Setting Up a WildCard SSL in cPanel / WHM
The easiest way to use an unlimited amount of sub-domains on a given domain name with one SSL certificate is with a WildCard SSL. The main function of a Wildcard SSL Certificate is to secure a main domain and sub domain over a single FQDN. In addition, a wildcard certificate means, regardless of the non-SSL Document-Root specification, all the sub-domains are going to resolve to the same location. Luckily, the installation of a Wildcard SSL Certificate on a CPanel is very similar to installing a traditional SSL.
A Wildcard SSL is very similar to having multiple certificates installed on a server, as every sub-domain containing the certificate also needs its own IP. However, a Wildcard SSL does not function in the same way as a Wildcard DNS; specifically, it needs to install the certificate on every sub-domain. If each sub-domain is hosted as a separate CPanel account and each one of the accounts has its own IP address, then create the Certificate Signing Request (CSR) in WHM, using *.com. After obtaining the certificate, the next step is to go to WHM, install an SSL Certificate and setup the domain by pasting the CRT and CA Bundle for *.Domain.com. Once this is done and the IP is checked for accuracy, change the SSL host name from *.domain.com to the target sub-domain. Finally, install the certificate by click “install.”
This method is best suited for users that are not resellers or are on shared hosting servers, as having multiple cPanel accounts may cause problems in case one cPanel account must assign multiple IPs to the sub-domains. To do this, first create the Certificate Signing Request (CSR) in WHM,
using *.domain.com. Then, edit “/var/cpanel/userdata/$USER/$SUBDOMAIN.$DOMAIN” for each sub-domain and change the IP value to a “dedicated” IP.
Next, run “/scripts/rebuildhttpconf” and edit the DNS zone for the sub-domain. Update the a-record to point to that IP as well.
Upon completion, edit “/etc/domainips” and add an entry for that sub-domain to point to the IP and run “/scripts/rebuildippool to make sure the IP is marked as taken.” The rest is the same as before.
With just a few simple steps, it is easy to set up a Wildcard SSL on CPanel/WHM. This makes it possible to secure a main domain and subdomain over a single FQDN.
