Webmin send fatal error when i try to satart ProFTPD Server

General
1

I’m trying to start ProFTPD Server but i recieve the next message:

Starting proftpd (via systemctl): proftpd.serviceJob for proftpd.service failed because the control process exited with error code. See “systemctl status proftpd.service” and “journalctl -xe” for details. failed!

And when i get more information about it, i have:

fatal: TLSRSACertificateFile. '/etc/ssl/certs/proftp.crt' does not exists on line 8 '/etc/proftpd/conf.d/virtualmin.conf/'

I have to say i did’nt installed ProFTPD Server because this module came with the webmin installation.

Hope you can help me to know why proftp.crt fie does not exists and how can i fix this issue.

Thanks.

2

The error indicates that ProFTPD is configured to use a TLS certificate (/etc/ssl/certs/proftp.crt) for secure connections, but the file doesn’t exist. This typically happens if the certificate wasn’t generated or is missing from its expected location.

Steps to Resolve the Issue

1. Generate or Obtain a TLS Certificate

If you don’t already have a certificate, you can generate a self-signed certificate or use a trusted CA (Certificate Authority). Here’s how:

Option A: Generate a Self-Signed Certificate

sudo openssl req -new -x509 -days 365 -nodes -out /etc/ssl/certs/proftp.crt -keyout /etc/ssl/private/proftp.key
  • Key Options:
    • /etc/ssl/certs/proftp.crt: Certificate file.
    • /etc/ssl/private/proftp.key: Private key file.
  • Fill in the required details when prompted (e.g., country, organization, etc.).

Option B: Use an Existing Trusted Certificate

  • If you have a valid certificate (e.g., issued by Let’s Encrypt or another CA), copy it to /etc/ssl/certs/proftp.crt.
  • Copy the private key to /etc/ssl/private/proftp.key.

Ensure the files have the correct permissions:

sudo chmod 600 /etc/ssl/private/proftp.key
sudo chmod 644 /etc/ssl/certs/proftp.crt

2. Update the Configuration File

Verify the virtualmin.conf or the main ProFTPD configuration file (/etc/proftpd/proftpd.conf) for the TLS certificate paths. Look for these lines:

TLSRSACertificateFile /etc/ssl/certs/proftp.crt
TLSRSACertificateKeyFile /etc/ssl/private/proftp.key

Ensure the paths match the locations of your certificate and key.

3. Check for Missing Modules

Sometimes, the required TLS module is missing. Ensure it’s enabled in ProFTPD:

sudo nano /etc/proftpd/modules.conf

Uncomment or add the following line:

LoadModule mod_tls.c

4. Restart the ProFTPD Service

After generating or providing the certificate, restart the service:

sudo systemctl restart proftpd

5. Check Service Status

If the service still fails, check the logs for more details:

sudo systemctl status proftpd
sudo journalctl -xe

Additional Notes

  • If you do not need TLS, you can disable it by commenting out or removing the TLSRSACertificateFile and TLSRSACertificateKeyFile directives from /etc/proftpd/conf.d/virtualmin.conf.
  • To disable TLS globally, edit /etc/proftpd/proftpd.conf and set:
<IfModule mod_tls.c>
  TLSEngine off
</IfModule>