If you are using 602Pro LAN SUITE’s Remote Administration feature, Web Mail or hosting an e-commerce site, a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) enabled web server is a must to ensure security and privacy. One of the major drawbacks to web-based communication is that the information sent to and received from the server is sent in clear text, which is easily readable by prying eyes. SSL will provide encryption to secure the communication between web server and client. Setting this up in 602Pro LAN SUITE 2003 is a snap.

Setting up SSL Communication

The first step to setting up secure communications in LAN SUITE is to create an SSL certificate and then enable the SSL web server. An SSL certificate can either be issued by a Certificate Authority (CA) or can be self-signed. To access the SSL Configuration and create the certificate, follow these directions:

1. Open 602Pro LAN SUITE, then click on Settings and click Advanced Configuration.
2. Click the SSL tab.
3. Fill out the appropriate SSL information, then click the Create Certificate Signing Request (CSR).
4. Click Save as… and store you CSR in a safe place, then click Copy to clipboard.
5. Deliver the CSR to the Certificate Authority (e.g. Thawte can accept the CSR over the Internet).
6. Click OK to close the CSR window.
7. Once you receive the certificate back from the Certificate Authority click Input Certificate.
8. You can either paste the certificate or Open X.509 certificate from file.
9. Click Save certificate to LAN SUITE.

NOTE: If you do not wish to pay for an SSL certificate from a Certificate Authority, you may create a self-signed certificate. To do this, simply click the Create Self-signed Certificate button on the SSL tab. Although a Self-signed Certificate provides the same level of security to your communication it will generate a warning message in your web browser due to the fact that it was not sign by a recognized and trusted Certificate Authority. Software602 recommends Thawte as a trusted and afforable Certificate Authority.

Enable the SSL Web Server

Once you have installed your certificate, you will need to enable the SSL web server in LAN SUITE. Follow these directions to enable the SSL web server:

1. Open 602Pro LAN SUITE, then click Settings and then click Advanced Configuration.
2. Click the WWW tab.
3. Click the checkbox to enable the SSL WWW server option.
4. Click Save.

Once this is done, users will be able to access LAN SUITE’s services over an encrypted connection!