Patent ID: 7512974

Claim:
A method of updating an SSL certificate for a server computer system, said method comprising the steps of: detecting, by a management server within said server computer system, changes to one or more current network configuration settings for said server computer system; determining, by said management server upon detecting said changes to said one or more current network configuration settings, whether or not a web server within said server computer system is configured to use SSL certificates for establishing connection over a network with a client computer; if said web server within said server computer system is determined by said management server to be configured to use said SSL certificates, ascertaining by said management server whether a current SSL certificate for said server computer system is a self-signed SSL certificate or a SSL certificate signed by a certificate authority; if said current SSL certificate is ascertained to be said SSL certificate signed by said certificate authority, querying in a request to an administrator of said server computer system whether or not to generate a new certificate signing request (CSR) using said changes to said one or more network configuration settings to obtain from said certificate authority a new SSL certificate signed by said certificate authority; and on receiving an affirmative response to said request from said administrator, automatically generating said new certificate signing request (CSR) for sending to said certificate authority for obtaining said new SSL certificate if said current SSL certificate is ascertained to be said self-signed SSL certificate, querying in a request to an administrator of said server computer system whether or not to generate a new self-signed SSL certificate; and on receiving an affirmative response to said request from said administrator, automatically generating said new self-signed SSL certificate using said changes to said one or more current network configuration settings.