SELinux stands for Security-Enhanced Linux and is a comprehensive feature of Linux that allows system administrators to control security access policies with highly advanced modules in the Linux kernel. It can be applied to any Linux distribution and comes installed by default on some. It was originally based upon projects …
January, 2010
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7 January
How to force YUM to exclude certain packages
Question: Is there a way to tell YUM to ignore certain packages when performing updates on a CentOS Linux server? Answer: There certainly is, and in some cases it can save your server from an unfortunate mishap. When running a dedicated server, particularly one with multiple websites, you run the …
December, 2009
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23 December
How to install and configure ProFTPD in RHEL/CentOS/Fedora Linux
ProFTPD is one of the most widely used and trust Linux-based FTP servers. When installed on a dedicated server, ProFTPD can act as a virtual ftp server host to multiple user accounts. It also allows anonymous FTP, if needed, chroot jail support, SSL/TLS encryption, and much more. nixCraft has an …
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18 December
The sysconfig directory in Redhat-based Linux
Redhat Enterprise Linux, Fedora, and Centos have a convenient directory called “sysconfig”. It is located under the main /etc directory and contains many of the frequently-used configuration files necessary to operate a server. Often the configuration files are for command line options or very specific settings rather than the complete …
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15 December
Fixing YUM Dependency Problems: Part 1
Question: YUM is telling me I have broken dependencies. I can’t install anything. Help! Answer: Fiddling with your server can lead you to problems, very serious ones if it lands you in what is affectionately called RPM Hell. This usually happens when you download an RPM outside of your standard …
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7 December
How to reinstall packages with YUM
Question: One of my applications in CentOS Linux is not working right. How do I reinstall it? Answer: Early version of YUM did not have a “reinstall” function, but the newest version do. To reinstall a package, simply type as root: yum reinstall package-name If you are running a server …
November, 2009
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30 November
Using APT for installation and updates
The default update manager for Redhat-based Linux distributions is YUM, which is wonderful and all, but some people, especially those used to Debian-based distributions (such as Ubuntu), prefer to use APT for their updates. This is only for advanced users and should not be attempted on a server that already …
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30 November
Making YUM Faster
Question: When I run updates with YUM (an update tool for Redhat, CentOS, or Fedora Linux), it seems like it takes forever. How can I make it faster? Answer: Although there many things to consider when trouble-shooting speed issues, one specific YUM concern might be the speed of the mirror …
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17 November
Setting the Correct Date for Your Linux Server
Question: My dedicated server is showing a different timezone than my home computer. How can I set it to be on my timezone. Answer: Generally speaking it does not matter if your remote server is on a different timezone. It will still function, but when scheduling maintenance, upgrades, and backups, …
October, 2009
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26 October
The "setup" command in Redhat, Fedora, and CentOS
In Linux, most server configuration files are located in /etc. Most of them are text files, and although it is fairly easy to edit them, Redhat-based distributions have a handy graphical ncurses program that allows the dedicated server system administrator to handle certain tasks. The program is simply called setup …