Summary

This chapter explained the fundamentals of the SSL protocol and mod_ssl, the Apache module that implements support for SSL. You were given an introduction to installing and configuring OpenSSL and mod_ssl, and how to use the openssl command-line tool for certificate and key generation and management. You can access the mod_ssl reference documentation at http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.0/mod/mod_ssl.html for in-depth syntax explanation and additional configuration information. Bear in mind also that SSL is just part of maintaining a secure server, which includes applying security patches, OS configuration, access control, physical security, and so on.