Which step is unnecessary when generating a CSR for a Commercial CA Certificate?

When generating a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) for a commercial Certificate Authority (CA), sending a previous certificate is not a required step. The CSR is a new request that contains the public key and information about the entity that is requesting the certificate, and it does not rely on a previous certificate.

The purpose of a CSR is to provide the CA with the necessary information to create a new digital certificate, including details such as the common name (domain name), organization, and locality. This is an independent process, meaning that prior certificates do not need to be sent along with the CSR for the new certificate to be issued.

Creating the CSR in text file format is essential because it allows the CA to read and process the request correctly. Exporting the generated RSA key pair is also crucial, as the private key must be retained securely for use with the new certificate once issued. Including relevant symbols in the CSR ensures that the data complies with the format needed for the CA to validate the request properly. These steps are necessary for successfully obtaining a new certificate.