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Installing SSL Certificates and Shared SSL
To secure your domain with an SSL certificate you can either use
one you already have, use a temporary certificate, or purchase
a permanent certificate. Here are the instructions for these
options.
Using the Key and Certificate You Already Have
SSL requires a dedicated IP, because name-based hosting does not
support data encryption in HTTP requests. To enable SSL, do the
following in your End User CP:
- Select Domain info in the Domain Settings menu.
- Click the Edit icon in the Web Service field.
- Enable SSL for the domain in the list.
- Enter the SSL Server Private Key and SSL Certificate in the
boxes that appear.
- In the Site Name field, choose whether you want to
secure with or without the www prefix. Only one option
will work correctly. For instance, if you choose to secure http://www.domain.com,
your visitors will get security warnings when they go to http://domain.com.
- Click Submit. Now your site is secured.
Creating a Temporary
Certificate
The only difference between temporary and permanent certificates
is that temporary certificates are generated by your control panel,
not trusted Certificate Authorities. Thus, when visitors enter your
site, they will get the "unknown certification authority"
warning window.
To generate a new temporary SSL private key and certificate, do
the following:
- Select Domain info in the Domain Settings menu.
- Click the Edit icon in the Web Service field.
- Enable SSL for the domain in the list.
- Click the link at the top of the form that appears.
- On the page that appears, confirm your details by clicking the
Submit button.
This data will be used to generate the certificate. Don't
make changes to the data if you are not sure about the purpose
of these changes.
- Follow instructions that appear at the top of the next page.
- SSL Certificate Signing request. It includes the details
that you submitted on the previous step. Use this request if
you want to get a permanent SSL certificate from a trusted
Certificate Authority, such as Thawte
and VeriSign
(see below).
- SSL Server Private Key. This is the secret key to decrypt
messages from your visitors. It must be stored in a secure
place where it is inaccessible to others. Don't lose this
key, you will need it if you get a permanent certificate.
- Temporary SSL Certificate. It validates your identity and
confirms the public key to assure the visitors that they are
communicating with your server, not any other party.
Acquiring a Permanent
Certificate
To get a permanent certificate, do the following:
- Generate a temporary SSL certificate (see above).
- Copy the certificate signing request (CSR) and private key for
later use.
- Go to Thawte,
VeriSign,
Geotrust, InstantSSL.com, or any other Certificate Authority and
order a new certificate. When requested, enter the signing
request that you have saved.
- After the permanent SSL Certificate has been generated, save
it to a secure location.
- In our End User CP, select Domain info in the Domain
Settings menu.
- Go to the Web Service page and click the Edit icon
in the SSL field.
- Enter the certificate into the upper box of the form that
opens and click Upload:
Note: For Equifax, also enter the certificate authority file;
for COMODO.NET, also enter the rootchain certificate
(Certificate Chain File).
- Now you can use the certificate jointly with the private key
you have saved.
Renewing Permanent Certificates
If your certificate is about to expire, do the following:
- Find the certificate signing request (CSR) that you saved when
acquiring the old certificate.
- Go to your certificate authority and choose to renew the
certificate. When requested, enter the CSR.
- After the permanent SSL Certificate has been generated, save
it to a secure location.
- Select Domain info in the Domain Settings menu.
- Go to the Web Service page and click the Edit icon
in the SSL field.
- Enter the certificate into the upper box of the form that
opens ("Install Certificate based on previously generated
Certificate request"):
Note: For Equifax, also enter the certificate authority file;
for COMODO.NET, also enter the rootchain certificate
(Certificate Chain File).
- Click Submit.
- Now you can use the certificate jointly with the private key
you have saved.
Installing Shared SSL Certificates
If you would like to allow your customers to "share"
your SSL certificate then you will need to purchase a
"wildcard" certificate from
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