A content management system (CMS) is a web application designed to make it easier for website owners to publish, edit, and present content to their visitors. There are hundreds of CMS applications on the market, both free and for a price. Many are even free and open source, readily available for download and installation.
One of [...]
Earlier this week, we looked at GZIP compression for Apache HTTP Server, which helps reduce the load time on websites and minimize bandwidth usage. Many websites use some form of server-side scripting to produce on-the-fly dynamic content pages. PHP is one of the most popular scripting languages of the web, and XCache is a useful [...]
Unfortunately, the number of potential server security threats is too great for just one post. The following are five more you should definitely be aware of and prepare your server to defend against. Some of them are easy to fix, while others require thought, planning, and special software.
1. Malware – This can be just about [...]
Lurking around every corner is a potential threat to your server. If your server is to survive threats to its security, you have to prepare it and harden its protective safeguards. The following are just a few of the threats that you should be aware of and be able to prevent or fight.
1. Botnet – [...]
Every time a user accesses your website, the user’s browser must go through the motions of downloading your content. In many cases, this happens very quickly, but it still takes time. Although the browser may cache some files, it still has to download any new content, and modern websites publish new content very [...]
If you plan to offer streaming video on your website, you have a big decision to make. With your own dedicated server, you have the capability of streaming the video directly from your server using streaming software. There are many streaming options. Some of them are quite costly, while others are free [...]
Because most of today’s websites are dynamic and use server-side scripting, it is pretty much expected for dedicated servers to have some form of database management, either in the form of a full database server or a set of database libraries. MySQL is one of the most widely-used relational database management systems (RDBMS). [...]
Server-side scripting is a method of programming for the web that relies on software running on the server to execute instructions rather than the user’s browser or installed plugins. In this way, the resulting page or web application appears to be a regularly generated HTML page at the time of loading. Some of the benefits [...]
The idea of an unmanaged server can seem appealing, particularly for website owners who typically like a “do-it-yourself” approach to technology. Even for a seasoned tech expert, however, managing a server for the first time can be a frightening experience. Here are five tips to help you weather the storm.
1. Backup Everything – [...]
When you are on the road and need to quickly test or troubleshoot connections to your server, you might not have immediate access to SSH. Four tools you can find from many online services can help you track down problems, make sure your site is running smoothly, or just gather important information.
1. Traceroute – [...]
There are plenty of reasons why you might want to make the move to a dedicated server. While most people think in terms of space or power, not all reasons revolve around these factors. Here are 10 of the top reasons you might want to get a full dedicated server.
1. You run a business and [...]
MySQL is a great database server for small, medium, and large websites, but large sites may find that the database alone can consume a great deal of system resources. Ideally, you should be able to increase resources (i.e. more processors and more memory) in order to get better performance. In reality, however, there are some [...]
One frequently overlooked component of dedicated server management is domain configuration and optimization. A server that has no domains and no DNS is only known by its IP addresses. Realistically, this makes domains a necessity. More than likely, you have at least two domains, and if you are hosting other websites, you may have several. [...]
With most of the world using dynamic websites, databases have become a regular part of the web hosting experience. Even if your database always works and run smoothly, you may have users on your dedicated server who are not so fortunate. Because many applications, scripts, and users may attempt to access the database [...]
Once you have a dedicated server, you will find out how little time you have to read complex tutorials and documentation. This is especially true if you are offering hosting services to one or more customers. You will have real-world issues that need fixing right away. There are some shortcuts you can [...]
The constraint of bandwidth is something we cannot escape. Whether you have a single shared hosting account or a data center filled with servers, you still have to deal with bandwidth limitations. For those of you who lease or own dedicated servers, keeping your bandwidth numbers down may be a daily struggle.
The following [...]
When configuring your dedicated server’s file permissions, it is important not to overlook file ownership. In Linux and other Unix-like operating systems, every file is assigned an owner, and that owner belongs to a group. A file can have generally liberal permissions but only for a particular user or group. Similarly, a [...]
Files on a large dedicated server are difficult enough to find on their own. When you add the fact that numerous files may have the same or similar names but be of different types, the odds of finding what you want may seem insurmountable. Fortunately, there is a tool in Linux for just about anything. [...]
Chances are, you have at least a dozen passwords for your server, computers, phones, email, social network, and bank account. It is tough enough to remember commonly-used passwords without even thinking about your MySQL password. The general perception is that, if you lose your MySQL administrative password, you are up a creek without [...]
A new dedicated server can be somewhat daunting, especially if you are new to Unix and Linux system administration. Assuming you have an unmanaged server, there will be times when you need to access your server via SSH and access the operating system’s command line. If you understand the command protocol for one version [...]
If you have a dedicated server that runs Debian GNU/Linux or a derivative distribution, such as Ubuntu Server Edition, you should be familiar with apt-get. This is the command you normally use to install, uninstall, and update software packages. A simple installation string looks like this:
# apt-get install packagename
When a package is installed, [...]
