Question: Show I run X.org on my Linux-based dedicated server? Answer: When you are running a dedicated server, especially one with live websites, there is always a lot to learn. From domain name servers (DNS) to mail server configuration, you may find yourself with little time for anything else. One …
December, 2009
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9 December
SSH security tips part 3: Root logins and empty passwords
Only one user should have the root password to a server, but since virtual private servers (VPS) can exist within a server, those users also have root passwords. Generally speaking, it is a bad practice to login to the server directly as root (administrator). Although SSH connections are encrypted, it …
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9 December
SSH security tips part 2: Timeout interval
In our continuing series on SSH security practices, today I would like to focus on the dreaded idle user. It might seem like nothing more than an annoyance, but an unattended ssh session can turn into a security risk. The best way to avoid this is to set an timeout …
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8 December
SSH security tips: Part 1
SSH is a great tool to have when you need remote access to a server, and it is naturally more secure than other methods, such as Telnet. Nevertheless, you should still take care to make sure your OpenSSH server is as secure as possible. Here are two tips to get …
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8 December
Find and replace text in multiple files
Question: How can I find and replace text in multiple files? Answer: If you have perl installed on your server, you can easily use it to perform the function you need. Even if you do not have root access to the server, basic user SSH access will be enough. Let’s …
November, 2009
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27 November
Find out which users are logged in
Question: How do I find out which users are logged in to my Linux server? Answer: To find out who is logged on to your server, you can run a very simple command: who You will need to login to your server via SSH order to run this command. This …
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20 November
Changing a User's Group in Linux
Question: How do I add a user to a group in Linux? Answer: Now that you have created a new user, you may need to add the user to a special group. To accomplish that, follow these easy steps. 1. Login to your server via SSH. 2. Become root: su …
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20 November
Adding Users in Linux
Question: How do I manually add a user on my Linux server? Answer: There are many reasons why you might want to add a user manually. Some scripts require their own special users with generic permissions to run them. Creating a user is actually very easy. Just follow these steps: …
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19 November
Grep: A Powerful Search Tool
Grep is a powerful Linux tool that can make finding things much easier. If you have SSH access to your server and need to find something lost in your big mess of files, grep can help. A simple way to use grep is: grep "modern" /home/user/public_html/podcasts.opml This command will search …
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9 November
Moving files on a Linux server
Question: How do I move an entire directory filled with files on my Linux server? Answer: While moving physical files can be quite a task, moving files in Linux is very easy. If you have SSH access to your server, you can move files with a simple command called “mv”. …