Configuration Guide for Cisco Optical Site Manager, IOS XR Release 26.x.x

x509 certificates

Updated: October 14, 2026

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This section describes X.509 certificates in Cisco Optical Site Manager and how they help establish secure, trusted communication between clients and servers.

x509 certificates are used to establish a secure communication channel between a client and a server. In Cisco Optical Site Manager, you can automatically generate a self-signed x509 certificate or upload a CA-authorized certificate in digital or PFX format. This certificate:

builds trust between the client and server,
protects sensitive information from unauthorized parties
and provides the ability to detect any tampering or modification of data during transmission.

Table 1. Feature History
Feature Name	Release Information	Description
Improved x509 Certificate Handling	Cisco IOS XR Release 24.1.1	You can now upload an x509 certificate in the Personal Information Exchange (PFX) format, which improves the security of the connection between the Cisco Optical Site Manager and its server. PFX files can be password-protected, offering an extra layer of protection against potential attackers. The options to automatically generate and upload certificates are available in the new x509 Certificates tab under the Users & Access menu.

Generate and upload x509 certificates

Establish secure communication channels between clients and servers to ensure encrypted and trusted communications. This ensures data confidentiality, integrity, and authentication. It protects sensitive information from unauthorized access and tampering during transmission.

Use this task to upload certificates in digital (.cert) or PFX (.pfx) file formats. You can generate certificates internally as self-signed, or upload them in several formats such as:

Certificate and key (CERT + KEY)
Personal Information Exchange (PFX) and password (PFX + PASSWORD)
PEM

Before you begin

Log into Cisco Optical Site Manager

Follow these steps to automatically generate and apply a x509 certificate.

Procedure

Click Users & Access in the left panel.
Click the x509 Certificates tab.
Click the Certificates Configuration section to expand it.

Perform any one of the following steps to auto-generate or upload certificate files:


To auto generate and apply	To upload a digital certificate	To upload a PFX certificate
Click Auto Generate and Apply Certificate to automatically generate and apply a self signed certificate.	Select CERT + KEY from the Certificate Type drop-down list. Select the .cert or .crt file from the Certificate File field and click Upload. Select the .key file in the Key File field and click Upload.	Select PFX + PASSWORD from the Certificate Type drop-down list. Select the .pfx file from the Certificate File field and click Upload. Type the password in the Password field if the input private key file is password protected.

Click Apply.

The uploaded ceritifcate is validated, which enables secure, encrypted communication.

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