Secure Server Guide

Secure Socket Layer encryption (SSL) provides additional security for businesses that deal with sensitive or confidential information, or offer secure transactions online. SSL support is included with all web hosting plans.

SSL on your own domain (https://www.yourdomain.com) requires that you purchase your own SSL certificate. This confirms that you are who you say you are and is necessary for SSL to to function correctly. This process requires us to generate a Certificate Signing Request and that you have this signed by a Certification Authority. The signed certificate is then installed to your domain. FastVirtual supports VeriSign, Thawte and GeoTrust certificates, as well as others.

Shared Secure Server

FastVirtual provides a shared secure server as standard with all web hosting plans. This is immediately available for use and requires no special configuration or uploads. Simply point your browser to https://www.yourdomain.com/ and all content uploaded to your domain will be available securely.

Although the shared secure server is fully functional, visitors using modern browsers will receive a warning as our shared key will not match your domain name. For eCommerce purposes we therefore strongly recommend that you purchase your own SSL certificate (https://www.yourdomain.com).

File Locations

All documents on your site can be accessed normally, through your own secure server and through the shared secure server. The following URLs display identical content:

http://www.yourdomain.com/
https://www.yourdomain.com/

Similarly, the "cgi-bin" directory is mirrored:

http://www.yourdomain.com/cgi-bin/
https://www.yourdomain.com/cgi-bin/

Many of our free web tools and scripts are also mirrored:

http://www.yourdomain.com/cgi-t/
https://www.yourdomain.com/cgi-t/

CGI Issues

CGI scripts are executed identically on the normal web server and the secure server. You can determine the server type within your CGI script by examining the HTTPS environment variable. If HTTPS=ON, the script is being accessed through the secure server. Otherwise it is being accessed through the normal web server.

Please see our tips for writing portable CGI for guidelines on developing scripts that function correctly on both secure and normal web servers.

Costs Involved in Using SSL

There are no costs involved in using the shared secure server.

SSL on your own domain (https://www.yourdomain.com) requires that you purchase your own SSL certificate. This confirms that you are who you say you are and is necessary for SSL to to function correctly.

This process requires us to generate a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) and that you have this signed by a Certification Authority (CA), such as VeriSign, Thawte or GeoTrust. The signed certificate is then installed on your domain.

A CSR can be automatically requested from the "Hosting" area of your control panel. The process involves a $25.00 setup fee, which includes the installation and configuration of your issued certificate.

FastVirtual supports VeriSign, Thawte and GeoTrust certificates, as well as others. Please visit your control panel for current pricing.

Obtaining Your SSL Certificate

To obtain your SSL certificate and establish your own https://www.yourdomain.com/ secure URL, please visit the 'Hosting' section of your account control panel and select Commerce. Under SSL, select Add/Manage SSL keys and click Create a new SSL Request for a New Domain.

If you require a VeriSign or Thawte certificate, you can choose for FastVirtual to complete the application on your behalf, or to complete the process yourself. For other certificate types, you will need to complete the process yourself.

1. Enter your information as it should appear in your SSL certificate. The information you provide will be used to generate your CSR (Certificate Signing Request), so double-check for errors. Once issued, a CSR cannot be altered, so if you discover an error when you reach step 3, you will have to start the whole process again.
    
2. Once you have submitted your details, if you selected for FastVirtual to complete the application, you have nothing further to do. If you selected to complete the process yourself, you will receive your completed CSR by email (please allow at least 48 hours), together with a link to your stipulated CA's (Certification Authority's) application URL.
    
3. Follow the link provided and paste the CSR into the designated form. Then follow the step-by-step application process.
   
   During this process you will be prompted to verify the accuracy of the information provided in your CSR. You should double-check this, as it cannot be modified once you complete the application process.
   
   You will be asked to provide organizational information about your company, which needs to be verifiable. This can include your D&B DUNS number, or a copy of your Certificate of Incorporation. At this stage, you will also be prompted for payment information.
    
4. Once your certificate has been issued, usually within 3-5 days, you will be notified by email and given a link to the applicable CA's web site, where you certificate can be downloaded.
    
5. Simply send the signed certificate (in plain-text) to support@fastvirtual.com, making sure you include your account name in the subject line of your email.
    
   We will notify you once the installation has been completed (please allow at least 48 hours). Once your certificate has been installed, your secure URL, https://www.yourdomain.com/, will be active.

Choosing VeriSign, Thawte or GeoTrust

FastVirtual supports VeriSign, Thawte and GeoTrust certificates, as well as others. It's up to you to decide which better serves your needs, based on price and browser compatibility.

Please visit your control panel for current pricing.

Moving Your Secure Key to FastVirtual from Another Provider

If you wish to move an existing SSL certificate to FastVirtual from another hosting provider, you should send us both the certificate and the key. If you are unable to provide both items, you will have to apply to your certification authority for a new key.

Secure Server Specification

FastVirtual uses Stronghold-powered secure servers, a derivative of Apache (our normal web servers). Security is assured with Stronghold, which utilizes the most robust authentication protocols and standards available today. Stronghold is stable, reliable, and features 128-bit encryption; the current maximum.

Every effort has been made to ensure secure servers behave identically to the normal web servers. SSL is fully compatible with the storefront systems included with our Gold, Platinum and Platinum Plus hosting plans, as well as many other ecommerce applications.

Find Out More

To find out more about secure server IDs, please see the Symantec/VeriSign FAQ, or the Symantec/Thawte SSL Overview.