Virtualmin, Wordpress, Multisite & SSL

[neilticktin]

With Google’s push to SSL – I want to move all of our WordPress sites to SSL. The problem is the best way to do this in a multisite environment. I’m thinking, but not yet succeeding with the following.

• Webmin/Virtualmin on Ubuntu 16.04 LTS with dns for IP as wp.xyz.com
• Install *.xyz.com wildcard certificate on Webmin
  • Did this at Webmin > Webmin Configuration > SSL Encryption
• Setup a Virtualmin server called wordpress.xyz.com (yes, the name different to help discriminate between webmin/virtualmin and Wordpress
• Setup WordPress multisite at wordpress.xyz.com
• Add WordPress sites on the multisite such as:
  • a.xyz.com
  • b.xyz.com
  • abc.om
  • def.com
  • a.def.com

Because several of the domains are different than the wildcard SSL, and there’s more than one, I believe we need a different “setup” for each of the domains so that an SSL certificate can be installed. The issue is that we want to use a single multisite WordPress installation – with shared plug-ins, etc… Otherwise, management and licensing are a nightmare.

I’m thinking that:

• for each subdomain of xyz.com, we would just add an Virtualmin alias for that server.
• And, for each domain that is different from xyz.com, we would add a subserver to the wordpress.xyz.com virtual server,
• and then install certificates at that virtualmin subserver (let's use abc.com) at Server Configuration > Manage SSL Certificate and if necessary configure the ssl web site at Services > Configure Website for SSL > SSL Options

Of course, the problem is now that we're now pointing to a completely different public_html directory -- and not sharing WordPress installation. So, I'm thinking here we would log into the command line and create a symbolic link to the WordPress install with something like this

ln -s /home/wordpress/public_html /home/wordpress/domains/abc.com/public_html

Initially, the problem was that when I do this, I’d get “redirected you too many times” and the page won’t load. I believe that was as a caching issue – and now have this method working more or less with an assortment of types of certificates, including ones from sslforfree.com

For completeness of this post, if the above worked, and I was using a wildcard or multisite SSL for def.com – I would create an alias of the subserver def.com for a.def.com to handle this – otherwise, it would go to the top level wordpress.xyz.com site.

Thoughts of a better way to go?

Thanks!

[Zayker]

Hi I’ve the same error issue, did you solved it$
Thanks in advance

[ben_tvpp]

I am also trying to do this. Any idea how.

[ben_tvpp]

I write a guide (with screenshot) at https://funkytwig.com/2020/04/06/wordpress-multisite-domains-with-lets-encript-using-webmin-virtualmin/. It uses Lets Encript but princable simeler for other SSL providers.

[cyrilt]

thank you for this, this helped me.

[ben_tvpp]

See above. I wrote a guide.