Deploy Server Certificates to the GlobalProtect LSVPN Components
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Deploy Server Certificates to the GlobalProtect LSVPN Components

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Deploy Server Certificates to the GlobalProtect LSVPN Components

The GlobalProtect LSVPN components use SSL/TLS to mutually authenticate. Before deploying the LSVPN, you must assign an SSL/TLS service profile to each portal and gateway. The profile specifies the server certificate and allowed TLS versions for communication with satellites. You don’t need to create SSL/TLS service profiles for the satellites because the portal will issue a server certificate for each satellite during the first connection as part of the satellite registration process.
In addition, you must import the root certificate authority (CA) certificate used to issue the server certificates onto each firewall that you plan to host as a gateway or satellite. Finally, on each gateway and satellite participating in the LSVPN, you must configure a certificate profile that will enable them to establish an SSL/TLS connection using mutual authentication.
The following workflow shows the best practice steps for deploying SSL certificates to the GlobalProtect LSVPN components:
  1. On the firewall hosting the GlobalProtect portal, create the root CA certificate for signing the certificates of the GlobalProtect components.
    1. Select DeviceCertificate ManagementCertificatesDevice Certificates and click Generate.
    2. Enter a Certificate Name, such as LSVPN_CA.
    3. Do not select a value in the Signed By field (this is what indicates that it is self-signed).
    4. Select the Certificate Authority check box and then click OK to generate the certificate.
  2. Create SSL/TLS service profiles for the GlobalProtect portal and gateways.
    For the portal and each gateway, you must assign an SSL/TLS service profile that references a unique self-signed server certificate.
    The best practice is to issue all of the required certificates on the portal, so that the signing certificate (with the private key) doesn’t have to be exported.
    If the GlobalProtect portal and gateway are on the same firewall interface, you can use the same server certificate for both components.
    1. Use the root CA on the portal to Generate a Certificate for each gateway you will deploy:
      1. Select DeviceCertificate ManagementCertificatesDevice Certificates and click Generate.
      2. Enter a Certificate Name.
      3. Enter the FQDN (recommended) or IP address of the interface where you plan to configure the gateway in the Common Name field.
      4. In the Signed By field, select the LSVPN_CA certificate you just created.
      5. In the Certificate Attributes section, click Add and define the attributes to uniquely identify the gateway. If you add a Host Name attribute (which populates the SAN field of the certificate), it must exactly match the value you defined for the Common Name.
      6. Generate the certificate.
    2. Configure an SSL/TLS Service Profile for the portal and each gateway:
      1. Select DeviceCertificate ManagementSSL/TLS Service Profile and click Add.
      2. Enter a Name to identify the profile and select the server Certificate you just created for the portal or gateway.
      3. Define the range of TLS versions (Min Version to Max Version) allowed for communicating with satellites and click OK.
  3. Deploy the self-signed server certificates to the gateways.
    Best Practices:
    • Export the self-signed server certificates issued by the root CA from the portal and import them onto the gateways.
    • Be sure to issue a unique server certificate for each gateway.
    • The Common Name (CN) and, if applicable, the Subject Alternative Name (SAN) fields of the certificate must match the IP address or fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the interface where you configure the gateway.
    1. On the portal, select DeviceCertificate ManagementCertificatesDevice Certificates, select the gateway certificate you want to deploy, and click Export.
    2. Select Encrypted Private Key and Certificate (PKCS12) from the File Format drop-down.
    3. Enter (and re-enter) a Passphrase to encrypt the private key associated with the certificate and then click OK to download the PKCS12 file to your computer.
    4. On the gateway, select DeviceCertificate ManagementCertificatesDevice Certificates and click Import.
    5. Enter a Certificate Name.
    6. Enter the path and name to the Certificate File you just downloaded from the portal, or Browse to find the file.
    7. Select Encrypted Private Key and Certificate (PKCS12) as the File Format.
    8. Enter the path and name to the PKCS12 file in the Key File field or Browse to find it.
    9. Enter and re-enter the Passphrase you used to encrypt the private key when you exported it from the portal and then click OK to import the certificate and key.
  4. Import the root CA certificate used to issue server certificates for the LSVPN components.
    You must import the root CA certificate onto all gateways and satellites. For security reasons, make sure you export the certificate only, and not the associated private key.
    1. Download the root CA certificate from the portal.
      1. Select DeviceCertificate ManagementCertificatesDevice Certificates.
      2. Select the root CA certificate used to issue certificates for the LSVPN components and click Export.
      3. Select Base64 Encoded Certificate (PEM) from the File Format drop-down and click OK to download the certificate. (Do not export the private key.)
    2. On the firewalls hosting the gateways and satellites, import the root CA certificate.
      1. Select DeviceCertificate ManagementCertificatesDevice Certificates and click Import.
      2. Enter a Certificate Name that identifies the certificate as your client CA certificate.
      3. Browse to the Certificate File you downloaded from the CA.
      4. Select Base64 Encoded Certificate (PEM) as the File Format and then click OK.
      5. Select the certificate you just imported on the Device Certificates tab to open it.
      6. Select Trusted Root CA and then click OK.
      7. Commit the changes.
  5. Create a certificate profile.
    The GlobalProtect LSVPN portal and each gateway require a certificate profile that specifies which certificate to use to authenticate the satellites.
    1. Select DeviceCertificate ManagementCertificate Profile and click Add and enter a profile Name.
    2. Make sure Username Field is set to None.
    3. In the CA Certificates field, click Add, select the Trusted Root CA certificate you imported in the previous step.
    4. (Recommended) Enable use of CRL and/or OCSP to enable certificate status verification.
    5. Click OK to save the profile.
  6. Commit your changes.
    Click Commit.