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The Control Panel B Team – A World Beyond cPanel

Art — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 11:10:19 +0000

The popularity of cPanel can mask the fact that it is far from the only control panel option out there. It is also not the only good one. Dozens of well-supported feature-rich control panels exist, and as not every host even uses cPanel, the beginner who is facing the question of choosing a new web host might want to know whether or not the control panel system that they use adds value to their web hosting package or not.

So let’s do a brief rundown of some of the other common web hosting control panels out there, so you know how much you should smile when you see that your host offers it.

Plesk

Short for Parallels Plesk Control Panel, Plesk has gone through many revisions, and is considered by some to be even more stable than cPanel. Also, if you are going with a Windows-based host, then Plesk’s support for it is several years older, meaning that it’s going to be even more stable (and secure: a Windows-based control panel is a double-whammy of potential security holes). It also has extensive module support, and can be used in multiple speaking languages. On the negative side, a number of users have complained that Version 10 is too overloaded and slow.

Kloxo

Formerly known as Lxadmin, Kloxo is an open-source control panel for CentOS and Red Hat Linux servers. It had a troubled history to get where it is now, including a number of security holes, but users now report their satisfaction with using it. One drawback to it is that support is only available via community forums, though word is that the software is growing enough in popularity that paid consultants are stepping up to the plate.

H-sphere

For a software package available on multiple platforms (Unix, Linux and Windows), H-sphere gets its share of mixed reviews. Some of the negative points are elements that the end user won’t see: it is expensive for a host to purchase and it’s described as difficult to install. There are also complaints about its ease of use. On the other hand, its help documentation is extensive, and it has multi-lingual support in 10(!) languages. It certainly has its devotees: in one online poll 15% of users listed it as their favorite control panel.

Interworx

Interworx is a control panel that’s quickly growing in popularity, though it’s more for backend purposes. It supports load balancing and server clustering, and uses real-time graphs; what this means for you as the end user is greater stability both with the panel and on the server. It’s described as not only being easy to use but also being very command-line friendly, something that doesn’t always get much control support. It includes a module called ScriptWorx that is described as letting the user install just about any third-party software package.

There is a lot of energy being put into making competing control panel software packages. So when you go to a new web host and see a name there that isn’t cPanel, don’t panic. Many of these packages are high quality, and some would argue are better. Take a close look at the plus and minuses, but definitely don’t just write them off. If cPanel is still your choice check best cPanel hosting providers.

VPS Web Hosting – Do Your Really Need a Control Panel?

Art — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 17:21:27 +0000

Control panels are certainly a vital element in today’s web hosting operation, helping to transform complex tasks into simple processes that can be handled by users of varying skill levels. The vendors that distribute these products and the hosting industry in general have no trouble pushing the software on the market, but critics are now questioning whether control panels are truly necessary in the VPS environment and what value they actually provide.

Potential Issues

In terms of performance and security, industry leading control panels such as cPanel and Plesk are not always what they are cracked up to be. These powerful applications consume a great deal of resources and often force customers to upgrade their packages to continuously thrive in a VPS hosting environment. This consumption is due to HTTPD processes ran by web servers like Apache that make a VPS more susceptible to performance issues and less able to handle exploits such as DOS (Denial of Service) attacks. Though very useful, cPanel and Plesk are both resource hogs that are more likely to reduce the overall responsiveness and performance of web applications, leading customers to upgrade to more costly packages they do not necessarily need. In addition to this, even simple tasks such as creating email account and managing databases are slow and lagging processes that generally take too long to complete.

Alternative VPS Control Panels

cPanel and Plesk are ideal for shared and dedicated hosting arrangements but could result in more problems then you bargained for when using them with a virtual private server. Two more efficient control panels you may want to consider for your VPS hosting solution are DirectAdmin and LxAdmin as both are incredibly lightweight and consume notably less system resources than cPanel and Plesk. This essentially means they are far more responsive, faster and likely to give you a better performance than the leading products. A number of tests are increasingly showing that they are also more stable and secure than the competition.

Many observers are stepping out to the make the claim that cPanel’s days as a VPS control panel are numbered, attributing this to the fact that is the most resource leeching solution. Due to its mass popularity and widespread use, it is also among the highly targeted by hackers, which presents numerous potential security risks to your hosting environment and sensitive data. For this reason, you may want to carefully consider utilizing this control panel with your virtual private server. Unless you have a robust VPS plan with a lot of RAM or absolutely require automation, it might be worth the risk to install a glamorous commercial product.

Conclusion

We are not telling you to refrain from using cPanel or Plesk as both are on top of the control panel market for obvious reasons. However, in many situations, going with a lighter product or performing command line administration will allow you to get the job done in a faster, more efficient and secure manner. Fortunately, there are several control panel applications specifically designed for the VPS environment, better assuring the optimal performance and adequate security you need to thrive with your web presence.

Move Over cPanel: Make Room for Kloxo

Art — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 17:14:36 +0000

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.

Web Hosting Geeks' Blog » Lxadmin

The Control Panel B Team – A World Beyond cPanel

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Move Over cPanel: Make Room for Kloxo

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