PLEASE.. quick advise about SSL, installation

[styledata]

After testing my cart on another domain on my server (through aplus.net), I am ready to move it to its intended domain to finish loading products, etc. The SSL certificate has been installed, not without a struggle!

Questions... my site, currently has a functioning web up that uses an Americart shopping cart. ALL html based, no php. Is there any reason why I can't also install Zencart into the root directory, where the americart pages are and have them BOTH be there for the near term? That way, folks could still place orders, they won't really even be aware of the zencart yet. I would REMOVE the index.html page of the americart web. Most of my paid advertising and search engine links go to specific pages within the web anyhow.

Question 2.... I'm really confused about what happens when a secure page is called for. Do I have to also install a whole zencart in my https directory? And if I do, what happens every time I make a change to the site, add products, etc?

I would really appreciate a quick word or two today, as i have to get this moving.
Thank you!
Suzanne

[Vger]

After testing my cart on another domain on my server (through aplus.net), I am ready to move it to its intended domain to finish loading products, etc. The SSL certificate has been installed, not without a struggle!

Questions... my site, currently has a functioning web up that uses an Americart shopping cart. ALL html based, no php. Is there any reason why I can't also install Zencart into the root directory, where the americart pages are and have them BOTH be there for the near term? That way, folks could still place orders, they won't really even be aware of the zencart yet. I would REMOVE the index.html page of the americart web. Most of my paid advertising and search engine links go to specific pages within the web anyhow.

You'd need to keep your index.html page, so that people (temporarily) land on the old html site and not the Zen Cart site. When you are ready just delete the index.html and people will land on the Zen Cart site.

Question 2.... I'm really confused about what happens when a secure page is called for. Do I have to also install a whole zencart in my https directory? And if I do, what happens every time I make a change to the site, add products, etc?

I would really appreciate a quick word or two today, as i have to get this moving.
Thank you!
Suzanne

This depends upon whether your hosting company uses one of the old-fashioned two-folder systems (one for httpdocs and one for httpsdocs), or just uses one folder for all files, whether they are called as http or https. You need to ask your hosts about their setup.

Vger

[styledata]

Hi,
Thanks for the reply! I have a dedicated server with many domains, not just a domain hosted through a company. I DO have two folders, httpdocs and httpsdocs. So, do I have to keep a whole catalog in the https folder as well, and if so, does that meen every time I do something in http (mods, catalog updates, whatever) I have to do it in https as well??
thanks!

[Merlinpa1969]

Yes this is the case.

once you move a copy the the httpsdocs folder you will also have to modify the 2 configure files so tht the server paths reflect the correct https

[styledata]

Okay. just to be sure.... then EVERY time I make a change in http I have to do this in https as well? If I add products, contributions, and so on?

[Merlinpa1969]

yes,
that is correct....

any changes you make to FILES will need to be changed in http and https but they will share a single database

[styledata]

Okay, thanks for clearing that up. Sounds pretty much like a pain! This is a Linux server.... Do you know of any sync options I might explore?
Thanks

[Vger]

It's not really the server that's the issue, it's your control panel that you use to administer it. It's usually that tired (cheap) old nag Plesk that uses the two folder system, but it can be set up to alias httpsdocs to httpdocs and thus remove the need to use two folders. I picked this code up from someone who runs a server using Plesk. They've been using Plesk for years and seem to know what they are talking about so I'll quite it below.

Plesk - httpdocs and httpsdocs
------------------------------
You need to create a vhost_ssl.conf file in

/home/httpd/vhosts/domainname.com/conf/

with directives pointing to httpdocs rather than httpsdocs

If your host is using Plesk (I know i run a Plesk based server), in the case of plesk you need to add a vhost_ssl.conf file to the conf directory of the site and point any reference to httpsdocs to httpdocs

e.g.

DocumentRoot /home/httpd/vhosts/site.com/httpdocs
<Directory /home/httpd/vhosts/site.com/httpdocs>
<IfModule mod_perl.c>
<Files ~ (\.pl)>
SetHandler perl-script
PerlHandler ModPerl::Registry
Options ExecCGI
allow from all
PerlSendHeader On
</Files>
</IfModule>
<IfModule sapi_apache2.c>
php_admin_flag engine on
php_admin_value open_basedir "/home/httpd/vhosts/site.com/httpdocs:/tmp"
</IfModule>
SSLRequireSSL
Options +includes +ExecCGI
</Directory>
<IfModule sapi_apache2.c>
php_admin_flag engine on
php_admin_value open_basedir "/home/httpd/vhosts/site.com/httpdocs:/tmp"
</IfModule>

Hope that helps.

Vger

[styledata]

Thank you! Is this considered a 'domain alias'? And, the transanctions WILL be secure, correct?

[Vger]

This creates a Symbolic Link between the httpsdocs and the httpdocs folders. Any request which would normally go to httpsdocs will get passed to httpdocs - and yes, it will be secure.

Be aware that I know very little about Plesk - other than I wouldn't personally touch it with a bargepole. But this advice is from someone who does run a server with Plesk - and it has proved useful to others.

Vger