Tutorial

Introduction

Installing SSL should be relatively easy provided you have the prerequisites. System administrators who have previously installed open source software will likely have all the tools needed. Even first-timers are in good shape if their Voyager server has been upgraded to Solaris 8.

Newbie sysadmins still on Solaris 2.6 can still implement Apache with SSL, but it will take a bit more effort. If you've never compiled source code before, it may seem a bit daunting, but it is definitely worth the time and effort you put into it. Good luck!

1. Read the disclaimer.
   
   
2. Make sure you have the prerequisites.
   
   
3. Download the Apache and SSL software packages.
   
   
4. Read and follow the compile and install instructions.
   
   
5. Do some post-install configuration of Apache and WebVoyage.
   
   
6. Purchase and install a digital certificate.
   
   

The tutorial incorporates mod_perl in the install instructions because:

1. Mod_perl is probably the most popular Apache add-on module and many sysadmins would opt to add it during installation.
   
   
2. The Solaris 8 binary Apache package comes with mod_perl, and I didn't want anybody to lose functionality when they implemented Apache with SSL.
   
   
3. I felt that the "including mod_perl" example in the mod_ssl Unix install file could be made more user-friendly for newbie sysadmins.