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In need of an easy way to check for dedicated server downtime? Downforeveryoneorjustme.com is the web site you want to bookmark for such an occasion.
This awesome web site service allows you to type in your domain name you want to check, and then see if it is down or if you might be the cause of the issue. A very interesting web site tool indeed.
If you like that one – you might also check out:
It is a funny customer service relation story that I think just about everybody can relate to.
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This is by far the greatest Linux-powered dedicated hosting server out there today. At only $245 per month, it is practically a steal. Like the other dedicated hosting plans they give, the new Dedicate i7 plan gives you unparalleled security, control and management options.
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Many people often ask, when it comes to managed services from any dedicated hosting provider, what exactly are the services managed? Here is a good example of what you can expect to see.
Some dedicated web hosting providers might also have several levels of service you can pick from when it comes to managed services. This usually covers light management for little things, medium management for an average number of services, and large-scale server management which allows them to practically run all the difficult things for you on the server side. The important thing to remember is to find the right web host that meets you dedicated web hosting needs.
When looking at any dedicated hosting option, hardware failure plays a very important part. In the event of a power supply blowing, your CPU going crazy or somebody kicks the server’s power cord – you want to know your information is secure and safe.
Now with most web hosts, if you purchase any managed addons they are usually added to the internal monitoring that the web host’s server admins do. They will now what to do with any failure the moment it happens. In turn, depending on the situation, it might take up to/around two hours for a repair.
Now lets say, in the case of a storage failure, are the hard drives imaged or raided in any way?
In most cases, there is only one hard drive in the sever by default, so there are not any fault tolerance setups like images or raid. Now if you purchase a secondary hard drive for your server, this is something that could then be setup with ease.
How can you use APF to ban a IP address or domain?
You can use “apf -d ip.address” command to block bruteforcing ip addresses in APF permanently. I would also recommend looking at the following anti-bruteforcing solution called BFD that integrates into APF and will be blocking malicious IPs on itself:
http://rfxnetworks.com/bfd.php
As for the address of complains, it is usually the abuse address that is taken from the whois query on the IP behaving maliciously.
Finally, basic APF information is contained in the README file that comes in APF archive. It is also available online as http://rfxnetworks.com/appdocs/README.apf
We have spoken before about how WordPress MU is best saved for a dedicated hosting account. However, we have not before gone over how simple it is to get WordPress MU up and running on your dedicated server.
Step one would be to download the needed files from the WordPress MU web site. They can be found at http://mu.wordpress.org. next, you will want to unzip the files into your web directory. It will create a folder called wordpress-mu-version. You can change the name of this folder now to anything you need (most people change it to wpmu).
If you have not done so already, be sure you have enabled mod-rewrite on the account you are uploading the files to.
Next, open that location (yourdomain.com/wpmu/) in the web browser and follow the on screen instructions. Many important details can be found inside of the README.txt file that is included with the WordPress MU installation.
Now all you have to do is login and make sure all the files and folders are working correctly. You have successfully installed WordPress MU.
After installing BFD on your dedicated server, you’ll want to configure and enable it out of test mode to get started protecting your server.
1. Edit the configuration file, which should be /usr/local/bfd/conf.bfd
2. Now we want to enable “brute force hack attempt alerts”. So first find ALERT_USR=“0” and change that to ALERT_USR=“1” which is ensuring that yes, you want alerts when there is a brute force hacking attempt.
3. Where you want to send those alerts comes next! Find EMAIL_USR=“root” and change that to EMAIL_USR=“emailaddresshere”
4. Ctrl+X then Y
5. But wait…if you are disallowing everyone from accessing your SSH, doesn’t that mean you can’t get in either? Yep, so let’s prevent that. pico –w /usr/local/bfd/ignore.hosts and add your own IP(s). Ctrl+X then Y.
Now you can run BFD by entering /usr/local/sbin/bfd –s
There are also ways to customize the configurations, but as these vary there’s no standard editing to describe! So you’re all set! Your dedicated web server is now ready to alert you to any brute force hacking attempts.
Lately, we have been talking a lot about dedicated server security. It is a huge issue for most webmasters, because security on any internet sphere is never absolute. There will always be hackers and spammers looking to bring your machine down, so the more you do to fight them, the better your chances are that you will deter them from further attacks.
First, find yourself a reliable dedicated server host that you can call or email for technical support. Second, install APF firewall on your dedicated server to manage your level of server protection. Third, you’ll want to implement security features like installing BFD to check for brute force hack attempts.
Installing BFD is the first step of this two part tutorial. Make sure you already have APF firewall installed or this won’t work!
1. Login to the root and cd root/downloads (AKA: wherever you store your files).
2. Use the SSH command of wget as follows:
wget http://www.rfxnetworks.com/downloads/bfd-current.tar.gz
3. Use the SSH command of tar as follows:
tar –xvzf bfd-current.tar.gz
4. Use the SSH command of cd as follows:
cd bfd-0.7
5. Run the ./install.sh file. Once this is complete, you’ll receive the following message that alerts to you a proper installation:
.: BFD installed
Install path: /usr/local/bfd
Config path: /usr/local/bfd/conf.bfd
Executable path: /usr/local/sbin/bfd
The next step of Enabling BFD to enable blocking of brute force attacks will be covered in an additional tutorial.
Every dedicated server hosting client will experience some kind of user-initiated attack. It’s simply all too common for you to think it’ll never happen to you, so the best thing to do is be prepared.
To start, choose a reliable dedicated web host to handle your server. Second, install APF on your dedicated server to prevent and stall most of the attacker that will try to hammer it. And thirdly, you should learn how to ban a specific IP Address from reaching your server. This last little trick can be a lifesaver, and can actually be setup in as little as 4 simple steps! Once you’ve verified the IP you want to block:
1. Login to your server to the root.
2. With APF Firewall installed, you simply need to enter apf –d <ip>
3. By default, rebooting resets all your IP bans, but that’s why we recommend APF for your dedicated server firewall protection – with APF, there is an easy workaround. Simply open the deny hosts file. Scroll to the bottom and paste in the IP address you want to ban. Ctrl+X then Y will help you save so you can exit and keep these settings for default.
4. Now, just restart your APF and you’re set!
Knowing about MX Records will help you in self managing your dedicated server, especially if you are using one server as a mail server and hosting your website on a separate server, etc. So here is a brief FAQ on MX Records.
What are MX records?
MX records assist your domain name in handling email. These DNS records point the email to the mail server where it is supposed to go.
Where can I see my MX records?
Normally they will be located on your DNS provider or web host’s server. To view them, simply visit www.mxtoolbox.com/, type your domain name into the search field, and view your records instantly.
What do MX records look like?
Every MX record includes the same fields (though they can be formatted differently), such as:
Name – yourdomain.com
Class – IN (Internet)
Type – MX
TTL – This stands for “time to live”: i.e. the time it takes to update the record, measured in seconds. For example, a TTL of 7200 means the MX record will take two hours to update. The higher the TTL the less traffic load on the DNS.
Preference or Priority – The order in which mail is delivered to which server, etc. Servers that are sending should be the lowest preference number.
Data – the DNS information for your mail server: i.e. yourdomain.com.ns1.smtp.com