Your browser warns that the admin UI is insecure

After installing Syncplify Server! you manage it through its web interfaces, over HTTPS. A very common choice is to keep the self signed certificate the installer generates, because it saves money and, if you know what you are doing, it does not compromise security. According to our surveys it is the most common choice among our users.

But with a self signed certificate your browser warns you that the connection may not be private or secure. That is because self signed certificates are what a man in the middle attack would present. It is not the case here, of course, if you can verify that this particular certificate is the one created by you, for you.

To get rid of the warning you have two options.

Option 1: a certificate from a certification authority

Obtain a trusted X.509 certificate for the host name of your server from a certification authority. This is the recommended choice, because it relies on the chain of trust every browser already has. In the SuperAdmin UI, open Certificates:

• if you already have a certificate and its private key, use Import certificate and paste the certificate, the key and, if you have one, the CA bundle in PEM format;
• otherwise, on the Signing requests tab, use Create signing request, download the request, have your certification authority sign it, and upload the signed certificate back onto the request.

Syncplify Server! does not obtain certificates from an ACME authority such as Let's Encrypt by itself. If you want one of those, obtain it with an ACME client of your choice and import it.

The Web/REST service picks, among the certificates on the node, the one whose common name matches the host name your browser asked for (wildcard names included), so issue the certificate for the host name you actually use, and set that name as the Primary host name in the Service Binding section of the Global Configuration. The manual describes the certificates page in Certificates.

Option 2: verify and trust the self signed certificate

Keep the self signed certificate and add it to the trusted store of your browser or operating system. If you go this way, always verify the certificate's fingerprint against the one shown in the SuperAdmin UI (Certificates, view the certificate) before you trust it, to be sure you are looking at the certificate you created and not at a man in the middle. Every browser has a way to proceed past the warning and to add an exception; the exact steps change from version to version, so follow your browser's documentation.

INFO

If you use a self signed certificate, or if you reach the web interfaces by IP address instead of by the host name the certificate was issued for, the warning is normal and you can safely proceed once you have verified the fingerprint.

Whatever you choose, use a modern browser. Internet Explorer is not supported, and this page explains why.