code: public Key retrievePrivateSignerKey() throws Exception {
          KeyStore ks = null;
          Key k = null;
          try {
              ks = KeyStore.getInstance(signerType, signerProvider);
              InputStream is = openKeyStore(signerKeyFileLocation);
              ks.load(is, signerPassword.toCharArray());
              k = ks.getKey(signerAlias, signerPassword.toCharArray());
          } catch (java.security.NoSuchProviderException ne) {
              if (tc.isDebugEnabled())
                  Tr.debug(tc, "Exception opening keystore: no such provider.", ne.getMessage());
              throw new Exception(ne.getMessage());
          } catch (java.net.MalformedURLException me) {
              if (tc.isDebugEnabled())
                  Tr.debug(tc, "Exception opening keystore: malformed URL", me.getMessage());
              throw new Exception(me.getMessage());
          } catch (java.security.KeyStoreException ke) {
              if (tc.isDebugEnabled())
                  Tr.debug(tc, "Exception opening keystore.", ke.getMessage());
              throw new Exception(ke.getMessage());
          } catch (java.security.UnrecoverableKeyException uke) {
              if (tc.isDebugEnabled())
                  Tr.debug(tc, "Exception opening keystore.", uke.getMessage());
              throw new Exception(uke.getMessage());
          } catch (java.security.NoSuchAlgorithmException ae) {
              if (tc.isDebugEnabled())
                  Tr.debug(tc, "Exception opening keystore: no such algorithm", ae.getMessage());
              throw new Exception(ae.getMessage());
          } catch (java.security.cert.CertificateException ce) {
              if (tc.isDebugEnabled())
                  Tr.debug(tc, "Exception getting certificate.", ce.getMessage());
              throw new Exception(ce.getMessage());
          } catch (java.io.IOException ioe) {
              if (tc.isDebugEnabled())
                  Tr.debug(tc, "Exception opening keystore.", ioe.getMessage());
              throw new Exception(ioe.getMessage());
  
          }
          return k;
      }
docs: <p>
  The <code>retrievePrivateSignerKey</code> method retrieves the private key associated with
  the Adminstrator's certificate used to sign the audit records.
  </p>
  
  @return a Key object