OpenSSL error while loading CRLnumber

Question

I am unable to generate a CRL. I am probably missing something in the configuration file. The error I get is "openssl error while loading crl number." Crl config section:

 [ CA_default ]
# Directory and file locations.
dir               = box/ca
certs             = $dir/certs
crl_dir           = $dir/crl
new_certs_dir     = $dir/newcerts
database          = $dir/index.txt
serial            = $dir/serial
RANDFILE          = $dir/private/.rand
# For certificate revocation lists.
crlnumber         = $dir/crlnumber
crl               = $dir/crl/RcCA.crl
crl_extensions    = crl_ext
default_crl_days  = 30

The command I use:

openssl ca -config full-path-to-openssl.cnf  -gencrl -out full-path-to-RcCA.crl

Where rcCA is the crl file. File structure:
root CA

• certs
• crl
• csr
• intermediate
• newcerts
• pfx

• private

• serial

• openssl.cnf
• index.txt
• crlnumber

Bottom three are files, above are folders.
The answers I've found are pointing to the lack of index file. But it exists on my machine. I don't know if I put it in the right place.

Edit:

@StacksOfZtuff helped. But now I am getting different errors. I don't know if this is considered resolved or I am just masking the previous error.

22048:error:2207707B:X509 V3 routines:V2I_AUTHORITY_KEYID:unable to get issuer keyid:.\crypto\x509v3\v3_akey.c:165:

22048:error:22098080:X509 V3 routines:X509V3_EXT_nconf:error in extension:.\crypto\x509v3\v3_conf.c:95:name=authorityKeyIdentifier, value=keyid:always

Edit to second comment:

I would like to emphasize, my CA is working properly, except for the CRL issue. I am able to generate key,csr, cer and pkcs12. I seem to be able to add entries to the CRL, but when I try to call the gencrl command, I get errors. I am not even sure if it matters

See also

Follow-up post: Openssl generate CRL yields the error: unable to get issuer keyiid

Solution

Initialize crlnumber file first

Try this:

echo 1000 > crlnumber

Comments

[Moutabreath]

Thank you. Now it generates a different error. So i don't know if I should consider it resolved..:

[StackzOfZtuff]

@Moutabreath: Here's a bare-bones proof of concept shell script, that will generate a CA that can issue CRLs. (Not much else will work, though.) Make-new-OpenSSL-PoC-CA.sh Deployment info here.

[Matteo Steccolini]

I tried putting the values 0 and 1 in crlnumber, but they are not deemed valid values (the error is the same). I wonder why.

[Naitsirk]

@MatteoSteccolini: It's more about the number format than the absolute value. For 0 and 1, there has to be a leading 0, so "00" or "01" do work.