Archive for Quick Tip
cPanel / Fantastico Deluxe install doesn't do anything.
We ran into an issue when installing Fantastico. After clicking the installation button, everything seemed to download just fine, but every time you go back to the Fantastico link it says it is not installed. It turns out, Fantastico uses wget to download files. wget is called with the ‘-P’ option, which is not honored [...]
Read moreDedicated Linux Server Checklist for the New Year.
If you have a dedicated Linux server, this list is for you. Below are a few items you need to do, to ensure your 2008 will be a bit brighter. This list is by no means comprehensive, but hopefully gets you started in the right direction this year. Check your backups and perform a full [...]
Read moreSecuring your Linux server
We deal with security related issues nearly every day. Many of these issues could be prevented with a few minor changes to php.ini along with the installation of mod_security. It is simply amazing how many machines are hacked, and then used for the sole purpose of sending spam, denial of service (DoS) attacks or Botnets.
Read moreRate limiting connections with iptables
You may find this iptables based method of limiting packets useful. For example, to drop connection from from someone who is trying to brute force your passwords via ssh. I have a particular case, where a customer wants to be notified if more than X number of SMTP connections are being generated from a particular [...]
Read moreRename a filesystem, or change a mount point
I was just asked today to provide a quick overview of the steps necessary to rename a filesystem. And here is what I came up with. Please use this information at your own risk, and always ensure you have a backup just in case something does not go well.
Read moreHTTP to HTTPS via mod_rewrite
To redirect a website from http -> https I utilized mod_rewrite. And created a .htaccess file with the following contents. $ cat .htaccess Options FollowSymLinks RewriteEngine On RewriteCond %{SERVER_PORT} !^443$ RewriteRule ^(.*) https://your_server.com/$1 This can be useful if you need to ensure all access to your site, is done via HTTPS.
Read moreRemoving a passphrase from an SSL Key
The typical process for creating an SSL certificate is as follows: # openssl genrsa -des3 -out www.key 2048 Note: When creating the key, you can avoid entering the initial passphrase altogether using: # openssl genrsa -out www.key 2048 At this point it is asking for a PASS PHRASE (which I will describe how to remove): [...]
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