Linux is highly stable, amazingly secure, and completely free, but even a remarkable OS like Linux has its bad days. Fortunately, when things go wrong with a Linux server, it is usually pretty easy to get things back on track. Rather than rebooting your whole server, which would disrupt service to your users [...]
When installing certain Linux software, you might have come across the term “kernel headers” and wondered why the software you were installing required it. Surely, you already have your kernel installed on your dedicated server, so what are they talking about?
Kernel headers refer to the source code of the Linux kernel. On most [...]
Before we delve into the topic of server upgrades, it is important to define the terminology. With a Linux-based operating system, an “upgrade” refers to the latest snapshot packaged by the distribution’s developers. That usually includes a newer kernel version, newer libraries, and more recent software packages.
In addition to these upgrade snapshots, most [...]
We all know that server maintenance is important, but how many of us really take the time to stop and think about it? Because it is so easy to forget a particular task, it is crucial to your dedicated server’s health that you keep a regular routine for maintenance.
In some cases, certain parts of [...]
At one time, it was a common practice of Unix system administrators to reboot their servers regularly, once a month or at another specified interval. This was done to flush the memory, make sure there was nothing wrong with the server, and give it a fresh start.
Nowadays, it seems that many Linux, BSD, and [...]
OpenVZ is a free and open source virtualization tool that allows you to create virtual private servers (VPS) on your dedicated server. It gives you the ability to run virtual operating systems with “containers” and is regarded as the open source equivalent of Parallels’ Virtuozzo Containers.
WebVZ is essentially a web-based control panel for [...]
On this blog, I previously covered file synchronization with rsync. The benefit of rsync is that it allows for incremental synchronization of files and directories and is very fast and secure over local and remote connections. The drawback of rsync is that it only syncs files one way or the other. [...]
Collecting statistics about a website is one of the most important evaluation techniques you can use to determine its effectiveness and reach. Although there are many online services, such as Google Analytics, that offer third-party statistical analysis, you or your clients may prefer to have in-house statistical software run from your dedicated server. [...]
When operating a dedicated server with multiple nodes, there are various filesystem options, but one that is particularly designed for server clusters is GlusterFS. Scalability is very important for large server installations, and GlusterFS provides the necessary tools.
The software’s project website describes GlusterFS as an “open source cluster storage solution” that is “a [...]
Few web hosting users are robotic enough to always type their usernames and passwords perfectly every time they try to log in, but repeated failed attempts to access an account could be evidence of a security problem. As a precaution, it is a good idea to have accounts locked after a number of failed [...]
Allowing users to run scripts on your dedicated server can be a frightening experience. Not only must you trust in their sincerity, but also trust that they will not be negligent in securing any scripts they run. Furthermore, most scripts these days are complex content management systems that may have thousands of functions. [...]
As technology has developed, server hardware has naturally become more efficient at using power, and tasks that once took entire server rooms may now be accomplished by one box. Nevertheless, the increasing demand for scarce resources should make saving energy a priority for anyone with one or more server.
One way to reduce energy usage [...]
Dynamic web applications have become the norm for most websites. Whether they are using basic content management systems (CMS) or more complex custom social media applications, today’s websites are more fluid and more interactive than ever.
Accompanied with that new interactivity and fluidity are higher server loads and greater bandwidth usage. We previously looked [...]
Security is always an ongoing concern for Linux system administrators, and if it is not, it should be. The variety and number of threats to server security are profound, and smart server administrators are proactive in securing their dedicated servers from would-be attackers, viruses, and vulnerabilities.
Security-Enhanced Linux (SELinux) was originally developed for the US [...]
On Linux dedicated servers, each instance of any running software is called a process. There can be tens or even hundreds of processes running at any given time, and some processes, such as Apache web server, will spawn child processes. Each process in Linux is assigned an identification number, also known as a [...]
If you hang out in the IT community long enough, you are bound to hear the term LAMP thrown around by people involved in web hosting, dedicated servers, and web development. The LAMP stack, as it is commonly called is the combination of a Linux-based operating system, Apache HTTP Server, MySQL database [...]
Manchester, United Kingdom – In the hyper-competitive world of web hosting, companies emerge and are acquired by larger players at a furious pace. It is therefore exemplary to find a hosting provider which has withstood the test of time. 34SP.com is just such a web hosting company. Founded a decade ago by Daniel Foster and [...]
One of the most prominent distinguishing features of the Windows operating system is its default graphical user interface (GUI). Most UNIX-like operating systems also support graphical interfaces, but the GUI is optional and is often not installed on dedicated servers.
Graphical management of a server is acceptable if you are sitting in front of the [...]
Although Windows and Linux dominate most headlines about server operating systems, many system administrators prefer the stability and security of BSD (Berkeley Software Distribution). BSD is a Unix-like operating system, originally developed at the University of California at Berkeley. Although the original code is scarcely used anymore, it has many descendants, including the [...]
One possible use for a dedicated server that should not be ignored is media streaming. By media I mean audio and video files streamed over the Internet for public viewing. Although there are plenty of services that offer streaming video accounts, such as Blip.tv or Vimeo, you may prefer to stream your own [...]
When many people think of proxies, they often imagine public school Internet filters or the tools people use to circumvent them. There are, however, numerous other uses for proxies, especially for dedicated servers.
A proxy is basically a network layer that sits between the computer and the Internet. All traffic passes through the proxy, [...]
