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WHM-cPanel Dedicated Server

admin — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 16:02:35 +0000

cPanel is popular webhosting control panel which is widely used among webmasters, if you are thinking of a linux based dedicated server then you would probably get WHM/cpanel as your control panel with server, WHM would be used by for creating hosting account and managing your server whereas cPanel would be offered to your clients so that you can play with their hosting packages. If you are trying to get linux server then you would get WHM/cpanel as your hosting control panel.
Using WHM Webhostmanger you can easily administer all your hosting account created under your reseller account. Main advantage of using WHM is that you don’t have to manually create/setup hosting accounts as you can use its automated process or can use its user friendly graphical user interface. Once you create an hosting account using your WHM, your client would be get its own cpanel for managing it. cpanel would be the control panel for all end users for whom you have create hosting account. Using cPanel they could setup email, FTP accounts, can add new domain in their hosting package, can easily administer their hosting account. Make sure as a server administrator you set certain limit for your clients.

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Important FTP commands.

admin — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 13:58:35 +0000

FTP is a widely used among webmasters who are trying to copy move files from one location to other. Its a general protocol which can be worked on UNIX as well as other (non-UNIX) systems. You can easily access any remote machine which is thousands of miles apart.. Initially you will have to know the name of machine or its IP address so that you can connect to it. Usually you would be suing FTP for accessing your web server where your account is hosted so that you can upload all your webfiles.
There are many FTP commands which you should be aware of so that you can manage your data transfer process easily.
Firstly you will have to use following command so that your local machine can get connected to remote machine.
To connect use : ftp machinename or machinenumber.
Once you get login to your FTP session you can use following commands which could be helpful for you.

Binary : if you want to copy files in binary mode.

Cd : Change directory on the FTP server

Dir : List the names of the files in the current remote directory :

Exit : If you want to exit from FTP then use this command

Get : Get a file from the FTP server

Lcd : Change the directory on the local machine

Ls : Same as dir

Mget ; Same as get, but you can use wildcards like “*”

Mput : Same as put, but you can use wildcards like “*”

Passive : Make the file transfer passive mode

Put : Put a file from the local machine onto the FTP server

Pwd : Give the directory name on the local machine.
Following commands would be helpful for better file management.

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Allow users to execute GET command on Server

admin — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 13:08:23 +0000

If you want to allow few users who can fire get command on your server then you can do so easily using following steps, you can easily allow only selected/required users in particular group to run GET commands on your server :

First create a group on the server
]# groupadd getgrp
Now execute permission to group
]# chmod 750 /usr/bin/GET
Add this group to GET file.
]# chown root.getgrp /usr/bin/GET
To check the permission of GET
]# ll -ld /usr/bin/GET
If you want to add users to getgrp so that they can get execute permission on GET. Make sure getgrp should be secondary group of that user. For eg we will consider myuser1 as user for whom we want to grant permission.
]# gpasswd -M myuser1 getgrp
You need to check if the user is added
]# cat /etc/group | grep getgrp
For some reason if you want to add another user say myuser2 then make sure that you have to mention both myuser1 and myuser2 in your command as :
]# gpasswd -M myuser1,myuser2 getgrp
If you don’t mention both the user, this command will replace all the users with the user mentioned in your command. Its always recommended to run the cat command before adding any user so that you know how many users are already added. Or you can just edit the /etc/group file and add the user in the getgrp line.
Thus using above steps you can allow only root, myuser1 and myuser2 to execute GET command on your server and all other users will be denied for using GET command.

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CentOS Dedicated Server

admin — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 06:34:15 +0000

CentOS one of the most popular and widely used OS which is offered by most webhosting service provider with their VPS or Dedicated server hosting plans. CentOS is based on the RHEL Linux distribution and is guaranteed to be stable and reliable operating system for your server.
As CentOS is available for free to use, thus you can save cost for OS for your server which will reflect on overall server pricing. Most important feature of CentOS is that it is frequently updated for its stability and reliability making it very secure and stable. As CentOS is compatible with cPanel the most popular webhosting control panel it has got top position in webhosting industry and is mostly offered by Linux servers.
The YUM respitory is installed as default with majority of CentOS servers using which system managers can install any program of their choice on their dedicated server.
if you want to install any program yourself then you can easily compile free available source code and can get it installed on your server easily. As CentOS is based on RHEL linux distribution thus all programs based for Redhat can also be used with CentOS server. If you are not using any control panel with your server then you should have good server management skills so that you can take care of your VPS or dedicated server which are based on CentOS. Although there are many webhosting service provider who offer you managed hosting services but as a webmaster you should have good idea about server management which would be helpful in case of emergency when your webhosting service provide may not available for to help you. CentOS is much more flexible and easy to use operating system and perfect for your dedicated servers.

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Close unnecessary ports of server.

admin — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 11:05:47 +0000

Unnecessary open ports can create problem for your server and such servers are more prone to get attack by hackers. Hackers always search for open ports on any server and if they manage to get one, they can get into your server and can do anything they want. Even they can prevent your access to your server. thus as precautionary measure you should check if by mistake you have kept any port open. Following commands will help you to get all details about your server.

First of all you need to check which services are running on your server, you can use :
chkconfig –list | grep on
Now you should disable certain services which you don’t want and can be harmful for you. Use chkconfig service name off.
You need to stop such unwanted services using following command : /etc/init.d/service stop
You can also close certain ports using iptables and firewall setting.

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Important communication ports

admin — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 11:35:49 +0000

On any dedicated server or computer system you have number of ports which are used for communicating with other computer over a network. Each port have its specific function and is unique. You have Port numbers ranging from 0 to 65535. Ports 0 to 1024 are reserved which are used for certain privileged services. Such as you have port 80 which is defined for HTTP service as a default, you don’t have to specify this port number while accessing any domain name or url.

80 WebServer Port 80
When a user types in your IP address or Host Name in the browser, the browser will search for the IP address on port 80 by default for the web pages.

81 WebServer Alternate Port 81
Whenever a user types in your IP address or Host Name in the browser, the browser will look at the IP address on port 80 which is default port and if this Port is blocked, port 81 is used as an alternate port for hosting a website.

21 FTP Server Port 21
When someone try to connect to your FTP Server, the FTP client will try to establish connection on Port 21 by default. Thus Port 21 must be open for standard FTP clients to log in and connect to your server.

22 SSH Secure Shell Port 22
If you want to run a SSH Secure Shell then you should keep open port 22 as this port is required for the SSH Client to connect to your server.

23 Telnet Server Port 23
If you run a Telnet server, this port is required for the Telnet Client so that they can connect to your server. In order to use telnet for remote admin and login, port 23 must be open.

25 SMTP Server Port 25
When someone sends a mail message to your SMTP Server, the mail will attempt to come in to your server on Port 25. This is the standard SMTP (Simple Mail Transport protocol) port.

2525 SMTP Alternate Server Port 2525
When someone sends a mail message to your SMTP Server, the mail will attempt to come in to your server on Port 25. Port 2525 is an alternate port used by TZO for the Store and forward services. This is a non-standard port, but useful if the standard SMTP (Simple Mail Transport protocol) port is blocked

110 POP Server Port 110
When you run a mail server, users will typically log into that machine via POP3 (Post Office Protocol) or IMAP4 (Internet Message Access Protocol) to retrieve their mail. POP3 is the most popular protocol for accessing mailboxes.

119 News (NNTP) Server Port 119
When you run a News server, typically News Clients wanting to connect to your news server will connect on port 119. This port needs to be open to run your own news server.

3389 Remote Desktop port 3389
Port 3389 is used for Windows Remote Desktop. If you want to remotely connect to your computer for remote control, using the free XP Remote desktop requires port 3389 to be open.

389 LDAP Server Port 389
LDAP or Lightweight Directory Access Protocol is becoming popular for Directory access, or Name, Telephone, Address directories. For Example LDAP://LDAP.Bigfoot.Com is a LDAP directory server.

143 IMAP4 Server Port 143
IMAP4 or Internet Message Access Protocol is becoming more popular and is used to retrieve Internet Mail from a remote server. It is more disk intensive, since all messages are stored on the server, but it allows for easy online, offline and disconnected use.

443 Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Server Port 443
When you run a secure server, SSL Clients wanting to connect to your Secure server will connect on port 443. This port needs to be open to run your own Secure Transaction server.

1503 &1720 Microsoft NetMeeting and VOIP Ports 1503 and 1720
MS NetMeeting and other VOIP allows you to host an Internet call or VideoConference with other NetMeeting or VOIP users. NetMeeting is a free product that can be found on the Microsoft Website at http://www.microsoft.com
5631 PCAnywhere Port 5631
When a PCAnywhere server is set up to receive remote requests, it listens on TCP port 5631. This allow you to run a PCAnywhere host and use the Internet to connect back and remotely control your PC.

5900 Virtual Network Computing (VNC) Port 5900
When you run an VNC server to remotely control your PC, it uses port 5900. VNC is very useful if you want to control your server remotely.

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Block IP addresses using .htaccess file

admin — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 11:50:41 +0000

Blocking IP addresses using .htaccess file
Manytime you need to block certain IP which is threatening your website/server or is trying to attack your server by creating load on it [ DDOS attack] then you can easily block such IPs using .htaccess file. Once you manage to get the IP address which is playing with your server then you just need to add it in deny list of htaccess file. All IPs which are listed in this list cant access your site anymore and thus you can protect your server from such attacks. All you have to do is to add IP in your htaccess file which is located at root directory by using following code.

order deny,allow
deny from IP address

You can add as many IP address as you want in this list. One thing to be noted that spammers/hackers can change their IP addresses very easily as most spammers work from their home PCs which are not static and may update very often. Thus is may be very difficult for you to get exact IP address which you need to block. So its always better to get a good firewall for your server or a webhost who will manage your dedicated server for such security issues and will monitor it round the clock.

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cPanel-Plesk Webhosting Control Panel

admin — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 09:11:51 +0000

When it comes to host your website you need to consider what hosting platform you would be choosing, if you are using any Microsoft owned application for developing your website then you will have to consider Windows Plesk hosting plans else Linux would be good option for your hosting needs. One of the important tool you would be using for managing your website is control panel which would be offered by your webhosting service provider. If you are hosting your site on Linux shared hosting plans then you may get cPanel as your control panel which is usually offered for free and you would be getting Plesk as hosting control panel if you are hosting website on Windows Shared Hosting package. Both cPanel and Plesk control panels are widely used control panel using which you can easily managed your website hosting account. Plesk can also be offered on linux hosting packages thus plesk control panel can be used with Linux as well as Windows Hosting packages. If you are hosting your website on higher hosting plans such as VPS or Dedicated server then you may have to pay extra for getting control panel with your hosting accounts it all depends on the policies led down by your webhosting service provider. You may think is it necessary to get a webhosting control panel ? yes, its is always recommended to get a control panel with your webhosting account. Following are the most important features which you would get from your control panel.

Webhosting control panel cPanel and Plesk both offer similar basic features. You can easily create, or edit, or delete e-mail accounts thus you can easily manage all email accounts, as well as can perform all domains or sub-domains maintenance using both control panel. Both control panels allows you to upload all your files/directories and thus can manage your web files and directory from the control panel itself. There are many other useful features which you will have with your control panel. Thus control panel will ease your website hosting environment.

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PHP MySQL Hosting

admin — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 11:44:55 +0000

MySQL is a database type which is works on SQL or Structured Query Language, its widely used in website hosting industry where all databases required for your website is stored and can be accessed online. Using SQL commands/statements or queries you can easily retrieves and updates data in your databases. In the webhosting world PHP –MySQL is best combination and is widely used for developing websites. The combination of PHP scripting and MySQL database creates a very flexible environment for all websites. Thus if you are looking for hosting PHP-MySQL based website then you should look for a webhost who will support MySQL on their servers. Most webhosting service provider offers you hosting packages which are perfect for hosting PHP-MySQL based websites. MySQL runs on both Linux and Windows OS, so if you want MySQL database web hosting, you can use either opt for Windows Hosting packages or linux Hosting packages. As Linux hosting is more stable and cheaper option, PHP-MySQL database hosting is preferred on Linux hosting packages. MySQL database hosting can handle heavy traffic and many concurrent connections to the database easily.You have many versions of MySQL for website hosting. However, if you are using MySQL for the first time, it is better to opt for version 4.1 as it is offered as default version with most webhosting service provider. If you are looking for getting MySQL hosting, you have to check if they can offer you MySQL on Windows Hosting too, also check out the restrictions for remote access. Is there any limitation on number of databases you can create on your hosting account, what is the maximum size for your databases. Make sure your website hosting service provider have package bundled with PHP as this will help you to create dynamic websites easily.

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Securing CGI scripts

admin — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 04:49:43 +0000

The Common Gateway Interface (CGI) is a standard protocol which is used for interfacing external applications/softwares with an information servers like HTTP or Web servers.
If you are using any CGI program within your website then it will be executed in real-time, giving web user dynamic information, you will have to use custom CGI scripts or free scripts for getting such type of dynamic data.
All CGI scripts are executable files which will allow any webuser to run this program on your system/server thus its not safe to play with them and should be used only if required, therefore you should take utmost precautions while dealing with them. Its always better to keep all your CGI scripts in a special directory called “cgi-bin” so that the Webserver would know to execute script rather then just display it into your webbrowser. Mostly this directory is under direct control of webmaster, thus none other then you can create cgi scripts for your server and can put then into cgi-bin directory. Thus you can keep hackers away from installing cgi-scripts for your hosting account.
You should put all your CGI scripts which you want to execute into your cgi-bin directory, you can use .cgi or .pl file extensions for all your cgi scripts. cgi-bin directory have 755 permission so you just need to upload your required scripts into this directory so that they can be executed in real-time.

If you want you can put cgi scripts in any directory your want, but for security reasons its always suggested to put them in cgi-bin directory as they have potentially large security holes. If all your cgi scripts are kept al central location within cgi-bin directory then it would be easier to keep track of all your scripts which you have installed on your server so that you can manage them efficiently.

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