Install Custom SSL Certificates

Installing custom SSL certificates on your SMART Controller ensures a secure connection and prevents any web browser security warnings when you access the SMART Control Panel.

About this task

When you access the SMART Control Panel, your web browser may display a warning that the connection is unsafe because the SMART uses self-signed certificates which are not verified by a Certificate Authority. If you install your organization's own SSL certificates on the SMART, you will no longer see these warnings.

Procedure

  1. Acquire a valid SSL certificate, private key, and chain file.
    In most cases, your organization's IT department can supply these files.
  2. Place the files into a directory on the SMART Controller.
    This could be the standard /etc/ssl/certs directory or /home/smart.
  3. Edit the file /etc/apache2/sites-enabled/default-ssl.conf to replace the default certificate and key files with your own.
    1. Comment out the following lines, which point to the default certificate and key files.
      #SSLCertificateFile     /etc/ssl/certs/ssl-cert-snakeoil.pem
      #SSLCertificateKeyFile  /etc/ssl/private/ssl-cert-snakeoil.key
    2. Insert the following line with the path of your .pem file.
      SSLCertificateFile      /filepath/my-pem-file.pem
    3. Insert the following line with the path of your chain file.
      SSLCertificateChainFile /filepath/my-chain-file.crt
    4. Save the file /etc/apache2/sites-enabled/default-ssl.conf.
  4. Restart the apache web server.
    systemctl restart apache2.service
    Depending on the SSL certificate, accessing the SMART using its IP address may still produce security warnings. This is because the certificate may be expecting an explicit domain name (for example, mysmart.wildlifeacoustics.com).
  5. Assign a fully qualified domain name to your SMART system using one of two methods.
    • Insert your SMART System's IP address and fully qualified domain name into your local hosts file.

      Example

      • Mac and Linux systems: /etc/hosts
      • Windows systems: C:\Windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts
      10.1.1.1 mysmart.mydomain.com
    • Configure your DNS service to assign a fully qualified domain name to the SMART.

Results

When you access the SMART Console using its IP address or your custom domain name, the security warnings should no longer appear.