Using Multiple SSL Certificates in Apache with One IP Address

About the TLS Extension Server Name Indication (SNI)

When website administrators and IT personnel are restricted to use a single SSL Certificate per socket (combination of IP Address and socket) it can cost a lot of money. This restriction causes them to buy multiple IP addresses for regular https websites from their domain host or buy hardware that allows them to utilize multiple network adapters.

However, with Apache v2.2.12 and OpenSSL v0.9.8j and later you can use a transport layer security (TLS) called SNI. SNI can secure multiple Apache sites using a single SSL Certificate and use multiple SSL Certificates to secure various websites on a single domain (e.g. www.yourdomain.com, site2.yourdomain.com) or across multiple domains (www.domain1.com, www.domain2.com)—all from a single IP address. The benefits of using SNI are obvious—you can secure more websites without purchasing more IP addresses or additional hardware.

Since this is a fairly recent update with Apache, browsers are only recently supporting SNI. Most current major desktop and mobile browsers support SNI. One notable exception is that no versions of Internet Explorer on Windows XP support SNI. For more information on which browsers support SNI, please see SNI browser support.

To use SNI on Apache, please make sure you complete the instructions on the Apache SSL installation page. Then continue with the steps on this page.

Setting up SNI with Apache

To use additional SSL Certificates on your server you need to create another Virtual Host. As a best practice, we recommend making a backup of your existing .conf file before proceeding. You can create a new Virtual Host in your existing .conf file or you can create a new .conf file for the new Virtual Host. If you create a new .conf file, add the following line to your existing .conf file:

Include my_other_site.conf

Next, in the NameVirtualHost directive list your server's public IP address, *:443, or other port you're using for SSL (see example below).

Then point the SSLCertificateFile, SSLCertificateKeyFile, and SSLCertificateChainFile to the locations of the certificate files for each website as shown below:

<NameVirtualHost *:443>

<VirtualHost *:443>

 ServerName www.yoursite.com

 DocumentRoot /var/www/site

 SSLEngine on

 SSLCertificateFile /path/to/www_yoursite_com.crt

 SSLCertificateKeyFile /path/to/www_yoursite_com.key

 SSLCertificateChainFile /path/to/DigiCertCA.crt

</Virtual Host>

<VirtualHost *:443>

 ServerName www.yoursite2.com

 DocumentRoot /var/www/site2

 SSLEngine on

 SSLCertificateFile /path/to/www_yoursite2_com.crt

 SSLCertificateKeyFile /path/to/www_yoursite2_com.key

 SSLCertificateChainFile /path/to/DigiCertCA.crt

</Virtual Host>

If you have a Wildcard or UC certificate all of the websites using the same certificate need to reference the same IP address in the VirtualHost IP address:443 section like in the example below:

<VirtualHost 192.168.1.1:443>

 ServerName www.domain.com

 DocumentRoot /var/www/

 SSLEngine on

 SSLCertificateFile /path/to/your_domain_name.crt

 SSLCertificateKeyFile /path/to/your_private.key

 SSLCertificateChainFile /path/to/DigiCertCA.crt

</Virtual Host>

<VirtualHost 192.168.1.1:443>

 ServerName site2.domain.com

 DocumentRoot /var/www/site2

 SSLEngine on

 SSLCertificateFile /path/to/your_domain_name.crt

 SSLCertificateKeyFile /path/to/your_private.key

 SSLCertificateChainFile /path/to/DigiCertCA.crt

</Virtual Host>

            

Now restart Apache and access the https site from a browser that supports SNI. If you set it up correctly, you will access the site without any warnings or problems. You can add as many websites or SSL Certificates as you need using the above process.

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Moving Wordpress to another directory

1. Log into Wordpress Admin panel > > Settings >> General and change both the WordPress address (URI) and Site address (URL) to new address

2. Once done, please log into cPanel >> File Manager >> open location of your current Wordpess installation and simply move the files to new directory with the help of "Move File" tool. You can also do this via FTP account if you wish.

3. There still may be some items that will resolve to old URL and as a rule will not be available from new location. In order to move all the files to new domain name, you can use plugin called Velvet Blues Update URLs. You can get more information on it here: http://wordpress.org/plugins/velvet-blues-update-urls/

NOTE: it is important to indicate correct URL name to change to since wrong one may cause downtime of the website and it will not be restorable after the changes are applied.

Once done, please check if all the pages are working as intended. It is also possible that some of the pictures may resolve from old direction. This can be fixed by re-uploading paghes from new direction or changing theme settings for your Wordpress installation from Admin Panel.

Also the following article from Wordpress Codex may be helpful for you:

http://codex.wordpress.org/Changing_The_Site_URL

http://codex.wordpress.org/Moving_WordPress

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Account Locks Out Due to Brute Force Protection in cPanel WebHost Manager (WHM)

Occasionally, when user or website administrator attempts to login to cPanel’s WebHost Manager (WHM), or remote or local log in via Telnet or SSH to Linux console to the web server, the login is denied and not allowed. The following error message may appear.

This account is currently locked out because a brute force attempt was detected. Please wait 10 minutes and try again. Attempting to login again will only increase this delay. If you frequently experience this problem, we recommend having your username changed to something less generic.

The brute force protection on cPanel-powerd web host is provided by cPHulk, which prevents malicious forces from trying to access the server’s services by guessing the login password for that service. When an account on the system has experienced too many failed login attempts, the particular account will automatically been “protected” by forbidding further login attempts, including all-important root account. cPHulk Brute Force Protection will also block out an IP address which has been detected to send too many unauthorized logon attempts.

As a result, server’s owner are potentially been locked out of the server if the cPHulkd is enabled, even the wild-guessing brute force hacking is done by hackers in another corner of the world.

When WHM locks out an user account, especially “root”, the best way is to wait for 10 minutes to see if the account will be unlocked. If the locks persists, webmaster and administrator who still can remote login via SSH to the server as root can manually remove the lockouts via following steps:

1. Type mysql at console to access MySQL client.
2. At MySQL client prompt, enter the following commands (preceding with mysql>)one after one, pressing Enter each time:
   mysql> use cphulkd;
   Expected result: Database changed.
   mysql> BACKUP TABLE `brutes` TO ‘/path/to/backup/directory’;
   mysql> BACKUP TABLE `logins` TO ‘/path/to/backup/directory’;
   Above command will backup the brutes table, the main table used by cPHulk to record locked accounts and denied IP addresses.
   mysql> DELETE FROM `brutes`;
   mysql> DELETE FROM `logins`;
   Above commands will remove all blocked IP addresses and locked accounts from the system, enabling full access again. If you’re familiar with SQL statements, it’s possible to use WHERE clause to specify logins or IP address that you want to remove only.
   mysql> quit;
   Exit MySQL client.

If you can’t login to the server due to brute force protection, you probably have to contact web hosting service provider support to physically access the server to remove the Brute Force Protection. To avoid future blockage or lock out, it’s recommended to add own IP address as Trusted Hosts List whitelist in cPHulk Brute Force Protection. To do so, go to WHM -> Security -> Security Center -> cPHulk Brute Force Protection. Inside “Configure cPHulk”, click Trusted Hosts List link.

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An Explanation Of Bandwidth: What It Means And How Much You Need

One of the more difficult things to get your head around when it comes to choosing a web hosting service can be how much bandwidth you need.  Even if you have owned several websites before and are by no means a novice when it comes to choosing a hosting company, it is easy to be dazed and confused by everything that a hosting company’s website can throw at you.

There are some certain factors when it comes to bandwidth:

1. You need to find the right bandwidth option for you.
2. If you don’t, you will find you have an underperforming website, face additional charges, or both.

What is Bandwidth?

In its most basic definition, bandwidth describes the level of traffic and data allowed to travel and transfer between your site, users, and the Internet.

Each web hosting company will offer a particular level of bandwidth. This is often a good indication of which hosting companies have the best networks, connections, and systems. Usually, the more bandwidth a web host can provide, the faster and the better those three factors will be.  At the same time, you should try to avoid attractive looking ‘unlimited bandwidth’ offers, as these are often not all that they seem (more on this point later).  Unmetered bandwidth should be more along the lines of what you are looking for.

Your Network Connectivity

You probably already know that the Internet is defined and created by the millions of computers around the world that connected by networks. The bigger the connection, the faster the network, and the more bandwidth that is available for a site.

If you are familiar with your home internet connection, you have probably encountered bandwidth at some stage. This was probably in terms of your connection speed. After all, speed is a lot easier to understand for the layperson than a technical sounding term such as bandwidth.

Bandwidth at Home

10 years ago, you might have used a frustratingly slow DSL connection, with a speed of 1.5MB per second. Replace the word speed with bandwidth, and you will understand easily. Your bandwidth allowed a maximum of 1.5MB per second to transfer from a network to your computer.

The reason broadband and fiber optic internet was invented and quickly became popular was because of how slow a DSL connection was.

Within Web Hosting

Source: Austinseoguy.com

To focus back to web hosting, you can liken a DSL connection to a shared server. On its own, the connection or server is very powerful; when being shared by dozens or hundreds of people, it slows down to a crawl.

You can still see this today if you go to an internet café or a library; the connection will be noticeably quicker if you go early in the morning and are the only person in there than if you go at peak times.

Bandwidth and the Relationship With Web Traffic

We are going to use another analogy to help make bandwidth clearer. In this example, the bandwidth is the number of tables in a restaurant, and the web traffic is diners. The simple math is this: the more tables there are in the restaurant, the more diners there are that can eat in there at any one time.

Translate this back to the Internet: the higher your bandwidth, the more people can visit your site and have an enjoyable experience. Remember, however, that it takes a very special restaurant with skilled employees to manage operations when the venue is full to capacity. How your site operates under the stress of high traffic will be crucial to your success. What is the use of high bandwidth if your site cannot cope? You might be able to facilitate 400 visitors a day. What would happen if they all turned up at once?

This is an important consideration to make when choosing a bandwidth option and it might require you to carry out some detailed research into your likely visitor demographics. The most likely outcome will be that you decide to pay for more bandwidth so that there is consistency in your website performance across the day for all visitors.

Considering Bandwidth and Web Design

Do not be one of the unfortunate people who falls into the trap of thinking that downloading something is only associated with YouTube or iTunes. Almost every act a person does online involves downloading something. The bigger and more complicated your web design, the more bandwidth you are going to use up whenever someone visits even your homepage.

Thankfully, modern web design trends are moving towards simplistic, minimalist designs. This means you can make your own site look like this without looking like you are merely trying to save yourself some additional money!

The Big Question: How Much Bandwidth Do You Need?

This answer to this question depends on a variety of factors. While that might seem like a cop-out, it is actually a very positive thing, because it means you can really start to nail down how much bandwidth you need specifically for your site. This is great for when you start searching for a hosting company and can immediately dismiss anyone who starts telling you to buy more just for the sake of it.

The Bandwidth Formula

If you are not offering any file downloads from your website, apply the following formula to discover how much bandwidth you need:

Daily visitors x Daily page views x Average page size x 31 x Tolerance number

If you will have downloadable content on your website, it gets a little more complicated, but is still a reasonably straightforward equation. If you do not remember your math from school, remember that you have to work out the brackets first!

(Daily visitors x Daily page views x Average page size) + (Daily file downloads x Average file size) x 31 x Tolerance number

Finding the Answer

So this makes sense to you, we have produced the following table that you can reproduce, or print and use yourself, which will help you come to the answer. We have also included example numbers that we will use to revisit the equation at the end.

Element	What it Means	Number (Our Example, Populate this with Your own Numbers)
Daily visitors (average)	The number of daily visitors you expect your site to have.  Calculate an average across the month.  Do not over-complicate it and work it out day-by-day.	200
Daily page views (average)	Again, calculate an average projection across the month.	650
Average page size	What is the average size of your pages, all things included, in KB.	60
Daily file downloads (average)	How many times will content be downloaded from your site on a daily basis in terms of additional files independent of your web pages?	10
Average downloaded file size	How big is the average file you can download from your site?  Err on the side of caution and always go bigger if in doubt.  Measure this in KB, too.	850
Tolerance number	This is basically your ‘room for error.’  If ’1′ is your estimate, make this number 1.33, or 1.5, depending on how confident you are in your projections.  If you believe your site may grow quickly, aim for a higher number.	2

In case you are wondering; the 31 comes from the maximum number of days in a month.  With most hosting companies, bandwidth allowance monthly, so we are taking the numbers and multiplying them by 31. Do not miscalculate and double check every number, otherwise you could find yourself with only a fraction of what you require, or paying more for bandwidth that you do not!

Remember, too, that most hosting companies will offer bandwidth based on GB per month, so remember to convert the number from KB to GB.

The Solution

This is what our hypothetic website would need:

(Daily visitors [200] x Daily page views [650] x Average page size [60]) + (Daily file downloads [10] x Average downloaded file [850]) x 31 x 2

Simplified, this gives us:

7,800,000 + 8500 x 31 x 2

The answer to which is a huge looking 484,127,800KB, which is around 462GB. For this website, the required bandwidth would be 462GB.

Choosing Your Solution

Bear in mind that a number such as that represents what you would see from a reasonably sized website turning over a good sum of money. A small business might only require up to 5GB, if that, when they first launch their website. It is also unlikely that when you first get started you will have a lot of content to download. However, this is still a great equation to keep in mind if you are looking to project costs for when your business grows and you are expecting to see significantly high traffic levels hitting your site.

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Learn Where And How To Put Keywords In Your Copy

Lack of well-chosen keywords and phrases on your Web site is a truly terrible mistake to make, as search engine spiders depend on these to find your site; as well as search engine users. If you have not targeted specific and precise keywords for your website, then you will not be easily found. Period.

Lack of Targeted Keywords Equals Lack of Traffic

For example, if you sell used art textbooks and just insert the non-specific word “book” into your Meta tags and site content, guess what? Not only will you probably not show up in at least the first fifteen pages of search results, but users that actually find your site by some quirk of fate will most likely turn around and leave as soon as they get there (unless, again, by some quirk of fate, they are looking for used art textbooks. Not gonna happen.).

Keyword Tools

So how do you figure out these keywords and phrases? Here are a couple of great keyword tools that can help you do this:

• Digital Tracker Keyword Suggestion: Digital Tracker is absolutely invaluable. I use this every day.
• Free Keyword Suggestion Tool:Displays how many times a certain keyword was searched for in a given month. Shows all related searches for the entered keyword.
• Google Keyword Tool: "The Keyword Tool generates potential keywords for your ad campaigns and reports their Google statistics, including search performance and seasonal trends."

All of these keyword tools can help you get a clear idea of what people are actually searching for, and then you can use those words within your site copy and structure to attract more people to your site. It's all about providing the better user experience - if people can't find your site, no matter how great your service or site is, you're not providing that good user experience.

Where To Put Keywords

Now that you've got your basic keyword research started, you need to know where to put these keywords on your Web site.

• Title Tag: The title tag is a great place to use your keyword phrases. The title tag consists of those words you see at the top of your browser window in the blue space, and it is what search engines grab for the title display in their search results; so obviously, it's an important part of your search engine optimization strategy. Here's an example: [Keyword Phrase] - How To [Keyword Phrase].
• Headline: Most people who read on the Web scan Web pages quickly. This is why headlines are so important - they give your reader a chance to get what they need fast with a minimum of fuss (again, back to that great user experience). Use your keyword phrase again in the headline: How To [Keyword Phrase].
• Content: Now you need to write your keyword phrases into your site content. This is where it can get tricky, because it's easy to just write that keyword phrase where ever that keyword phrase might fit into where the keyword phrase could go (see what I mean? sounds terrible!). Be natural about it - easier than it sounds, but with practice you'll get it.

Keywords Increase Web Site Traffic

No doubt about it - if you're able to place well-researched keyword phrases into your site content and structure, you will attract more searchers to your site, and provide a better user experience because they will be able to find what they are looking for. More than anything else - high rankings, increased traffic, etc. - the top goal should be to provide the best user experience for every single person that comes to your site, and making sure your keyword phrases serve their needs is a big part of that.

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