Certificate Manager

Certificate Manager is a snap-in tool for Microsoft Management Console (MMC) that allows issuing and managing digital certificates for public key cryptography.

What is Certificate Manager (in computer networking)?

A snap-in tool for Microsoft Management Console (MMC) in Microsoft Windows 2000 that allows issuing and managing digital certificates for public key cryptography. Certificate Manager can perform functions such as:

  • Adding or removing certificate templates to allow different types of certificates to be issued
  • Revoking certificates and publishing a certificate revocation list (CRL)
  • Backing up and restoring the certificate information database
  • Starting and stopping Certificate Services

Certificate Manager can be used to either store issued certificates locally or publish them to Windows 2000 Active Directory. Publishing certificates to Active Directory enables users and groups with appropriate permissions to access certificates as needed.