Vidensdatabase

An alternative to the self-generated shared server certificate is a personalized self-signed certificate.  First, access the SSL menu by clicking the "Advanced Tools" link from the main control panel menu, then click the "Install SSL Certificates" icon.

Step 1:  Click the radio buttons to select "Create your own self signed certificate."

Step 2:  Enter the information about yourself and your company.

A list of country codes is available at: http://www.site-helper.com/countrycodes.txt

The Common Name is the exact web address the certificate is associated with.  In the above example, https://www.garys-host.com/anything would be valid, but not https://subdomain.garys-host.com.

Step 3:  Click the "Save" button at the bottom of the screen.  You will be taken back to the SSL menu.

Understanding non-Trusted Certificates

Although non-Trusted certificates provide a high level of encryption, they are not always the best choice because they are self-generated instead of purchased from a trusted authority.  Because of this, visitors to your site may receive a warning popup window when they access a secure page:

If you can put up with this inconvenience, then a self-generated secure certificate is adequate for your site.  If you are a company selling goods or services, we highly recommend that you purchase a trusted certificate.  A non-trusted certificate may be harmful to a web site's reputation.

Uploading Files to your Secure Site

All secure files need to be uploaded to the /domains/domain.com/private_html directory.  You may upload using the control panel's built-in file manager or FTP.  For example,

/domains/domain.com/private_html/index.html            ---> https://www.yourdomain.com/index.html

/domains/domain.com/private_html/secure/index.html ---> https://www.yourdomain.com/secure/index.html

The private_html directory operates the exact same way as the public_html directory.

Note:  You will not see a private_html directory if the SSL feature isn't enabled on your account.