D.1 Generating an SSL Certificate for the Server

Using SSL requires that you install an SSL certificate form on each iFolder enterprise server, Web Admin server and Web Access server in your domain. Users accept the certificates to enable communications with the servers.

The certificate can be a self-signed certificate or a certificate from a trusted certificate authority. A self-signed certificate is usually used only for internal iFolder services, where the server’s identity is not likely to be spoofed. The trusted CA signature on the certificate attests that the public key contained in the certificate belongs to the person, organization, server, or other entity noted in the certificate. It assures users that they are accessing a valid, non-spoofed resource. If the information does not match or the certificate has expired, an error message warns the user.

Browsers are typically preconfigured to trust well-known certificate authorities. If you use a Certificate Authority that is not configured into browsers by default, it is necessary to load the Certificate Authority certificate into the browser, enabling the browser to validate server certificates signed by that Certificate Authority.

To acquire SSL certificates for use in an operational public-key infrastructure (PKI), use one of the following methods, depending on your network needs:

  • Use the self-signed certificate that is created and enabled for the server by default during the server install.

  • Use the services of a third-party certificate authority to get trusted certificate, then use it instead of accepting the default certificate during the sever install.

Whichever method you use, the certificate is automatically used for the Apache Web Server configuration. If it does not automatically configure the certificate for the Apache Web Server, see the following: