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Publish a Certificate Revocation List (CRL) at a stable location that certificate validators can reach, then advertise that location in the certificate’s cRLDistributionPoints (CDP) extension. Publish CA issuer certificates separately and make them discoverable through Authority Information Access (AIA), using id-ad-caIssuers, or through a CA repository mechanism. AIA is not the X.509 extension for CRL locations.
Which certificate extension should you use?
A CRL and a CA certificate are separate objects with separate discovery mechanisms. A CRL lists certificates revoked by a CA; the issuer certificate helps a client build and verify a certificate chain.
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| Published object | Where clients find it | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| CRL | cRLDistributionPoints (CDP) |
Identifies CRL distribution points from which a validator can retrieve revocation information. |
| Issuer certificate | AIA, using id-ad-caIssuers |
Identifies certificates that can help verify the certificate’s issuer. |
| CA repository certificates | subjectInfoAccess, using id-ad-caRepository |
Identifies a repository where a CA publishes certificates. |
These roles follow the X.509 Internet PKI profile in RFC 5280. Configuring one extension does not substitute for configuring the other.
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How to publish a CRL
1. Choose a stable, reachable location
Host the CRL where the certificate’s relying parties can retrieve it. RFC 5280 describes HTTP and LDAP URI distribution points, as well as directory retrieval. Consider which clients can access the endpoint: an LDAP location may suit directory-connected clients but be unavailable to external validators, while an appropriately reachable HTTP endpoint can serve clients outside an organization’s directory environment.
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For HTTP or FTP URI distribution points, the URI points to a single DER-encoded CRL. Ensure the published file is the expected CRL and that its location remains stable for as long as certificates that reference it are in use.
2. Configure publication and the certificate’s CDP
There are two operationally distinct tasks: make the CA publish CRL files to a destination, and place a retrieval URI in newly issued certificates. A file share used for publication is not automatically a location clients can retrieve; if certificates contain a URL, that URL must resolve to the CRL for the relevant clients.
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When a conforming CA includes cRLDistributionPoints, RFC 5280 requires at least one DistributionPoint to point to a CRL covering all revocation reasons for the certificate. Plan the CRL coverage as well as the endpoint.
3. Keep the CRL current at the advertised location
Arrange for each replacement CRL to be published at the stable destination before the existing CRL expires, and verify that clients can retrieve the replacement. A location that was reachable when a certificate was issued is not useful if it later disappears or stops serving current CRLs.
How to publish a CA certificate
Publish the CA issuer certificate at a location appropriate for the clients that need it, then advertise it using the issuer-certificate mechanism rather than CDP. RFC 5280 defines the AIA access method id-ad-caIssuers for locations containing certificates useful in verifying the issuer. For certificates published as part of a CA repository, it defines id-ad-caRepository, which may be referenced through subjectInfoAccess; the repository can use a directory entry or LDAP URI.
Choose a location and retrieval method validators can actually use, and keep it stable through server or CA infrastructure changes. The exact repository and configuration steps depend on the CA platform.
Example: configure CDP and AIA in Microsoft AD CS
Microsoft documents a Windows Server example that edits the CA’s CDP and AIA extension properties. The guidance applies to Windows Server 2016, 2019, 2022, and 2025, but its paths and checkboxes are an AD CS implementation example—not a universal CA procedure. See Microsoft’s CDP and AIA configuration guide.
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- For the CDP extension, add the intended CRL publication and retrieval locations. Microsoft’s example includes a file path in the form
file://\pki.corp.contoso.compki<CaName><CRLNameSuffix><DeltaCRLAllowed>.crl. Replace the example hostname, share, and naming components with the values for your environment. - Set the publication options for the full and, if your deployment uses them, delta CRLs. Decide separately whether a location is a destination where the CA publishes files, a URI included in certificates, or both.
- For the CA certificate location under AIA, add the appropriate path and select Include in the AIA of issued certificates when that location is intended to be embedded in issued certificates.
- Verify that the CA publishes the files at the configured destinations and that clients can retrieve the CRL or CA certificate through the locations embedded in certificates.
For command-line administration, Microsoft documents Add-CACRLDistributionPoint. Its URI may use HTTP or LDAP, and its options distinguish publishing a CRL to a location from adding a URI to certificates. Consult the Windows Server 2025 cmdlet documentation and check syntax against the ADCSAdministration module installed on your server.
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What to plan before changing a publication location
- Client access: Confirm which validators can reach HTTP, LDAP, or the configured directory service.
- Audience: Account for both internal directory-connected clients and external clients that may validate the certificates.
- Endpoint stability: Choose hostnames, shares, and directory paths that can remain available through server changes.
- Publication versus embedding: Check whether the CA writes files to the location, includes its URI in newly issued certificates, or does both.
- Renewal and retrieval: Ensure the endpoint can serve replacement CRLs before expiry and that clients can fetch them.
- Existing certificates: Plan for certificates already issued with the old CDP. Microsoft notes that adding a CDP URI affects newly issued certificates; existing certificates retain their original distribution-point location. Keep the old location working or otherwise account for certificates that still depend on it.
The same operational caution applies when designing issuer-certificate discovery: a new AIA location does not change what is already embedded in previously issued certificates. Preserve the old endpoint when those certificates may still need it.
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