<li><a href="#mutex">Why do I get permission errors related to
SSLMutex when I start Apache?</a></li>
<li><a href="#entropy">Why does mod_ssl stop with the error "Failed to
-generate temporary 512 bit RSA private key", when I start Apache?</a></li>
+generate temporary 512 bit RSA private key" when I start Apache?</a></li>
</ul>
<h3><a name="mutex" id="mutex">Why do I get permission errors related to
<h3><a name="entropy" id="entropy">Why does mod_ssl stop with the error
- "Failed to generate temporary 512 bit RSA private key", when I start
+ "Failed to generate temporary 512 bit RSA private key" when I start
Apache?</a></h3>
<p>Cryptographic software needs a source of unpredictable data
to work correctly. Many open source operating systems provide
<p>To prevent this error, <code class="module"><a href="../mod/mod_ssl.html">mod_ssl</a></code> has to provide
enough entropy to the PRNG to allow it to work correctly. This can
be done via the <code class="directive"><a href="../mod/mod_ssl.html#sslrandomseed">SSLRandomSeed</a></code>
- directives.</p>
+ directive.</p>
</div><div class="top"><a href="#page-header"><img alt="top" src="../images/up.gif" /></a></div>
<div class="section">
<li><a href="#httpstest">How do I speak HTTPS manually for testing
purposes?</a></li>
<li><a href="#hang">Why does the connection hang when I connect to my
-SSL-aware Apache server</a></li>
+SSL-aware Apache server?</a></li>
<li><a href="#refused">Why do I get ``Connection Refused'' errors, when
trying to access my newly installed Apache+mod_ssl server via HTTPS?</a></li>
<li><a href="#envvars">Why are the <code>SSL_XXX</code> variables not
port 80, HTTPS to port 443), so there is no direct conflict between
them. You can either run two separate server instances bound to
these ports, or use Apache's elegant virtual hosting facility to
- create two virtual servers over one instance of Apache - one
- responding to requests on port 80 and speaking HTTP and the other
- responding to requests on port 443 speaking HTTPS.</p>
+ create two virtual servers, both served by the same instance of Apache
+ - one responding over HTTP to requests on port 80, and the other
+ responding over HTTPS to requests on port 443.</p>
<h3><a name="ports" id="ports">Which port does HTTPS use?</a></h3>
<p>You can run HTTPS on any port, but the standards specify port 443, which
is where any HTTPS compliant browser will look by default. You can force
- your browser to look on a different port by specifying it in the URL like
- this (for port 666): <code>https://secure.server.dom:666/</code></p>
+ your browser to look on a different port by specifying it in the URL. For
+ example, if your server is set up to serve pages over HTTPS on port 8080,
+ you can access them at <code>https://example.com:8080/</code></p>
<h3><a name="httpstest" id="httpstest">How do I speak HTTPS manually for testing purposes?</a></h3>
<p>for simple testing of Apache via HTTP, it's not so easy for
HTTPS because of the SSL protocol between TCP and HTTP. With the
help of OpenSSL's <code>s_client</code> command, however, you can
- do a similar check for HTTPS:</p>
+ do a similar check via HTTPS:</p>
<div class="example"><p><code>$ openssl s_client -connect localhost:443 -state -debug<br />
GET / HTTP/1.0</code></p></div>
perform GET and POST operations, can use a proxy, supports byte
ranges, etc. you should have a look at the nifty
<a href="http://curl.haxx.se/">cURL</a> tool. Using this, you can
- check that Apache is responding correctly on ports 80 and 443 as
+ check that Apache is responding correctly to requests via HTTP and HTTPS as
follows:</p>
<div class="example"><p><code>$ curl http://localhost/<br />
<h3><a name="hang" id="hang">Why does the connection hang when I connect
to my SSL-aware Apache server?</a></h3>
-<p>Because you connected with HTTP to the HTTPS port, i.e. you used an URL of
- the form ``<code>http://</code>'' instead of ``<code>https://</code>''.
- This also happens the other way round when you connect via HTTPS to a HTTP
- port, i.e. when you try to use ``<code>https://</code>'' on a server that
- doesn't support SSL (on this port). Make sure you are connecting to a
- virtual server that supports SSL, which is probably the IP associated with
- your hostname, not localhost (127.0.0.1).</p>
+<p>This can happen when you try to connect to a HTTPS server (or virtual
+ server) via HTTP (eg, using <code>http://example.com/</code> instead of
+ <code>https://example.com</code>). It can also happen when trying to
+ connect via HTTPS to a HTTP server (eg, using
+ <code>https://example.com/</code> on a server which doesn't support HTTPS,
+ or which supports it on a non-standard port). Make sure that you're
+ connecting to a (virtual) server that supports SSL. </p>
<h3><a name="refused" id="refused">Why do I get ``Connection Refused'' messages,
when trying to access my newly installed Apache+mod_ssl server via HTTPS?</a></h3>
-<p>This can happen for various reasons. The most common mistakes
- include starting Apache with just <code>apachectl start</code> (or
- <code class="program"><a href="../programs/httpd.html">httpd</a></code>) instead of <code>apachectl startssl</code> (or
- <code>httpd -DSSL</code>). Your configuration may also be incorrect.
+<p>
+ This error can be caused by an incorrect configuration.
Please make sure that your <code class="directive"><a href="../mod/mpm_common.html#listen">Listen</a></code> directives match your
<code class="directive"><a href="../mod/core.html#virtualhost"><VirtualHost></a></code>
directives. If all else fails, please start afresh, using the default
<p>This rewrite ruleset lets you use hyperlinks of the form
<code><a href="document.html:SSL"></code>, to switch to HTTPS
- in a relative link.</p>
+ in a relative link. (Replace SSL with NOSSL to switch to HTTP.)</p>
</div><div class="top"><a href="#page-header"><img alt="top" src="../images/up.gif" /></a></div>
<div class="section">
<li><a href="#keyscerts">What are RSA Private Keys, CSRs and
Certificates?</a></li>
<li><a href="#startup">Is there a difference on startup between
-the original Apache and an SSL-aware Apache?</a></li>
+a non-SSL-aware Apache and an SSL-aware Apache?</a></li>
<li><a href="#selfcert">How do I create a self-signed SSL
Certificate for testing purposes?</a></li>
<li><a href="#realcert">How do I create a real SSL Certificate?</a></li>
<h3><a name="startup" id="startup">Is there a difference on startup between
- the original Apache and an SSL-aware Apache?</a></h3>
+ a non-SSL-aware Apache and an SSL-aware Apache?</a></h3>
<p>Yes. In general, starting Apache with
<code class="module"><a href="../mod/mod_ssl.html">mod_ssl</a></code> built-in is just like starting Apache
without it. However, if you have a passphrase on your SSL private
can be problematic - for example, when starting the server from the
system boot scripts. In this case, you can follow the steps
<a href="#removepassphrase">below</a> to remove the passphrase from
- your private key.</p>
+ your private key. Bear in mind that doing so brings additional security
+ risks - proceed with caution!</p>
<h3><a name="selfcert" id="selfcert">How do I create a self-signed SSL
<h3><a name="removepassphrase" id="removepassphrase">How can I get rid of the pass-phrase dialog at Apache startup time?</a></h3>
<p>The reason this dialog pops up at startup and every re-start
is that the RSA private key inside your server.key file is stored in
- encrypted format for security reasons. The pass-phrase is needed decrypt
+ encrypted format for security reasons. The pass-phrase is needed to decrypt
this file, so it can be read and parsed. Removing the pass-phrase
removes a layer of security from your server - proceed with caution!</p>
<ol>
bad certificate" error?</a></h3>
<p>Errors such as <code>OpenSSL: error:14094412: SSL
routines:SSL3_READ_BYTES:sslv3 alert bad certificate</code> in the SSL
- logfile, are usually caused a browser which is unable to handle the server
+ logfile, are usually caused by a browser which is unable to handle the server
certificate/private-key. For example, Netscape Navigator 3.x is
unable to handle RSA key lengths not equal to 1024 bits.</p>
<dt>In case of core dumps please include a Backtrace</dt>
<dd>If your Apache+mod_ssl+OpenSSL dumps its core, please attach
a stack-frame ``backtrace'' (see <a href="#backtrace">below</a>
- for information on how to get this). Without this information, the
- reason for your core dump cannot be found
+ for information on how to get this). This information is required
+ in order to find a reason for your core dump.
</dd>
<dt>A detailed description of your problem</dt>
<div class="bottomlang">
<p><span>Available Languages: </span><a href="../en/ssl/ssl_faq.html" title="English"> en </a></p>
</div><div id="footer">
-<p class="apache">Copyright 200
7 The Apache Software Foundation.<br />Licensed under the <a href="http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0">Apache License, Version 2.0</a>.</p>
+<p class="apache">Copyright 200
8 The Apache Software Foundation.<br />Licensed under the <a href="http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0">Apache License, Version 2.0</a>.</p>
<p class="menu"><a href="../mod/">Modules</a> | <a href="../mod/directives.html">Directives</a> | <a href="../faq/">FAQ</a> | <a href="../glossary.html">Glossary</a> | <a href="../sitemap.html">Sitemap</a></p></div>
</body></html>
\ No newline at end of file
<li><a href="#mutex">Why do I get permission errors related to
SSLMutex when I start Apache?</a></li>
<li><a href="#entropy">Why does mod_ssl stop with the error "Failed to
-generate temporary 512 bit RSA private key", when I start Apache?</a></li>
+generate temporary 512 bit RSA private key" when I start Apache?</a></li>
</ul>
<section id="mutex"><title>Why do I get permission errors related to
</section>
<section id="entropy"><title>Why does mod_ssl stop with the error
- "Failed to generate temporary 512 bit RSA private key", when I start
+ "Failed to generate temporary 512 bit RSA private key" when I start
Apache?</title>
<p>Cryptographic software needs a source of unpredictable data
to work correctly. Many open source operating systems provide
<p>To prevent this error, <module>mod_ssl</module> has to provide
enough entropy to the PRNG to allow it to work correctly. This can
be done via the <directive module="mod_ssl">SSLRandomSeed</directive>
- directives.</p>
+ directive.</p>
</section>
</section>
<!-- /installation -->
<li><a href="#httpstest">How do I speak HTTPS manually for testing
purposes?</a></li>
<li><a href="#hang">Why does the connection hang when I connect to my
-SSL-aware Apache server</a></li>
+SSL-aware Apache server?</a></li>
<li><a href="#refused">Why do I get ``Connection Refused'' errors, when
trying to access my newly installed Apache+mod_ssl server via HTTPS?</a></li>
<li><a href="#envvars">Why are the <code>SSL_XXX</code> variables not
port 80, HTTPS to port 443), so there is no direct conflict between
them. You can either run two separate server instances bound to
these ports, or use Apache's elegant virtual hosting facility to
- create two virtual servers over one instance of Apache - one
- responding to requests on port 80 and speaking HTTP and the other
- responding to requests on port 443 speaking HTTPS.</p>
+ create two virtual servers, both served by the same instance of Apache
+ - one responding over HTTP to requests on port 80, and the other
+ responding over HTTPS to requests on port 443.</p>
</section>
<section id="ports"><title>Which port does HTTPS use?</title>
<p>You can run HTTPS on any port, but the standards specify port 443, which
is where any HTTPS compliant browser will look by default. You can force
- your browser to look on a different port by specifying it in the URL like
- this (for port 666): <code>https://secure.server.dom:666/</code></p>
+ your browser to look on a different port by specifying it in the URL. For
+ example, if your server is set up to serve pages over HTTPS on port 8080,
+ you can access them at <code>https://example.com:8080/</code></p>
</section>
<section id="httpstest"><title>How do I speak HTTPS manually for testing purposes?</title>
<p>for simple testing of Apache via HTTP, it's not so easy for
HTTPS because of the SSL protocol between TCP and HTTP. With the
help of OpenSSL's <code>s_client</code> command, however, you can
- do a similar check for HTTPS:</p>
+ do a similar check via HTTPS:</p>
<example>$ openssl s_client -connect localhost:443 -state -debug<br />
GET / HTTP/1.0</example>
perform GET and POST operations, can use a proxy, supports byte
ranges, etc. you should have a look at the nifty
<a href="http://curl.haxx.se/">cURL</a> tool. Using this, you can
- check that Apache is responding correctly on ports 80 and 443 as
+ check that Apache is responding correctly to requests via HTTP and HTTPS as
follows:</p>
<example>$ curl http://localhost/<br />
<section id="hang"><title>Why does the connection hang when I connect
to my SSL-aware Apache server?</title>
-<p>Because you connected with HTTP to the HTTPS port, i.e. you used an URL of
- the form ``<code>http://</code>'' instead of ``<code>https://</code>''.
- This also happens the other way round when you connect via HTTPS to a HTTP
- port, i.e. when you try to use ``<code>https://</code>'' on a server that
- doesn't support SSL (on this port). Make sure you are connecting to a
- virtual server that supports SSL, which is probably the IP associated with
- your hostname, not localhost (127.0.0.1).</p>
-</section>
+
+<p>This can happen when you try to connect to a HTTPS server (or virtual
+ server) via HTTP (eg, using <code>http://example.com/</code> instead of
+ <code>https://example.com</code>). It can also happen when trying to
+ connect via HTTPS to a HTTP server (eg, using
+ <code>https://example.com/</code> on a server which doesn't support HTTPS,
+ or which supports it on a non-standard port). Make sure that you're
+ connecting to a (virtual) server that supports SSL. </p> </section>
<section id="refused"><title>Why do I get ``Connection Refused'' messages,
when trying to access my newly installed Apache+mod_ssl server via HTTPS?</title>
-<p>This can happen for various reasons. The most common mistakes
- include starting Apache with just <code>apachectl start</code> (or
- <program>httpd</program>) instead of <code>apachectl startssl</code> (or
- <code>httpd -DSSL</code>). Your configuration may also be incorrect.
+<p>
+ This error can be caused by an incorrect configuration.
Please make sure that your <directive module="mpm_common"
>Listen</directive> directives match your
<directive type="section" module="core">VirtualHost</directive>
<p>This rewrite ruleset lets you use hyperlinks of the form
<code><a href="document.html:SSL"></code>, to switch to HTTPS
- in a relative link.</p>
+ in a relative link. (Replace SSL with NOSSL to switch to HTTP.)</p>
</section>
</section>
<!-- configuration -->
<li><a href="#keyscerts">What are RSA Private Keys, CSRs and
Certificates?</a></li>
<li><a href="#startup">Is there a difference on startup between
-the original Apache and an SSL-aware Apache?</a></li>
+a non-SSL-aware Apache and an SSL-aware Apache?</a></li>
<li><a href="#selfcert">How do I create a self-signed SSL
Certificate for testing purposes?</a></li>
<li><a href="#realcert">How do I create a real SSL Certificate?</a></li>
</section>
<section id="startup"><title>Is there a difference on startup between
- the original Apache and an SSL-aware Apache?</title>
+ a non-SSL-aware Apache and an SSL-aware Apache?</title>
<p>Yes. In general, starting Apache with
<module>mod_ssl</module> built-in is just like starting Apache
without it. However, if you have a passphrase on your SSL private
can be problematic - for example, when starting the server from the
system boot scripts. In this case, you can follow the steps
<a href="#removepassphrase">below</a> to remove the passphrase from
- your private key.</p>
+ your private key. Bear in mind that doing so brings additional security
+ risks - proceed with caution!</p>
</section>
<section id="selfcert"><title>How do I create a self-signed SSL
<section id="removepassphrase"><title>How can I get rid of the pass-phrase dialog at Apache startup time?</title>
<p>The reason this dialog pops up at startup and every re-start
is that the RSA private key inside your server.key file is stored in
- encrypted format for security reasons. The pass-phrase is needed decrypt
+ encrypted format for security reasons. The pass-phrase is needed to decrypt
this file, so it can be read and parsed. Removing the pass-phrase
removes a layer of security from your server - proceed with caution!</p>
<ol>
bad certificate" error?</title>
<p>Errors such as <code>OpenSSL: error:14094412: SSL
routines:SSL3_READ_BYTES:sslv3 alert bad certificate</code> in the SSL
- logfile, are usually caused a browser which is unable to handle the server
+ logfile, are usually caused by a browser which is unable to handle the server
certificate/private-key. For example, Netscape Navigator 3.x is
unable to handle RSA key lengths not equal to 1024 bits.</p>
</section>
<dt>In case of core dumps please include a Backtrace</dt>
<dd>If your Apache+mod_ssl+OpenSSL dumps its core, please attach
a stack-frame ``backtrace'' (see <a href="#backtrace">below</a>
- for information on how to get this). Without this information, the
- reason for your core dump cannot be found
+ for information on how to get this). This information is required
+ in order to find a reason for your core dump.
</dd>
<dt>A detailed description of your problem</dt>
projects / apache / commitdiff