Automation workflows

The following is the general workflow needed to set up CertCentral managed automation:

1. Install and activate the automation clients (ACME agents and sensors).
   Download the automation client software from CertCentral and install/activate it.
2. Configure the automation clients.
   Configure and verify automation settings for the installed clients from the Manage automation menu.
3. Create one or more automation profiles.
   Define the types of certificates the automation clients can request from the Manage profiles menu.
4. Schedule automation events.
   Finally, schedule and manage certificate automation events for the clients from the Automated IPs menu.

For new automation deployments, all steps are mandatory. When adding systems to an existing deployment, you may only need to complete a subset of these steps.

The following is the general workflow needed to set up third-party ACME clients to work with CertCentral automation:

1. Install the third-party ACME client software.
   Download the ACME software from the third-party provider and install it on any systems that will act as automation clients.
2. Configure the third-party ACME clients.
   Follow the third-party provider's guidelines to configure the installed ACME software on each system.
3. Create one or more ACME Directory URLs.
   Define the allowed third-party ACME automations from the CertCentral ACME Directory URLs menu.
4. Initiate automation events.
   Finally, follow the third-party provider's guidelines and use the credentials obtained from the ACME Directory URLs menu to initiate certificate automation events on the ACME clients.

To use the CertCentral APIs for managed automation, you must first install and configure the automation clients (agents and sensors) and define one or more automation profiles to use. You can then call the automation APIs to initiate automation events directly from your custom web applications.

Follow the same initial steps as the managed automation workflow to set up the automation clients and create the automation profiles (steps 1-3). Then, instead of scheduling automation events from the CertCentral Automated IPs menu (as in step 4), initiate the automation events by invoking the corresponding API calls.

For complete technical details about how to deploy managed automation (ACME agent and/or sensor-based):

• Managed automation user guide

For complete technical details about how to use third-party ACME clients with CertCentral automation:

• Third-party ACME client automation user guide

For complete technical details about the automation service API:

• Automation API