Resolved Email Problems Using Let's Encrypt

[Eoin Redmond]

Hi,

The default self signed SSL that is created during the Plesk installation expired today so we used Let's Encrypt to secure Plesk and mail...



The problem is that now we cannot send or receive email over SSL on any domain on any email client - the error from Thunderbird is...



We're using Let's Encrypt 2.4.0 and Plesk Onyx Version 17.0.17

Email on all domains was working perfectly until the default self signed SSL expired.

We'd appreciate it if anybody could point us in the right direction.

Thanks

Eoin

 

[UFHH01]

Hi Eoin Redmond,

pls. note:

Cert Hostname DOES NOT VERIFY (mail.istech.ie != istech.ie | DNS:istech.ie)

As you can see, your used certificate doesn't include "mail.YOUR-DOMAIN.COM" and has only been issued for "YOUR-DOMAIN.COM".

Pls. see for example:

=> How to secure mail server with Let's Encrypt certificate
=> Securing Plesk and the Mail Server With SSL/TLS Certificates​

If you experience issues/errors/problems, when trying to secure your mail - server with a Let's Encrypt certificate, pls. be informed, that the Plesk Let's Encrypt extension logs its actions at your "panel.log". Pls. consider to inspect this log for further investigations, or/and post relevant entries from your log to your next post, so that people willing to you are able to help you with the investigations.



Additional informations:

=> Plesk for Linux services logs and configuration files ( KB - article: 213403509 )​

Sometimes, it is as well a good idea to change the log - level ( TEMPORARILY! ), to get more informations in Plesk - log - files:

=> How to enable/disable debug logging in Plesk 11.5 and up? ( KB - article: 213408889 )​

 

[Eoin Redmond]

Thanks UFHH01 - we don't know how to create/include an SSL for mail.istech.ie as we can't find anywhere in Plesk to do that?

Eoin

 

[UFHH01]

Hi Eoin Redmond,

we don't know how to create/include an SSL for mail.istech.ie as we can't find anywhere in Plesk to do that?

The fastest way to do that, is to create a subdomain for "mail.YOUR-DOMAIN.COM" and then to create a corresponding Let'encrypt certificate for this subdomain by clicking on the Let's Encyrpt button.

 

[Eoin Redmond]

Hi UFHH01,

Would the following command (that you posted on another thread) work for us instead of creating sub-domain subscriptions...

plesk bin extension --exec letsencrypt cli.php -d YOUR-DOMAIN.COM -d www.YOUR-DOMAIN.COM -d webmail.YOUR-DOMAIN.COM -d mail.YOUR-DOMAIN.COM -d smtp.YOUR-DOMAIN.COM -d pop3.YOUR-DOMAIN.COM -d imap.YOUR-DOMAIN.COM -d lists.YOUR-DOMAIN.COM --email YOUR-EMAIL-ADRESS@YOUR-DOMAIN.COM --expand

We have 15 subscriptions on that instance of Plesk so would prefer not to have to create all those sub-domain subscriptions.

Thanks

Eoin

 

[UFHH01]

Hi Eoin Redmond,

pls. note, that the validation process of Let's Encrypt, will be done by placing a temporary file at the document root of each subdomain ( at the corresponding folder "/var/www/vhosts/YOUR-DOMAIN.COM/subdomain.YOUR-DOMAIN.COM/.well-known/acme-challenge", which then will be called by the Let's Encrypt authority, in order to validate the existenz of the subdomain. ( pls. see again your "panel.log", for previous validation processes ). If such a corresponding file can't be reached, your subdomain can't be included with my posted command.

I suggest to create needed subdomains with the help of existing Plesk CLI - commands, which might be faster to create "to be included subdomains" for each subscription.



Additional informations:

=> subdomain: Subdomains​

 

[Eoin Redmond]

Good point UFHH01 - forgot about that

We've started the process of creating the sub domains and adding certificates to them and are slowly getting email services back on line.

I have to say that I'm shocked with the disruption caused by the expiry of the Plesk Default Certificate to mail services and the fact that it can't be renewed - there must be a better way UFHH01?

Thanks for your help.

Regards,

Eoin

 

[solucionesuno]

Customer normally uses as smtp pop3 imap servers "mail.customerdomain.com"

In our server obiusly we have a lot a domains.

if we install SSL for mail in plesk panel, its only available for one domain.... ( normally our hostname server).

So, all customer must to use the hostname server to use SSL without this alert of "wrong site"

Any ideas for this?

 

[mr-wolf]

Good point UFHH01 - forgot about that

We've started the process of creating the sub domains and adding certificates to them and are slowly getting email services back on line.

I have to say that I'm shocked with the disruption caused by the expiry of the Plesk Default Certificate to mail services and the fact that it can't be renewed - there must be a better way UFHH01?

Thanks for your help.

Regards,

Eoin

Plesk is a tool to help system administrators.
It's not there to replace them.

You need to learn how certificates actually work and how they are implemented on the different protocols and then act accordingly.

After installation of Plesk I install a wildcard certificate on both the Plesk interface and on the mail services.

If you want your customers to use ssl you should communicate a hostname that matches said certificate.
It is tempting to let OSX-users get away with that requirement by creating an exception. This scheme is not reliable and will not survive a rekey of the certificate.

I have a solution for this.
For each customer of wolf.com there is a CNAME that points to mail.customer.com.

customer-com.wolf.com CNAME IN mail.customer.com

The client should use the hostname customer-com.wolf.com which matches the wildcard certificate *.wolf.com

 

[Eoin Redmond]

Customer normally uses as smtp pop3 imap servers "mail.customerdomain.com"

In our server obiusly we have a lot a domains.

if we install SSL for mail in plesk panel, its only available for one domain.... ( normally our hostname server).

So, all customer must to use the hostname server to use SSL without this alert of "wrong site"

Any ideas for this?

Hi Solucionesuno,

We have been trying to deal with this since last week but have unable to find a proper solution.

We created sub domains i.e. mail.customer.com and added a Let's Encrypt SSL for the sub domain but when we go to setup an email account it reverts to the hostname server SSL and then you have to create an exception.

Like you we have many domains and email users on the server so we need to find a solution that doesn't involved changing the mail server name on customer's devices.

Eoin

 

[UFHH01]

Hi Eoin Redmond,

in fact, if you desire to customize valid certificates for each of your hosted domains, you have to modify your postfix - configuration files and your dovecot configuration files.

Examples:

=> #2
=> #26​

This modification is still a bit tricky, but Plesk will provide easier solutions with the next major release of Plesk Onyx 17.8 ( expected in March 2018 ).

 

[mr-wolf]

Like you we have many domains and email users on the server so we need to find a solution that doesn't involved changing the mail server name on customer's devices.

Eoin

In times of transgressions in which we now live you will not find any solution without any drawback.
I think that the solution I suggested is the least inelegant one.
Microsoft uses this same scheme in their office365. They don't do this that way without reason.

I don't need to tell my clients to use other hostnames as I migrated them all already a while ago.

What you want is a system that relies on SNI (server name indication). The same technique that is used for https. But.....
Unlike web browsers that are free of charge, mail clients do not all support SNI. Many of your clients will have outlook or older versions of apple mail.

Then there is the server-side of it.
Plesk 17.8 apparently will bring us the management of Dovecot's SNI which will, in combination with (probably) wildcard letsencrypt certificates, make that possible.
But you will not see that before several months.
Unless you will know how to configure Dovecot yourself, you can't do it.
It will still have the downside of not supporting all the clients...

So in the next 3 years I will consider my solution as the better one. 1 wildcard certificate on postfix and dovecot. This in combination with a CNAME for each client.
As icing on the cake I have an autodiscover on all my Plesk servers that will configure the clients this way.

 

[Eoin Redmond]

Hi Eoin Redmond,

in fact, if you desire to customize valid certificates for each of your hosted domains, you have to modify your postfix - configuration files and your dovecot configuration files.

Examples:

=> #2
=> #26​

This modification is still a bit tricky, but Plesk will provide easier solutions with the next major release of Plesk Onyx 17.8 ( expected in March 2018 ).

Thanks UFHH01 - sadly those examples are well beyond our skill set

We appreciate your assistance with this matter.

Eoin

 

[Eoin Redmond]

In times of transgressions in which we now live you will not find any solution without any drawback.
I think that the solution I suggested is the least inelegant one.
Microsoft uses this same scheme in their office365. They don't do this that way without reason.

I don't need to tell my clients to use other hostnames as I migrated them all already a while ago.

What you want is a system that relies on SNI (server name indication). The same technique that is used for https. But.....
Unlike web browsers that are free of charge, mail clients do not all support SNI. Many of your clients will have outlook or older versions of apple mail.

Then there is the server-side of it.
Plesk 17.8 apparently will bring us the management of Dovecot's SNI which will, in combination with (probably) wildcard letsencrypt certificates, make that possible.
But you will not see that before several months.
Unless you will know how to configure Dovecot yourself, you can't do it.
It will still have the downside of not supporting all the clients...

So in the next 3 years I will consider my solution as the better one. 1 wildcard certificate on postfix and dovecot. This in combination with a CNAME for each client.
As icing on the cake I have an autodiscover on all my Plesk servers that will configure the clients this way.

Thanks Mr- Wolf - we understand what you are saying.

We will attempt to setup our next new VM Server as you suggest.

Thank you

Eoin

 

[UFHH01]

Hi Eoin Redmond,

We appreciate your assistance with this matter.

as such unique modifications need shell access ( root ) and experienced, advanced linux administration skills, I recommend to contact the official Plesk Support by requesting "Administrative services":

=> Plesk Admin Services​

 

[mr-wolf]

Thanks Mr- Wolf - we understand what you are saying.

We will attempt to setup our next new VM Server as you suggest.

Thank you

Eoin

I have a script that creates those cnames automatically. This will only work if you have, like me, all your clients on one (Plesk) DNS server.

I will need to review it to check if it's good enough to publish.