MeshCentral is an open source web based remote computer management web site. Because it’s web based and deals with lots of administrative information, it’s important that all traffic be authenticated and encrypted using HTTPS. However, for people setting up their own MeshCentral2 server, obtaining a trusted TLS/HTTPS certificate can be a problem and cost money. Well, this week, the problem is solved by building-in Let’s Encrypt support right into MeshCentral2. With this latest version (Currently v0.1.2-s), you can configure MeshCentral to automatically obtain, use and renew its HTTPS certificate.
To use this new feature, you need to have your own MeshCentral2 server setup with a domain name pointing to it. You also need the MeshCentral HTTP server to be accessible over the Internet on port 80 - mapping it to a different port will not work. You can find out how to configure automatic TLS certificates in the latest version of the MeshCentral User’s Guide, we added a new section on Let’s Encrypt.
Once setup correctly, MeshCentral will automatically contact Let’s Encrypt and use the HTTP:80 server to prove it controls the domain. It then obtains a trusted certificate from Let’s Encrypt and restarts the server to use the new certificate. MeshCentral will automatically renew the certificate approximately every 90 days, before the certificate expires. If Let’s Encrypt works for you, please consider donating to them as they provide a critical service to the Internet community.
The end result is a professional web based remote management server that is installed in minutes. In the last week, Bryan Roe released a new MeshAgent2 that is a lot more stable and so, MeshCentral2 is starting to be quite usable. However, it’s still in Beta and not recommended for production use.
Enjoy!
Ylian
Blog: http://meshcentral2.blogspot.com
MeshCentral2: http://www.meshcommander.com/meshcentral2
All new MeshCentral2 built-in support for Let’s Encrypt: https://letsencrypt.org/
Get free trusted HTTPS certificate that MeshCentral2 will auto-review every 90 days.
Once active, you get a valid certificate that is trusted by all major browsers. No more HTTPS warnings.
This is what the Let’s Encrypt certificate looks like in FireFox.
