I wanted to install an SSL certificate on my main server IP so my clients could use SSL connections to the mail server, didn't sound too tough....now I'm stuck. Everytime I try to install the CA Cert I just purchased following the notes here
http://www.directadmin.com/technotes.html on the server main domain, it breaks httpd (I cannot restart). I've been at it for hours. On the tech notes it says
You should see 2 virtual host directives. With the one that says <VirtualHost <yourip>:443> you must modify the SSL tags.
You appear to be following instructions for adding a Certificate to apache; email requires a Certificate be added to Dovecot. However I'm still not sure what you're doing, because nothing you're doing should be breaking apache, which I think is what you're saying.
Does this mean I should edit the two files, inserting the new Key & Cert?
For apache yes.
And you should also create the third file and insert whatever extra CA Certificates your vendor sent you. I can't help you further with this because you didn't tell us which brand Certificate you bought.
When I try that, it fails.
That's not enough information. What evidence of failure do you get? Exactly what, and where?
I thought it might mean to create new crt & key files with the new Key & Cert, so I tried that. That breaks httpd, too. Everything I do seems to break httpd...
Not enough information. What did you name the files, where did you put them, how did you tell Apache you were using different files?
A little more info. I have created a single domain (example.com) for the user Admin. The CA Certificate is for example.com.
The link you posted is not a link to instructions for a domain created under the admin user level; you do that through the control panel. These instructions are for a Certificate you'd need to see the server's hostname at
https://hostname.example.com, files for which are stored at /var/www/html.
But again, I'm not sure what you mean by this; I thought you were trying to set up an email Certificate.
Before I purchased the CA Cert I first tried a self-signed Cert and then the DA cert, the mail client I was using didn't like either cert (it would just disconnect when it saw an untrusted cert).
I don't see where any of the above can get an email Certificate installed, so I'm not sure what you mean by this. But that said, most email clients can be told to accept an otherwise untrusted Secure Certificate.
For what purpose are you trying to install a Secure Certificate for email? For login, for transmission of email, or for something else?
Note that my company, NoBaloney Internet Services, sells Secure Certificates for all purposes, with or without installation, at prices beginning at $35 for users of the DirectAdmin forum. I and others will be happy to help you on these forums as time and resources permit, but if you'd like a commercial service please feel free to email me at the address below in my siglines.
Jeff
