DV certificates and vetting by file on FTP
The certification authorities in our offer allow you to verify a DV certificate order in several ways, including verification with file (sometimes called a practical demonstration). This method is suitable for all orders that cannot be verified via the verification email on the verified domain (no MX records, no mailserver).
Standard DV certificate verification
The standard way to verify a DV certificate is to send a verification email to the verified domain. There are five mailboxes for a given domain and a domain owner or administrative contact’s email. The certificate applicant must have (at least) one of the mailboxes active on the domain admin, administrator, hostmaster, postmaster or webmaster to get the email and confirm it. The only alternative is to forward the email approver to the email of the domain's administrative contact or owner (WHOIS contacts).
Alternative DV certificate verification
Certification authorities can verify a DV certificate order not only via email, but also through the unique fileauth.txt file uploaded to the FTP domain in the directory /.well-known/pki-validation/.
You can select the File vetting option in the certificate order’s fifth step (Certificate Verification and Public Key (CSR)).
The file to be used for verification can be downloaded from the order detail in customer administration. Its unique content is given by the CA and is unique to your order.
Download the fileauth.txt file (plain text) from the SSLMarket administration and upload it to the /.well-known/pki-validation/ (FTP) folder. Make sure that the file is accessible to the visitor and not restricted by, for example, the .htaccess file.
The file for vetting must be available on this URL: domain-name.com/.well-known/pki-validation/fileauth.txt
The file must be on the base domain (2nd level) in the basic form. If your site is redirected to a www.domain.com, you can set a redirect exception for the verification file (or temporarily disable this redirect).
Even on a Windows server, the fileauth.txt file for verification must be placed in the /.well-known/pki-validation/ folder. You cannot create a folder beginning with dot in Windows Explorer, so use the command line mkdir .test to create or rd .test to delete a folder that begins with a dot.
The authority will automatically check the file and it's content at regular intervals. Once found, it will confirm the certificate order and it will be issued.
File verification is quick and easy
The above verification method will not cause any delays when issuing the certificate. The authority performs checks at very short intervals.
You are having problems with domain verification?
Please feel free to contact our customer support, who will be happy help you with any problems you may have.
Feeling overwhelmed?
If you're unsure about any step, don't hesitate to contact our customer support, who will advise and help you.
ZONER, inc.
3902 Henderson Blvd Suite 208-187
33629 Tampa, FL
Company No.: 49437381
VAT No.: CZ49437381
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