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authorMatthias Andree <matthias.andree@gmx.de>2009-05-09 13:21:16 +0000
committerMatthias Andree <matthias.andree@gmx.de>2009-05-09 13:21:16 +0000
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Add README.SSL-SERVER, revise manual page.
svn path=/branches/BRANCH_6-3/; revision=5297
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+SSL server requirements
+-----------------------
+
+In order to let any mail client (not just fetchmail) verify server
+certificates properly, so that users can be sure their connection is not
+eavesdropped, there are several requirements that need to be fulfilled.
+
+1. Match certificate and DNS names:
+
+ The server certificate's "common name" or "subject alternative name"
+ must match the name by which clients are connecting. Avoid the use of
+ wildmats if possible, not all clients support them (fetchmail does).
+
+ This may sound trivial, but for load balancing and failover setups,
+ it may not be obvious.
+
+2. Provide the *full* certificate chain
+
+ Many SSL documents tell you to install the server certificate,
+ silently assuming that it were directly signed by a trusted
+ root certification authority (CA).
+
+ If your server certificate is not directly signed by the root
+ certification authority (root CA), then you are using intermediate
+ CA. In this case, you *MUST* (as per the TLS standard) provide *ALL*
+ intermediate certificates.
+
+ If you fail to provide intermediate certificates, clients can only
+ connect if the end user overrides/disables security warnings in
+ his/her software, and this disables the detection of eavesdroppers.
+
+ The intermediate CA certificates must be issued after the server's
+ certificate in proper order, that is:
+ first the intermediate CA cert that signed the servers' certificate,
+ then the intermedate CA cert that signed the previous intermediate CA,
+ and all the way back to the root CA cert (which you should omit).
+
+ You can optionally add the root CA certificate, but this is
+ redundant, as the client needs to have that installed anyways (see 3
+ below) in its store of trusted root certification authorities in
+ order to verify certificates that this root CA has signed.
+
+ For software that does not offer "chain certificate" options, but
+ that supports reading certificates in PEM format, it is
+ usually sufficient to concatenate all the certs in proper order
+ (again, from server to root).
+
+3. Provide the *root* CA's certificate separately.
+
+ Provide the root CA's certificate in a place where your end users
+ will quickly and easily find it, or provide a link to it. Depending
+ on which mail software your clients use, it may not be pre-installed,
+ and users require this root CA to verify your SSL server certificate,
+ and possibly intermediate certificates.
+
+ This is particularly important if you're using local self-signed
+ certificates, as these are never preinstalled into end-users clients.
+
+ Your technical support team should have the finger prints of this
+ root CA readily available at least in MD5 and SHA1 formats and offer
+ to clients and be ready to answer client questions as to the
+ fingerprints (for verification) and installation in commonly used
+ clients.