Web servers

Question: What is a Cron Job? Answer: A cron job is a periodic script run using scheduling software called “cron”. Linux and other Unix-like operating systems use it. A shared web hosting provider may allow you to run local user cron jobs, and those settings are usually accessible through your …

Question: I just ordered a remote dedicated server, and I am concerned about trusting my data with someone else. What are my options if the server goes down? Answer: Generally speaking, you do not have much to worry about. You most likely did your homework before selecting your web host. …

In my first post, I covered four basic components found in most statistics software. In this post, we will examine them more closely and also take a look at some more specific stats. An important way to gauge your website’s success is to look at the daily breakdown of those …

Question: How do I export and download a MySQL database? Answer: There are two primary ways to export a MySQL database if you are a website owner. The first is to use phpMyAdmin, a web-based graphical interface for managing databases. The second is to login through SSH and use MySQL …

Apache HTTP Server is the most widely used web server application and is arguably the best available. Nevertheless, being a good application does not automatically make Apache secure. If your websites are simple html pages with no dynamic web applications or scripts, you probably do not have need for much …

Inevitably, there are times when you need to do troubleshooting of your web and email services, or you simply need to make sure all of your network services are operating correctly. For years, I have relied on one free service to handle most of my DNS needs. It is called …

Users of Redhat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) were probably accustomed to using a command called “up2date” to update and install security patches and new software releases on their servers. As many well know, however, RHEL is based on the Fedora code base, and Fedora never relied on up2date. Instead, Fedora uses …

The average data center technician is called to perform a number of duties. These include troubleshooting with customers, replacing system hardware, installing Linux kernel updates, and rebooting equipment. One system admin on Yahoo Answers, however, seems to have a much different view of this job: I am a night technician …

When friends ask me about signing up with a dedicated or shared web host, one question I am invariably asked is: “What’s the cheapest provider?” Frugality is an important virtue to master, but when it comes to web hosting, you get what you pay for. You may be tempted to …

Last April, Google hosted the Efficient Data Center Summit, where bigwigs from the largest IT companies showed up to share tips for reducing resource usage, learn from one another, and share hugs and kisses. The attendees gained all sorts of useful insight on how to make their data centers greener …