VPS Services - Self Signed SSL Certificates
If you received notifications from cPanel and rWHM regarding an expired SSL Certificate on your VPS container, you might have an expired certificate that needs to be reset. These certificates enable SSL encryption across multiple services on your container, including Exim (SMTP) Server, cPanel/WHM/Webmail Service, FTP Server, and Dovecot Mail Server.
To have and use custom Service SSLs, you must have root WHM access, which requires a VPS or a Dedicated Server.
What is a Service SSL?
The term Service SSL refers to the SSL your server uses when its basic services are accessed. It refers specifically to how the SSL is installed on your server and is not an SSL type. Some services that a Service SSL may be installed for are:
- Exim (SMTP).
- POP3 and IMAP.
- The cPanel services (cPanel & WHM and Webmail).
- Your FTP server.
Any SSL may be used for a service SSL. It is not recommended to use a self-signed SSL for your service SSLs because they do not use a third-party verification system to certify the identity of your server. It is recommended that you use a certificate from a certificate authority (CA), verifying that the users are securely connecting to the correct server.
You may purchase an SSL from HostGator directly to use as a Service SSL. To purchase a Service SSL from HostGator please contact us via phone or chat and we will be happy to assist with purchasing and installing your new Service SSL.
You may also use a third-party SSL certificate for your Service SSL. To use a third-party SSL:
If the instructions do not load, they can be found in detail here.
Renew self-signed service SSL certificates
It is also possible to use self-signed SSL certificates for this process. A self-signed SSL certificate is installed as your Service SSL on your server by default when you purchase it. Follow the steps below to renew the self-signed service SSL certificates on your VPS or Dedicated server:
- Log into WHM.
- Within the Service Configuration portion of the Menu on the left side of rWHM, select Manage Service SSL Certificates, as illustrated below:
- Select the Reset Certificate link in the Actions column for each service you wish to renew.
- You will be asked if you would like to proceed with resetting the associated service certificate. Click Proceed.
- You will then be asked to Restart cpsrvd. Click Proceed.
Please contact us via phone or chat if you have any questions or require assistance.