Installing Apache With SSL: The Complete Guide - Running SSL Automatically
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I'm going to show you how to configure the SSL part of the server to run automatically so that you won't have to start it manually everytime your computer loads up. I got tired of doing this, so to save everyone time, I'll show you how to configure it to run as a service as well.
Open your httpd.conf file in notepad. It will be located in the C:\OpenSA\Apache\conf directory.
When you have your conf file open, press ctrl+f and type IfDefine SSL in the find box. This will take you right to the lines you need to edit. It should look like this:
Remove both brackets so that it now looks like this:
Save the changed settings and close your httpd.conf file. Start your web server using the method I showed you on the previous page. Once it's started, look at your command prompt screen to see that OpenSSL/0.9.6g is indeed running, just like in the screenshot below:
Once you see that everything is working as it should, go to your browser and type in https://localhost/. Note the "https". It should bring up a dialog like this one:
Click yes and it should bring you to a test page. There you have it -- an Apache server with SSL and various other modules that you can use for both your personal and commercial web sites.
Note that the certificate that comes with this package is an old, expired one, and should not be used for a production site. Install a valid certificate if you plan to use SSL on your commercial site. You can get a certificate from
Verisign for a couple of hundred dollars.
For the people who have administrator rights to your computer, I have a few shortcuts that you can use to save you time in the future.
If you're unsure whether you have admin rights or not, then click on "my computer" and then "control panel". If you see the administrative tools then you have admin rights to your computer. If you don't, then just skip this part of the tutorial and proceed to the next page.
If you see the administrative tool icon, then click on it. You will see a few icons. You need to double click on the services icon. This will open up the services window, which looks like this:
I've made the list above short so you will see Spache on the list. Its status should be stopped. Double click on the Apache item to get the properties window, as shown below:
To get a better understanding of what each feature does, right click and you'll get a "what's this?" button. Click on it and it will describe what you've right clicked on in detail. Everything is pretty much laid out for you however, so you might not need it.
Let's now head to our final step, which will be to edit the conf file again.
Next: Configuring Your Http.Conf File >>
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