SSL

[Guest]

I am new...can soeone tell me where to get the SSL certificate, and then where to find instructions on intalling?

 

Thanks...

[orangeman]

i also need this to

 

my admin panel says

 

You are not protected by a secure SSL connection.

[natewlew]

Most of the time you just buy it from your hosting company and they install it for you. If you run your own server, you will have to install it yourself. Which is not very hard.

[Druid6900]

I am new...can soeone tell me where to get the SSL certificate, and then where to find instructions on intalling?

 

Thanks...

 

Check in your ISP control panel to see if your provider has a shared SSL certificate. Some do, some don't. If you're not sure, ask them.

 

Installing a shared certificate depends a lot on how they do it. Some just have a mirrored site starting with https while others have a completely different url.

[robin7707]

So if they have a different URL, can you perhaps explain what happens then? Sorry, another newbie just rying to learn. And having some issues doing that. Thanks.

[Druid6900]

So if they have a different URL, can you perhaps explain what happens then? Sorry, another newbie just rying to learn. And having some issues doing that. Thanks.

 

I would be most happy to;

 

Taking a chunk of my catalog/includes/configure.php file, a different URL based SSL system would be set up something like this (the rest of the code is the server configuration and isn't usually shown to people without the info blocked out as a security thing)

 

// Define the webserver and path parameters
// * DIR_FS_* = Filesystem directories (local/physical)
// * DIR_WS_* = Webserver directories (virtual/URL)
 define('HTTP_SERVER', 'http://www.vintagecomputerparts.com'); // eg, http://localhost - should not be empty for productive servers
 define('HTTPS_SERVER', 'https://linux1.nshosts.com/vintagecomputerparts'); // eg, https://localhost - should not be empty for productive servers
 define('ENABLE_SSL', true); // secure webserver for checkout procedure?
 define('HTTP_COOKIE_DOMAIN', 'www.vintagecomputerparts.com');
 define('HTTPS_COOKIE_DOMAIN', 'linux1.nshosts.com/vintagecomputerparts');
 define('HTTP_COOKIE_PATH', '/catalog/');
 define('HTTPS_COOKIE_PATH', '/catalog/');
 define('DIR_WS_HTTP_CATALOG', '/catalog/');
 define('DIR_WS_HTTPS_CATALOG', '/catalog/');
 define('DIR_WS_IMAGES', 'images/');
 define('DIR_WS_ICONS', DIR_WS_IMAGES . 'icons/');
 define('DIR_WS_INCLUDES', 'includes/');
 define('DIR_WS_BOXES', DIR_WS_INCLUDES . 'boxes/');
 define('DIR_WS_FUNCTIONS', DIR_WS_INCLUDES . 'functions/');
 define('DIR_WS_CLASSES', DIR_WS_INCLUDES . 'classes/');
 define('DIR_WS_MODULES', DIR_WS_INCLUDES . 'modules/');
 define('DIR_WS_LANGUAGES', DIR_WS_INCLUDES . 'languages/');

 define('DIR_WS_DOWNLOAD_PUBLIC', 'pub/');
 define('DIR_FS_CATALOG', '/home/vintagecomputerparts/catalog/');
 define('DIR_FS_DOWNLOAD', DIR_FS_CATALOG . 'download/');
 define('DIR_FS_DOWNLOAD_PUBLIC', DIR_FS_CATALOG . 'pub/');

 

Now, as you can see, in the case of my ISP, the SSL url is nothing like the domain url, other than that fact that it points to a specific account on the SSL server. The above code assumes your store resides in the catalog folder and not in the root directory.

 

OsC is wriiten in such a way that it will apply the certificate to the appropriate pages when they are called. This includes any Account function, the checkout procedure and, I believe, the logout function.

 

Things such as the Admin Panel don't really need to be covered by a SSL as there is no exchange of confidential information occuring there. The Admin directory should be password protected though, by whatever method you have at hand.

 

I hope this helps to explain it a bit better.

[MikeXRyan]

Can you get your SSL certificate from any host provider or must you obtain one from the host provider of your website?

 

My host provider wants $129 for one year. >_<

 

Mike

[Druid6900]

Can you get your SSL certificate from any host provider or must you obtain one from the host provider of your website?

 

My host provider wants $129 for one year. >_<

 

Mike

 

No, you can buy a SSL certificate from a number of third party sources and install it on your site. Prices run from very cheap to very expensive depending on the "strength" of the encryption and the name of the company. You want, at least, 128bit strength.

 

Your ISP is probably an agent for some SSL company and gets a piece of the action from each sale.

[MikeXRyan]

No, you can buy a SSL certificate from a number of third party sources and install it on your site. Prices run from very cheap to very expensive depending on the "strength" of the encryption and the name of the company. You want, at least, 128bit strength.

 

Your ISP is probably an agent for some SSL company and gets a piece of the action from each sale.

 

Thanks Rich. I have two host providers and will check with the alternate to see what they charge. If too much I'll look around. Appreciate the information.

 

Mike

[Jack_mcs]

Do yourself a favor and get one from godaddy. They have the best deal going now at $20/year, considering the service too. But before you do that, be sure to check with your host to make sure they will allow it to be installed. Some hosts require that you purchase from them. Or they may have to install it for you, in which case there might be an additonal charge.

 

Jack

[Druid6900]

Thanks Rich. I have two host providers and will check with the alternate to see what they charge. If too much I'll look around. Appreciate the information.

 

Mike

 

You're welcome, and Jack is right (I can't comment on GoDaddy, never having hosted anything there), but about asking who can install it and how much it will cost. That was an oversight on my part.

 

Nice save, Jack :)

[coast2co]

The SSL shared isn't a go way to go not if your running a catalog. Reason being is because when google scans and indexes the pages of your site when your behind a shared SSL it will index the pages as an internal coding/routing and your url will not get the credits on the indexing of the search engine. Example I have over 1200 pages indexes with google. If I was shared SSL I'd have about 100 pages and the products would behind the Share SSL and therefore encode in a routing through your ISP. Not aways but most of the time its that way. I pay $112.00 for 2 years for a SSL Pro certificate . There are numerous SSL companies such as GeoTrust, Comodo and a few more, just shop around you can find what you need. A Server ought not to force you into purchasing there certiifcate. Usually they mark it up and they probably get the same product you can if you shop for it.