How to create a Key-Cert Object on Afrinic Whois.

Creating a key-cert object

A key-cert object holds the public part of your key in the Whois Database. To use the key you just generated in the AFRINIC Database, you should create it in the form of a key-cert object.

Note that first you will have to generate a gpg key pair on your computer. Use any GPG tool of your choice, in this example we are using GPGTools on Mac OS X. The step to generate the Key depends on the tool being used and might differ from the example.

Follow the steps below to create a key-cert object:

1. On your terminal: $ gpg --gen-key and follow the instructions.
   A PGP key with ID 7C943FC1 has been created.
2. Export your key to a text file: $gpg -a --export “key-ID” > gpg_key
   
3. Prepend the certif attribute to every line of your key as illustrated below;
   
4. Load the key-cert object template into the whois web client;
   
5. The key-cert object template will be shown. Fill the object template with specific data and replace the “certif:” attribute with the entire contents of the modified public key above. Your template should look something like this: (you have to protect the object using an exising mntner that typically uses MD5 and supply the password of that mntner)
   
6. After successful creation of the key-cert object, you shall get the screen below;