How do I make my Miva Merchant online store secure?

Answer by:  Frédérique Taillefer, Aplus.Net Knowledge Base Support

Miva Merchant uses the server's standard Secure Socket Layer (SSL) in order to provide a secure shopping cart. A Secure Certificate can be purchased online from any vendor and installed on the server by your host provider. Sometimes, the host provider will supply the secure certificate, free of charge, as part of your e-Commerce hosting package.

Related links:

• How do I install my own secure certificate (SSL)?
• Can we purchase our own secure certificate from any certificate authority?
• I obtained a SSL certificate from certificate authority that requires the installation of intermediate certificates. What do I do?

Once the SSL has been enabled on your website, there is a place in Miva Merchant where you can enter the information that will be used by Miva Merchant to secure not only the parts of the storefront where shoppers' personal information will be passed, but also the administration interface. To find that area, follow the steps below:

1.      Log into your administration interface.

a.      Unix-based, eCommerce Unix plans opened before December 7^th, 2005 using MIVA 4: http://yourdomain.com/Merchant2/admin.mvc

b.      Unix-based, eCommerce Unix plans opened after December 7^th, 2005 using MIVA 5:  http://yourdomain.com/mm5/admin.mvc

2.      Click the link "Domain Settings" from the menu on the left.

3.      In the page displayed, click "Site Configuration".

4.      The first eight text fields contain the different URLs and file paths that Miva Merchant will use.

5.      Secure server information is contained in fields 2, 3, 6, and 8.
 

• Field 2 - Secure URL to Miva Merchant: this is the full, secure URL to the Miva Merchant storefront. By Default, it is set to use the shared SSL certificate of the hosting server. If your own SSL Certificate is already installed, please change it to:
1. Unix-based, eCommerce Unix plans opened before December 7^th, 2005 using MIVA 4: https://yourdomain.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc
2. Unix-based, eCommerce Unix plans opened after December 7^th, 2005 using MIVA 5:  https://yourdomain.com/mm5/merchant.mvc
• Field 3 - Secure URL to Administration: this is the full, secure URL to the Miva Merchant administration interface. By Default, it is set to use the shared SSL certificate of the hosting server. If your own SSL Certificate is already installed, please change it to:
1. Unix-based, eCommerce Unix plans opened before December 7^th, 2005 using MIVA 4: https://yourdomain.com/Merchant2/admin.mvc
2. Unix-based, eCommerce Unix plans opened after December 7^th, 2005 using MIVA 5:  https://yourdomain.com/mm5/admin.mvc
• Field 6 - Secure Base URL to Graphics: this is the Secure URL to the Miva Merchant graphics directory. By Default, it is set to use the shared SSL certificate of the hosting server. If your own SSL Certificate is already installed, please change it to:
1. Unix-based, eCommerce Unix plans opened before December 7^th, 2005 using MIVA 4: https://yourdomain.com/Merchant2/
2. Unix-based, eCommerce Unix plans opened after December 7^th, 2005 using MIVA 5:  https://yourdomain.com/mm5/

• Field 8 - Secure Root Directory for Modules: This is the subdirectory of the secure server in which Miva Merchant can access all of its program files.

a.      Unix-based, eCommerce Unix plans opened before December 7^th, 2005 using MIVA 4: /Merchant2/

b.      Unix-based, eCommerce Unix plans opened after December 7^th, 2005 using MIVA 5:  /mm5/

6.      Once these fields are populated with the correct information, click Update.

7.      Test your storefront. The following screens should display securely:

• "Sign In"
• "Account"
• "Buy 1 Now"
• "Checkout"