I am trying to setup my web server (Apache) for a secure site.

I have established the SSL setting in virtual server.
I have created my certs.
I can start httpd at this state.
I can also start https: // localhost.
but I can't log into https: // .... from another machine (through the internet).

When I add the port 443 as a listening port in Apache server settings, I can't start httpd anymore. I get the following error:

Starting httpd: (98)Address already in use: make_sock: could not bind to address 0.0.0.0:443
no listening sockets available, shutting down

That is when it is set to listen to all address at port 443. When I put my own IP, it does the same.

I could not figure out how to open port 443 in the firewall (it is not showing as open) so I turned off the firewall. I still could not start htppd.

What could be the problem?

I am using the latest release of Redhat (9)

The problem is definately not firewall related. Everything your firewall does is restricting access to that port which doesn't affect the port binding.

The problem with "Address already in use" is that a program is already using that port. To check which program it is use netstat -A inet -lnp.

I ran netstat -A inet -lnp under two conditions:

1. Without port 443 added as a listening port but with SSL checked under virtual

Response showed that port 443 was taken by httpd along with port 80.

2. With port 443 added as a listening port and SSL checked

Response showed that both port 80 and 443 were open but this is only because httpd could not start because it registered that port 443 was already in use during startup.

Conclusion
With SSL checked, it automatically opens 443 for listening and the addition of adding a port for listening is not required.

If this is the case, I am back to why I can't I get through to the server when both ports are open for listening? The only thing I can think of is that the firewall is blocking port 443. Any ideas?

Check with iptables -L -v -n

This printout was not as understandable to me as the previous one. Here is what I can make out:

The following ports were accepted:
80
21
22
25
23

The following were rejected:
1023
2049
6000
7100


I could not see any reference to port 443.

Is there any other information that needs to be gleaned from the report?

Are you using the main config file httpd.conf to configure SSL, or the ssl.conf in the conf.d directory?

Hoping that this question answers yours...