How to Generate a CSR on Tableau Server

In this tutorial, we will show you how to generate a CSR on Tableau Server for Windows and Linux.

Table of Contents

1. Generate a CSR code on Tableau Server for Windows
2. Generate a CSR code on Tableau Server for Linux

Tableau Server uses Apache software, which supports the OpenSSL utility. You can use the OpenSSL toolkit to create a CSR (Certificate Signing Request) and a private key file.

Just follow the steps below:

Generate a CSR code on Tableau Server for Windows

To generate your CSR and private key files, please perform the following:

Step 1: Open the Command Prompt

Log in as administrator, and open the Command Prompt.

Step 2: Access the Apache bin directory for Tableau Server

Here’s the default location:

C:\Program Files\Tableau\Tableau Server\packages\apache. <version_code>\bi

Note: In the version_code attribute, add the build number of your server. For example, 20183.18.1128.2033

Step 3: Create the private key file

Run the command below to create the private key file:

openssl.exe genrsa -out <yourcertname>.key 2048

Step 4: Generate your CSR code

Next, use the key file you’ve just created, to generate your CSR code by running the following command:

openssl.exe req -new -key yourcertname.key -out yourcertname.csr

If you receive a warning that the usr/local/ssl directory cannot be found, ignore this message. Such a directory doesn’t exist on Windows.

If you get an error message about the config information being unable to load, you need to set the Open SSL configuration variable, rerun the CSR generation command with the following parameter:

- ..\conf\openssl.cnf

Step 4: Fill in your information

The Open SSL utility will prompt you to submit the following information:

• Country Name (2 letter code): type the two-letter code of your country. For example, US
• State or Province Name: write the full name of the state where your business is registered. For instance, California
• Locality Name: enter the full name of the city where your company is located. For example, San Francisco
• Organization name: specify the full legal name of your company. For instance, Your Company LLC
• Organizational Unit Name: this is the department within your company, requesting the SSL Certificate. For example, IT or Web Administration
• Common Name: enter the URL that you’ll use to connect to the Tableau Server. For example, if you access Tableau via yoursite.com, then this is your common name.
• Email Address: provide a valid email address
• Extra Attributes: leave them blank

That’s it! You’ve successfully generated your CSR code.

Generate a CSR code on Tableau Server for Linux:

To generate your CSR and private key files, please follow the steps below:

Step 1: Change to the Apache bin directory

For the Tableau Server, change to the Apache bin directory:

/opt/tableau/tableau_server/packages/apache.<version_code>/bin

Note: In the version_code attribute, add the build number of your server. For example, 20183.18.1128.2033

Step 2: Create your private key file

To create your private key file, run the following command:

openssl genrsa -out <yourcertname>.key 2048

Step 3: Generate your CSR code

To generate your CSR code, run the following command:

openssl req -new -key yourcertname.key -out yourcertname.csr -config ../conf/openssl.cnf

Step 4: Fill in your information

The Open SSL utility will prompt you to provide the following contact details:

• Country Name (2 letter code): enter the two-letter code of your country. For example, CA
• State or Province Name: specify the full name of the state where your organization is registered. For instance, Ontario
• Locality Name: type the full name of the city where your company is located. For example, Ottawa
• Organization name: write the full legal name of your company. For instance, Your Company LLC
• Organizational Unit Name: this is the department within your company, requesting the SSL Certificate. For example, IT or Web Administration
• Common Name: enter the URL that you’ll use to connect to the Tableau Server. For example, if you access Tableau via yoursite.com, then this is your common name.
• Email Address: provide a valid email address
• Extra Attributes: leave them blank

Congrats, you’ve successfully generated your CSR code.