This post contains the bare minimums you need to start working with x509 certificates. After reading the post you should have a better idea about the meaning of the different acronyms related with SSL certificates (ASN1, DER, PEM, etc.). You will also have a better understanding of the format of the certificate.
Tools are provided [...]

What is an Intermediate Certificate Authority (CA) and why do I need one? An Intermediate CA is an authority that you use to create your own SSL certificates in a PKI environment. An Intermediate CA depends on a Root CA that is the origin of the chain of trust. The idea is that if your [...]

Instructions follow on how to build and harden one of the most common configurations out there.