SSL certificate download common problems? Senior operation and maintenance will teach you to solve it

for website operation and maintenance personnel, SSL certificate is the core tool to ensure the security of website data transmission, and SSL certificate download as a key link before deployment, often encounter various problems. For example, the formal download entrance cannot be found, the certificate format is incompatible after download, and the permission error occurs during the download process. If these problems cannot be solved in time, it will directly affect the deployment progress of HTTPS on the website. This paper combines the practical experience of senior operation and maintenance to sort out the common problems of the whole process of SSL certificate download, and gives targeted solutions to help operation and maintenance personnel complete relevant operations efficiently.

What should I do before downloading an SSL certificate?

many operation and maintenance personnel have problems when downloading SSL certificates, which is rooted in insufficient preparation in advance. Doing these preparations in advance can greatly reduce the probability of errors in subsequent operations.

1, Confirm the certificate application status

before starting the SSL certificate download operation, first log in to the certificate application platform to confirm that the certificate has passed the review and is in a downloadable state. Different types of SSL certificate review cycles are different, DV-type certificates usually pass in a few minutes, OV and EV-type certificates may take 1-3 working days. If the review disapproved, the platform will not open the download entrance. At this time, the review information needs to be supplemented in time.

2 Verify server environment requirements

different server environments have different requirements for SSL certificate formats, such as Apache server commonly uses PEM format, IIS server commonly uses PFX format, Nginx server supports PEM or CRT format. Before downloading the SSL certificate, confirm the specific model and version of the server in advance, and choose the matching certificate format to avoid re-operation due to format incompatibility after downloading.

3, preparation platform Orthrus

SSL certificate download operation requires the corresponding authority of the platform, some enterprise certificate platforms will set multi-level permissions, if the current account does not have download permissions, you need to contact the administrator to apply for permission to open, and confirm that the network environment of the login device is stable to avoid network fluctuations.

How to solve the abnormality in the SSL certificate download process?

SSL certificate download process, often encounter all kinds of sudden abnormalities, these problems are mostly related to platform settings, network environment or account permissions, the following are solutions to common problems.

1, can not find the SSL certificate download entrance

If you can't find the SSL certificate download entrance after logging in to the certificate platform, first check whether the certificate status is issued. If the status is normal, you can try to refresh the page or change the browser. The cache of some browsers will cause the page to load abnormally. In addition, the SSL certificate download entrance of some platforms will be placed under the "My Certificate" or "Issued Certificate" column, you can carefully check the navigation menu of the platform.

2, SSL certificate download permission error

encounter permission error, first confirm whether the current login account is a certificate applicant or has been authorized to download. If not authorized, you need to contact the platform administrator to add permissions. In addition, some platforms will set IP whitelists. If the IP of the current operating device is not in the whitelist, permission restrictions will also be triggered. At this time, you can apply to add the operating IP to the whitelist, or use the device already in the whitelist to download the SSL certificate.

3, SSL certificate after downloading file corruption

If the SSL certificate is damaged after downloading, first check whether there is a network interruption during the download process, and then re-download the SSL certificate. It is recommended to use the download tool that comes with the browser to avoid using a third-party downloader to cause abnormal file compression. After the download is completed, the integrity of the file can be verified through the MD5 check code. If the check code is inconsistent with the platform, it means that the file is indeed damaged and needs to be downloaded again.

How to verify the validity of the SSL certificate after downloading?

complete the SSL certificate download, can not be directly deployed to the server, you need to verify the validity of the certificate, to avoid the certificate problem caused by deployment failure.

1, check the certificate file format

check whether the file format after downloading the SSL certificate matches according to the server environment confirmed earlier. For example, for the Apache server, the downloaded certificate file should be suffixed with .pem or .crt. If the download is pfx format, you can convert it through the format conversion tool provided by the platform, or use the OpenSSL tool to manually convert the format. After conversion, confirm the compatibility of the format again.

2, verify the integrity of the certificate content

use the certificate viewing tool to open the downloaded SSL certificate, and check whether the domain name information, valid period, and authority in the certificate are consistent with the application information. Focus on confirming whether the domain name contains all subdomains that need to be covered, whether the valid period meets expectations, and whether the authority is a trusted CA authority. If there is any information discrepancy, you need to contact the certificate platform to re-issue and re-download the SSL certificate.

3, test certificate compatibility

some SSL certificates may have browser compatibility problems. You can upload and download the certificate file through the online SSL detection tool to test whether mainstream browsers and mobile devices can recognize the certificate normally. If compatibility problems are detected, you need to confirm whether the root certificate of the certificate is a trusted root certificate. If necessary, you can contact the CA authority to obtain a complete certificate chain file.

4. How to do backup management after SSL certificate download?

complete the SSL certificate download and verify the validity, doing a good job of certificate backup is an important part of ensuring the long-term security of the website to avoid the interruption of website services due to certificate loss or damage.

1 Choose a secure backup storage location

SSL certificate is sensitive information, choose a safe storage location when backing up, avoid storing it in public network devices or unencrypted hard disks. It is recommended to use encrypted cloud storage services, or store it in an offline encrypted U disk, and keep a record of the storage location to avoid not finding backup files when needed later.

2, backup the complete certificate related files

when the SSL certificate download backup, not only backup the certificate file itself, but also backup the corresponding private key file, certificate chain file and download certificate. The private key file is the core of the certificate deployment, if lost, the certificate cannot be redeployed. The certificate chain file can ensure that the browser recognizes the certificate normally, and the download certificate can be used for subsequent certificate renewal or re-download applications.

3, set the certificate expiration reminder

SSL certificates have a clear valid period. After expiration, you need to reapply and download the SSL certificate. It is recommended to set an expiration reminder at the same time when backing up the certificate. You can set a reminder 30 days in advance through the calendar tool or professional certificate management tool to reserve enough time to complete the certificate renewal and deployment to avoid the interruption of the HTTPS service of the website due to the expiration of the certificate.

To sum up, SSL certificate download is a key pre-site HTTPS deployment link, from the preliminary preparations, to the download process of exception handling, and then to the verification and backup after downloading, each link has details that need to be paid attention to. As long as we follow the method of this article, prepare in advance, solve the abnormality in time, carefully verify the certificate, and do a good job in backup management, we can successfully complete the SSL certificate download operation and lay a solid foundation for the subsequent website security deployment.