Server management is a ever-changing arena, filled with new technology and security techniques that you need to learn and relearn. Suffice it is to say that the game has changed significantly in the past five years. The following are trends you should be aware of and prepare for in the near future.
1. Virtualization is [...]
For some applications, a single computer or even a single dedicated server is not enough. These applications require extremely complex computations that could take standard servers a very long time to complete. They require the use of supercomputers made up of multiple nodes in a cluster, each containing multiple processors and/or cores along with their [...]
Once you have a web presence, just about anyone in any country can access your website. That means your dedicated server will be subjected to the laws and regulations of just about every country where you do business. You can, of course, limit the number of countries that have access, but if your goal is [...]
As we approach the new year, it might be tempting to make sweeping changes to your organization and to your dedicated server. This is a normal feeling. After all, even in our daily lives, we often start the new year with resolutions (ones that are often too high-reaching and hard to keep). The question posed [...]
One of the routine end-of-year tasks you might want to perform is the removal of old packages that your system downloaded but may no longer need. You may have installed applications and later uninstalled them, but your package manager sometimes keeps those downloaded packages in case you need them later. Fortunately, with APT, it is [...]
Possibly all operating systems offer an automatic update feature. Linux distributions commonly used for servers definitely do, and this feature may even be enabled by default on some. Should you run automatic server updates? The following are some possible benefits and a few possible disadvantages.
Benefits:
Your server will be updated as soon as updates are available
It [...]
Your shared hosting account has probably served you well for quite some time, but there comes a time when it might be a good idea to upgrade your website(s) to a dedicated hosting plan. There are definitely financial factors that determine when you can and will get a dedicated server, but today we will look [...]
SSH – Secure Shell allows you to connect to your server as though you were sitting in front of it typing on the console. If you have administrative access, you can completely control your server from SSH. Connections made via SSH are also encrypted and secure.
Apache HTTP Server – The most popular web server software [...]
Dedicated Servers have been around for quite a while. They predate the Internet, and if you are old enough to remember, you would know that many businesses once had dedicated servers on-site in a data closet or a full data center. Now many companies host their servers remotely, and some have adopted cloud [...]
Choosing your operating system and web server software is only the beginning. If you need a custom dedicated server built to your specifications, you will need to specify several other types of software, including database system, DNS, mail transfer agent (MTA), scripting languages (PHP, Ruby, Perl, etc.), firewall, virtualization, and more.
DNS – The management of [...]
In my years of managing Dedicated Servers, I have picked up a few tidbits of wisdom along the way. Not all of this wisdom will apply to every server in every situation, but hopefully you will take something useful away from this.
Rebooting will not solve everything. In my early server days, I used [...]
Webmin is a free and open source graphical system administration interface for Unix-like operating systems. In previous posts, we have explored some of the ways that you can use Webmin to make your system administration easier. We also learned how to install Webmin on CentOS. Today, we will look at another popular Linux-based operating system: [...]
2011 came and went, and you still do not have a dedicated server. There are plenty of reasons why you might not be ready for one, and we have covered some of those reasons in previous posts. But inevitably, there are some of you out there who are ready to get a dedicated server, but [...]
2011 has come and gone, and your dedicated server has survived the year. While 2012 is still fresh, it is a good idea to make some plans for the new year. Think of them as your server’s own new year resolutions.
Backup schedule – If your server was not already doing regular automated backups, now is [...]
As we come to the close of another year, it is a good time to perform some routine tasks on your server, especially if you have been putting them off until “the right time”. The beginning of a new year is usually busy, so you should take the time now to get those tasks done [...]
Your VPS, dedicated server, and backup device all have something in common: a finite amount of space. Fortunately, you can always free up space, add a new drive, or compress files as needed. But you never want to get into a situation where the lack of space surprises you. On a Unix or Linux server, [...]
The purpose of a chroot jail is to allow you to run a virtual file system within a larger one. You can use it for any number of reasons, including virtual shared hosting accounts. The user whose login account is associated with a chroot jail can use an entire virtual Linux distribution within the jail, [...]
If you are new to web hosting or are just getting started with your website, the whole idea of a dedicated server may be foreign to you. At some point, however, you might find yourself in need of one or even several. In many situations, people use dedicated servers for multiple websites, but there are [...]
In a perfect world, we would always have unlimited refills, unlimited anytime minutes, and unlimited bandwidth. In reality these things are finite, and nothing lasts forever. Bandwidth is not horribly expensive, but if you have your own dedicated server, you are definitely paying for it. Anytime you offer hosting or other services to your clients, [...]
On a Linux dedicated server, certain applications can run as daemons. These are programs that begin running when the server boots and remain in the memory for the duration of the server’s uptime. Normally, when you install one of these programs, the system will automatically add them to the appropriate directories, such as “/etc/rc.d/init.d”.
There are [...]
Running an unmanaged server is a lot of work. In a previous post, we looked at options for paid support for Linux servers, but with a limited budget, paid support might not be an option you can even consider. There is really only one other alternative: community support.
Fortunately for you, Linux community support is [...]
As you embark on the exciting journey that is your dedicated server, you will encounter numerous slogans, terms, phrases, and acronyms. Some are completely relevant and important for you to know. Others are just thrown in to confuse you. Here are five you should definitely know.
1. Name server – This is the system that will [...]
The day has finally arrived. You feared it would come and tried to prepare for it, but now that it is here, you are frozen, not sure what to do. That moment when you go to your website and realize it is offline or, even worse, get a call from a client complaining about down [...]
Web-based control panels like cPanel/WHM are great for simplifying tasks that would normally require you to login to your server via SSH and run programs from the command line. For batch tasks, however, the command line is often a better choice. Fortunately, there are numerous WHM command line scripts that you can execute from within [...]
In most circumstances, you will probably only run a single operating system on your server. Dual booting makes little sense, as anything that normally runs on the other OS will be off while the current one is running. For situations where you need two OSes, virtualization is a viable and increasingly popular solution.
On a Linux [...]
This is a continuation of Dedicated Server Terminology parts 1 and 2.
11. Cache – Caching gives your server a distinct advantage by keeping the most frequently-used data in memory or easily accessible on the disk. Just as an operating system might cache important application data, you can configure your web server to cache [...]
The following is a continuation of yesterday’s server terminology. These should help you become more familiar with your dedicated server and will also serve as a quick reference guide in the future.
6. Operating system – An operating system is the primary software on a server that interacts with the hardware, network, and [...]
When you are new to working with dedicated servers or simply a business person trying to understand what your technology consultant is always talking about, much of the terminology associated with dedicated servers can be overwhelming. For that reason, we have put together a multi-part series of posts covering numerous server topics, along with [...]
It’s dead. After all the effort you put in your server, even choosing it over your spouse, there was nothing you could do to save it. Whether it was hardware failure, a massive and crippling cyber attack, or simply a colossal user error, the moment you always dreaded has come to pass: a [...]
So, you have to decided to get your own dedicated server. You certainly have a plethora of options to consider: hardware, operating system, development platform, applications, and more. One of the crucial early decisions you must make is to decide where you want your server to be housed.
If you are running a business, [...]
