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VPS security issues

admin — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:06:25 +0000

Usually it is seen that most of the attacks and exploits always use /tmp folder to work out of any propagate themselves. By mounting /tmp with noexec and nosuid (meaning executable cannot be run from /tmp nor with escalated privileges), hence this will stop many of these exploits from being able to do any harm for your server. You can also do it by adding following entry in “/etc/fstab”

none /tmp tmpfs nodev,nosuid,noexec 0 0

Once done save the file and reboot your VPS, now vps get mounted with “nosuid” and “noexec” hence you have secures your /tmp partition.

As a part of security you should also ‘turn off‘ daemons and services which you are not using. Any services that allows a connection to be established to your server is always used by hackers to gain access for your server hence to reduce security risks, you should disable all such unused services / daemons for security reasons.

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Operating system required for Plesk 9

admin — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 06:46:13 +0000

Recently Parallels came up with its new version of popular control panel Plesk, you can now have Plesk 9 as latest version which can be used on your server. it’s a new multilevel control panel using which you can manage your hosting accounts and can automate web hosting solutions for small business and reseller hosting accounts.
You would be having 5 login levels each having its own permission and unique features.

Administrator – It’s the highest level and user with administrator control have all permissions using which they can easily setup system services and can mange their server.
Reseller – Similar to administrator but don’t have ability to manage system services.
Client – it’s the 3rd login level where user have very limited access for their hosting accounts like creating domains etc…
Domain Owner – 4th tier login level where user just have permissions for single domain administration.
Mail User – Individual mail account users can manage passwords, spam filters and antivirus settings.
Resellers level. Resellers level is the new addition in Plesk 9, giving resellers the ability to manage and create their own clients and domains. Also using this level a resellers account holder can also distribute other services such as application hosting and databases as per his requirements and even for a single client basis.

If you are looking for installing Plesk 9.0.0 on your linux VPS hosting package then you should have any of the following OS installed on your VPS.
* RedHat Enterprise Linux 4
* RedHat Enterprise Linux 5
* CentOS 4
* CentOS 5
* Fedora Core 4
* Fedora Core 5
* Fedora Core 6
* Fedora 7
* Fedora 8
* openSUSE 9.3
* openSUSE 10.0
* openSUSE 10.1
* openSUSE 10.2
* openSUSE 10.3
* New!openSUSE 11
* SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9
* SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10

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Install Rootkit Hunter

admin — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 11:30:15 +0000

Its always recommended to have Rootkit Hunter [ RKHunter ] installed on your cpanel VPS server so as to secure it from varnability and server attacks. You can ask your webhost to install all required scripts and applications on your server so that your server would be secured and safe.
You can consider RKHunter is as most useful application which can protect your server from unknown attacks/threats. Rootkits are usually installed by blackhats, crackers and scriptkiddies, to avoid the eye of the sysadmin and can track all your activities. Once rootkits are installed on your server its very difficult to remove them as they affect system files. Using RKHunter it will notify you of any rootkits which may exist in your system so that you can take necessary steps to avoid any security issue.
If you want to install Rootkit Hunter it’s a simple process, you can also configure it and can make it to scan your system on daily basis which will inform you about any rootkits installed by anyone. Using following steps you an installing RKHunter on your cpanel VPS :

Firstly you need to login to your server as root then download the package and extract it using following command
wget http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/rkhunter/rkhunter-1.3.0.tar.gz
tar -xzf rkhunter*
now run this using cd rkhunter-1.3.2 and ./installer.sh
Once installation is completed you can protect your server from rootkits which may create threats for your server.

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Disadvantages of using Virtual Private Server (VPS)

admin — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 11:58:02 +0000

As there are many advantages of using a VPS there are few disadvantages of using it, You may have to face problems while using VPS hosting plans, VPS maintenance is major issues with many webhosts. As each each virtual private servers have their own Operating system and software thus the physical webserver will have to look after all operating systems which are used by all VPSes created on master node. Thus if master node gets down or facing some operating system issue all the VPSes created on that node will have to face downtime.
Also if master server node gets down due to hardware failure or system crash then all VPSs would have to face downtime.
Usually there are many VPSes created on master node thus it’s a difficult to manage and maintain master node as it would be having hifi configuration, advance RAID structure, network file system etc… which are somewhat difficult to manage.
Make sure, if you are having a server with reliable host who offer you maximum uptime guarantee then you may not have to face any kind of issue, this doesn’t mean that all VPS hosting plans are not reliable, so you should study your webhost about uptime guarantee and server management before you place order for your server.

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VPS Hosting Functions.

admin — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 09:48:09 +0000

Virtual private Server hosting is a special type of hosting where you would be getting more server resources and can enjoy benefits of dedicated servers at much lower rates. You can consider VPS as affordable option for dedicated servers if you cant afford to pay for dedicated servers. VPS hosting are getting more popular due to their features and functions.

Following are the features and functions of VPS Hosting packages :

* Root SSH Access [ linux VPS hosting] and Administrator RDP access [ Windows VPS Hosting.
* You can manage your VPS as a standalone machine and can start/stop/restart your VPS
* You can Manage IP addresses for your VPS
* You can easily Backup/Restore your VPS.
* You can Schedule Backups of your VPS.
* You can execute arbitrary commands in the vps and view the output
* You can easily integrate Java applet and other custom scripts and softwares for your VPS.
* You have total freedom for managing your VPS and you can reset Root/Adminstrative Password easily.
Thus VPS hosting is wonderful hosting package if you want to have dedicated server like environment at affordable

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Benefits of Dedicated Server Hosting

admin — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 11:46:19 +0000

Usually all corporate business website which requires 100% uptime guarantee are hosted on a dedicated servers as dedicated server hosting can be considered as most reliable hosting. If your website is getting tremendous traffic and you want to use some custom applications on your site then you will have to go with VPS or dedicated servers where your hosting account would get maximum server resources which you can use it for your website to run smoothly. First of all you will have to decide whether you really need a dedicated server? or a shared hosting will serve your hosting needs. If you are planning to use some custom applications/scripts for your website then you will have to consider hosting package which will allow you to access server, if you go with dedicated server you would be getting Root/Adminstrative access to your server thus you can install all required softwares/scripts on your server and can test things. Before placing order for a dedicated server you should check with your website hosting service provider if the servers are managed or unmanaged.

Usually most webhost will offer you fully managed dedicated server hosting plans, so its always better to go with a host who will offer you managed dedicated server hosting plans which will make you free from managing your server as your webhost will take care for managing it, taking security updates and all other required hosting related stuffs. Dedicated servers are more prone to get hacked and compromised so its always better to have good firewall [ software/hardware] and antispam installed on your server. You may have to pay extra for getting them install on your server so do check pricing details about them. Make sure you have your webhost available round the clock for providing you technical support. You should check if the technical support is totally FREE or PAID support. Your server hardware may get faulty anytime as you cant trust harware which may get damage anytime thus as precautionary measure you should always keep updated backup of your website/server. You can ask your webhost if they offer you offshore backup plans where you can out backup data. Your webhost may offer you some sort of backup services for your server as a part of their managed services.

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Server Hardware will affect server performance.

admin — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 13:55:33 +0000

As a server owner you should try to have excellent hardware for your server, you should selecting correct hardware for your server so that you would get optimum performance. There are many server hardware vendors such as Dell, IBM, HP, SUN etc……
Dell is the primary Dedicated server hardware vendor and provide you excellent hardware thus is popular and is used at many datacenters. Its your choice and budget to get hardware from any vendor.

Network card : Network card is an important hardware for your server which will affect your server network connectivity. Its always recommended to have a better quality NIC cards as your NIC is your connection to the Internet, thus you would get better network speed and would save your labor charges if you have to replace your network card.

Processor : It’s the most important part of your server, it’s the base for processing all request so higher the processor power you have with your server more faster would all queries be responded thus your website would run very smoothly. As technology is improving you can get hi-fi processors such as dual core, quad core, core 2 duo etc… at much cheaper rate. Depending on your website traffic and applications you have on your website you should opt for most perfect processor.

Memory : Selecting specific amount of memory for your server would vary depending on your requirements. Server hardware cost are getting reduce day by day and you can get excellent hardware at much cheaper rates, so you should always try to have enough RAM for your server as it will increase your server performance and will respond to all users and connections without any delay.

Hard Drives : Server diskspace plays an important role for storing data and webfiles on your server, higher the harddrive space you have on your server more the data can be stored on your server. Hard drives generally come in speeds of 5400, 7200, 10,000, and 15,000 RPM. RPM is rotation per minute, so greater the number more faster will be the data is accessed. So you should get your harddrive with maximum RPM so that data can be fetched more faster from your server. There are different types of harddrive such as SCSI, IDE and SAS, SAS being the best drive type though it cost you more but you will get excellent performance. Thus if you are looking for getting better server performance you should always go with excellent server hardware with reliable server hardware vendor.

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Managing VPS using HyperVM

admin — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 16:29:42 +0000

HyperVM and the Virtuozzo Power Panel are two major VPS control panels widely used. Both have their props and cons as compare to HyperVM Virtuozzo is more popular but even HyperVM is widely used with OpenVZ and Xen VPS daemons. HyperVM is used for overall account administration and managing VPS. Since HyperVM is web based and centralised control panel, which helps VPS hosting providers to offer VPS servers on any of their Linux VPS hosting nodes from one central control panel this can reduce server setup time which will boost customer satisfaction as they would be getting their server details very fast. As HyperVM can easily integrated into OpenVZ and Xen based VPS servers thus web hosting providers can offer VPS servers based on either OpenVZ or Xen based VPS hosting platforms and can widen their hosting features. HyperVM can be easily integrated into few popular billing systems such as WHMCS via use of its API, they can automate the server setup process once webhost receive payment and order server would be setup automatically. Thus its helps webhost for managing their server.

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Burstable and Guaranteed memory on VPS

admin — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 15:38:45 +0000

One of major benefit of getting a VPS is that you can have Guaranteed memory aswell as Burstable memory at your disposal. Guaranteed Memory can be defined as the usable memory which is allotted to your VPS. Such memory is available for you at all time. Also you can have Burstable memory which is set for your webhost for your VPS.
Its a maximum limit for the memory which can be made available for your VPS. Thus for some reason if the allotted guaranteed memory gets exhausted, you can use the memory up to the limit of allotted burstable memory and your VPS would run smoothly. For eg if your webhost have allotted 256mb of guarantee memory and 1024 of burstable memory then you can use remaining 768MB of memory if your guaranteed memory is completely used up. This is a major advantage of getting a VPS hosting account which will ensure your server would run smoothly even if few applications are consuming more RAM. Such burstable RAM can be used when they are in need of any extra memory..
Its always better to have a good guaranteed memory for your server so that your VPS would work properly. This burstable memory is not easily available as it can only be obtained if there is lapse of guaranteed memory for your VPS. You should always look with your webhost for what guaranteed and burstable memory is allotted to your VPS and should check if its sufficient for your applications and scripts.

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VPS hosting for better hosting features

admin — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 11:03:04 +0000

VPS Hosting accounts are special hosting accounts similar to shared hosting accounts but with great server resources and more advance features. If you are looking for getting more advance server resources for your website then you can start with a VPS hosting package and can get your hands on server management. As you would be having Root access to your Linux server and Administrative RDP access for your Windows Server you can manage your server very effectively. If you are not much technically literate then you can go with a webhost who can offer you managed VPS hosting plans so that you can get their technical support if you get stuck for some issue. As compare to shared hosting account you have many advance hosting features if your account is hosted on VPS server. If you have limited budget and cant afford to get a dedicated server then you can consider ordering VPS server as its cheaper option for a dedicated server, you will have almost all features on your VPS for what you would get with dedicated server. major difference between dedicated server and a VPS is that your account is hosted along with other VPS accounts on same server, so you would be sharing server resources of master VPS node. All VPS accounts are isolated from one another thus your account wont be affected by other VPS’s on master node. Your VPS hosting account would have fixed server resources such as CPU, RAM, diskspace and bandwidth etc,,, thus if your site is requiring heavy server resource then you will have to consider a VPS Hosting plans, also if you want to install some custom scripts and softwares on your hosting account then VPS would be a best option for you. Using root access you can easily install required scripts and application on your server which are must for running of your website.
Conclusion : If you are short at budget and cant afford to get a dedicated server then VPS is best choice for you, where you would be getting root access [ linux VPS account ] and Administrative RDP access [ Windows VPS account ]

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