Host multiple SSL sites on a single network card with IP aliasing

The interest in using SSL and name-based virtual hosts together is on the increase. Some people will tell you that such a thing is impossible, but you can implement virtual hosts in Apache through IP-based virtual hosts. In this article, John Liao and Jim Miles show you how. In this article, we will continue with that theme and explain how you can use the Apache Web server to provide multiple Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Web sites on a single server connected to the network with a single physical network card.

Why would anyone want to put multiple SSL sites on a single server? Is there ever a business need to host multiple SSL sites on a single server in the enterprise? We will attempt to address these questions with a real-life scenario. Innovative users will no doubt find additional creative uses for this idea.