Archive for linux
Linux and E-Commerce: The Top 5 Best Hosts for Two Long-term Trends
Posted by: | CommentsLet’s mix up two of the biggest of web hosting trends for this Top 5. Linux is quickly becoming the operating system of choice for many webmasters. It goes without saying that where there’s web hosting, there is a need for E-Commerce. Given the enhanced reliability and added security that comes from a Linux server, more hosts offer it, and thus, it appears likely that the intersection between these two trends will only keep growing stronger.
If that’s the case, then it’s a good idea to go over the options available to someone investigating Linux servers and E-Commerce for their web sites. Here are five hosts that are good selections for the Linux E-Commerce user, judged not just by their specific E-commerce offerings, but by what else they have to offer surrounding those packages:
WebHostingHub’s Premium Website Builder lets you build a storefront from scratch without having to fuss with any other programs. For those of you who want to dive into the nuts and bolts, though, WebHostingHub should have everything you need to get started. Their supported shopping cart packages include Cube Cart, OS Commerce, and Zen Cart. Among important and related features are RingCentral, a virtual phone system, RatePoint, a word-of-mouth marketing program, and iContact, an email marketing tool.
2) JustHost
This big name in the web hosting world impresses with a strong array of both E-commerce and other supporting features. They offer OS Commerce and Agora shopping carts, several types of security protection, Merchant Account and PayPal support. Their accounts also come with several different types of site building software and lots of ad credits.
3) iPage
The very affordable web hosting accounts at iPage have three shopping cart options (ShopSite, osCommerce and Agora), multiple content management system packages, $150 in ad word credits, related scripting and other software of all varieties. They are one of the largest hosts around today, meaning they have experience in managing and supporting these packages.
4) DowntownHost
One of the better-kept secrets in the hosting world, DowntownHost has a dazzling array of features. CubeCart, OS Commerce and Zen Cart are all offered. Even more impressive is their dozen different portals and content management systems, 5 blogging software packages, 2 project management software packages, and a few miscellaneous programs that you don’t see often but could greatly enhance the right E-commerce site, such as Noah’s Classifieds and PHPAuction.
5) BlueHost
Another big player in the web hosting world with millions of sites on their servers, BlueHost has one of the largest selections of shopping cart systems, with OS Commerce, Agora, Cube and Zen carts all present. Rounding out their offerings is support for lots of types of multimedia, script support with some more rare inclusions such as DHTML, and an average 30 second hold time to reach a technical representative.
As stated above, the amount of hosting companies that we will be looking at for this category will likely do nothing but increase over time, and increase rapidly. It appears safe to say, though, that these five companies will continue to have a strong place on our list for some time to come.
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Dedicated Server Hosting: How to Tell if Your Getting What You Paid For
Posted by: | CommentsYou’ve shelled out the expenses for a reliable dedicated server for your business. It’s all said and done, and the funds are out of your account. Not only that, but now you’ve got access to the hardware, and have starting uploading your site files. However, how do you really know for sure if you got what you paid for? I mean, you can’t see the hardware yourself, so how do you know your web hosting provider isn’t giving you the finger by cutting corners in the dark?
Thanks to the beauty of Linux, and it’s various diagnostic tools, you can figure out pretty quick, actually. Use this guide and the commands held within to run a quick system analysis, a simple way to check if you’re actually sporting the hardware you aught to be.
Start With the Proc, Doc:
Seriously, the /proc file of your Linux directory is dedicated to nothing but logs, hardware information, and systems analyses. With that in mind, this is your first and best stop to figure out exactly what kind of equipment you’ve been saddled with. To check, simply access the directory with:
cat /proc/cpuinfo
Your printout should be something like this:
processor : 3
vendor_id : GenuineIntel
cpu family : 6
model : 15
model name : Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU 5150 @ 2.66GHz
stepping : 6
cpu MHz : 2660.033
cache size : 4096 KB
Obviously this is what’s important. Be sure to check that everything looks kosher, especially the model name of your CPU. If you paid for a Celeron, and have a Xeon, we’d suggest you give someone a call.
The Big One
There are a couple of other directories we could have you check, but if you really need to know more about your web server, there’s only one command left to run: the lshw command. This one tells you more than you ever wanted to know about your hardware, and with that in mind, you’ll want to save its massive output to a text file for easy perusal. To do so, simply run:
lshw > hardware-info
This will dump the command’s entire output to a simple text file named “hardware-info.” From there, you can open the file however you like, and scan its (truly extensive) hardware report. It will be rather complex, so be sure to pay extra attention. That being said, no matter what you’re looking for, it’s in there somewhere.
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How And When To Offer SSH Access To Your Customers
Posted by: | CommentsIf you’re running on a Unix or Linux server, then you likely access your files systems via SSH on a daily basis. However, this might be well and fine for an administrator like you, but should you also be offering the same access to your customers? SSH is particularly vulnerable to attacks by unwanted intruders, and by giving out that kind of power on a limb you may be greatly compromising the security of your system.
The need for SSH access largely depends on the kind of services you’re offering. Giving customers that level of connection puts them as close to administrator status as they’ll ever get. Also, giving each user a secure password makes it that much easier for a hacker to gain access to your server: With that many backdoors left laying around, you’re only increasing the likely hood of an attack.
That being said, telling customers flat-out that you won’t offer SSH access may alienate a large portion of the available market. If you have a consumer that demands this kind of connection, then it’s best to cave. However, be sure to follow the tips below to ensure your server remains secure, even with the risks involved:
- Jail Your Users: If you are granting users SSH access, be sure to jail each of those sorry saps to their home folders. This way they cannot easily see the other files laying about your server, and aren’t likely to accidentally tamper with any of them. Likewise, this makes a truly unfortunate break-in less of a concern, as any hackers—armed with nothing but a security code—will be no better than the user himself.
- Setup A New Port, Sailor: By default, SSH travels through port 22. Be sure to change this, at least for your users, that way common exploits cannot be turned against. It also prevents hackers from gaining the same access as you’ve got—a truly tragic situation, and one you definitely want to avoid!
- Don’t Put-Out By Default: As mentioned, only offer SSH services when a customer requests it. It’s simple enough, and will save you a lot of headaches that never use, nor want, the service.
- Insist On Country Strong Passwords: Make your users have secure passwords, and don’t hesitate to reject weak ones. Likewise, have your consumers change their security codes often. Don’t be afraid to exert your status as server master, and insist that they keep up with a monthly regime of code changes.
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Linux Server Logs Explained
Posted by: | CommentsIt’s a jungle out there, and when things go wrong in web hosting, they often go terribly wrong. It’s a tragic fact of life that not all technology is full-proof (or fool-proof) but just because you’ve encountered a problem doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world. In fact, with the handy help of a little bit of Linux log files, you’ll soon have your system right as rain!
What Are Log Files?
Log files are essentially transcripts of all the processes that are run underneath your operating system. They track what scripts are initiated, as well as how each initiation goes. If there’s an error that occurs, the log will say what kind of error it was, when it occurred, and what process caused the issue. A good way to think about logs is to imagine them as tiny memos for meetings within your operating system. They function in a similar manner, and they’re every bit as helpful.
The logs we’ll be talking about here are standard for most Linux operating system varieties—If you’re using a Windows-based server, you’ll have to look elsewhere for information specific to your platform. However, no matter what Linux branch you’re running, you can expect to find most, if not all, of the files we mention. This is inherent to the way the operating system is constructed, and is yet another boon for using Linux on your servers.
Where Are The Logs, And What Do They Do?
All of the log files we’ll be mentioning can be found under the /var/log section of your hosting Linux server. Within this directory, you’ll see a number of files, including the following, which we’ll explain:
boot: This here’s the log file for every time your server has been booted. If you’ve recently needed to reset or reboot your hardware, and encountered an error during the process, check here to find out exactly what went wrong.
daemon: A daemon is a specialized script that runs in the background without your input. This file shows you exactly which daemons have been called recently, as well as how they’ve been performing.
auth: This is an important one. Within this log you can track how many times users have connected to your server, as well as when they did so. More importantly, you can track how many times a user failed to log-in correctly, helping you keep an eye open for any unwanted intruders.
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Linux Web Hosting – What Makes it Click?
Posted by: | CommentsLinux Web Hosting is appropriately named. Websites built using the Linux operating systems are said to be hosed on Linux, as simple as that! Some features of Linux web hosting make it a great choice for people looking to develop web sited to establish their presence in the expansive online markets. Linux allows users access to some really useful technologies such as PHP, MySQL, Python and XML, all of which are open source.
Linux hosting derives a lot from the Unix system. Over the past few years Linux has grown to be recognized as an attractive budget hosting platform. Users get ample breathing space to experiment and expand the scope of their online businesses through Linux web hosting packages. The subsequent part of this article discusses a couple of the differentiating features associated with Linux Web Hosting.
Open Source
Linux based web hosts rely on the open source Linux OS to power their servers. An integrated structure defines the Linux web hosting plans, and this is generally referred to as LAMP which signifies the coming together of the Linux operating system, Apache server software, MySQL database and PHP scripting into a unified constructive backbone. Linux based hosts connect you to scores of wonderful open source applications and scripts that let you literally expand in all dimensions as far as the utility of your web pages goes. Some of the more popular open source technologies you would find interesting and useful include CGI, Perl and PHP. Bugs and glitches are not nightmares any more with Linux web hosting, as the open source community often has solutions ready promptly.
Great Services At Affordable Price
Another factor is the affordable costs of Linux based web hosting packages, making the proposition sounds a lot more worthwhile than an ordinary Windows based hosting package. Linux hosts outrun their Windows based counterparts on many grounds. For instance, Linux servers allow you the flexibility to work with Telnet whereas Windows servers would leave you high and dry if such a need arrives. And then, there is concrete evidence that Linux web hosting makes your website a lot more agile. Add to it the fact that there are applications such as Evolution, GNOME Desktop and Open Office to complement your web business with Linux hosting, and there is hardly anything that would inhibit you from trying it out.