Server ID and Authenticity

When you first install your SimpleHelp server it will generated a unique ID. This ID is used by our applications to verify the server's authenticity. If the ID changes then it is possible that a malicious attacker has taken control of the SimpleHelp server address. For security reasons, SimpleHelp applications will not communicate with a SimpleHelp server that has an ID that differs from the expected one.

Your SimpleHelp Server ID

The server ID is stored in the following location in your SimpleHelp installation folder:

configuration/serverkeys.dat

You can see the ID that your server is advertising by querying the /publickeys page of your SimpleHelp server.

NOTE: As of SimpleHelp v4.4 the server will automatically reload any changes to the server ID file. In earlier versions of SimpleHelp make sure to restart SimpleHelp in order for it to update it's ID.

Unable to Verify Server Authenticity

If the server ID changes the technician console will show the following error message:

Remote access services that are registering with a SimpleHelp server will fail to upload new information about the machine, and will also not allow remote access sessions to the machine. Typically, Remote Access Services that do not trust the SimpleHelp server will be listed using their service ID (of the form SG_XXX). Additionally, when selected, SimpleHelp will display a warning with information about why the services are not showing their assigned name.

For more information on Remote Access Services and server ID authenticity see this guide.

Restoring your Server ID

To restore your server ID from a previous installation, or from a backup, simply copy the serverkeys.dat file from the original server's configuration folder to the new server's configuration folder. Restart SimpleHelp in order for it to use the newly provided server ID.

If you do not have a server ID backup then you will need to manually update each of the SimpleHelp applications in order for it to trust the SimpleHelp server with a new ID:

• Technician Console: The technician console will need to be uninstalled, and then installed from a new download from the SimpleHelp server.
• Remote Access Service: To instruct a service to trust a SimpleHelp server, remove the server's URL from the Remote Access Service configuration UI, save the configuration, and then add it back again. Finally, save the configuration, and the service should register with the SimpleHelp server.
• Remote Support: Your customers will need to download a new remote support application binary from your SimpleHelp server.