Web servers

Let’s face it, many of the today’s website owners and even system administrators are not as comfortable with code, scripts, and command line tools as the generation that come before them. Some may struggle with cloud services like Amazon S3 because of difficult and sometimes time-consuming command line programs. CrossFTP …

Web server administrators should take notice of a “severe” vulnerability that computer scientists have discovered in OpenSSL, the free and open source encryption software package for Linux and Unix-like systems. The bug is in OpenSSL’s cryptographic library and vulnerability allows attackers to retrieve a server’s cryptographic key, leaving any secure …

Given the high cost of electricity, companies are always looking for ways to increase efficiency. This may involve optimizing CPU usage or reducing active cooling, but in the case of Google, Facebook, and soon Goldman Sachs, these companies have found another way go green: integrate batteries into servers. Data centers …

Question: What is FFmpeg hosting? Answer: FFmpeg is a suite of tools that provide users with video manipulation, editing, streaming, and recording capabilities on numerous platforms and multiple formats. As the name indicates, it supports a number of mpeg compression formats as well as other open and proprietary video codecs. …

Question: How do I upgrade my CentOS installation to a higher version? Answer: Using YUM you can upgrade CentOS with only a few steps. 1. Backup your important data. If most or all of is in a database, make sure to backup all databases. 2. List all of the updates: …

Question: I want to setup my own server. What software and tools will I need? Answer: The first major decision to make after you have purchased server hardware is what operating system to use. Many servers come with one already, but if yours does not, you will need to decide …

With a name that even sounds like the beautiful love interest of a secret affair, Cassandra appears to be positioning itself to steal the hearts of those once in love with MySQL. Twitter is now set to replace its MySQLdatabase system with the open source home wrecker. Cassandra was originally …

Problem: Apache HTTP Server on a web hosting system will undoubtedly run multiple virtual hosts. Each of those virtual hosts logs its activity in a separate location making it impossible to effectively monitor each log and each virtual host for errors or security issues. Solution: Use mod_status to monitor Apache’s …

Nginx (pronounced “Engine X”) is a lightweight web server that offers speed and flexibility without all of the extra features that larger web servers like Apache offer. Although it is a free and open source application, CentOS does not offer the latest version in its default YUM repository. To install …

Microsoft provides a tool for Windows Server 2008 that tests for security misconfiguration. It comes with a graphical interface and a command line interface for both local and remote scans. It looks for vulnerabilities, performs assessment checks, and checks SQL Server 2005. In addition to Windows Server 2008, MBSA runs …