Yesterday’s Windows Home Server update included an upgrade for the remote access website’s security certificate:
2048-bit certificates will soon replace 1024-bit certificates. This update enables Home Server users to use 2048-bit certificates before 2048-bit certificates become the industry standard.
After you install this update, you are asked to renew Website certificates if you have already registered the live domain for the websites. After you finish the renewal process, the website certificates are upgraded to 2048-bit.
There has been some confusion in the WGS Forums and in the comments on yesterday’s news post regarding the renewal of the your home server’s certificate following the update. Here is a quick run through what you need to do.
Firstly, either trigger the updates manually, or wait until the routine overnight application of the patches and subsequent reboot. If you trigger the update manually from the Console, you will see the following screens:
Following the reboot, your home server health icon will turn red on your PC’s and you will see the following warning:
Open up the Console again and you will see the matching Network Health Warning:
The issue here is that the warning is ambiguous. “Click Configure and complete the wizard” may sound fine, but you’ll see there are two options available and Microsoft (until we just asked them) fail to tell you whether to release your current domain name or try the Choose a different domain name option. So, here’s the answer confirmed by the Windows Home Server Sustained Engineering team:
Go to Settings and select Remote Access. Click on the Configure button and then select Choose a different domain name. (Whilst this sounds like we’re going to choose a different domain name, we’re not, don’t worry).
After clicking on Next, you’ll be asked to select a Domain Name provider – you want Windows Live Custom Domains.
The Domain Name Setup Wizard opens, and you need to walk through the steps, entering your Windows Live address as the next step.
The wizard will hunt for any domains registered to you and should bring back your previously registered homeserver.com address. I’ve blanked mine out here for security reasons.
Ensure the radio button next to Choose a registered name is selected, and click next to proceed.
Once done, your Network Health will return to Green and you will have an updated certificate with your domain name. You can check your certificate has been upgraded as follows:
1. Browse to your WHS https site.
2. Click on the Padlock on the browser address bar
3. Click on View Certificates
4. Click on the Details Tab
5. Check the Valid From date – should be day you updated
6. Check the Public Key – should be 2048 bits.
