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Apache & Mod_SSL Installation

    • Extract all of the contents of the ZIP file that was sent to you and copy/move them to your server. The extracted contents will typically be named: yourDomainName.crt and yourDomainName.ca-bundle
      1. Move all of the certificate related files to their appropriate directories.

        A typical setup:

          1. Move the Private Key that was generated earlier to the ssl.key directory, which is typically found in /etc/ssl/. This must be a directory which only Apache can access.
          2. Move the yourDomainName.crt and yourDomainName.ca-bundle to the ssl.crt directory, which is typically found in the /etc/ssl/ directory.
      2. Edit the file that contains the SSL configuration with your favorite text editor.
        Examples: nano, vi, pico, emacs, mousepad, notepad, notepad++, etc.

        Note: The location of this file may vary from each distribution. It will be referenced in the Apache global configuration file. Look for the lines starting with include.

      3. Apache Configuration File:
        1. Fedora/CentOS/RHEL: /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf
        2. Debian and Debian based: /etc/apache2/apache2.conf

        SSL Configuration File:
        Some possible names:
        1. httpd-ssl.conf
        2. ssl.conf
        3. In the /etc/apache2/sites-enabled/ directory.

        Note: If need be please consult your distribution's documentation on Apache and SSL or navigate to the Apache Foundation's Apache2 Documentation.

        4. In the VirtualHost section of the file please add these directives if they do not exist. It is best to comment out what is already there and add the below entries.

        1. SSLEngine on
        2. SSLCertificateKeyFile /etc/ssl/ssl.key/server.key
        3. SSLCertificateFile /etc/ssl/ssl.crt/yourDomainName.crt
        4. SSLCertificateChainFile /etc/ssl/ssl.crt/yourDomainName.ca-bundle ***

        *** Apache 1.x:
        Please use SSLCACertificateFile instead of SSLCertificateChainFile.

        Note: The above paths in the directives are only used as examples. Your server may have a different path and may need to be modified to suit your needs.

        5. Save your config file and restart the Apache service.