Dedicated Server Hosting » dedicated server tutorials

Securing the Secure Shell (SSH Help!)

Server Junkie — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 17:28:45 +0000

By default SSH will give root and any local user secure access to the server. For security reasons it is a good idea to change this setting and specify the users which are allowed to have SSH access. The configuration file for SSH is called sshd_config and is either in:

/etc

/etc/ssh

[root@office root]# vi /etc/ssh/sshd_config

things to change:

#don’t allow root to SSH in to the server:
PermitRootLogin no

#users allowed to login:
AllowUsers user1 user2 user3

Now do a "shift zz" (hold down the shift key and tab 2 times the z key)
The configuration file now is saved and closed and you have to restart ssh:

[root@office root]# /etc/init.d/sshd restart
Stopping sshd: [ OK ]
Starting sshd: [ OK ]
[root@office root]#

Now you can SSH to your server with your username,then do a su on the command prompt and type in the root password to become root.

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Dedicated httpd.conf file with 404s

Server Junkie — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:27:25 +0000

Where should i place the "ErrorDocument 404 /missing.html" code in my httpd.conf file?

Should i place it between the:

tags and remove the #?

Where should i place it?

According the Apache manual, the ErrorDocument directive is legal in these contexts: server config, virtual host, directory, .htaccess.

This means that you may place ErrorDocument directive between those Directory tags and uncomment them. This way you’ll setup ErrorDocument for each directory mapped by wildcard /home/*/public_html.

Hope this helps those of you out there with this type of issue!

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Check for Dedicated Server Downtime

Server Junkie — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:39:31 +0000

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:

http://www.thewebsiteisdown.com/

It is a funny customer service relation story that I think just about everybody can relate to.

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Dedicated Web Hosting Deal

Server Junkie — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:44:59 +0000

Lunarpages has a new dedicated hosting plan that will not disappoint. The new Dedicated i7 plan will leave you in awe of it’s power, speed and reliability.

What do you get? – The Dedicated i7 comes loaded with a Intel? CoreT i7 2.66ghz CPU, 3GB of DDR3 RAM, 250 GB of storage, with add-ons and upgrades to customize your hosting experience even more. The Intel? CoreT i7 2.66ghz CPU is the most recent technology from Intel? providing faster, intelligent, multi-core technology that applies processing power where it’s needed most.

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.

Find more dedicated hosting solutions at lpdedicated.com.

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What is Managed in Dedicated Hosting

Server Junkie — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 16:11:39 +0000

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.

Free setup of APF Firewall and Root Kit Check on the server
Up to date notifications of exploits on popular third party software
Upgrades of kernels, php, apache and administration panels for security per user authorization (we will send notice and you can decide if you want the upgrade to be performed)
One free third party script installation per billing year
Free installation of upgraded control panel
Free installation of Resin if needed
Unlimited reboots
24x7x365 Phone and Help Desk support
Same Day Hardware Replacement Guarantee
Dedicated Support staff
Access to Lunarpages customer account page:
- Ticket Manager
- Reboots
- Bandwidth
- Knowledgebase
- Billing Options

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.

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Hardware Failure Q and A

Server Junkie — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 15:48:35 +0000

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.

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Block Bruteforuce Attacks in APF

Server Junkie — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 05:00:30 +0000

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

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How to Install WordPress MU

Server Junkie — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 14:05:46 +0000

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.

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Enabling BFD on a Dedicated Server

Dedicated Diva — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 12:27:31 +0000

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.

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Install BFD on a Dedicated Server

Dedicated Diva — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 12:16:51 +0000

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.