Security Compliance

Export and install the SolarWinds SEM Console self-signed SSL certificate

The SolarWinds SEM Console requires that an SSL certificate to be installed from the Manager in order to successfully log in. This self-signed certificate needs to be exported from the Manager and installed on any computer on which a SEM Console will be run.

First published date

10/9/2018 5:23 PM

Last published date

5/14/2025 4:59 PM

Overview

The SolarWinds Security Event Manager (formerly Log & Event Manager) Console requires that an SSL certificate to be installed from the Manager in order to successfully log in. This self-signed certificate needs to be exported from the Manager and installed on any computer on which a SEM Console will be run.

Note: This process distributes the existing SEM Console certificate to client devices. It does not change the certificate in use by SEM.

Product section

Security Event Manager

Resolution

Export the self-signed certificate:

  1. Log in to the SEM virtual appliance via SSH using port 22 (port 32022 on older legacy EOL SEM) and your CMC credentials.
  2. At the CMC prompt, enter manager to access the Manager menu.
  3. Enter the exportcert command and follow the prompts to export the certificate to a network share. Once the export is successful, you will see the following message:
    ​Exporting CA Cert to \\server\share\TNSCACert-hostname.crt ... Success
    • The SEM Manager can export the certificate to either an administrative share, such as C$, or a share in the root of the C: drive.
    • The user specified during the export must have Write permissions to the network share in order for the export to be successful.

Note: The exported certificate will be named TNSCACert-hostname.crt, where hostname is the hostname you defined for your SEM virtual appliance.

Install the SEM Manager SSL certificate:

  1. Locate and select the certificate and click Install Certificate on the File menu.
  2. In the Certificate Import Wizard, click Next.
  3. Select Place all certificates in the following store and click Browse.
  4. Select Trusted Root Certification Authorities and click OK.
  5. Click Next and then Finish.

You will see an Import Successful message.

Note: The same certificate can be used for all SEM Consoles that are connecting to the Manager from which the certificate was exported. However, the above method of installing the Console certificate is user-specific.  If you want to install the Console certificate for all users on a given client machine, you can use the Certificates MMC snap-in.  Simply import the certificate to the Trusted store and select to install the certificate for "Computer Account."  This will ensure that all users on that machine will be able to access the stored certificate.