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 to solve [...]
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, [...]
When many hear the term “dedicated server”, they tend to picture data centers housing massive machines used by large companies for their huge infrastructures. While that is certainly a valid use of the term, it does not fully reflect the wide range of uses for dedicated servers. Small and medium business and even [...]
Adopting a dedicated server is a big step. I have chosen the word “adopt” because it is a lot like adopting a child. You want your child to succeed and get the most out of life, and you want the same for your server. That success will not come without some guidance [...]
The most common way to work with and manage MySQL is directly, using the command line or a web-based tool such as phpMyAdmin. If, however, you have more than one database server or need to do routine complex tasks, the former may be too tedious, and the latter may be too simple. Another possible reason [...]
Managing a server may not be your thing. You may cringe whenever you see a tech specialist drop to the command line and start punching away at the keyboard. That does not mean you cannot have a dedicated server and even be successful with a online business that requires one. The key [...]
For several years I leased an unmanaged dedicated server from a company that will remain nameless. I loved the experience, but there were plenty of times when I made horrible mistakes. The following are seven lessons I learned from having my own server.
1. Whatever I thought I knew was far less than what I needed [...]
It is easy to make the decision to purchase or lease a dedicated server, but that does not mean you will automatically know what should and should not do with it once you have it.
I can remember being a beginner and thinking I knew quite a bit about running servers [...]
The recent outage of Amazon Web Services and the security intrusion of Sony’s PlayStation Network has reminded many dedicated server owners that even large corporations struggle with security and stability issues.
In some cases, there is little you can do to prevent outages caused by weather or security intrusions caused by massive DDoS attacks. When those [...]
Backing up your server should be a regular task for you, as routine as brushing your teeth. Your backup routine should include both automated backups and manual checks to make sure your backups are working properly. If, for some reason, you are skeptical or think it is not important, here are five reasons to keep [...]
A Linux dedicated server has a hierarchical directory structure. Files are stored in directories, and those directories are also stored in directories, forming an entire directory trees. For example, documents that appear on a website may be housed in the /home/lightning/www/html directory path (“lightning” being the username of the website owner).
In order to keep information [...]
Sometimes it is difficult to know when it is time to make the move from one technology to another, or when to upgrade from one version to a later one. As your website or websites grow, it is important to track their progress, understand their weaknesses, and be prepared to take them to the next [...]
