OpenRevive

Old devices. Online again.

A small project for bringing old phones and their original apps back online. We are starting with our own DNS, certificates, and a few test servers.

Set up DNS · Install our CA · Test it · Undo

Before you start

This is a private pilot. DNS access must be enabled for your current network by the operator. The resolver is not open to every address on the Internet.

Use a spare device on Wi-Fi. This changes the phone's settings for that Wi-Fi network; it does not change your Mac, router, or cellular connection.

1. Point your phone at our DNS

DNS server: 213.163.200.236

1. Open Settings → Wi-Fi and join your test network.
2. On iOS 6, tap the blue arrow beside the network. Tap the DNS field and replace its contents with 213.163.200.236. Go back to save.
3. On newer iOS, tap (i) → Configure DNS → Manual. Remove the other DNS servers, add 213.163.200.236, and tap Save.

Use only this DNS server during the test. A second resolver may not know our test names. Normal Internet names are forwarded to public resolvers.

2. Install the OpenRevive lab CA

Our test HTTPS sites use a private certificate authority. Your phone needs its public root certificate to trust them.

1. Open this page in Safari on the phone. For an old iPhone, use http://openrevive.org/ if modern public HTTPS certificates are unsupported.
2. Download the OpenRevive CA profile and follow the installation prompts. On iOS 6, tap Install in the profile screen and confirm.
3. On newer iOS, install the downloaded profile in Settings → General → VPN & Device Management. Then open General → About → Certificate Trust Settings and enable full trust for OpenRevive Offline Root CA 2026.

A private CA can authorize certificates your phone will trust. Install this one only for this lab. Before trusting a download over HTTP, compare its fingerprint with this page over HTTPS on a modern device.

Root certificate (.cer) · PEM copy

Root certificate SHA-256:
A4:33:E9:54:8B:66:28:E0:AE:CB:F0:93:78:01:9E:D2:31:33:79:49:C2:0F:00:51:0A:EA:A2:55:97:FE:69:23

3. Open a test page

• vscale.openrevive.test — public test server on VScale.
• ct.openrevive.test — Proxmox test server, available only on the home lab LAN.

You should see the server's name. A certificate error means the CA is missing, the wrong certificate was installed, or the phone's date is wrong. A name lookup failure means the phone is not using our DNS or its network has not been allowed.

The two servers have passed DNS and verified HTTPS checks in our iOS 6.1 Simulator test app. The manual Safari setup and physical iPhone 4 check are still being validated.

Put things back

In the Wi-Fi network settings, restore the DNS value you used before the test or choose Configure DNS → Automatic on newer iOS. Remove OpenRevive Lab CA from Settings → General → Profiles (or VPN & Device Management).

OpenRevive · Experimental, independent, and very much under construction.
Last updated: 15 October 2026. No scripts, trackers, or external assets.