Best Practice: Handling SSL Certificate Changes for Cloud License Server Instances
Best Practice: Handling SSL Certificate Changes for Cloud License Server Instances
The SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate for FlexNet Operations Cloud is updated annually. Additionally, the intermediate certificate is updated about every 10 years, and the root certificate is updated about every 20 years. FlexNet Embedded Cloud License Service (CLS) instances rely on the intermediate and root certificate chain to communicate with FlexNet Operations Cloud. In early 2023, FlexNet Operations will update its SSL certificate, and this update will include a new intermediate certificate.
Best Practice
The FlexNet Operations back office handles any task required to ensure that your CLS instance runs seamlessly once an old certificate expires and the new one officially goes into effect. However, as a best practice, ensure that you periodically ask your producer about the schedule of upcoming certificate upgrades and expirations so that you are aware of the timeframe for testing out a new certificate. Should you run into issues with the certificate during the test phase, these can be reported and resolved before the certificate goes officially goes into effect.
What Not To Do
Because the FlexNet Operations Cloud SSL certificate is updated annually and intermediate and root certificate updates occur periodically, do not hardcode the hash of this certificate in your client code. With each certificate update, the hash value changes. If you have hard-coded the certificate hash in your client application, a change in the certificate can either result in a communication break between your CLS instance and its clients or involve an ongoing effort to keep the hash current in the client code.
