SSL certificates and Server Name Indication (SNI) support
WHAT IS THE SNI?
SNI is the abbreviation for Server Name Indication. An extension of the TLS protocol that allows servers to use multiple SSL certificates at an IP address. In practical terms, this means:
- the number of available IPv4 addresses is constantly decreasing, so with the SNIs currently used, the servers can be used more efficiently.
- in most cases, you do not need to use a dedicated dedicated IP address to run SSL certified websites.
DO I NEED TO BUY A DEDICATED IP ADDRESS TO USE THE PURCHASED SSL CERTIFICATE?
This depends on two things:
- that server supports this SNI
- the visitor browser supports this SNI
Currently, all our web servers support SNI, so you do not need to use a dedicated IP address to use the SSL certificate.
BROWSERS SUPPORT SNI
Servers support SNI it is also necessary that the visitors’ browsers also support the SNI. Typically, most browsers support SNI, but there are a few exceptions:
- All Internet Explorer versions running on Windows XP
- Safari browser running under Windows XP
- BlackBerry OS 7.1 and earlier versions
- WindowsMobile 6.5 and earlier versions
- The default browser used in Android OS 2.x
If you want visitors to the web site that you want to provide SSL certificates for most of these browsers, we recommend that you buy a dedicated IP address next to the SSL certificate.
MORE INFORMATION:
For more information about SNI, see the following link: