Palo Alto Security Certificate

The Linn-Mar Community School District is using a Palo Alto filter. In order to connect to the Linn-Mar network and access the internet, a Palo Alto security certificate must be installed. Most district-owned devices should already have this configuration, however, some devices may have been missed. If you are a staff member and feel as though your district-owned device is not set up properly, please open a work order and include the tag number of your device. Students should request their teachers open any work orders that need to be submitted regarding their devices.

Many people bring their own devices and wish to connect to the district network. Below are instructions on how to quickly install the Palo Alto security certificate for various devices. Typically, all that is needed is to download the certificate is to open it and follow the onscreen instructions. No one is required to install the certificate on their personal devices. These instructions are for those who choose to do so.

Any Linn-Mar student or faculty member that installs the Palo Alto Security Certificate on their own device should be able to connect to the LM Student or LM Faculty wireless network using the same credentials they use to log onto a district-owned device. If you are a guest in our district, please feel connect to our Guest Network.

For help installing the Palo Alto security certificate please use the instructions below. There are instructions for iPhone/iPad, Android, Windows, and Chromebooks.

How to install on an iPhone/iPad (iOS):

  1. Download the Palo Alto Security Certificate using your Safari browser
    The browser does matter! If you use the camera, it should open Safari. Snapchat and other apps might not.
  2. Press Install
  3. Enter passcode for phone
  4. Press Install
  5. Press Done to exit the security certificate installation
  6. Navigate to Settings > General > About > Certificate Trust Settings (at bottom of screen)
  7. Click on the toggle next to Linn-Mar CSD
  8. Press Continue to finish

How to install on a phone or tablet running Android OS:

  1. PLEASE UNDERSTAND that your android device will need to have a PIN set before you can install any security certificate on the device. This is found under Settings > Security > Screen Lock
    This is a step which cannot be undone once the certificate is installed.
  2. Download the Palo Alto Security Certificate to your device
    * Some QR code apps will have a built-in browser, which might not download the file. Look for and take the option to open this page in a real browser. If nothing happens after the download, look in My Files and click the file.
  3. At the Name the Certificate screen, give the security certificate a name (Palo Alto) and press the OK button.
    * Some androids will offer you a choice at this point between WI-FI and VPN & Apps. You should choose VPN & Apps, even if that feels counter-intuitive!
  4. You can verify that the certificate is installed by going to Settings>Security>Trusted Credentials>User
    * Your menu may be different. You should be able to search the settings for “security certificates”. You are looking for a way to View Security Certificates. Then, click on User.

How to install on a Mac:

  1. Download the Palo Alto Security Certificate using your Safari browser. The browser does matter!
  2. Navigate to Finder>Applications>Utilities>Keychain Access
  3. Select System in the left-hand column
  4. Open File>Import Items and import the ‘NAME OF CERTIFICATE’ files into the System keychain

How to install on a Windows device (including FireFox directions):

If you have a Windows PC which is not owned by Linn-Mar, you will need to install the Palo Alto security certificate to use our network. The first step is to download the Palo Alto Security Certificate and save it locally on your computer (in the Downloads folder by default).

Installing the Certificate:

  1. Double click to open the certificate you just downloaded
  2. Click Install Certificate
  3. Choose Local Machine>Next
  4. Click Browse
  5. Choose Trusted Root Certification Authorities
  6. Click OK
  7. Click Next
  8. Click Finish

Mozilla Firefox Users:

Firefox requires additional security settings before you can use their browser with a certificate:

  1. Open Firefox, and type “about:config” in the address bar, then hit Enter. Click on “I accept the risk!”.
  2. You should now see a very long list. Ignore that and type “security.enterprise_roots” in the search bar.
  3. Double click on “security.enterprise_roots.enabled”, which should toggle it to True.

How to install on a Chromebook (Manually):

Important Note: On a Chromebook, SSL certificates are applied at the user level. This means that the certificate will need to be re-installed for each user if more than one user uses the device.

Installing an SSL Certificate (as a Trusted Root Certification Authority):

  1. Download the Palo Alto Security Certificate
  2. In the Chrome browser type chrome://settings in the address bar.
  3. Scroll down to HTTP/SSL settings and Click Manage Certificates.
  4. The Certificate Manager window should appear. Click Authorities.
  5. Below the list of the current Certificate Authorities, click the Import button (you may have to scroll down to see this).
  6. Locate the certificate you downloaded earlier and click Open.
  7. In the Certificate Authority window that appears, check Trust this certificate for identifying websites and Trust this certificate for identifying email users.
  8. Click OK
  9. You should now be able to see the certificate in the list of Authorities, which would indicate success.
  10. When connecting to Linn-Mar wireless, look for the Server CA Certificate option and select Do Not Check.