Setting validity dates

[Robert Moskowitz]

On 5/11/23 12:36, Viktor Dukhovni wrote:
> On Thu, May 11, 2023 at 12:06:24PM -0400, Robert Moskowitz wrote:
>> So for now, I would have to break this into 1st using req to make a CSR,
>> then feeding that somehow into ca to actually make the cert.  I do it in
>> this two-step for sub certs (intermediate CA and EE certs).  Don't know
>> quite how to get this working for the root self-signed cert to get the
>> tree started.
> The CA can issue its first certificate as  self-signed certificate for
> its own key, and then that becomes the actual CA certificate for issuing
> the rest.
>
> You can bootstrap the CA from a self-signed certificate with the same
> issuer/subject name and key that is then replaced.
>
that I get.  But I want to control the validity date for this 
self-signed cert.  Not just today for n days.