Having a web site is a necessity for the success of most businesses in today's technologically advanced society. However, just having a web site doesn't mean that it is going to get the public exposure needed to be successful. That is where web hosting comes into play. With web hosting you rent a place in a server and exposure to the internet. The pricing of web hosting can range anywhere from the bare minimum for free to the most advanced for a varied prices depending on the web hosting company and the type of web hosting you decide to go with.
One type of web hosting that works toward getting exposure to your web site, but is somewhat less common than other types of web hosting is Cluster Hosting. The configuration of cluster hosting tends to lean more toward more complex design, implementation and support. Networking of shared resources of computing, as well as varied implementations of those resources comprises a cluster. It is often referred to as a server farm since is consists of a group of independent servers. However, the group functions together toward a common goal.
If a company experiences an IT system failure, there can be a lot of money lost while the website is down. This is where cluster hosting comes into play. When connected directly to a single server, if failure occurs the user cannot reconnect; whereas with a cluster the user can immediately reconnect and keep going with what they were doing. If one server of a cluster host would happen to fail, there is an automatic backup.
A complex cluster can take data and split it into manageable sections that independent servers can then process. In this way if a single server should fail there is no affect to the others. There are a couple of different kinds of cluster configurations in cluster hosting as well. These include an active/passive cluster and active/active cluster. The active/passive situation involves a passive server being idle until the case where the active server fails. If the active server fails, the passive server then takes over where the other one left off. In the configuration of active/active the whole group of servers can be active and be backup servers to each other. Each server can take on the role of the others in this type of cluster configuration.
No matter the type of web hosting you choose, you should be sure that the web hosting company you choose clearly defines every aspect of their services and the services that are available to you and your company specifically. You should be very careful in your selection of a cluster hosting company. With cluster hosting there is the need to ensure that the web hosting company can provide you with an adequate number of cluster servers to handle the level of traffic your web site will experience. The success or failure of your company infrastructure depends on your choice in a web host.
The main reason for choosing cluster web hosting is be sure that there is a redundancy available in the computer network. This ensures that the network is always available and will not fail. In turn the company's website is always accessible and navigable.
How To Build Your Own Server
The measurement of a server is done in a unit called U, where 1U is equal to 1.75 inches. First of all you have to choose an operating system that you want to use while making server.
Here i am taking a operating system (OS) from Microsoft and it is Windows 2000. It is not a server OS. It is not secure, and does not support .NET, but is still quite popular. The operating system can also be Windows Home Server, which is compatible with Windows XP and Vista clients. It is user-friendly, and has the Windows Home Server Console to administer or manage server remotely. The operating system can also be Windows 2003 Server, which supports .NET and can act as a domain controller, which means it plays a role in the logon process. Linux and FreeBSD are secure operating systems, but are very difficult to use.
You need to install Windows 2000 from the CD. To do so, you need to change the BIOS, so that you can boot from CD-ROM. Create a partition and format it with NTFS. You also need to configure the TCP/IP settings. Next, you need to go to Windows Update and install all the necessary patches to fix bugs.
To build an FTP server, you need to download FileZilla Server, which is available in SourceForge. You need to add a new user and give him a password. You need to share the folders, which the user is able to access. You also need to give permissions, such as read (to download), write (to upload) and delete. If you want to set up a public FTP server, create a new user named 'Anonymous' and uncheck the password box. You can create a group, for a collection of users, who have the same permissions on a particular folder. You can access the FTP server by using the following URL: ftp://user:password@host:port. The host is your IP address, and the port is 21.
Instead of AppServ, you can use WampServer, which is also a combination of open-source applications in one package. The WampServer can start automatically when Windows starts, or you can manually start and stop the server everytime. The document root in WampServer is the 'www' directory. WampServer now supports PHP 5, but you can also use an add-on to support PHP 4. The normal user in MySQL is the root account, and the default password is blank. You can use the MySQL command-line tool, which brings up the console.
Instead of FileZilla, you can use the CrossFTP server. So, now that you have learned how to build a server, you can go ahead and make a personal home page or a front page for your business.
The Operating System Of The Server
Here i am taking a operating system (OS) from Microsoft and it is Windows 2000. It is not a server OS. It is not secure, and does not support .NET, but is still quite popular. The operating system can also be Windows Home Server, which is compatible with Windows XP and Vista clients. It is user-friendly, and has the Windows Home Server Console to administer or manage server remotely. The operating system can also be Windows 2003 Server, which supports .NET and can act as a domain controller, which means it plays a role in the logon process. Linux and FreeBSD are secure operating systems, but are very difficult to use.
You need to install Windows 2000 from the CD. To do so, you need to change the BIOS, so that you can boot from CD-ROM. Create a partition and format it with NTFS. You also need to configure the TCP/IP settings. Next, you need to go to Windows Update and install all the necessary patches to fix bugs.
Building an FTP Server
To build an FTP server, you need to download FileZilla Server, which is available in SourceForge. You need to add a new user and give him a password. You need to share the folders, which the user is able to access. You also need to give permissions, such as read (to download), write (to upload) and delete. If you want to set up a public FTP server, create a new user named 'Anonymous' and uncheck the password box. You can create a group, for a collection of users, who have the same permissions on a particular folder. You can access the FTP server by using the following URL: ftp://user:password@host:port. The host is your IP address, and the port is 21.
Instead of AppServ, you can use WampServer, which is also a combination of open-source applications in one package. The WampServer can start automatically when Windows starts, or you can manually start and stop the server everytime. The document root in WampServer is the 'www' directory. WampServer now supports PHP 5, but you can also use an add-on to support PHP 4. The normal user in MySQL is the root account, and the default password is blank. You can use the MySQL command-line tool, which brings up the console.
Instead of FileZilla, you can use the CrossFTP server. So, now that you have learned how to build a server, you can go ahead and make a personal home page or a front page for your business.
HP offers big business server solutions
Hewlett Packard (HP) has created a new range of "skinless" data centre servers which can be easily mounted in sever racks or server cabinets.
The company's HP ExSO portfolio is squarely aimed at large companies that require a lot of processing power concentrated in a small space.
According to HP, the new lightweight servers, which use simple mounting rails, give businesses the chance to reduce both shipping costs and expenditure on facility space.
"Customers with extreme scale out requirements like hosting companies or companies with high performance computing needs want to achieve greatest economy of scale," said Christian Keller, vice-president of industry standard servers at HP.
The company also claims that energy savings can be made because the devices have consolidated power and cooling infrastructure, which includes a unique air flow design.
HP states they require 28 per cent less power than traditional rack-mounted servers.
Meanwhile, HP has started supplying AMD's low-power Neo processors, which are dual-core and run at 1.6GHz.ADNFCR-1186-ID-19215098-ADNFCR
The company's HP ExSO portfolio is squarely aimed at large companies that require a lot of processing power concentrated in a small space.
According to HP, the new lightweight servers, which use simple mounting rails, give businesses the chance to reduce both shipping costs and expenditure on facility space.
"Customers with extreme scale out requirements like hosting companies or companies with high performance computing needs want to achieve greatest economy of scale," said Christian Keller, vice-president of industry standard servers at HP.
The company also claims that energy savings can be made because the devices have consolidated power and cooling infrastructure, which includes a unique air flow design.
HP states they require 28 per cent less power than traditional rack-mounted servers.
Meanwhile, HP has started supplying AMD's low-power Neo processors, which are dual-core and run at 1.6GHz.ADNFCR-1186-ID-19215098-ADNFCR
Source: comms-express.com
Apple iPhone OS 3.0 activations crash iTunes server
The mad grab for the newest version of Apple's iPhone won't begin in earnest until the iPhone 3G S is released on Friday. But a flood of current iPhone users looking to download the newest operating system, iPhone OS 3.0, crashed the activation server at the iTunes store on Wednesday.
Apple simultaneously released patches for 46 security vulnerabilities in the OS 3.0 which, if left unpatched, could allow hackers to execute malicious code through maliciously crafted images or PDF files.
After the operating system became available for download on the iTunes online store, many users reported being able to successfully download the upgrade, but were unable to activate the OS on their phones.
Disgruntled users received an error message that the iPhone activation server was temporarily unavailable.
The update is available for free for owners of the original iPhone and iPhone 3G, but iPod Touch owners have to pay $9.95 for the update. However, security experts warned that Touch users should get the upgrade to fix security holes in its operating system that were patched yesterday.
From: mxlogic.com/securitynews
Apple simultaneously released patches for 46 security vulnerabilities in the OS 3.0 which, if left unpatched, could allow hackers to execute malicious code through maliciously crafted images or PDF files.
After the operating system became available for download on the iTunes online store, many users reported being able to successfully download the upgrade, but were unable to activate the OS on their phones.
Disgruntled users received an error message that the iPhone activation server was temporarily unavailable.
The update is available for free for owners of the original iPhone and iPhone 3G, but iPod Touch owners have to pay $9.95 for the update. However, security experts warned that Touch users should get the upgrade to fix security holes in its operating system that were patched yesterday.
From: mxlogic.com/securitynews
How to Set Up a Virtual Private Network with Windows
However, if you knew how to set up a virtual private network (VPN), you could access the file from any computer in the world! A VPN allows you to connect to a computer from anywhere in the world and access the files.
Setting up a VPN in Windows is a two step process.
1. Set up one computer to share files (server).
2. Set up another computer to access them (client).
Begin by setting up the server:
1. Open Internet Explorer and go to www.whatismyip.com. Write down the IP address. You will need it to configure the client.
2. Click the Start button and click Run.
3. Type control and hit Enter.
4. Click Network and Internet Connections.
5. Click Network Connections.
6. Click Create a New Connection, which is the first option on the left toolbar.
7. The New Connection Wizard will open. Click Next.
8. Choose Set up an advanced connection, the last element on the list. Click Next.
9. Choose Accept incoming connections. Click Next.
10. You will see the Devices for Incoming Connections screen. Do not select anything on this screen. Click Next.
11. Select Allow virtual private connections. Click Next.
12. Select to whom you want to give access. Click Next. If a user is not listed, you will have to add an account. See “Related Wikihows” for more information.
13. Do not change anything on the Networking Software screen. Click Next.
14. That’s it! Your computer is now set up to allow for VPNs. Click Finish to complete the wizard.
Now proceed to connect the client:
1. Click the Start button and click Run.
2. Type control and hit Enter.
3. Click Network and Internet Connections.
4. Click Network Connections.
5. Click Create a New Connection, which is the first option on the left toolbar.
6. The New Connection Wizard will open. Click Next.
7. Select Connect to the network at my workplace and click Next.
8. Select Virtual Private Network connection and click Next.
9. Type the name of your network in the blank box. Click Next.
10. Enter the IP address you wrote down earlier and click Next.
11. Select Add a shortcut to this connection to my desktop and click Finish.
Source: wikihow.com/Set-Up-a-Virtual-Private-Network-with-Windows
Setting up a VPN in Windows is a two step process.
1. Set up one computer to share files (server).
2. Set up another computer to access them (client).
Begin by setting up the server:
1. Open Internet Explorer and go to www.whatismyip.com. Write down the IP address. You will need it to configure the client.
2. Click the Start button and click Run.
3. Type control and hit Enter.
4. Click Network and Internet Connections.
5. Click Network Connections.
6. Click Create a New Connection, which is the first option on the left toolbar.
7. The New Connection Wizard will open. Click Next.
8. Choose Set up an advanced connection, the last element on the list. Click Next.
9. Choose Accept incoming connections. Click Next.
10. You will see the Devices for Incoming Connections screen. Do not select anything on this screen. Click Next.
11. Select Allow virtual private connections. Click Next.
12. Select to whom you want to give access. Click Next. If a user is not listed, you will have to add an account. See “Related Wikihows” for more information.
13. Do not change anything on the Networking Software screen. Click Next.
14. That’s it! Your computer is now set up to allow for VPNs. Click Finish to complete the wizard.
Now proceed to connect the client:
1. Click the Start button and click Run.
2. Type control and hit Enter.
3. Click Network and Internet Connections.
4. Click Network Connections.
5. Click Create a New Connection, which is the first option on the left toolbar.
6. The New Connection Wizard will open. Click Next.
7. Select Connect to the network at my workplace and click Next.
8. Select Virtual Private Network connection and click Next.
9. Type the name of your network in the blank box. Click Next.
10. Enter the IP address you wrote down earlier and click Next.
11. Select Add a shortcut to this connection to my desktop and click Finish.
Source: wikihow.com/Set-Up-a-Virtual-Private-Network-with-Windows
How to Install Nagios on Ubuntu Server?
You want features? Nagios is full of them. Nagios can monitor your entire network, you can handle problem remediation, you can plan network downtime, you can watch hosts, systems, services, applications..there’s very little you can’t do with Nagios.
But let’s think about this installation. The best way to install Nagios is from source. This means you are going to have to do some compliation. Don’t worry, it’s not hard…when you have a step-by-step guide that is.
Before you start
If you are using, as I did, a Ubuntu server installation, you will need to install a few tools first. So from the command line issue the following commands:
sudo apt-get install php5-gd
sudo apt-get install gcc
sudo apt-get install make
The above commands will install the tools you need in order to get Nagios installed. If you don’t install the above, you won’t be able to complete the installation.
Installing Nagios - preflight
Before you actually run the installation you will need to take care of some user/group accounting first.
Create the user nagios:
sudo useradd -m nagios
Give the nagios user a password:
sudo passwd nagios
NOTE: You will have to enter the new password twice for the above command.
Create the group nagios:
sudo groupadd nagios
Add the user nagios to the group nagios:
sudo usermod -G nagios nagios
Create the group nagcmd:
sudo groupadd nagcmd
Add the user nagios to the group nagcmd:
sudo usermod -a -G nagcmd nagios
Add the Apache user to the group nagcmd:
sudo usermod -a -G nagcmd www-data
Installing Nagios and Nagios Plugins
The first thing to do is to download the files you need. Issue the commands:
wget http://osdn.dl.sourceforge.net/sourceforge/nagios/nagios-3.0.6.tar.gz
and
wget http://osdn.dl.sourceforge.net/sourceforge/nagiosplug/nagios-
plugins-1.4.11.tar.gz
to download the files you need.
Untar the Nagios file with:
tar xvzf nagios-3.0.6.tar.gz
Change into the newly created Nagios directory with the command:
cd nagios-3.0.6
Now run the configure script using the nagcmd defined as the command group with the command:
sudo ./configure –with-command-group=nagcmd
Time to compile:
sudo make all
Time to install everything:
make install
make install-init
make install-config
make install-commandmode
Almost ready to finalize the installation of Nagios (before moving on to installing the plugins.) There is one simple configuration to take care of (for the basic installation). Open up the /usr/local/nagios/etc/objects/contacts.cfg file and add your email address as the contact email address. That’s the only configuration to change for now.
Configuring for the Web interface
There are just a few commands to run to configure the Web interface:
make install-webconf
htpasswd -c /usr/local/nagios/etc/htpasswd.users nagiosadmin
/etc/init.d/apache2 reload
The final command above simply restarts Apache.
Install the plugins
Before you log into your Nagios installation you have to install your plugins first. Change to the directory you downloaded the Nagios files to and untar the plugins file:
tar xvzf nagios-plugins-1.4.11.tar.gz
Now change into the newly created directory:
cd nagios-plugins-1.4.11
Compile the plugins with the command:
sudo ./configure –with-nagios-user=nagios –with-nagios-group=nagios
Now install the plugins with the following commands:
make
make install
Fire it up!
Of course you want to make sure Nagios starts any time the system is restarted. Do this with the command:
sudo ln -s /etc/init.d/nagios /etc/rcS.d/S99nagios
And finally, before you start up Nagios, make sure there are no errors with the command:
sudo /usr/local/nagios/bin/nagios -v /usr/local/nagios/etc/nagios.cfg
If you see no errors reported, it’s time to start it up. Issue the command:
sudo /etc/init.d/nagios start
Nagios is ready to go. Point your browser to:
http://ADDRESS_OF_NAGIOS_SERVER/nagios
Source: http://www.ghacks.net/2009/06/08/how-to-install-nagios-on-ubuntu-server/
But let’s think about this installation. The best way to install Nagios is from source. This means you are going to have to do some compliation. Don’t worry, it’s not hard…when you have a step-by-step guide that is.
Before you start
If you are using, as I did, a Ubuntu server installation, you will need to install a few tools first. So from the command line issue the following commands:
sudo apt-get install php5-gd
sudo apt-get install gcc
sudo apt-get install make
The above commands will install the tools you need in order to get Nagios installed. If you don’t install the above, you won’t be able to complete the installation.
Installing Nagios - preflight
Before you actually run the installation you will need to take care of some user/group accounting first.
Create the user nagios:
sudo useradd -m nagios
Give the nagios user a password:
sudo passwd nagios
NOTE: You will have to enter the new password twice for the above command.
Create the group nagios:
sudo groupadd nagios
Add the user nagios to the group nagios:
sudo usermod -G nagios nagios
Create the group nagcmd:
sudo groupadd nagcmd
Add the user nagios to the group nagcmd:
sudo usermod -a -G nagcmd nagios
Add the Apache user to the group nagcmd:
sudo usermod -a -G nagcmd www-data
Installing Nagios and Nagios Plugins
The first thing to do is to download the files you need. Issue the commands:
wget http://osdn.dl.sourceforge.net/sourceforge/nagios/nagios-3.0.6.tar.gz
and
wget http://osdn.dl.sourceforge.net/sourceforge/nagiosplug/nagios-
plugins-1.4.11.tar.gz
to download the files you need.
Untar the Nagios file with:
tar xvzf nagios-3.0.6.tar.gz
Change into the newly created Nagios directory with the command:
cd nagios-3.0.6
Now run the configure script using the nagcmd defined as the command group with the command:
sudo ./configure –with-command-group=nagcmd
Time to compile:
sudo make all
Time to install everything:
make install
make install-init
make install-config
make install-commandmode
Almost ready to finalize the installation of Nagios (before moving on to installing the plugins.) There is one simple configuration to take care of (for the basic installation). Open up the /usr/local/nagios/etc/objects/contacts.cfg file and add your email address as the contact email address. That’s the only configuration to change for now.
Configuring for the Web interface
There are just a few commands to run to configure the Web interface:
make install-webconf
htpasswd -c /usr/local/nagios/etc/htpasswd.users nagiosadmin
/etc/init.d/apache2 reload
The final command above simply restarts Apache.
Install the plugins
Before you log into your Nagios installation you have to install your plugins first. Change to the directory you downloaded the Nagios files to and untar the plugins file:
tar xvzf nagios-plugins-1.4.11.tar.gz
Now change into the newly created directory:
cd nagios-plugins-1.4.11
Compile the plugins with the command:
sudo ./configure –with-nagios-user=nagios –with-nagios-group=nagios
Now install the plugins with the following commands:
make
make install
Fire it up!
Of course you want to make sure Nagios starts any time the system is restarted. Do this with the command:
sudo ln -s /etc/init.d/nagios /etc/rcS.d/S99nagios
And finally, before you start up Nagios, make sure there are no errors with the command:
sudo /usr/local/nagios/bin/nagios -v /usr/local/nagios/etc/nagios.cfg
If you see no errors reported, it’s time to start it up. Issue the command:
sudo /etc/init.d/nagios start
Nagios is ready to go. Point your browser to:
http://ADDRESS_OF_NAGIOS_SERVER/nagios
Source: http://www.ghacks.net/2009/06/08/how-to-install-nagios-on-ubuntu-server/
Business Server Support Services and Solutions
Business Server Support has become a major part of our lives. Any business or office is almost completely dependent on server support today for their operation. Once an office is computerized it may tend to have problems with the server hardware or may end up with some software related issue some time or the other. To take care that the functioning of the business is not affected due to these problems most companies hire the services of an On-Site or Online server support firm which would provide it with the necessary small business server support that it needs from time to time. In case of any problem this firm would give the server support solutions that are required to overcome the problem.
IT experts do a wide variety of jobs which include designing and installation of computer networks, managing the system and various other tasks. Some server support lending firms have such advanced technology that they identify a problem at a very early stage and that tends to work as an alert system. This works as an alarm and major problems can be avoided and huge expenses can be prevented. The server support services firm monitors the functioning of the servers and being a continuous process, problems are identified and addressed at the earliest saving both time and money.
Hiring a competent server support services firm is of utmost importance as it would have all the server solutions which would make the functioning of the business an absolutely smooth process. Over a period the servers tend to slow down and a server support firm which has the right expertise would help you deal with this issue by monitoring the servers and providing effective maintenance at regular intervals. The most well equipped firms offer online server support and this would help in saving a lot of time. They are even capable of identifying a failing hardware which would ensure that no data is lost as recovery measures can be setup at the earliest.
Security issues are a big concern as far as servers are concerned. A capable and proficient server support partner would help in getting the very best out of your servers. Most of the time companies have a requirement of programs which are to be made with certain specifications meeting the demands of the company. Such server solutions can be brought about only with a well experienced team of an efficient server support firm.
If the server is managed by an experienced hand then you can concentrate completely on the functioning of the business. There are such firms which look into the needs of Companies requiring small business computer support to enterprise level support. Such competent firms also have well experienced staff to attend to every problem at the earliest and offer the very best solution.
One should conduct a thorough survey before hiring the server support of any such firm. There are plenty of such support providers but an efficient one is of utmost importance as the functioning of your enterprise is largely dependent on their service and effectiveness.