Tag Archives: server

January, 2010

• 14 January

  How to prevent users from reusing old passwords in Linux

  In a previous blog post, we learned how to force users to change their passwords on a regular basis. This prevents them from keeping the same password forever, but it does not prevent them from alternating between the same two passwords or between a handful of them. Fortunately, PAM, Linux‘s …
• 13 January

  Logging user agent data in Apache

  Question: How do I tell Apache to log user agent information? Answer: Normally, Apache logs information about site visitors to /var/logs/httpd/ and uses files like access_log, error_log, etc. While it does give some information about the users, it does not include user agent information by default. User agent information looks …
• 12 January

  How to manually install stubborn APT packages

  Question: What do I do when I get the following error with apt-get: error processing /var/cache/apt/archives/packagename_0.80.1-1_all.deb : trying to overwrite ‘libsomething.1.0.so, which is also in “libotherpackage”? Answer: These types of errors can be very annoying when trying to upgrade packages on a Linux server with apt-get. Sometimes these can be …
• 12 January

  How to delete multiple files in various directories in Linux

  Question: When uploading files to my Linux server from my windows computer, I have accumulated WS_FTP.log files and thumbs.db files in multiple directories. Is there an easy way to delete all of them at once without navigating through each directory? Answer: With Linux, of course there is. You can accomplish …
• 11 January

  Hide Apache version from outside requests

  Question: Is there a way to hide the version of Apache running on my server? Answer: Yes, there certainly is, and there is a good reason to do so. While the version of Apache running on your server might be inconsequential to the average, it could be ammunition in the …
• 8 January

  How to configure password aging in Linux

  If you have ever worked for a corporation or used IT services at a university, you have undoubtedly been prompted at one time to change your password. It is annoying and seems like a waste of time, but it is important. Running a web server that gives all or some …
• 6 January

  Testing your mail server for an open relay

  Question: How do I make sure my mail server isn’t an open relay? Answer: First we should be clear on what an open relay is. According to spamhelp.org, an open relay is: “a mail server that does not verify that it is authorised to send mail from the email address …
• 5 January

  How to install Shoutcast on a Linux server

  Yesterday, we learned about two radio streaming servers available for Linux: Shoutcast and Icecast. Today, you will learn how to install and setup a Shoutcast server. In this example, you will create a special user to run Shoutcast, rather than having it run as root, which is a security risk. …
• 4 January

  Radio broadcasting from a web server

  Setting up a radio broadcast requires two main components: 1. server-side streaming software and 2. some type of streaming software on your local computer that sends streaming music through the server. There are many popular audio streaming solutions, but two of the most common free solutions are Shoutcast and Icecast. …
• 4 January

  How to create a music playlist for your website

  Question: How do I stream Mp3s to my website visitors using an m3u playlist? Answer: Setting up an m3u playlist is very easy to do. Once you have it setup, visitors will be able to listen to your site’s Mp3s either by opening the m3u playlist in a music player …