Knowledgebase

Overview:

The features in this interface allow you to generate and manage SSL certificates, signing requests, and keys, which enhance your website’s security. They are useful for websites that regularly work with sensitive information, such as login credentials and credit card numbers. Encryption protects visitors’ communications from malicious users.

Available features

This interface contains the following features:

• Default SSL/TLS Key Type — Select the type of key the system uses by default for SSL/TLS certificates and certificate signing requests.
• Private Keys (KEY) — Generate, view, upload, or delete private keys.
• Certificate Signing Requests (CSR) — Generate, view, or delete SSL certificate signing requests.
• Certificates (CRT) — Set up an SSL certificate for the site.
• Install and Manage SSL for your site (HTTPS) — Generate, view, upload, or delete SSL certificates.

Default SSL/TLS Key Type

The Default SSL/TLS Key Type section of this interface lets you select a preferred default SSL/TLS key type. The system uses the selected key when it provisions all SSL/TLS certificates and signing requests. When you set a new default key type, this supersedes the server’s set default key type. For more information about the available key types, read the SSL/TLS Key Types documentation.

After you select a preferred key type, click Save to update your settings.

Private Keys (KEY)

When you set up an SSL certificate for your site, you must first add a private key. To access this interface, click Generate, view, upload, or delete your private keys.

This interface allows you to perform any of the following actions:

• Generate a new private key.
• Upload an existing private key.
• Edit a current private key.
• Remove a current private key.

You can generate a new key or upload an existing key through a *.key file.

Keys on Server

The Keys on Server table contains the following information:

Generate a new private key

To generate a private key, perform the following steps:

1. Select the desired key from the Key Type menu. Optionally, in the Description text box, enter a brief description about this private key.
2. Click Generate. A new interface will appear that displays the requested key in an encoded and decoded format.
3. Copy the desired key.
4. Click Return to Private Keys. The new key displays in the Keys on Server table.
5. Upload the new key to the server. To do this, use either the paste a private key or browse for a private key methods.

Upload a new private key

Perform either of the following actions to upload a private key:

• Paste the key in the text box.
• Browse for the key.

Paste a private key

To paste a private key, perform the following steps:

1. Paste a key in the Paste the key into the following text box: text box.
2. Optionally, in the Description text box, enter a brief description about this private key.
3. Click Save to upload your private key. A new interface will appear that displays a success or failure message.

Browse for a private key

To browse for a private key, perform the following steps:

1. Click Choose File to upload a *.key file.
2. Optionally, in the Description text box, enter a brief description for this private key.
3. Click Upload. A new interface will appear that displays a success or failure message.

Delete a private key

To delete a private key, perform the following steps:

1. Locate the key that you wish to delete in the Keys on Server table.
2. Click Delete in the Actions column next to the key that you wish to remove. The system will redirect you to the Private Key interface.
3. Click Delete Key. A success or failure message will appear.

Edit and view details about a private key

To edit a key’s description or view a key, perform the following steps:

1. Locate the key that you wish to edit in the Keys on Server table.
2. Click View & Edit in the Actions column next to the key that you wish to edit. A new interface will appear that displays the description, the encoded private key, and the decoded private key.
3. Edit the Description text box.
4. Click Update. A success or failure message will appear next to the Description text box.

Certificate Signing Requests (CSR)

This interface allows you to generate, view, or delete a certificate signing request (CSR). You can also view and edit current descriptions and encoded private keys and decoded private keys.

To access this interface, click Generate, view, or delete SSL certificate signing requests.

Certificate Signing Requests on Server

The Certificate Signing Requests on Server table contains the following information:

Generate a new CSR

To generate a CSR, perform the following steps:

1. Under the Generate a New Certificate Signing Request (CSR) heading, select the key from the Key menu.
   • When you select a key, the Edit option appears. Click Edit to view and edit the information for your private key.
   • If the desired key does not appear in the menu, select the type of key you wish to generate from the Key menu. You can also add a new private key to the Private Key section of the interface.
2. Enter the required information in the text boxes below the Key menu.
3. Click Generate.

Delete a CSR

To delete a CSR, perform the following steps:

1. Locate the CSR that you wish to delete in the Certificate Signing Requests on Server table.
2. Click Delete in the Actions column. A new interface will appear.
3. Click Delete CSR to confirm.
   • A message of success or failure will appear.
   • If you do not wish to delete the CSR, click Cancel.

Edit and view details about a CSR

To edit a description or view a CSR, perform the following steps:

1. Locate the CSR that you with to edit in the Certificate Signing Requests on Server table.
2. Click Edit in the Actions column. A new interface will appear that displays the description, the encoded CSR, and the decoded CSR.
3. Enter any desired changes in the Description text box.
4. Click Update Name. A message of success or failure will appear next to the Description text box.

Certificates (CRT)

This interface allows you to generate, view, upload, or delete SSL certificates. To access this interface, click Generate, view, upload, or delete SSL certificates.

Certificates on Server

The Certificates on Server table contains the following information:

Upload a New Certificate

To paste a certificate, perform the following steps:

1. Under the Upload a New Certificate heading, paste the text of the certificate in Paste the certificate into the following text box: text box.
2. Optionally, in the Description: text box, enter a brief description for this certificate.
3. Click Save Certificate to upload your certificate.
4. A success or error message will appear on a new screen.

To browse for a certificate, perform the following steps:

1. Under the Choose a certificate file (.crt)* heading, click Choose File.
2. Optionally, in the Description: text box, write a brief description about this certificate.
3. Click Upload Certificate.
4. A success or error message will appear.

Generate a New Certificate

To generate a self-signed SSL certificate, perform the following steps:

1. Under the Generate a New Certificate heading, select the key from the Key menu. If the desired key does not appear in the menu, use the Private Keys feature to add a new private key.
2. Enter the appropriate information in the Domains, City, State, Company, Company Division, Email, and Description text boxes and the Country menu. You must enter the Domains, City, State, Country, and Company information.
3. Click Generate.

Delete a certificate

To delete a certificate, perform the following steps:

1. Locate the certificate that you wish to delete in the Certificates on Server table.
2. Click Delete for that certificate. A new interface will appear.
3. Click Delete Certificates. A success or error message will appear.

Edit and view details about a certificate

To edit a description or view a certificate, perform the following steps:

1. Locate the certificate that you wish to edit in the Certificates on Server table.
2. Click Edit. A new interface will appear that displays the description, the encoded certificate, and the decoded certificate.
3. In the Description: text box, enter your changes, and then click Update Description. A success or error message will appear.

To delete the certificate from this interface, click Delete Certificate at the bottom of the interface.

Install a certificate

To install a certificate, click Install in the Actions column under the Certificates on Server heading.

Install and Manage SSL for your site (HTTPS)

In WHM, system administrators can create and install SSL certificates for their users’ cPanel accounts. cPanel users can manage the certificates that correspond to their domains. To access this interface, click Manage SSL sites.

This interface allows you to perform the following actions:

• Change the primary domain on a shared IP address.
• Update a certificate.
• Uninstall a certificate.
• View a certificate’s details.
• Use a certificate for another site.

The Manage Installed SSL Websites table

If a SSL certificate already exists on a domain with a dedicated IP address, the interface displays the Manage Installed SSL Websites table below the introductory text.

Install an SSL Website

Use the form in the Install an SSL Website section to install a certificate. You can use three different methods to install a certificate:

• Click Browse Certificates.
• Search by domain.
• Manually enter the information.

Browse Certificates

To use Browse Certificates to install a certificate, perform the following steps:

1. Click Browse Certificates.
2. Click the button that corresponds to the desired certificate. Only certificates that correspond to a domain appear in the list.
3. Click Use Certificate to return to the Install an SSL Host section. The certificate’s information will appear in the text boxes.
4. Optionally, enter the appropriate information in the Certificate Authority Bundle: (CABUNDLE) text box.
5. Click Install Certificate. A success or failure message will appear.

Search by domain

To search by domain to install a certificate, perform the following steps:

1. Select the desired domain in the Domain menu.
2. Click Autofill by Domain. The interface will attempt to retrieve and enter the certificate information.
   • If this step succeeds, the available text boxes will contain the appropriate information.
   • If this step does not succeed, the text boxes will remain empty.
3. Click Install Certificate. A success or failure message will appear.

Manually enter information

To manually enter the information to install a certificate, perform the following steps:

1. Select the desired domain in the Domain menu.
2. Enter the certificate information in the Certificate (CRT) text box.
3. Enter the private key information in the Private Key (KEY) text box.
4. Optionally, enter the certificate authority information in the Certificate Authority Bundle (CABUNDLE) text box.
5. Click Install Certificate. A success or failure message will appear.