SSL

SSL Description

SSL is a protocol that permits secure communication between two computers. The servers use certificates to identify themselves and verify that they are who they say they are. This protocol is widely used in web pages to allow secure banking and shopping over the Internet.

TLS is essentially the same as SSL, the only difference is that it is a mechanism by which a connection can be transferred from being insecure to secure at the request of the connected computer. For example: a mail client can be connected in a none secure mode to port 25 of a server and then start a TLS session which will then encrypt the rest of the data using SSL.

In order for a certificate to be usable in FTGate it must be placed in the Local Computer/Personal/Certificates store and be valid for SSL/TLS encryption.

SSL Support in FTGate

FTGate supports SSL and TLS on the following.

Feature

SSL

TLS

SMTP Server

X

X

SMTP Send

X

X

HTML Server

X

POP3 Server

X

X

SmartPop

X

X

Connector Server

X

Replication Client

X

Services that support TLS have the option of requiring that TLS be selected. If the client does not switch to TLS then the connection is rejected.

Installing a self signed certificate

See: SSL self signed certificates

Configuring SSL

After installing a certificate, configuration of the service or client is simple.

  1. Go to the Service or client page
  2. Select the encryption type and select the certificate
  3. Stop and start the service or client.

Internet Explorer and SSL attachment problems

Some users experience problems when attempting to download attachments from FTGate when using SSL. These problems are due to the security options set in Internet Explorer.

To resolve the problem open Internet Explorer and in Tools/internet options/advanced,  under the security section,  clear the check the box Do not save encrypted pages to disk.

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