Step 3 of 8
3. A name and certificate for the appliance
Copy link to the page “3. A name and certificate for the appliance”Give the appliance a free name and a certificate your browser trusts.
What you need
Copy link to the section “What you need”- Access to the appliance from your network.
- The private IPv4 address clients use to reach the appliance. With Docker, this is the host’s address.
Use the free name
Copy link to the section “Use the free name”-
On Access and hostname, keep Free my.sslbrain.net hostname and the suggested name. If you change it, use 6-10 lowercase letters and digits, at least one letter and no hyphens.
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Check IP address for the DNS name.
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Click Complete setup and go to dashboard. The appliance orders the certificate automatically.
Check that it works
Copy link to the section “Check that it works”Open https://<name>.my.sslbrain.net from your network. With Docker, include :8443. Once the certificate is issued, the browser shows no warning and the certificate appears under Certificates › Automated.
Next step
Copy link to the section “Next step”Continue with Find the certificates you already have.
If it fails
Copy link to the section “If it fails”- The name cannot be resolved → check IP address for the DNS name and the connection to sslbrain Cloud (EU). The free name points to your private address and is used from inside your network.
- The certificate does not arrive → open the appliance’s installation plan under Installation plans and read the latest run. See Installation fails. If the plan could not be created during setup, the appliance retries once a day.
- Your own name is not validated → use Test DNS on the network page. See Domain validation fails.
- The browser warns after Skip → select a name under Change the name or certificate.
- You cannot log in without a Cloud connection → create a local password while the connection works.
Certificates the appliance trusts
Copy link to the section “Certificates the appliance trusts”Open Appliance › Network › Advanced. The Trusted certificates page lists the internal CA certificates the appliance trusts alongside the system’s CAs when connecting to your devices and internal APIs. The name on a device’s certificate is still checked.
As an administrator, you can paste a root or intermediate certificate in PEM format under Add a CA certificate and click Trust it. The list shows the fingerprint, expiry date, where the certificate came from and who chose it. Using Remove means trust must be chosen again on the affected devices’ certificate cards before the appliance connects to them.
This does not change the appliance’s own HTTPS certificate or which certificates your browsers trust.
The appliance certificate renews automatically
Copy link to the section “The appliance certificate renews automatically”An installation plan orders, installs and renews the certificate. With the free name, sslbrain Cloud handles domain validation and orders from Let’s Encrypt with Google Trust Services as a fallback.
The appliance appears under Servers › All servers with the label This appliance. It does not count towards the licence and cannot be deleted.
Use your own name
Copy link to the section “Use your own name”Select Own domain in the wizard and create an A record for a name such as sslbrain.example.com pointing to the appliance address. Prepare the domain using AutoDNS (CNAME) or DNS-API.
After setup, open Appliance › Network › Network. Choose Your own domain with a certificate profile under Certificate source and select a certificate profile. Create the DNS record shown under Validating the name, click Test DNS, then Save TLS source. The box appears only when the profile requires DNS validation. Until the certificate is issued, the appliance uses a self-signed certificate.
Use the IP address temporarily
Copy link to the section “Use the IP address temporarily”With Skip, you use the IP address and a self-signed certificate. The browser warns until you select a name and obtain a trusted certificate.
Log in after setup
Copy link to the section “Log in after setup”The wizard logs you into the dashboard. Your first login with email and password saves the password locally. Until then, login requires a connection to sslbrain Cloud. A local password gives you access when Cloud cannot be reached.
Change the name or certificate
Copy link to the section “Change the name or certificate”Open Appliance › Network › Network. Change the name under Hostname & HTTPS certificate and click Save and activate hostname. Each Cloud account can get 3 free names per week; a name change counts towards this limit.
Under Certificate source, you can use a free name or your own name with a certificate profile. Self-signed certificate (default) and Manual upload (server.crt + server.key) pause the installation plan. An uploaded certificate is not renewed automatically. Click Save TLS source to save the choice.