcerts/ca/server |
EngineCertificate | engine.crt | MQTT Engine Certificate | chariotcerts/certs/engine |
EngineKey | engine.key | MQTT Engine Private Key | chariotcarts/certs/engine |
![](/download/attachments/143392877/image.png?version=1&modificationDate=1678403675257&api=v2)
Update the MQTT Engine > Servers > Settings configuration to use the certificates as shown below and setting the URL to be ssl://FQDN:8883 with the FQDN of the Chariot Server. Click the Save Changes button to save the configuration.![](/download/attachments/143392877/image%20%281%29.png?version=1&modificationDate=1678403692717&api=v2)
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| MQTTTransmissionClientSide |
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| MQTTTransmissionClientSide |
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MQTT Transmission Client Side Configuration
Add certificates to the MQTT Transmission > Servers > Certificates configuration as shown below:
Friendly Name | Certificate Filename | File Description | File Location |
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ChariotCA_Certificate | serverCA.crt | Chariot CA Certificate | chariotcerts/ca/server |
TransmissionCertificate | transmission.crt | MQTT Transmission Certificate | chariotcerts/certs/transmisson |
TransmissionKey | transmission.key | MQTT Transmission Private Key | chariotcerts/certs/transmission |
![](/download/attachments/143392877/image%20%282%29.png?version=1&modificationDate=1678403719471&api=v2)
Update the MQTT Transmission > Servers > Settings configuration to use the certificates as shown below. Click the Save Changes button to save the configuration.![](/download/attachments/143392877/image%20%283%29.png?version=1&modificationDate=1678403730465&api=v2)
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| VerifyConnectivity |
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| VerifyConnectivity |
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Verifying Connectivity
Engine
From the left hand menu bar, navigate to Config > MQTT Engine > Servers and note the Status as Connected.![](/download/attachments/143392877/image%20%285%29.png?version=1&modificationDate=1678403812284&api=v2)
Transmission
From the left hand menu bar, navigate to Config > MQTT Transmission > Servers and note the Status as "x of x". This denotes the number of configured transmitters that are connected.
If you do not see a transmitter connected, verify that you have a transmitter with a valid Sparkplug ID either through setting the Group and Edge ID or through the TagPath. Review our troubleshooting guide for assistance. ![](/download/attachments/143392877/image%20%284%29.png?version=1&modificationDate=1678403794329&api=v2)
Chariot
On the Chariot MQTT server, navigate to STATUS > MQTT where the number of active MQTT Clients will be displayed. This will be a count of 2 or 3 depending on your MQTT Transmission RPC Client configuration.![](/download/attachments/143392877/image%20%289%29.png?version=1&modificationDate=1678403956828&api=v2)
Clicking on the drop down will show the IDs of each client along with additional details:![](/download/attachments/143392877/image%20%2810%29.png?version=1&modificationDate=1678404008567&api=v2)