Important: Configuring SSL certificates and virtual domains may incur special setup fees. Contact your Forsta account representative for more information.
1: What is an SSL certificate?
Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certification is the standard security process for creating an encrypted link between a web server and a web browser. This type of link ensures that all data passed between the server and browser remains private and is used by millions of websites in the protection of their online transactions with their customers.
SSL encryption technology exists as part of the larger topics of safe computing and secure networking. All websites must take precautions to ensure that their users' login credentials, personally identifiable information (PII), any any other confidential data is properly protected en route to an external server.
For more general information on SSL, visit SSL for Beginners from Verisign.
Panel Management offers free SSL-enabled subdomains for clients who do not require a virtual domain for their installations. For example, a client utilizing this free subdomain for all Panel Management tools would have the following:
Panel: https://clientnamepanel.opinioninsight.com/auth.pro Community: https://clientname.opinioninsight.com/ Additional Communities (optional): https://communityname.opinioninsight.com/
To see detailed information about a website's SSL certificate in Chrome, Firefox or Opera, right-click the padlock icon that appears to the left of the URL in the browser address bar. In Internet Explorer and Safari, left-click the padlock icon that appears at the end of the address bar. The popup will provide all necessary certificate information, including the registrant, issuer, expiration date, and encryption type.
2: What is a Virtual Domain?
A virtual domain allows you to brand your Panel Management installation with your company's branded website URL. The traffic and web address allows you creative control over what link participants and end clients use to access your portals and installations. For example, a default installation using a Panel Management domain may look like this:
https://clientname.opinioninsight.com/
By utilizing a virtual domain, the client can change their URL so it appears as:
https://www.clientname.com/
Panel Management allows more than one domain per installation. For example, a client installation using a virtual domain would have the following:
Panel: https://www.panel.clientname.com/auth.pro Community: https://www.clientname.com/ Additional Communities (optional): https://communityname.clientname.com/
See Edit Panel Properties to learn more.
3: How do I acquire a Virtual Domain and SSL Certificate?
Panel Management requires all custom virtual domains to have an SSL certificate. While you can use any domain supplier to purchase a custom domain for your installations, we strongly recommend the following vendors:
Once you have purchased a domain, you must obtain an SSL certificate to use it for your installation. We recommend purchasing your SSL from the same provider who handles your domain, though this is not a requirement. If you already own a custom domain from a different vendor, we suggest purchasing your SSL certificate from one of the above vendors. We also strongly recommend purchasing a wildcard SSL certificate, as this provides you with unlimited subdomains for multiple Panel installations / communities.
4: How do I implement my Virtual Domain and SSL Certificate?
To implement your virtual domain within Panel Management, first ensure that your SSL certificate meets the following requirements:
- It covers all required domains. We strongly recommend using a wildcard certificate for this purpose.
- It is a long-term certificate, expiring after a year or more. Panel Management does not support short-term certificates (e.g., those available from Let's Encrypt).
Once you have verified that your SSL certificate meets the above requirements, you must configure your domain for use with your installation and start the process for implementing your SSL certificate. Follow the steps below to complete this process.
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Obtain a CSR by submitting the below information to Technical Support via email:
- CN: Domain Name
- O: Organization Name
- OU: Organization Unit (i.e., "Market Research")
- C: Country, as a two-letter abbreviation
- ST: State
- L: City
- Send your SSL certificate(s) to Technical Support via email. Your vendor will typically bundle one or more chain certificates with your domain .crt file. You must submit all of these to implement your SSL. If you have generated the CSR yourself, you must also provide the key generated with the CSR.
- Forsta Support will then send you the updates required to configure the DNS.
- Configure your DNS using the updates provided by Forsta Support.