SSL Certificates: Sometimes the Site has to be Down
Author of this post: Karen Morrill-McClure | About Blog Authors »
I recently switched web hosts for a client. I hate switching hosts, but it seems like a lot of hosts that start out great (good price, good customer service) hit a certain size and then go down hill rapidly. I’ve had that experience with Frogee and now with Midphase.
So, I looked at the site, checked what email addresses we needed and what services we needed, then tried to figure out the best way to do this switch with no downtime. In theory, I could switch them over without visitors even noticing, but having accounts at both hosts, so that the web files would be up in both places, when the DNS (domain name server) switched from pointing to the files at Midphase and pointed instead to the files at Network Solutions, no one but me and the DNS server would notice the difference.
Except for the SSL Certificate, that little thing you have to have to make the site secure when people are ordering stuff from you. What exactly is an SSL Certificate? I don’t think they really want you to know because the descriptions are so vague, but it seems to say that this site is who it says it is (see wikipedia entry, though there’s a lot there about the encryption method as well). Of course, all you have to do is pay for the security certificate to get it, though I must say that the folks at Network Solutions had a more intense questioning process than those at Midphase.
Anyway, I needed the security certificate to be in place and ready to go when the DNS pointed to Network Solutions. One problem: I couldn’t apparently get the certificate until the DNS for my domain name pointed to Network Solutions.
At least, that’s the conclusion I came to after purchasing the certificate, connecting it to the correct domain name and then watching with dismay when none of my ordering pages would even load when the DNS started pointing to Network Solutions.
Long story short, just tell the client that the online ordering will be down while you are switching hosts. Switch the site over, then order the new SSL. That’s basically what I wound up doing anyways and if the client knows the ordering will be down and you’ve made that clear on your site, you won’t get any panicky calls from clients or users when they can’t order anything.
We’ve come to expect 100% uptime on the internet, but that just isn’t possible. And is it really necessary?
April 15th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
I have my website down for 1 day, and the next day I lost 500 traffics, which need several day to make them come back. So, yes it is necessary to have 100% uptime
April 30th, 2008 at 9:14 am
Yes that’s quite right. Actually the combination of a rigorous, standardized vetting process and new browser versions displaying EV SSL-secured Web sites differently enables Web site visitors to instantly recognize that a Web site can be trusted. As Internet users become familiar with the new browser versions, they will immediately recognize the difference between Web sites that are secured with traditional SSL certificates and those that are covered by the more stringent EV SSL standard.
November 21st, 2008 at 2:18 am
When you think of integrating security to your web pages to prevent spy ware and other hacking attacks, SSL certificates come in handy. SSL Certificates or SSL seals are an effective way to make sure your customers know your site has the stamp of approval from a leading global Certificate Authority. Displaying the SSL seal on your Web site could increase the number of visitors of your site. It could also lower shopping cart abandonment and often results in larger average purchases.
Without having SSL encryption on your web site, packets of information or confidential data travel through networks in full view. You can imagine it as the same situation as sending mail via USPS in a transparent envelope. The data could be accessed by anyone who has access to it. So it can be a wise decision to implement SSL layer for your web pages.