Steps to Install Wildcard SSL Certificate on Multiple Servers

Step-by-step guide for installing a Wildcard SSL Certificate on multiple servers.

The dark web has increased the risk of all assets that are on a network. Statistics say that data breaches revealed 4.1 billion records in the first six months of 2019. Such severe nature of data breaches can lead to a severe breach of trust and other penal action from government authorities and lawsuits. In other words, your brand equity is going to be severely hit.

Given that hackers attack every 39 seconds, the need for cybersecurity software is immense. It becomes a requirement to implement measurements to avoid data breaches. You must install an SSL certificate to ensure that the communication between the web server and the browser of the visitor is encrypted.

The type of SSL certificate will depend on the number and the type of online resources that you have. If you have multiple sub-domains, you must install Wildcard SSL certificate that will protect all assets. In this article, we will discuss in detail the steps to be taken for installing one.

Wildcard SSL certificate

A wildcard SSL certificate allows businesses to secure their primary domain and an unlimited number of subdomains. This certificate comes with standard 2048-bit RSA signature keys and facilitates encryption up to 256 bits.

For example, with the Wildcard SSL certificate, you can secure the domain name www.domainname.com as well as the sub-domains at the same level, viz. blog.domainname.com, services.domainname.com, and photos.domainname.com. This certificate uses the same authentication process as standard SSL certificates.

An SSL Wildcard certificate can secure all sub-domains that are associated with the primary domain name on the same server. However, if there are multiple servers, the certificate and the private key must be installed on all the servers. You must take cautious steps to get this done without the risk of any of the servers getting compromised.

Benefits of Wildcard SSL certificates

Unlimited protection of sub-domains

When you have several subdomains to be secured, you must install a Wildcard SSL certificate. You can secure your website using 256-bit encryption used by the protocol to secure online information exchange that keeps hackers away.

Simpler vendor management

As you have multiple sub-domains, do you have to procure various certificates? It is not so if you use a Wildcard SSL certificate. It saves lots of hassles for your IT team as they need not bother about managing relationships with multiple vendors. There is also no need to renew multiple certificates on time.

You gain the trust of visitors

After an update in 2018, Google has been marking non-HTTPS websites as “Not Secure”. Once visitors see this alert, they are quick to abandon your site and move to your competitor. An SSL certificate will prevent this from happening, and you need not worry about visitors leaving your site.

Compatibility

These certificates are compatible with most servers and browsers. 99% of browsers are compatible with the Wildcard SSL certificates. It helps visitors from browsing your site with ease without any SSL warning.

Certificates are issued fast

SSL certificates are issued based on the level of security provided. Wildcard SSL certificates have added security levels and need more stringent authentication checks. Still, you can usually receive your certificate within two working days after checking your official documents.

Affordability

We are always at a loss when it comes to staying within the budget. However, if you consider the sheer number of sub-domains that these certificates can secure, then the price will not seem to be too low. It is in your best interest that you procure a cheap Wildcard SSL certificate and prevents any data breach.

The top Wildcard SSL Certificates

Product Name	Type	Sale Price	Details
Positive SSL Wildcard	DV	USD 45.00	Read More
Essential SSL Wildcard	DV	USD 50.00	Read More
Wildcard SSL	DV	USD 68.00	Read More
SSL Web Server Wildcard	OV	USD 239.20	Read More
True Business ID Wildcard	OV	USD 303.20	Read More
Domain SSL Wildcard	DV	USD 519.20	Read More

For all the Wildcard SSL certificates enlisted on the CheapSSLShop website, there is no extra cost to install the certificate on multiple servers. These include renowned CAs like Comodo, RapidSSL, GeoTrust, GlobalSign, and Thawte. However, some Certificate Authorities like Digicert charge extra for installing the certificate on multiple servers.

How Does a Wildcard Certificate Work Out?

Wildcard SSL certificates help to secure a domain and multiple sub-domains under it. You can also get licenses for unlimited servers. Wildcard certificates can be issued as a Domain validated (DV) or an Organization validated (OV) certificate. For a DV SSL certificate, the domain is verified by the CA, and you get the certificate faster. If you choose to have an OV SSL certificate, you must provide the details of your organization that will be verified before the CA sends you the certificate.

How to install the Wildcard SSL certificate on multiple servers

After purchasing an SSL certificate, you must generate a Certificate Signing Request (CSR). The different Certificate Authorities (CA) have different ways to generate the CSR and process to install the SSL certificate. The CSR must be generated once and not for all the servers. After the CSR gets created, the CA will issue the certificate to be installed on the primary server where you have generated the CSR. You must then replicate the process at all the servers. Also, copy the private key from the primary server to all servers where the sub-domains are hosted.

CSR Generation on cPanel

Step I:

Step II:

After logging in to the cPanel, browse Security section>>click on the SSL/TLS Manager.

Step III:

Go to the Certificate Signing Request (CSR) tab and click on the “Generate, view, or delete SSL certificate signing requests”.

Step IV:

Fill these fields with letters only.

Domains: Please enter the fully qualified primary domain name for which the SSL certificate has been applied. Add an asterisk in front of the domain (*.domainname.com).

City: Please enter the full name of your city.

State: Please enter the full name of your State.

Country: Select your country from the menu.

Company: Please enter the officially registered name for your business. This is a mandatory field for Extended and Organization Validation certificates. You may put in “NA” for Domain Validation SSL certificate.

Company Division: Please insert your department name inside your organization.

E-mail: Please provide your e-mail address. This field is optional.

Step V:

Click on the “Generate” tab to generate the private and public keys. The private key will be stored on your server to decrypting the information forwarded by the users. The CSR will be sent to the CA for issuing the certificate.

Based on the validation procedure of the CA, you need to provide the required details too. After the validation process is over, the CA will issue the certificate to you and send the files that are required to finish the installation. The certificate must be installed on the primary server.

How to install Private Key on Multiple Servers?

Step I:

At the cPanel, go to the SSL/TLS tab.

Step II:

At the “Private Keys” tab, click on “Generate, view, upload, or delete your private keys”.

Step III:

Click Edit

Step IV:

Copy the primary key that is provided. Also, copy the” —–BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY—–” and footer” —–END RSA PRIVATE KEY—–” header and footer too.

Step V:

The private key needs to be placed in a private key box on each server, as shown here. Additionally, this has to be done for all servers where the sub-domains are stored.

The certificate and the intermediate certificate bundle must be supplied too.

The process is now complete.

Conclusion

The risk faced by websites from unauthorized access has increased tremendously over the years. Any data breach can lead to severe repercussions like loss of trust, lost customers, and severe penal action from the government authorities. Depending on the online resources at your disposal, you must select the SSL certificate that will be useful to you.

If you have to secure multiple sub-domains under the main domain, you must install Wildcard SSL certificate to secure all the sub-domains. You must also keep in mind that almost all CAs allow you to have unlimited server licenses. It means that you install the certificate on multiple servers where the sub-domains have been stored.

The benefits of these certificates are huge. Apart from securing your website resources, they also help by helping you to gain the trust of the visitors to your website. This is because search engines like Google mark non-HTTPS websites as insecure. Moreover, the Wildcard SSL certificate also helps you in easier vendor management as your team needs to interact with only one entity. Renewals and support also become easy.

In this article, we have also provided details about the steps to be taken to install Wildcard SSL certificate on multiple servers.

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