SSL Certificates

If you want to enable any of the SSL options then you will need to provide an SSL certificate. This dialog will allow you to view, create, import and delete your SSL certificates.

SSL Certificates #

  • Create - This will allow you to create your own self signed certificate.
  • Import - If you already have a certificate / private key pair that you wish to use with Ability FTP Server, the Import facility allows you to load these in for use with SSL.
  • View - This will use your default certificate viewer and open the selected certificate.
  • Delete - This will permanently remove certificates from the FTP server.

Create SSL Certificate #

  • Certificate Name - This is the name that will identify the newly created certificate.
  • Common Name - This represents the 'issued to' identifier for the certificate. Because the certificate will be self signed, this will also be the 'issued by' identifier.
  • Email Address - This is the email address that any queries or other contact related to the certificate should be directed to.
  • Organization - This is the name of the organization that the certificate is intended for.
  • Department - This is the department that the certificate is intended for within an organization.
  • Town or City - This is the city or town where the organization using the certificate is based.
  • State or Region - This is the state or region where the organization using the certificate is based.
  • Country - This is the country where the organization using the certificate is based.
  • Expiry Date - This lets you control the time span for which this certificate can be used.
  • Private Key Length - This is the size of the private key that will be used with the certificate.

Import SSL Certificate #

  • Private Key - You can either enter the key file to be used or use the browse button to search for its location. The private key will normally be a file type '.key'. However, Ability FTP Server is very versatile and can load in other file types as long as they contain a valid RSA Base64 encoded private key. It is not uncommon to have a combined file of format '.pem' which can contain both private key and certificate data. Ability FTP Server will extract the relevant parts and save them as separate files in its 'certs' folder. The private key and certificate are also checked to make sure they match each other. If the key and certificate filenames are different, the key will be renamed to match the certificate for simplicity.
  • Certificate - You can either enter the certificate file to be used or use the browse button to search for its location. The certificate will normally be of file type '.crt' or '.cer'. However, Ability FTP Server is very versatile and can load in other file types as long as they contain a valid certificate. It is not uncommon to have a combined file of format '.pem' which can contain both private key and certificate data. Ability FTP Server will extract the relevant parts and save them as separate files in its 'certs' folder. The key and certificate are also checked to make sure they match each other. If the key and certificate filenames are different, the key will be renamed to match the certificate for simplicity.
  • Certificate Name (optional) - This gives you the option of renaming both the key and certificate files with a new name. This is useful if the previous filenames were ambiguous or not descriptive for the intended use.

See Also: Using SSL, FTP.