Under normal circumstances, you would send files to a from your dedicated server using a graphical ftp or sftp program. In some situations, however, you need to use the command line. One particular situation that calls for command-line file transfer is when you are sending data to a another server, such as a [...]
YUM is the package management system for several Linux distributions, including three major server operating systems: Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), Fedora, and CentOS. Generally speaking, you can always safely perform updates to the latest software packages offered in the distribution repositories.
There are, however, instances when certain updates are acceptable but others may not [...]
For most operating systems, applications can either run when the user executes them or run in the memory as a daemon or service from the time the computer starts. Like any other software, these memory-resident programs require resources, both RAM and CPU.
Linux distributions are designed to run on a wide variety of hardware, from [...]
While many search tools like “locate” search filenames, grep searching everything in the contents of files. This makes grep one of the most powerful tools for finding information on a Linux or Unix server. Grep (global regular expression print) can be used for both simple and complex searches. You can also use [...]
For the next couple of days, we will focus on searching. There are a few ways to search for files on a Linux server. Some are more in-depth than others. The tool called locate relies on a database backend for fast searching. The database must index the filesystem, and then the [...]
One of the problems with running Linux commands on a dedicated server or virtual private server (VPS) is that some commands spit out a lot of information. Even something as simple as “ls”, which lists the files in a directory, can go on for pages. In such situations, a terminal program that allows [...]
Through looking at our incoming traffic, I recently noticed a large amount of visitors coming to ServerSchool.com after Googling “Mediatemple Alternatives.” Apparently one of our older posts about how bad Mediatemple’s gridserver is was ranking near the top, and also apparent was the large number of searchers who seem to be looking for an [...]
A common occurrence on a Linux dedicated server is the moving, deleting, copying, and renaming of files. The end result is that you often will end up with duplicates of files or even entire directories. With any server, disk space is important, and unnecessary files take up valuable space in a business where [...]
There are a few reasons why you might need to export a MySQL database. If you ever need to transfer your data to a new server, backup your databases, or provide a former client with their website content, being able to quickly and easily backup a database is important.
With phpMyAdmin and other web-based management [...]
Linux servers come packed with a plethora of useful commands and tools. Knowing when to use the right ones can save you a lot of time and give you insight into your dedicated server and its networking environment. Here are three tools that are indispensable for any server administrator.
Ping – Perhaps the most [...]
With a modern dedicated server, you will be able to handle most of your daily management within a web-based control panel, whether it is proprietary one like cPanel or an open source one like Webmin. There are, however, times when you will still need to run commands from within a secure shell (SSH).
Learning Linux [...]
Although many debates about which operating system is best for hosting a server usually revolve around Linux and Windows, they are just two of many server-ready operating systems available. Some are free and open like Linux, while others are commercial and closed. Here is a brief list of some of the most popular [...]
What is an Unmetered Dedicated Server?
Part of what we pay for when leasing a dedicated server is connectivity to the internet. All major dedicated server providers have multiple network service providers that enable their customers to connect to their servers. In order to manage the cost of network connectivity, customers are usually provided a level [...]
One unique feature of Linux dedicated servers is the powerful command line. There are virtually no limits to what you can accomplish with the right command strings and a little patience. Often times server administrators are faced with daunting tasks, such as migrating large amounts of data, restoring backups, and reassigning permissions. [...]
The default network SMTP port for Postfix, Sendmail and most other mail servers is 25. This is the port used to send email, and most email clients will use it by default. Unfortunately, some Internet service providers have started to block port 25 because of the high volume of spam sent through it. [...]
When you lease an unmanaged dedicated server, it is almost like purchasing a bare-bones computer. You will get many of the essentials like the necessary hardware, operating system, and even the network connection, but often you will not get much else. Depending on the web host, you will need to install extra software [...]
This press release just came out from Liquidweb, one of our favorite dedicated server providers. Liquidweb is well known for providing some of the best support in the industry, and this “hybrid cloud” offering should do a lot for people who want to take advantage of some of the features unique to cloud hosting, [...]
On a dedicated server, password complexity determines the length and character combinations of user passwords. In Linux password management is controlled by PAM (pluggable authentication modules), which is installed by default.
Unfortunately, configuring PAM is no walk in the park. Once you figure it out, however, you will not have to configure it very [...]
Managing a dedicated server requires a bit of babysitting. Even though most website owners and users have been told once or possibly even several times to make secure passwords, many do not. They may actually have pretty good reasons to use weak passwords, especially if they have multiple accounts in various systems.
Because of [...]
Early this week, we briefly covered Linux partitions and their importance. It is also important to know the directories that make up the Linux file system when using a Linux dedicated server. What follows is a very brief guide to some of the most crucial directories. You will notice that, unlike Windows, [...]
An average server takes a beating over the years. Hosting websites, fighting off attacks, and simply staying on 24 hours a day and 7 days a week can wear down even the best servers. Furthermore, as a server’s users grow, and the websites it hosts become more popular, increased traffic can cause higher [...]
On Linux dedicated servers, the hard drive is divided into partitions. There can be as few as two or several partitions, depending on the preferences of the system administrator. It is very important to understand the function of each partition on your new server and how they differ from Windows and other operating [...]
On a Linux Dedicated Server it is important to understand the relationships between one file and another, and also between those files and the server. It is also important to understand the relationship between the server and the Web.
Many scripts written in Perl, PHP, and others require some degree of configuration and may [...]
When running a website, whether it is a web hosting business or even just a blog, it is important to know how big your audience is, how often visitors come to your site, and what information those visitors access. There are a couple free and open source statistics software packages (such as AWStats) [...]
