Patent ID: 7870383

Claim:
A method for substituting a current encryption certificate with a new encryption certificate in a first computer, said method comprising the steps of: stopping, by a CPU, a message handling program from sending and receiving first messages over a first plurality of communication channels for the first computer without stopping the message handling program from sending and receiving second messages over a second plurality of communication channels for the first computer, while substituting said new encryption certificate for said current encryption certificate for subsequent use by said first plurality of communication channels, wherein said first plurality of communication channels require an encryption certificate for the first computer to communicate with other computers and said second plurality of communication channels does not require said encryption certificate for the first computer to communicate with the other computers, the first computer stores said current encryption certificate, said first plurality of communication channels is active and uses said current encryption certificate for communication, and said second plurality of communication channels also is active for the first computer to communicate with the other computers; in response to substituting said new encryption certificate for said current encryption certificate for said subsequent use by the message handling program in sending and receiving the third messages over said first plurality of communication channels, starting, by said CPU, the message handling program to send and receive the third messages over said first plurality of communication channels; and in response to starting, by said CPU, the message handling program for sending and receiving the third messages over said first plurality of communications channels, communicating, by the first computer, with another computer via one of said first plurality of communication channels using said new encryption certificate.