Troubleshooting Custom Domain Parking and SSL Certificate Setup in Post Affiliate Pro

This guide provides clear solutions to the most common issues customers may encounter when setting up a custom domain and SSL certificate in Post Affiliate Pro. Follow the troubleshooting steps below for each error message or problem, with illustrative examples and best practices to ensure a smooth experience.

1. Certificate Chain is Incomplete

If you receive an error stating your certificate chain is incomplete, this means you have not provided all required certificates (end-user, intermediate, and root) in the correct order.

• How to Fix:
  • Gather all certificates from your SSL issuer or domain hosting provider. This often includes a ZIP file or a “CA bundle” containing all necessary certificates.
  • Paste the certificates into the field, with the end-user certificate first, followed by intermediate and root certificates, each on a new line and without extra line breaks.
  • If you did not receive a CA bundle, check your provider’s support resources or contact them directly.

Incorrect and correct certificate formatting examples:

2. Could Not Find CNAME Record in Domain DNS Targeting 'XXXXX.postaffiliatepro.com'

This notification appears if your CNAME DNS record is not set up correctly, or DNS changes have not yet fully propagated.

• How to Troubleshoot:
  • Verify your CNAME record using a tool like whatsmydns.net.
  • Ensure your CNAME is not proxied; some providers (e.g., Cloudflare) offer proxying, which is incompatible with domain parking in Post Affiliate Pro.
  • DNS propagation can take up to 24 hours. If you are sure the CNAME is correct, you can wait for propagation.

3. Certificate Cannot Be Recognized, CA Bundle Cannot Be Recognized, or Certificate and Private Key Do Not Match

These errors indicate a mismatch or invalid combination of certificates and keys.

• Resolution Steps:
  • Check that you are using a valid private key that corresponds to your certificate.
  • Use an online tool like SSLShopper's Certificate Key Matcher to verify the match.
  • Ensure you are not pasting the Certificate Signing Request (CSR) instead of the certificate.

4. Applying Changes. Please Wait... or Unable to Get Domain Info. Try Again Later.

These messages occur when the system is processing your request.

• What to Do:
  • Wait up to 15 minutes for the operation to complete.
  • If the message persists, contact Post Affiliate Pro support via email or chat for assistance.

5. Domain is Not Valid

This error means your domain entry is incorrectly formatted.

• Correct Format Requirements:
  • Enter the domain as partners.mydomain.com (third-level domain is recommended).
  • Do not include http://, https://, slashes, or additional paths.

6. Domain is Already Used or Domain is Already Used by Another Account

This error indicates your selected domain is in use by another Post Affiliate Pro customer.

• Next Steps:
  • Choose a different domain.
  • If you believe this is incorrect, contact support to investigate.

7. Domain is Reserved or Domain Cannot Be Used as It Is a Reserved Domain

Certain domains and subdomains are not allowed for custom use.

• Reserved Domains Include:
  localhost, dev, www, ftp, http, https, mailhost, mail, host, api, newweb, static, signup, support, demo, geo, iso, ios, members, addons, qualityunit
• Do not use subdomains of postaffiliatepro.com as custom domains.

8. No Key Entry Was Found for This Account. Please Generate CSR First.

You must generate a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) before uploading an SSL certificate.

How to Generate a CSR:

• Navigate to Configuration > Domain settings in your merchant panel.
• Check both "use custom account domain" and "use custom certificate".
• Enter your custom domain (no protocol).
• Fill in all required fields and click "Generate" next to the "Your signing request" field.
• Provide the downloaded CSR file to your SSL provider.

9. You Cannot Set a Custom Domain to an IP Address

Custom domains must be actual domain names, not IP addresses.

• Solution:
  • Use a third-level domain (e.g., partners.yourdomain.com), not an IP.

10. Domain Name Cannot Be Empty

A custom domain must be entered for setup to proceed.

• Action Required:
  • Enter your chosen domain in the Custom Domain field.

11. You Cannot Use the Default Certificate for a Custom Domain! Please Choose a Custom Certificate. or Custom Certificate Can Only Be Used with a Custom Domain

These errors occur if you try to use a default/shared certificate for a custom domain, or vice versa.

• Clarification:
  • If you do not wish to use a custom domain, you do not need to set up a custom SSL certificate. All Post Affiliate Pro cloud accounts use a secure wildcard certificate (*.postaffiliatepro.com) by default.
  • If you want to use a custom domain, you must provide a custom certificate.

By following the steps above, you can resolve the majority of domain parking and SSL certificate setup issues in Post Affiliate Pro. If you are unable to resolve any issue, contact the Post Affiliate Pro support team via email or live chat for prompt assistance.