server

I was recently asked if I had any documentation on how to create a self-signed SSL certificate for the Apache Web Server. As luck would have it, I indeed had exactly such an item!

With this in mind I have decided to add this information here also for all to share.

While this is targeted at creating a self-signed certificate, it can also be used to submit to a certificate authority.

In the following example I am assuming that you have chosen to install a pre-compiled Win32 Binary that already includes OpenSSL.

While Windows is the install of choice here, the syntax remains pretty much the same, only the file and directory structure differ. As such, if you are using Linux, Mac OS or something else just adjust the directory locations for your particular install.

Following an install of Apache on Windows you are faced with the somewhat daunting process of wading through the httpd.conf file and deciding upon what is required for your particular circumstance.

As a matter of course, I typically save the default httpd.conf file to another name and use a vastly trimmed down variant in place thereof.

What I have pasted below represents such an example and trims the config file to a much more manageable 55-lines of code having stripped the unnecessary elements along with all of the comments.


PidFile logs/httpd.pid
Listen 80
ServerName localhost
ServerTokens Prod
ServerSignature Off
FileETag None
UseCanonicalName Off
HostnameLookups Off
AddDefaultCharset IS-8859-1
ServerAdmin webadmin@localhost
ServerRoot "c:/www/Apache22"

As somewhat a continuance from my post regarding the use 7-Zip as part of an overall backup solution therein also lies the need for a file retention strategy too.

If we simply allow the creation of daily or weekly backups to run unchecked then dependant upon the size of the archive, the frequency of the backup job and ultimately the amount of available disk space we reach some kind of threshold. This necessitates the need for a retention strategy.

When performing file compression most people instinctively refer to WinZip. Beginning with Microsoft Windows ME (who can forget that quality release!), the Windows Operating System included their own tool for file compression.

While these along with many others provide a means to an end they are all limited in one particular way or another. Enter 7-Zip!

While I myself have only been using 7-Zip for the past 2 to 3 years it has none the less been around since the latter part of 2001.

This is a placeholder for the upcoming Multi-Factor Authentication Project.