Secure Server URL Test

Announcing: New exclusive software in the WebSite's Secret members' area: Secure Server URL Test

A recent SLL secure server certificate installation bungle prompted me to write this software.

I hope you'll never have a use for it. Secure certificate installation errors are rare.

But if you do need it, you'll really really need it.

With the Secure Server URL Test software you can view the SSL certificate at secure servers. You can select whether to use SSL version 2, version 3, or let the software auto-determine the version. (The SSL version is the version of Secure Socket Layer technology to use when establishing a secure connection with the server.)

What I found, when I used the software to view the certificate at the client's site, was a different domain name the certificate is issued for depending on the SSL version selected. The incorrect name didn't match the domain name at all. Some browsers, using the version with the incorrect domain name, may have assumed the certificate was invalid.

Certificate issues are rare (other than letting them expire). But if they do happen, they can be time-consuming to fix. Especially when the hosting company insists the certificate is correctly installed.

The software requires cURL library. The library is installed with most PHP installations.

Click here to pick up your copy of Secure Server URL Test with complete instructions. (Log in, if you haven't recently.)