This article explains how to establish a secure connection between your UltraDNS account and DigiCert CertCentral. Linking these accounts allows DigiCert to automatically perform DNS-based domain validation for supported certificate workflows.
When to Use This Article
- You want DigiCert CertCentral to automate DNS validation using UltraDNS.
- You have administrative access to your UltraDNS account.
- You have an existing DigiCert CertCentral account.
Before You Begin
The DigiCert CertCentral connection must be enabled on both your UltraDNS account and your CertCentral account before the accounts can be linked. If the connection option is not visible in the UltraDNS portal, contact UltraDNS Support and provide your DigiCert CertCentral Account ID so the feature can be enabled.
Linking UltraDNS to DigiCert CertCentral
Once the feature is enabled, you can initiate the connection from the UltraDNS portal using an account with administrative permissions.
- Sign in to the UltraDNS portal at https://portal.ultradns.com/ using an account with administrative access.
- Navigate to
Accounts > Account Name > Account Info. - Locate the
DigiCert CertCentral Connectionsection. - Click
Linkto begin the connection process.
A dialog window will appear displaying an Account ID and a Secret key. These values are shown only once and cannot be retrieved later.
Copy and securely store both values before continuing, then confirm that they have been saved.
Completing the Connection in CertCentral
The remaining steps are completed outside of the UltraDNS portal. You must securely provide the Account ID and Secret key to a user with administrative access to DigiCert CertCentral.
That administrator will complete the connection within CertCentral using DigiCert’s configuration workflow. DigiCert documentation for CertCentral setup is available here: DigiCert CertCentral documentation.
Once the process is completed in CertCentral, the connection status in UltraDNS will update from Pending to Established.
What Happens After the Connection Is Established
After the connection is active, domains that you designate as visible to DigiCert can be managed by CertCentral for automated DNS-based domain validation. DigiCert uses a secure API integration to create and remove required TXT records during validation.
Resetting or Removing the Connection
You can manage the connection at any time from the DigiCert CertCentral Connection section in the UltraDNS portal.
- Reset temporarily suspends the connection and generates a new Secret key that must be updated in CertCentral.
- Unlink permanently removes the connection and stops all automated domain management by CertCentral. Re-establishing the connection requires completing the full setup process again.
How to Verify the Connection
The connection is successfully established when the status in the UltraDNS portal shows Established and DigiCert CertCentral can complete DNS-based validation without manual DNS record changes.
Important Notes
- Domains must be delegated to UltraDNS for DNS-based validation to succeed.
- Manually creating a
_dnsauth.<domain>TXT record can interfere with automated validation and should be avoided. - Validation typically completes within one hour after setup is finished in both systems.