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Extract the first 5 issuer per-connector deep-dive pages: - vault.md (128 lines) — Vault PKI synchronous issuance, token TTL + auto-renewal loop, MaxTTL enforcement, rotation playbook - digicert.md (106 lines) — CertCentral DV/OV/EV with bounded async polling for vetting workflows - aws-acm-pca.md (165 lines) — managed private CA on AWS with full IAM policy, IRSA wiring, troubleshooting matrix - ejbca.md (116 lines) — open-source / Keyfactor EJBCA with mTLS or OAuth2 auth, mTLS keypair caching, approval-pending guidance - adcs.md (111 lines) — Active Directory Certificate Services as enterprise root via Local CA sub-CA mode, sub-CA rotation playbook Index updated with forward-list entries and the index-purpose blurb revised so the index now positions itself as 'navigate from here; deeper material lives in siblings' rather than 'docs to be extracted later'. Each per-page follows the WHAT/HOW/WHY pattern: what the connector is, how authentication and issuance work, and when to choose this vs an alternative. Cross-links to the connector index, async-ca-polling primitive, and adjacent operator runbooks. This is part 1 of 4 for the Phase 4 follow-on (per-connector page extraction) tracked in cowork/docs-overhaul-phase-2-restructure-2026-05-04/log.md. Net add: 5 files, 626 lines. No content removed from index.md (the index keeps its inline reference; per-pages add operator depth on top, matching the pattern set by apache/f5/iis/k8s/nginx in Phase 4 structural).
112 lines
4.6 KiB
Markdown
112 lines
4.6 KiB
Markdown
# Active Directory Certificate Services (ADCS) Integration — Operator Deep-Dive
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> Last reviewed: 2026-05-05
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>
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> Operator-grade documentation for integrating certctl with Microsoft
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> ADCS as the enterprise root. For the connector-development context
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> (interface contract, registry, ports/adapters), see the
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> [connector index](index.md).
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## Overview
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ADCS integration is **not** a separate connector. certctl integrates
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with ADCS via the **sub-CA mode** of the Local CA issuer: certctl
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operates as a subordinate CA whose signing certificate was issued by
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ADCS, so all certctl-issued certificates chain back to the enterprise
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ADCS root.
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This is the canonical pattern for Windows-shop deployments where
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ADCS is already the root of trust and operators want certctl to
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handle automation (lifecycle, renewal, deployment, alerts) without
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ADCS having to support a non-Microsoft REST API surface.
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## When to use this integration
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Use ADCS sub-CA mode when:
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- ADCS is your enterprise root and you don't want to introduce a
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parallel root of trust.
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- You want all certctl-issued certificates to validate against the
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ADCS chain that's already in your Windows trust stores, mobile
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device profiles, and load-balancer configurations.
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- You need certctl's automation surface (ACME, SCEP, EST, profile
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policy, scheduler, deployment connectors) but want ADCS to remain
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the signing authority for the root.
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Look elsewhere when:
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- You want certctl to issue from its own root of trust — use the
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Local CA issuer in self-signed mode.
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- ADCS is being decommissioned or replaced — the migration path
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from ADCS to Vault PKI / step-ca / Local CA needs its own
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rollout plan; that's not what this connector covers.
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## How sub-CA mode works
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The Local CA issuer loads a pre-signed CA certificate and key from
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disk:
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- `CERTCTL_CA_CERT_PATH` — path to the certctl signing cert PEM
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(the one ADCS issued).
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- `CERTCTL_CA_KEY_PATH` — path to the matching private key PEM.
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Every leaf certctl issues is signed with this key, and the chain
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returned to clients includes both the certctl signing cert and the
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ADCS root (so verifying clients see a complete chain to the
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enterprise root).
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The signing certificate certctl uses is just a normal CA cert with
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`Basic Constraints: CA=true` and an appropriate path-length
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constraint. ADCS issues this certificate using its standard
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"Subordinate Certification Authority" template; the operator just
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takes the resulting cert + key and points certctl at them.
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## Operator playbook
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### Provisioning the certctl sub-CA
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1. Generate a new keypair for certctl on the host that will run it
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(or in the HSM / KMS the operator wants to delegate signing to,
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via the `internal/crypto/signer/` driver interface when alternate
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drivers are configured).
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2. Build a CSR with `Basic Constraints: CA=true`, the operator's
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chosen path-length constraint, and key usages including
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`keyCertSign` and `cRLSign`.
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3. Submit the CSR to ADCS using the Subordinate Certification
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Authority template (or a custom template that grants those key
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usages).
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4. Place the signed certctl-cert and the matching key at
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`CERTCTL_CA_CERT_PATH` / `CERTCTL_CA_KEY_PATH`.
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5. Restart certctl-server (or Rebuild the issuer via the API).
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Subsequent issuance chains to the ADCS root.
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### Rotating the sub-CA cert
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When the certctl sub-CA cert is approaching expiry:
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1. Generate a new keypair (re-keying is recommended at sub-CA
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rotation time).
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2. CSR + ADCS signing cycle as above.
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3. Stage the new cert and key at fresh paths
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(`CERTCTL_CA_CERT_PATH_NEW` etc.) and follow the
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[intermediate-CA hierarchy
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runbook](../intermediate-ca-hierarchy.md) for the cutover. The
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key concern is overlap: both the old and new sub-CA certs must
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chain to the ADCS root during the rollover so existing leaves
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keep validating.
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### Revocation chain
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CRL and OCSP for ADCS-rooted leaves are handled by certctl's CRL
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distribution point and OCSP responder
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([crl-ocsp.md](../protocols/crl-ocsp.md)). The ADCS root publishes
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its own CRL covering the certctl sub-CA cert; relying parties walk
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both CDP entries to determine the full revocation status.
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## Related docs
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- [Local CA issuer](index.md#built-in-local-ca) — the connector this integration uses
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- [Intermediate CA hierarchy](../intermediate-ca-hierarchy.md) — how certctl manages multi-level CA trees, including ADCS-rooted setups
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- [CRL and OCSP](../protocols/crl-ocsp.md) — how relying parties validate ADCS-rooted leaves
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- [Architecture](../architecture.md) — `internal/crypto/signer/` driver interface for HSM / KMS / cloud-KMS alternatives to file-on-disk for the certctl sub-CA private key
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