web hosting

Seven Basic Ingredients of Unix Hosting

Though often overshadowed by the market dominated Windows and Linux platform, Unix remains a widely used platform and a popular option for web hosting.  This article will introduce you to seven features commonly found in Unix hosting plans.  Though basic, these features are very important and should not be underestimated.

1.) POP3 Email Accounts – An example of a POP3 email account would be “mailto:yourname@yoursite.comyourname@yoursite.com“.  Most hosting companies will provide you with a large number of email accounts to use for yourself or distribute to your employees.

2.) Webmail and SMTP – As soon as your website goes live, email will likely become your main source of communication.  The tool you need to make this an easy process is a webmail program such as Horde or Squirrelmail.  This process can be even faster when downloading your messages to email clients such as Microsoft Outlook or Eudora.  However, in order for this to work, you need a Unix hosting solution that supports messaging protocols such as IMAP and SMTP.

3.) Spam Filter - It doesn’t matter who you are, no email user is immune to spam messages.  In this day and age of the internet, having a reliable spam filter is a must.  These applications are installed on the web server where your site resides and typically offer features such as blacklisting, whitelisting and greylisting to mitigate spam.  The more flexible filters will allow you to make configurations to tag spam and have it delivered straight to a quarantine folder to keep it from cluttering your inbox.

4.) FTP Accounts - FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is a method that allows you to upload your files and maintain them on the server.  A Unix host that supports this protocol usually provides the ability to create a certain number of FTP sub-accounts.  This allows you to provide your clients and users with access to password-protected directories, which is very useful for sharing files in a more efficient and secure manner.

5.) Backup Utility - While most web hosts perform automated backups on a regular basis, you should never put the fate of your website in their hands.  There are many ways to backup your website data, but the easiest way is with a utility specifically designed for this task.  Most of today’s control panels come included with built-in utilities that allow you to easily backup your site in minutes.

6.) Web Stats – Analyzing your visitors and traffic can play a crucial role in the success of your site.  Popular web stat software such as AwStats and Webalizer run on the back-end of the server and can provide you with detailed reports on your statistics.  This can give you the knowledge to make the needed adjustments or additions that increase traffic and boost sales.

7.) PHP and MySQL – Similar to Linux, almost all Unix plans come with support for PHP server-side programming and the MySQL database server.  These features are generally provided for no extra costs and can give you the power to create a dynamic, data-driven website.

Move Over cPanel: Make Room for Kloxo

Formerly known as Lxadmin, Kloxo is a control panel that usually accompanies CentOS Linux-based VPS hosting packages.  Offering a comprehensive web-based interface, the software enables various administrative tasks including database administration, domain and sub-domain management, email and file management, resource distribution and more.  While more robust VPS control panels like HyperVM are mainly used for general management tasks such as maintaining server resources and power control, Klox is designed for everyday administration, making it a tool you will certainly want to become familiar with.  However, because the two applications are so tightly integrated, all of Kloxo’s functions be accessed directly from the HyperVM control panel.

Kloxo Benefits

Kloxo built a reputation as a control panel that consumes very few system resources.  Lxlabs, its developers, claim that it is the lightest application on the global control panel market as the software only requires 15 MB of memory to run.  Since the program only requires minimal resources, hosting customers can get unrivaled speed and performance out of their VPS solution.  Aside from being extremely lightweight and highly functional, Kloxo also offers a 5-tier security model and many advanced, yet user-friendly features.

Kloxo Key Features

The main features of the Kloxo control panel can be broken down into five categories: General Account Management, Server Tools, Email Management, Security and System Services.

General Account Management

Domain and Sub-domain Control

DNS Template Management

Web-based File Manager

SSL Certificate Installation and Management

Resource Plan Management

Data Backup and Restoration

SSH (Secure Shell Host) Access

Device Driver Configuration

Resource Monitoring

Reboot and Power-off Control

Server Tools

MySQL and Postgre SQL database administration

Ability to Add and Delete Dedicated IP Addresses

FTP Session Management

PHP, modPHP and suPHP Configuration

phpMyAdmin Access

Web Server and DNS Applications

Email Management

Ability to Create and Delete Email Accounts

Web-based Mail Interface

Email Queue Access

Multiple Spam Filtering Applications

Security

SSH Configuration

Ability to block and delete local hosts

Watchdog application to FTP, mail and web servers

Brute Force Attack Monitoring Provided by LxGuard

System Services

Server Process Status Menu

Server Service Status Menu

Server Components Status Menu

HTTP, Mail and MySQL Logs

Cron job and Task Scheduler

InstallApp

One of the most popular features of Kloxo is a built-in model known as InstallApp.  This utility is quite similar to the Fantastico application that comes bundled with cPanel.  The major difference is that InstallApp offer more than 130 add-on programs.  Some of the software on the menu include blogs, forums, ports, customer relations applications and much more.  InstallApp allows these programs to be created with ease as it automatically creates a database and configuration for the chosen application.

Hosting with Kluxo

You can enjoy Kloxo and all it has to offer with virtually any VPS hosting provider utilizing the HyperVM control panel.  Virtualization has its complexities but Kloxo should be easy to use for anyone that is familiar with cPanel.  Most VPS administrators appreciate the panel’s many Linux friendly features while end-users find comfort in its user-friendly design.

The Pros and Cons of Web Hosting Platforms

The operating system forms the core of a computer as it enables the hardware and software to work in perfect harmony.  While there only a few systems used in home-based computers, the spectrum broadens when entering the server arena.  This article will weigh the pros and cons on the most widely used server platforms: Windows, Unix and Linux.

Windows

Microsoft Windows is popular in the web hosting environment because it offers a plethora of functionality and a user-friendly interface.  Unlike older systems, almost all critical tasks can be done through a point-and-click method rather than writing DOS commands.  The Windows platform is usually preferred by those that require ASP (Active Server Pages) technology or MS SQL Server databases.

Pros: Maintaining a Windows server is much easier than any other operating system.  The platform is largely supported by software vendors because of its name and domination in the PC sector.

Cons: Versions of Windows Server applications are costly, ranging in the hundreds of dollars per license.  These costs are often tacked on to the price of a web hosting service.  While the platform has been greatly improved over the years, older versions, some of which are still in use, have a higher vulnerability to security threats.

Unix

Many refer to Unix as the granddaddy of all operating systems.  This system has been used as a server platform for decades now.  Known for its stability, Unix is a reliable application mainly used for larger and more complex computer systems.  The software often comes bundled with server hardware made by vendors such as IBM, HP and Sun Microsystems.  These servers are powerful but they are also quite expensive, sometimes climbing into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.  Those with smaller scale needs typically utilize FreeBSD, a free Unix-like platform that runs on cheaper server hardware.

Pros: The Unix platform offers unparalleled stability and reliability.  It creates a rock-solid server that can thrive for years upon years without memory leaks or needing to be restarted.  Unix was built with security in mind and is therefore less susceptible to security flaws and threats.

Cons: The Unix platform can make for a very costly option.  The system also tends to be more complex and harder to find that Windows solutions.

Linux

The Linux operating system has become a major force as a web hosting platform.  Though it shares many characteristics of Unix, Linux is far more cost effective due to being released as open-source software.  The platform comes in many different distributions and is compatible with a variety of open-source technologies such as PHP and MySQL.

Pros: As a Unix-like system, Linux provides great stability and performance in the server environment.  While it isn’t exactly free, Linux always tends to be more affordable than both Windows and Unix in terms of web hosting.  Due to widespread use, the platform has great support from a community of users and software developers.

Cons: Similar to Unix, Linux requires a special set of skills to work with as most configurations must be performed from a command line.  Though it is becoming more mainstream, the platform isn’t as largely supported by software vendors as Windows.

Free Control Panel Software for Your Server

If you need a control panel program for your server, it is important to know that the options span much further than commercial versions such as cPanel and Plesk.  In fact, there are some free control panels on the market that make excellent choices for a dedicated server.  The options discussed in this article will be GNUPanel, SysCP and Webmin.

GNUPanel

A relatively new option, the GNUPanel is an application scripted in the PHP5 programming language and designed to run on the Debian distribution of Linux.  The standout features of this software include domain and FTP management, mail management and database administration.  This control panel lets you control popular applications such as the Apache web server as well packages like PHP and MySQL among others.  The software also enables the automatic installation of various third-party programs including Joomla, phpBB, osCommerce and Wordpress among others.  Hence the name, GNUPanel has an open-source license under the GPL.  Although this control panel is currently restricted to the Debian platform, its developers say the application is currently being designed to support other operating systems.

SysCP

The SysCP control panel allows you to manage your web space, mail, CGI scripts, DNS settings, create custom error pages, view statistics and more.  The features integrated into the software provide you with the ability to control a wide variety of applications including Apache, BIND, Courier and ProFTPD.  While there are numerous modules built-in into the control panel, there are even more extensions available for download that enable you to administer other aspects of the server.  Some of the third-party modules for SysCP include tools that allow you to manage applications such as Fetchmail and SpamAssassin, perform backups of your critical data and more.  This control panel supports five major Unix-like distributions with the most notable being Debian, Gentoo, FreeBSD, OpenSuSe and Ubuntu.  Under the GNU GPL, SysCP can be freely distributed and modified.  Before installing SysCP, be sure to check for compatibility as it supports certain versions of the afore mentioned operating systems.

Webmin

The Webmin control panel is becoming an increasingly popular option for dedicated server customers.  This software is incredibly easy to use and loaded with a number of features, which are primarily modules that provide the ability to administer the server.  It comes standard with modules for Apache and BIND, a BSD firewall, bandwidth monitoring, a cron job manager and much more.  Aside from the built-in modules, Webmin  supports a variety of third-party extensions that can be downloaded from the web.  It also gives you the option to develop your modules.  Webmin currently supports more than 80 different operating systems including Unix, FreeBDS and several variations of Linux.   Because it is under the GNU GPL as open-source software, many developers from all over the world have contributed to the code and improved the software.  The most recent versions of Webmin have been released under a license similar to that of BSD, basically meaning that it can be freely distributed and modified for both commercial and non-commercial use.

Plesk: The Multipurpose Control Panel

Although cPanel is highly praised, Parallel’s Plesk is regarded as one of the most widely used and efficient control panels on the web hosting market.  The major advantage it has over cPanel is the power to operate on both Windows and Linux platforms.  In addition, Plesk is one of few control panels that makes an ideal solution for shared, dedicated and virtual private server environments.  It is said to be the most secure and stable platform available for web hosting companies and their customers.  The software is being increasingly used by hosting providers who want to enhance performance and boost per-server profitability.  Plesk makes a great choice in almost any hosting arrangement and this article will discuss some of the specific benefits.

Dedicated Hosting

The RPM installation and modular design of Plesk allows dedicated hosting providers to cater to the needs of the technically inclined.  The software can be set up in an instant and deployed in no time.  Many companies have taken a liking to Plesk because it offers such an excellent value by delivering a high level of performance at a reasonable price.  System administrators have access to several unique features including the XML-API, a built-in interface that automates the provisioning process.  It also facilitates the implementation of the numerous third-party applications built into the control panel.  With fully integrated software development kits and a number of back-end utilities, Plesk gives hosting providers and end-users the ability to dramatically enhance their operations.

Shared Hosting

Tiered self administration and a unified multi-platform design makes Plesk a perfect administrative tool in the shared hosting environment as well.  This control panel makes it easier for providers to mange multiple domains on a highly scalable architecture optimized for demanding tasks.  An administrator with little to no technical background can easily create and manage user accounts on the server.  In addition, customers can manage their own domains without direct support of the server administrator.  The power of Plesk covers the needs of the simple and complex side of the traditional web hosting service, enabling full customization that benefits both the host and the end-user.

VPS Hosting

The Plesk control panel is also becoming more common in the virtual private server environment, mainly because it delivers exceptional management power and has a small footprint that ensures great performance.  When used in conjunction with the Virtuozzo software, Plesk allows system administrators to quickly deploy templates of multiple control panel systems.  This is made possible a VPS’s ability to create several isolated server environments on a single machine.  On a virtualized platform, Plesk and Virtuzzo are unparalleled in their ability to increase ROI and revenues for professional web hosting providers while meeting the demanding needs of customers.

Conclusion

Plesk has so many beneficial uses that going wrong with this control panel is almost impossible. The software offers power that allows you to administrator a single machine, a cluster of servers or a simple shared hosting account.  If you’re still looking for a control panel, Plesk could be the solution.