SSL Question

[macbeth76]

I am currently hosting with OLM.net which is a really good reseller program. I am looking to going to a dedicated server not with olm.net My question is about ssl. How do you add it to each virtual domain. Is there a way to run only one and everyone access it. Where do you get the certificate from?

[Dedicatedhost]

From what I understand, the SSL key goes with the "main" domain name on that IP so all of your virtual domains would share that SSL. If you want an SSL for a specific domain then it will need it's own IP. Look into either Verisign http://www.versign.com or Thawte http://www.thawte.com to purchase the actual the certificate.
Hope this helps!

[Martie]

We lease our own servers with Alabanza.com
However, we had to purchase our Thawte certificate directly from Thawte for a charge. It also depends "how" you purchase that certificate as far as the usage.
In our case, we wanted out clients to be able to share the cert (or not have to purchase their own unless they chose to) so we bought ours server wide. You can also find out alot of info at the Thawte site about the certs, and usage of.

[Omair Haroon]

Hello,

Martie, can you tell us for how much did you got the certificate. and how much would it cost me to provide my clients with their own ssl certificate.
Often, most of the webhosting companies include in their packages that if we want SSl on their certificate then ti would cost US$blah blah and if we want our own certificate it wold cost us US$9.95/month ?
What if my client wants his own certificate? What would this cost me ?


Thanks and Regards,
Omair Haroon

[akashik]

Omair,

A thawte certificate costs $125 each. If you as a company are part of Thawte's hosting program you can purchase them on our customer's behalf for $100. Verisign is the top of the heap price wise at over $300 for each cert, with Equifax is a lot cheaper at $99. Tucows are also doing secure certs now too I believe at $99

As a personal preference I like Thawte. All do pretty much the same thing really so it's usually a matter of choice for each person.

There is a company with free certificates called Globalsign. A quick check tells me this expires on the 16th of April. I'm not sure about them though. They're new and possibly not supported by a lot of companies as yet.

Oh, quick edit. Server Wide certs are a great deal more expensive than individual domain ones...

Greg Moore

[Omair Haroon]

Originally posted by akashik
Omair,

1). If you as a company are part of Thawte's hosting program you can purchase them on our customer's behalf for $100.
2). Equifax is a lot cheaper at $99.
3). Tucows are also doing secure certs now too I believe at $99

4). There is a company with free certificates called Globalsign.
5). Server Wide certs are a great deal more expensive than individual domain ones...



In 1, what do you mean thawte hosting program?

in 2, what is the website of equifax? are they same as the thawte ?

in 3, what is the url for their cert. website and again are they same as thawte?

4, what is their website address and once again are they same as thawte ?


are all the above cert. can run on cobalt raq 3 ?
and can i provide my customers a secure folder or website to my hosted clients ?

thanks a lot,
Omair Haroon

[akashik]

1. http://www.thawte.com/partners/contents.html
2. http://www.equifax.com
3. https://certs.tucows.com/
4. http://www.globalsign.com/

Will they run on a RAQ 3? I honestly couldn't say as I've never used a RAQ. I see no reason they shouldn't as all certificates are issued according to the type of SSL you have installed on the server. You just select it from the list when you apply for one. The only problem I ever had was with Equifax. We use Apache+SSL while the closest on their list was Apache+MOD SSL. It seems to work though so it ended up being a moot point really.

Greg Moore

[Omair Haroon]

thanks a lot.
But I am confused. Soon I would be getting a Ded. Server and would be providing hosting to my clients. Would you help me buying a cert. for my server so that I can give my clients a secure site too ?


Thanks,
Omair Haroon

[Phoenix]

Omair,

There are certain rules regarding the usage of SSL certificates. They are more significant than just providing encryption of data.

What they also do is prove to a site visitor that the issuing authority has verified that the company they are doing business with is a legitimate organization, before they issue them an encryption key.

Some companies do get a single SSL cert and throw it on their server and use the same encryption key for all of their virtual domains. Can you see the problem here? :eek:

I'd contact Thawte, and let one of their helpful sales reps explain the process to you. ;)

[akashik]

If you buy a server wide certificate then people on that server will be able to use it. They won't be able to have their name on the cert though, and more often than not may give a warning that the cert doesn't match the domain name. Their data will be encrypted though so that's something at least.

Really if someone is serious about selling online they should get their own certificate. If for no other reason, than to show people they are willing to invest in the little things that help customer satisfaction

Greg Moore