Understanding certificate types
Large enterprises have very specific needs when enrolling for certificates; sometimes, the goal may be ease of administration or flexibility to add additional sites to an e-commerce operation. In some cases, customers may need the assurance provided with highly trusted certificates. Here are some common types of certificates used.
Wildcard certificate
A wildcard certificate allows an organization to host multiple websites, using a single key pair, with a single certificate. There may be restrictions or additional costs based upon the number of sites hosted. The wildcard certificate requires all sites covered by the certificate to use the same Domain Name System (DNS) domain name. Only the hostname of each site can be different. Figure 12.3 shows a wildcard certificate:
It is possible to host multiple sites while changing only the DNS hostname for each site.