Pair Domains Knowledge Base

An SSL certificate can be reassigned to another domain. This is called Replacing a certificate, and it involves setting up the certificate again, including choosing the domain, CSR, and DCV.

Replacing a certificate will not change the expiration date of the certificate. The expiration date will always be based on the date the certificate was originally issued.

You can follow these steps to replace a certificate:

1. Log into the Domain Name Management System.
2. Select SSL Certificates from the drop-down navigation menu.
3. Click Manage for the certificate you want to replace.
4. Click Replace Certificate.
5. Select the Certificate Purpose, and click Submit.
6. Select if you want us to generate the Certificate Signing Request, or if you want to upload your own.
7. Select if you want us handle Domain Control Validation, or if you want to manage your own DCV.
8. Click Submit.
9. Click Order.
10. Check your email for a message from us telling you Your certificate is ready for download.

Certificates can be ordered during your domain name registration or they can be ordered for domains that are already registered.

You can follow these steps to order for an already registered domain:

1. Log into the Domain Name Management System.
2. Select SSL Certificates from the drop-down navigation menu.
3. Select the domain and click Add Certificate.
4. Select the type of certificate you want, and click Proceed to Checkout/
5. Enter payment information, read and agree to the Domain Name Registration Agreement, and click Pay Now.
6. Use the Click here link to set up your new certificate .

Setting Up a Certificate

When you set up a certificate, you will be asked a few questions. First, you will be asked how you want to use the certificate.

If you want to use it on a domain that is already registered with us, you can select I want to use this cert with a domain at Pair Domains, and then choose the domain or sub-domain.

If you want to use the certificate with a Weebly site with Pair Domains, you can select  I want to use this cert with my Weebly site at Pair Domains, and then select the site name.

You can also use a certificate with a domain that is registered someplace else.

After selecting the purpose of the certificate, you will be asked if you want us to generate a certificate signing request (CSR) or if you want to upload your own CSR. For most customers, we recommend letting us generate the CSR.

After the CSR, you will be asked if you want us to handle the domain control validation (DCV), or if you want to handle it yourself. DCV is a way to confirm you are authorized to buy a certificate for a domain. If you use Pair Domains Custom DNS and/or a Weebly site with Pair Domains, we recommend letting us handle DCV automatically. If you use pair.com name servers, we recommend purchasing the certificate directly through the Account Control Center. That will let the validation be completed automatically.

If you host a domain elsewhere, you can manage your own DCV. You can choose I want to manage my own DCV option, and then specify whether you want to validate by creating a CNAME record, uploading a text file, or emailing a link to validate.

After choosing the validation method, the order can be submitted to our certificate authority, Sectigo. After they the validate the domain, they send the certificate to us, and we will email you to let you know the certificate has been received. You can log into your account and download the certificate files. If you are using a Weebly plan with us and let us handle the CSR and DCV, you don’t need to download anything. We will automatically install the certificate.

If a domain is hosted with Pair Networks, we recommend purchasing the certificate directly through the Pair Networks Account Control Center. That will let the certificate be installed automatically.

If a domain is hosted elsewhere, you will need to download copies of the certificate file, the private key (if we generated it for you), and the certificate chain. These files can then be installed on your web server.

Domain Control Validation (DCV) is used to make sure that the request for a certificate comes from an authorized administrator of a domain. Validation can be made in one of these ways:

1. Creating a CNAME record on the domain.
2. Uploading a text file to the website for a domain.
3. Emailing an address on the domain.

If you use Pair Domains name servers, we can automatically handle DCV by adding the CNAME record to the domain.

If you use pair.com name servers, we recommend purchasing the certificate directly through the Account Control Center. That will let the validation be completed automatically.

If you host a domain elsewhere, you can manage your own DCV. You can choose the I want to manage my own DCV option, and then specify whether you want to validate by creating a CNAME record, uploading a text file, or emailing a link to validate.

Positive Wildcard certificates can only be validated with a CNAME record or by email. Uploading a file to the website is not an option.

A certificate signing request (CSR) is a file that contains information that is used when generating an SSL certificate. It will contain information about the domain name and a public key that is used to encrypt information.

For most customers, we recommend letting us generate the CSR. We can take care of it automatically. If we generate the CSR, we will temporarily have a copy of the private key for the certificate. For security reasons, we delete our copy of the private key 30 days after the certificate is issued.

If you are already familiar with CSRs and either have your own or can generate your own, you can choose to upload your CSR during the certificate set up.