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Q: How do I make a SSL cert? How do SSL certs work in CrushFTP?

A: SSL Background:
You create a private key. This is the key generation that asks things like the common name, organization, state, etc. This private key is a once in a lifetime event…its your private unique key to the world, and should never be shared, distributed or otherwise made "public" in any way. Its private, store it, and keep it secure.

From this key, a unique signature is made, and this is called the CSR, and this file is given to a certificate authority. They then sign this CSR with their own information and give it back to you. This is your "cert". Its unique to your private key, and only goes with your private key.

Now we have to add this cert back with your private key to create a system of trust. We can't trust the cert you have yet until we can verify each of its parents back up the chain of certs to your certificate authority where you bought it from. This is the cert chain, and its the same chain the web browser will use in deciding if your cert is valid or not.

You add each of these chain certs into the keystore, saying you trust it. Once all the pieces are there, you then "Import the CA Reply" which adds the "cert" you got back to your original private key information.

Now when users connect to you, the server is providing this information to them, and because they already trust the chain for where it came from, they then trust your server is who it says it is…or someone else has your private key and is impersonating you. Portecle makes this process easier.

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Q: How do you install CrushFTP as a daemon on Linux?

A: Each Linux distro has its own way of handling startup items. Refer to your distro's documentation on how to add a reference to a script for starting CrushFTP. (crushftp_init.sh)

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Q: The Windows service seems to be running, but when I open the GUI, I get an error about ports being in use, and to remove and reinstall the service.

A: First, try removing the service and reinstalling. If that doesn't fix things, this is how you can reset everything.

Open the crush GUI. Go to manage servers. Remove all items in there, and click OK.

If you don't have any server items listening on "lookup" or listening on "127.0.0.1", then open your server prefs, add a new server item on port 8080, sharing users and groups from another server item.

Set its IP to be "127.0.0.1" instead of "lookup".

Click OK.

Now install the service again.

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Q: Is it possible to run the server on ports below 1024 and not run as root on a Linux/Unix system?

A: Yes. Use the built in firewall to setup a port rewrite.

sudo iptables -t nat -A PREROUTING -p tcp -d 192.168.0.5 -m tcp --dport 21  -j DNAT --to 192.168.0.5:2121

sudo iptables -t nat -A POSTROUTING  -p tcp -s 192.168.0.5 -m tcp --sport 2020 -j SNAT --to 192.168.0.5:20

If you do change the source port to 2020, add an entry into the prefs.xml specifying this. The entry goes in the individual server_item you want the source port changed on.

<source_port>2020</source_port>

Alternatively you may just want this:

sudo iptables -t nat -A PREROUTING -p tcp -m tcp --dport 21 -j REDIRECT --to-ports 2121

Then just run CrushFTP on port 2121 instead.

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Q: How do groups, inheritance and templates work in CrushFTP 5?

A: Groups and templating/inheritance cover two different types of things.

Groups just define lists of users. A better name would be "Lists" instead of "Groups" as that is all it does. So just keep that in mind.

Having a list of users is important when you want to do a batch update to everyone in that "List/Group". Instead of applying to all users, it only applies to that "List/Group".

Batch changes such as adding a user into the template inheritance list is done by holding the "control" key when clicking on the add button. It is also used when holding control and de-selecting a checkbox in the list of inheritance/templates, and lastly its used when holding control and clicking on the checkboxes to the left of any setting that overrides the inherited value. Every setting has a checkbox like this on the left.

So you make some "setting users" that have settings you want applied to your users. You then choose a user in a group, and control click the add button to add this "setting user" to the list of their inheritance.

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Q: How do I get SMTP email working with a SMTP server that has an untrusted SSL certificate?

A: keytool -keystore /System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework/Home/lib/security/cacerts -import -file my_mail-server.cer -alias my_mail_server

The default password when prompted is changeme, or changeit. (However, don't change it!)

Then restart CrushFTP and it should be able to send email.

On a windows system, the "keytool" application is in the JDK folder in your Program Files\Java\ folder.

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Q: How can I setup Growl notifications?

A: First, you need the "growlnotify" from the "Extras" folder of the official Growl download.

Then, setup a CrushTask like the following screenshot. The most import thing is that the message item must be the last argument.

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Q: How can I restart CrushFTP from the command line on Linux?

A: Here is an alternate command script for Linux to handle a friendly QUIT and RESTART. The startup_command in the prefs.xml must also have a –Ddir= value set to the path to CrushFTP.

attachments

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Q: How can I enable AES256 encryption, or higher encryption for SSL?

A: The policy files must be downloaded manually and installed in your Java lib/security folder.

http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/jce-6-download-429243.html

You may also search google for: 'java unlimited cryptography policy files'

OS X install location: /System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework/Versions/CurrentJDK/Home/lib/security/

Windows install location: C:\Program Files\Java\jre6\lib\security\

Once this has been done, edit the cipher list in the server prefs SSH port item, SSH tab to duplicate the AES128 ciphers and replace the 128 with 256.

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Q: The CrushFTP host (Linux 2.6) is keeping a lot of information in the physical memory page cache. Please implement the following two changes to (1) control the usage of the swap file, and (2) increase the amount of memory reserved (i.e. not used as a cache for files).

A: Change One – adjust the swap value.

# Swappiness
vm.swappiness=80

Change Two – adjust the amount of reserved memory.

# Minimum Free Kbytes
vm.min_free_kbytes=512000

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Q: Why can't I access mapped drives in windows after installing the service?

A: When a Windows service is running, it cannot access "mapped" drives unless you go to the service properties, and enable the "interacts with desktop" flag. This however, does require that a session always be logged into the Windows machine to provide those mapped drive letters.

Otherwise, network resources must always be referenced by their UNC path. Then you can set the service to logon as a different account, and then it will be able to access those UNC paths it has access to.