Hello, Hopefully someone here can help me. I'm used to setting up software on UNIX boxes using a GUI. My question is what happens after I purchase a VPS package. I assume I get root access but just command line. If I purchase a non-managed VPS then how do I set up apache, mysql, phpadmin, vbulletin? Also with the non-managed VPS what can I put in place for statistics, would my host still give me something if I had no cpanel? Thanks in advance.
First things first, you need to secure the server. Here's a list of things to consider but there is definitely more to do: Configure a firewall Uninstall unnecessary software/services Remove unnecessary users/groups Ensure secure ownership/permissions Securing the tmp filesystems Harden running services Recompile Kernel Much more to do if you want a really secure system but that would at least provide a decent foundation. Installing Apache, MySQL etc would depend on what type of Unix OS you are using as well as if you are installing from source code or binaries. There a lot of possibilities. Sorry my post was vague but if you can provide more details about your VPS such as operating system, I would be happy to help you.
I'm thinking of something like getting a VPS and requesting Fedora. I've worked with that operating system before. What are others out there using as there OS? It's very early stages and I just assume Fedora is one of the better ones as it's based around Red Hat. I heard cPanel uses a lot of resources and for me all I would like to do is to run some simple web sites of my own. I'm not looking to resell anything. Do I really need cPanel for anything. I know it might make setup easier but can't I do everything with the command line and root access? Thanks
Hi Richard, Centos is another popular and solid alternative for linux os. I would say that you are right cpanel dos use memory compare to others panel. I believe you dont need it. Some VPS are offered with a free basic control panel sometime. You might want to look into that. I know that usually, manage VPS are not as cheap, but you pay for support, and seem your are asking some basic question here, this might come handy to have support. Also, managed VPS usually come ready to go, setup is all done and secured.
be carefull what you do install as a VPS is known for being unreliable, anything a little memory usage will kill it, Personally id never use a VPS again lol. Dedi pricing almost matches it these days!
I disagree with what ActiveServ, I went from shared hosting to vps, to dedicated server, and now back to vps. The nice thing about a VPS is you get a dedicated server on more reliable hardware (RAID10, redundant power). Of course, this is all assuming you are hosted with a good provider. The problem is a lot of VPS providers oversell and thats when problems occur. This is why I highly recommend Xen based VPS because it does not allow overselling, and of course doing your homework before choosing a host. @Richard, sounds like an un-managed VPS might not be for you. I highly recommend that anyone who gets a VPS be familiar with Linux, at least enough to install packages and setup a firewall.
Definitely get a Xen based VPS. I've used several other technologies (Virtuozzo/OpenVZ, UML, etc) and I don't think they compare to Xen. Oh also, in my first post I said to recompile the kernel. I don't know what I was thinking but you cannot recompile your kernel on a VPS so ignore that recommendation. As Camay recommended, CentOS is a good server OS. It is essentially the same thing as Red Hat Enterprise Linux.