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**diif** · 11-28-2015, 10:08 PM

Re: Best type of SSL cert for my domain.

I don't know about certificates but i very much doubt you need a dedicated server or use anywhere near 1TB of bandwidth. Depends what you're hosting though i suppose, but all of the websites I manage run on virtual servers. The cost difference between virtual and real servers is quite large and would be a waste of money IMO for something you might use in the future. Do they lock you in to a contract of let you upgrade easily ? If you want to play with servers far easier and cheaper to set one up at home than rent one remotely.

I pay just shy of £50 a month to host 30+ websites.

**Spork Schivago** · 11-28-2015, 10:40 PM

Re: Best type of SSL cert for my domain.

Originally posted by diif View Post

I don't know about certificates but i very much doubt you need a dedicated server or use anywhere near 1TB of bandwidth. Depends what you're hosting though i suppose, but all of the websites I manage run on virtual servers. The cost difference between virtual and real servers is quite large and would be a waste of money IMO for something you might use in the future. Do they lock you in to a contract of let you upgrade easily ? If you want to play with servers far easier and cheaper to set one up at home than rent one remotely.

I pay just shy of £50 a month to host 30+ websites.

Yeah, I wanted a dedicated virtual server, not a dedicated server. I agree that I don't need a dedicated server and that they're a lot of money. I have a virtaul shared server now though. I cannot configure certain things, which kind of sucks. Like what ports are open, what servers I have up and running. I cannot configure what apache / php modules are installed. I can pick from a list and enable certain ones, but if they're not on the list, I cannot currently install them.

So 1TB is a lot then and would more than enough? I don't think there's any contract but I will double check when I get to that point. As for running the server at my house, I thought about it but we just don't have enough bandwidth. We get 15 Mbps download speeds which is alright, but the internet goes out quite a bit. It's really a pain. Also, I'd be afraid of hackers trying to get into my Linux box. With GoDaddy, it's setup if someone tries to connect so many times in such an amount of time, they get blocked permanently. So, if someone tries running a port scan, they'll block the IP, so long as it's their real IP address, it's pretty effective I guess. There's other security features as well. I know I could install various programs to help secure my Linux box but it's just kind of nice not having to worry about it so much. They take care of the security and if I get a dedicated virtual server, either I can take care of it or just continue to let them deal with everything.

The difference between a dedicated virtual server and a dedicated server is a dedicated virtual server is just like a dedicated server but I don't get the actual PC. My OS runs on a machine that has other OSes running on it. It's just I get full access to my OS. It's more than likely just running in a virtual machine. Whereas with the dedicated, I'd get the full machine, all to myself.

**Spork Schivago** · 11-28-2015, 10:41 PM

Re: Best type of SSL cert for my domain.

Originally posted by diif View Post

I don't know about certificates but i very much doubt you need a dedicated server or use anywhere near 1TB of bandwidth. Depends what you're hosting though i suppose, but all of the websites I manage run on virtual servers. The cost difference between virtual and real servers is quite large and would be a waste of money IMO for something you might use in the future. Do they lock you in to a contract of let you upgrade easily ? If you want to play with servers far easier and cheaper to set one up at home than rent one remotely.

I pay just shy of £50 a month to host 30+ websites.

So do you run your own server at your house or are you renting a server somewheres? If you run them all from your house, what type of connection do you have? T1? T3? ISDN? Fiber?

**mariushm** · 11-28-2015, 10:45 PM

Re: Best type of SSL cert for my domain.

Spork, I rent a dedicated server from Leaseweb and pay about 65$ a month for it. It's a dual core, 4 GB memory, 4x1TB hdd, windows 2008 web edition, 10 TB bandwidth on 100mbps port)

As for SSL, I wouldn't pay more than $100 for a wildcard SSL but I guess it depends on the encryption and all the other features you get with it. I definitely wouldn't pay $270 for a single website and subdomains.

If you don't need ssl for serious stuff like ecommerce, you can probably get SSL for domains and subdomains for less than $30-50 a year.

**Spork Schivago** · 11-28-2015, 10:52 PM

Re: Best type of SSL cert for my domain.

Originally posted by mariushm View Post

Spork, I rent a dedicated server from Leaseweb and pay about 65$ a month for it. It's a dual core, 4 GB memory, 4x1TB hdd, windows 2008 web edition, 10 TB bandwidth on 100mbps port)

As for SSL, I wouldn't pay more than $100 for a wildcard SSL but I guess it depends on the encryption and all the other features you get with it. I definitely wouldn't pay $270 for a single website and subdomains.

If you don't need ssl for serious stuff like ecommerce, you can probably get SSL for domains and subdomains for less than $30-50 a year.

I couldn't find any place that sold WildCard SSLs for a cheaper price than GoDaddy. I saw Synaptic wanted something like a grand for a year. Where's a place that I can get a cheaper SSL cert that's recognized by most browsers as being secure? Also, since I had GoDaddy grab the domain name, can I switch who hosts it? Or would I have to continue going through GoDaddy? I don't really know much about this website stuff and how it all works. Not even sure how to setup the SSL stuff once I get one if I don't get it through GoDaddy.

**diif** · 11-28-2015, 11:03 PM

Re: Best type of SSL cert for my domain.

Originally posted by Spork Schivago View Post

So do you run your own server at your house or are you renting a server somewheres? If you run them all from your house, what type of connection do you have? T1? T3? ISDN? Fiber?

There are virtual private servers and real servers. There is also basic hosting which I guess is the shared virtual server you are referring to.

No. I don't host myself. They are all WordPress sites I believe a couple might be on their own virtual servers. I've only recently inherited it and need to check it out further.

The suggestion of getting a server at home was to learn how to set one up etc. If you dont already. Its much easier to do on a desk in front of you than remotely. If you already know how to then ignore this.

You should be able to use whichever host you choose. Either leaving godaddy to do the DNS amd have someone else host or move it all to another host.

**Spork Schivago** · 11-28-2015, 11:36 PM

Re: Best type of SSL cert for my domain.

Originally posted by diif View Post

There are virtual private servers and real servers. There is also basic hosting which I guess is the shared virtual server you are referring to.

No. I don't host myself. They are all WordPress sites I believe a couple might be on their own virtual servers. I've only recently inherited it and need to check it out further.

The suggestion of getting a server at home was to learn how to set one up etc. If you dont already. Its much easier to do on a desk in front of you than remotely. If you already know how to then ignore this.

You should be able to use whichever host you choose. Either leaving godaddy to do the DNS amd have someone else host or move it all to another host.

Thank you. I know a good bit but there's certain things I've never handled. I can setup the servers, physical and software. I have no troubles configuring a Cisco routers, installing Linux, installing and configuring various software packages like Apache, PHP, MySQL nor do I have any trouble install any of the modules. I have an Apache, PHP and MySQL server setup on my Linux box (accessable only via the local LAN), just like GoDaddy has it setup, so I can test my code on my machine.

Where I have trouble is configuring DNS servers (only did that once), the mail servers, and of course the SSL certs. All of that was handled by someone else at my previous job so I never had to learn it. At the college I went to, when I majored in Networking Administration and Computer Repair, the computer part was great but the networking part was god awful! They were supposed to be CCNA classes and when we were done, we were supposed to be able to get our cisco certification. However, the professor lacked the experience / knowledge to teach us what we should of been taught. Like active directory. Although it was on the syllabus, we never got to it. PBX's, never got to it, fiber, never got to it, DNS servers, never got to it, mail servers, never got to it. We basically just played with Cisco routers in the lab and when it was time to take the Cisco on-line tests, we were told we couldn't leave until we scored at least a 90 and the professor showed the class how to search for the answers on Google. We were supposed to look them up and just pop them in, because we never went over the material. It really sucked. Paid for an education but got diddly squat. If someone got less than a 90, the teacher would just reset it so they could retake the test. Eventually, word spread to the professor in charge of the IT teaching department. He came down and asked us all kinds of questions. He said the problem was the teacher had something called tenure but also they couldn't find anyone to replace him but they would try to get him to do a better job and well, he did do a better job after that. He just never got into what he should of gotten into.

Thanks for explaining all of this too me. I really appreciate it. Some of it's a bit confusing!

**stj** · 11-29-2015, 12:26 AM

Re: Best type of SSL cert for my domain.

host it yourself and generate your own certificate.

**Spork Schivago** · 11-29-2015, 12:35 AM

Re: Best type of SSL cert for my domain.

Originally posted by stj View Post

host it yourself and generate your own certificate.

I don't have a good enough connection to host it myself and if I generate my own certificate, yes, I'll have a certificate, but it won't be considered valid by anyone who comes to my site. I need it signed by a reputable company.

We can get a fiber connection here but it's really expensive. We'd have to change our Timer Warner bill to business class. But then we'd also have to change stuff with the house we live in. Something about zoning laws or something like that. T1's and T3's and ISDN's, I'm not too sure about. Don't know a lot about them either.

**stj** · 11-29-2015, 01:37 AM

Re: Best type of SSL cert for my domain.

there are no "reputable" company's - just ones that charge.
they lost credibility a long time ago.

**Per Hansson** · 11-29-2015, 02:29 AM

Re: Best type of SSL cert for my domain.

There are free alternatives coming, this one for example:
https://letsencrypt.org/

**diif** · 11-29-2015, 06:16 AM

Re: Best type of SSL cert for my domain.

You haven't got to worry about email and DNS.

**ddscentral** · 11-29-2015, 08:26 AM

Re: Best type of SSL cert for my domain.

Originally posted by Per Hansson View Post

There are free alternatives coming, this one for example:
https://letsencrypt.org/

There are free alternatives already available.

eg.
StartSSL: https://www.startssl.com/
WoSign: https://buy.wosign.com/free/

**Spork Schivago** · 11-29-2015, 11:31 AM

Re: Best type of SSL cert for my domain.

Originally posted by Per Hansson View Post

There are free alternatives coming, this one for example:
https://letsencrypt.org/

Thanks Per Hansson. I've looked into free ones not too long ago but from what I've read, there isn't a lot of browser support currently for them. And by that, I mean not a lot of browsers recognize and trust the root CA. Is this true or did what I read was wrong? If it doesn't recognize and trust the root CA, every user that comes to my domain would get an untrusted authority message or something similar to that, right?

The point of the SSL was to give them a sense of security. I mean, man-in-the-middle attacks will allow a person to decrypt the traffic, but it's still better than plain-text. If they're getting warnings that my site isn't a trusted one, they might not come to visit.

**Spork Schivago** · 11-29-2015, 11:31 AM

Re: Best type of SSL cert for my domain.

Originally posted by stj View Post

there are no "reputable" company's - just ones that charge.
they lost credibility a long time ago.

I should of said trusted authority.

**Spork Schivago** · 11-29-2015, 11:42 AM

Re: Best type of SSL cert for my domain.

Originally posted by diif View Post

You haven't got to worry about email and DNS.

I figured I wouldn't have to take care of DNS, but if I get one of those virtual servers, that I have full control over, where I can install various software packages, configure them, etc, if I wanted to provide e-mail addresses to my users, I wouldn't have to setup a mail server at all?

**diif** · 11-29-2015, 12:30 PM

Re: Best type of SSL cert for my domain.

Originally posted by Spork Schivago View Post

I figured I wouldn't have to take care of DNS, but if I get one of those virtual servers, that I have full control over, where I can install various software packages, configure them, etc, if I wanted to provide e-mail addresses to my users, I wouldn't have to setup a mail server at all?

What is it you are trying to achieve overall with the project ?
Email addresses for users ? why ?

**Spork Schivago** · 11-29-2015, 12:55 PM

Re: Best type of SSL cert for my domain.

There was an old BBS software back in the 90's that's since been released as freeware but the source code was never released. I've always had a thing about this software. It was called JetBBS. I wanted to write an open source clone of it and add features that allow it to connect to the net. I know BBSes aren't really around, but some still exist. The original JetBBS had a nice messaging system but it needed to connect to a server that ran in Washington, the state. Only the person who wrote the software had the server and when it went down, the message base was useless.

I wanted to set up my open source version to connect to JetBBS.com for the message base stuff. I wanted the sysop's to have their own e-mail addresses, maybe the users as well. I know there won't be a lot but I think there's still people that would run it. At the very least, I would. I wanted to make the open source version telnetable. I would run the server on my domain but people could setup their own version on their domain or just use a modem for telephone access, like it was done back in the day. I wanted to add an SSH feature and an SFTP feature as well. I also wanted to improve on the chat system. It was a bit similar to MajorBBS's chat system, just not as fancy. We never got to use the chat feature unless we called someone elses BBS that had more than one telephone. I've tried contacting the original author to see if he'd sell me the source code, but as of today, he's never responded to any of my requests. I've only sent two requests though, because I didn't want to bug him too much. One back in 2000 or so, after the BBS was released as freeware, and then maybe a year ago.

I also wanted to setup a forum on the domain and try to connect the BBSes message base to the actual forum. I thought that'd be kinda cool. I wanted to add a support section to the website and a technical section as well. When you go to install JetBBS, there's a JetSetup.exe file you run and it extracts data from a JetBBS.DAT file. I've already figured out the file format of JetBBS.dat and was successfully able to extract all the files that JetSetup.exe extracts.

The hardest part is writing the parser. There's these MNU files that are highly customizable. They allow you to determine what the keys do at the different menu's the users see when they log in. That's the easy part of the parser. The hard part is the section of the MNU's that are kind of like an interrupted language. You know, if then statements, goto statements, variables, etc.

It might be something like this:
if %userlevel% >=8 then goto sysop.mnu else goto user.mnu

I was going to refresh my memory a good bit by reading C Programming - A Modern Approach - 2nd Edition by K.N. King and then read the Red Dragon Book (Compilers: Principles, Techniques, and Tools - 1st Edition by Alfred V. Aho, Ravi Sethi, and Jeffrey D. Ullman).

**diif** · 11-29-2015, 02:16 PM

Re: Best type of SSL cert for my domain.

Personally if it was me, I'd write the software before worrying about the hosting.
BBS were over phone lines IIRC, i'm pretty sure your broadband could handle it.

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