Archive for the ‘Windows Plesk Server’ category

Place Some Vital Web Server Security Measures to Ensure Server

October 3rd, 2011

In the era of high end information technology, web is the center stage of all the happenings across the businesses whether online and Offline ventures. Being hooked up with too much data for transactions, web servers are very prone to data hacking from the hackers and web cons. It further results in significant loss of data and crucial information as well. The threat is even more deadly in case of e-commerce websites and other vital online web applications.

Web servers have severe threats from a number of of factors including Unauthorized access, Improper usage of information, Denial of Service and Physical Threats etc. Web hosting experts however suggest a number of measures to fight the menace of web server data threats. The article is all set to illustrate some security measures for the web servers.

Intrusion Detection Systems:
In the terms of web hosting professionals, IDS or Intrusion Detection System is an effective security mechanism that allows seamless protection for network perimeter, extranets and other internal network in real-time framework. A premiere IDS system observes the network data stream to combat any malicious attacks on the system or network. If IDS is put in the place as an appliance and as software, software security should be analyzed first.
Host Security:
Operating System configurations are usually set up by the vendors to push the features and functions, however they leave the security issues easily. Here web hosting experts keep the emphasis on securing the operating system since it will lead to more secured server components automatically. While choosing a operating system, ask for various security checklists like security certification levels, chosen platform Compatibility and remote administration as well as logging utilities.
Secure Coding Habits:
A single flaw in the program code may allow a chance to attackers to compromise a Web server. This is the primary factor that leads to the stringent security measures to combat any security threat to the scripts. In addition, a very stringent Encryption mechanism should be placed during the coding to encrypt the passwords against any potential security breach.

Another major security threat comes in the form of Information Leakage where vital and sensitive data is leaked from the servers in the form of developer comments, error messages or source code. It can compromise the server security and later serious threat to system. Creating and implementing some stringent security firewalls helps web hosting company professionals and other network administrators to fight the bugs. Thus information security should be placed in order to ensure data access to those users only who are authorized to access and use the data.

Summary:

Organizations employ a number of vital security measures to ensure a real time combat against the web server security threats. They deal with the menace like Improper usage of information, Denial of Service and Physical Threats in very proper manner.

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Posted in About Web Hosting, Dedicated Servers, Hosting Setup Manual, Website-Security/Upgrade-Issues, Windows Plesk Server

Plesk Takes Care of All Your Anti-Virus Needs

September 28th, 2011

Taking care of viruses after they have done the damage is the normal approach that most users have come to expect from their anti-virus providers. However, why not stop the virus BEFORE it gets to your users’ hosting accounts with a hosting anti-virus program. Plesk has made it simple to do this, and with Plesk Anti-Virus, you can easily detect and remove any viruses before they become a problem or start impacting your website negatively. The Plesk system is very advanced in terms of security, and hosting anti-virus protection is so critical to the long term stability of your website and servers. Plesk anti-virus can help protect your critical data and other valuable information so that it cannot be hacked and stolen by malicious users.

Many software programs offer security and hosting anti-virus protection, but it is simply not as comprehensive as it is with a Plesk License. In addition to Plesk Anti-Virus, you can also utilize the new health monitoring tool so that you can ensure that your system is protected from attacks on all sides. You can set up the health monitoring to occur at regular intervals or whenever you see fit, and this can let you automate the task of keeping your server secure. If you do encounter a problem, the Plesk health monitoring system will notify you immediately, and the Plesk Anti-Virus will work to resolve the issue and stop any infiltration into your system. For hosting anti-virus, Plesk is at the top of the industry.

Typically updates take hours to complete and slows the system down quite a bit during regular scanning. With the Plesk Anti-Virus, you no longer have to worry about this because it has the ability to detect over 100,000 viruses quickly and without affecting your server productivity. Security usually requires a multi-faceted approach so the Plesk Anti-Virus paired with the comprehensive health monitoring system is the essential combination to optimal safety on your virtual environment.

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Posted in Plesk 9 Tutorial, Plesk ASP.NET Tutorial, plesk setting, Plesk Tutorial, Windows Plesk Reseller, Windows Plesk Server

Cloud Hosting: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

January 18th, 2011

In recent years, there has been a blurring of distinction between the terms virtualization and cloud computing.  Virtualization is actually not new; it was invented by IBM nearly 40 years ago and allows an IT department to split a single server into several virtual dedicated servers or “virtual machines (VM)”.

This abstraction of hardware and software offer a number of benefits including simplicity, reduced costs, portability and increased agility for a web host or an IT department.

Cloud computing on the other hand extends virtualization through the Internet “As a Service” to deliver remote “on-demand” resources to an IT department at a fraction of traditional hosting costs.

Theoretically, nothing is exempt from end-to-end IT virtualisation including hardware, platforms or software, all of which may be accessed remotely from a hosting provider (via the Internet) as part of a public or private cloud based service

The implications of cloud computing are profound and far-reaching and could be distilled into this simple formula:  Cloud computing = Virtualizations + Internet.

While virtualization has been around for a while, it’s only recently that the managerial and technical capabilities to execute public and private clouds have come together in such a way as to realize the promise of this technology for businesses and enterprise customers over the Internet.

Increasingly, web-hosting platforms in the UK and around the world are introducing new cloud services at a frenetic pace. But, some are struggling more than others to offer adequate support services and keep pace with the evolving demands of their customers based on both private and public virtual dedicated servers.

Further, while forward-thinking companies are waking up to the benefits of the cloud they are still not completely comfortable off shoring their data, applications and storage requirements to a public cloud service provider.

The eternal specter of security looms over any cloud service and is being pushed along by a media hungry to expose the good and bad in this exciting re-born technology.

It’s worthwhile summarizing both the pros and cons of cloud hosting and where you as a decision-maker should be positioning your company.

The Good

Without doubt one of the key benefits to deploying a public cloud is how quick and painless it is. The quick, easy wizard-driven process surprises many skeptics and turns non-believers into converts.

If you add in the elastic ability to scale to meet seasonable demands over Xmas and New Year, then things are looking pretty good.

But it gets even better. Statistics show that some companies may save in costs between 50-70% over traditional colocated and dedicated servers provided they follow a gradual deployment timeline, rather than an overly ambitious one.

Plus, because you can isolate virtual machines (VM) from each other you can minimize exposure to risk between different applications running on different OS platforms.  Many companies are also loving the portability feature of cloud VM’s which allows them to migrate from one server to the next in record time.

The list goes on, including the benefits of standardizing your IT technology platform and reducing complexity. The ability to self-service your future requirements quickly and effortlessly via a metered pay-as-you-go business model appeals to many decision-makers.

Finally, if you find yourself nodding vigorously while watching Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” then you will rejoice in the fact that a public or private cloud promises to lower your carbon footprint and promote “Green IT” as a real concept within your organization.

The Bad

Of course, the biggest fear associated with implementing a public cloud service or a private virtualized server usually centers on security.  Many enterprise customers are skeptical that web hosts can actually protect their resources in the cloud.

The recent phishing attack on Google by Chinese government-backed hackers and the subsequent Denial of Service (DoS) attack on the infamous WikiLeaks website housed on Amazon cloud servers have temporarily raised doubt in some people’s minds.

Ironically, these two incidents will actually serve to accelerate increased security in the cloud and eliminate future concerns. The best minds in the business are currently engaged in this venture. Further, customers may also consider opting for a private cloud over a public virtualized server if they wish to absolutely control the level of compliance and security; they do not need to wait for a web host to catch up with their expectations.  Expect to see private clouds grow in popularity over the next few years.

The Ugly

Yes, it can get ugly. While virtual dedicated servers are generally safe, easy to administer and cost affective, they can be implemented badly, even terribly.  The old expression “garbage in, garbage out” applies just as strongly to implementation as it does to CRM data entry.  When companies rush into a cloud deployment they risk inconsistent results, security implications and costly delays in bringing a product to market.  Instead, it’s recommended that a company start small and gradually add new cloud features “on-demand” as required. This approach, for example, may take advantage of a Xen cloud server to safely test new products in a sandbox environment before making products live to a customer.

The way forward

All the points highlighted above must be tempered by the fact that your ultimate success will depend on the knowledge, experience and customer support features of the web host you select to drive your new cloud implementations.

A number of web hosts in the UK are suffering from growing pains — growing too quickly, too fast, which increases risk for a company seeking long-term stability in the cloud.

Further, make sure your web host demonstrates the ability to offer flexible, customized SLAs to help tailor your requirements in a scalable, cost-effective and safe manner.

If you follow these rules things will be mostly good, hardly ever bad and certainly never ugly.

For more visit: www.version-next.com


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Posted in About Web Hosting, Dedicated Servers, Web Hosting Types, Windows Plesk Reseller, Windows Plesk Server

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Monitoring Your VPS or Dedicated Server.

December 6th, 2010

One of the most important factors that you should be constantly monitoring with your VPS or dedicated server, especially if you host clients on it, is the uptime of it; this means that you should always be using some type of monitoring service to ensure that your VPS or dedicated server, and if it isn’t you need to ensure that you are notified of the down time ASAP so that you are able to sort the problem out yourself, or notify the support team of your web host to ensure that the down time caused is minimal and that your server will come back online ASAP.

If you are a web host which is providing a responsible and sensible service, then in your terms and conditions you will probably have conditions set out regarding up uptime, which in most cases states things such as if a customer’s service is down for over a certain amount of time, or if the monthly uptime record doesn’t meet the one which is guaranteed then customers are able to request a refund; this in itself should provide you with the motivation to fix a server problem if you have set such rules out in your terms and conditions, since most companies wouldn’t want a servers worth of customers requesting refunds since they don’t think they have been provided with the amount of uptime which has been guaranteed. Most web hosts use their own internal monitoring system for their servers, since in most cases it will alert them quicker to a problem than an external solution would since an internal system is most likely monitored more closely, but with an external solution in place as backup in case the internal one fails. One thing to consider is that most external monitoring services monitor your website or server from multiple geographically different locations which means that they are able to provide a more reliable source of information when it comes to checking to see whether your VPS or dedicated server is online or not when compared to a monitoring system which is monitoring your VPS or dedicated server from one location or from one country or data center, which means that the produced results might not always be accurate and reliable.

When considering uptime solutions for your VPS or dedicated server, you should always take into consideration the effect that a program might have on the performance of your VPS or dedicated server; for example if you use an internal solution then you might need to install an ‘agent’ program which posts data about your server back to the master monitoring node, since information such as the speed that your server’s CPU is running at and the amount of memory that your server has left are factors that can only be gained by internal access to your server unlike other factors such as whether certain services are running or not that can be found out easily via pinging the port which the service runs on. You want to try and maximize the uptime of your VPS or dedicated server, which means that you should optimize the programs that you have installed on it, so that they don’t use up too many resources since the most common reason for a server crashing is that there aren’t enough resources available to keep the operating system going, which means that it just crashes because it is unable to run for any longer on the scarce resources that are available for it.

Conclusion

In conclusion, with the use of either internal or external monitoring systems, you are able to maximize the uptime of your VPS Hosting or dedicated server, thus ensuring that your customers, if you host them on your server, are happy with the service and level of uptime that you have been able to provide them with; you are also ensuring if you use your server for other purposes such as for receiving emails or for a website that emails are received as often as possible, and that visitors will still return to your website thus increasing your amount of revenue that you earn from adverts if applicable. You can also optimize your VPS or dedicated server as well as the programs that it runs to ensure that the amount of resources used is far lower, thus ensuring that you can install some more applications on your VPS or dedicated server or leave it as it is so that it is able to run fast; if running cPanel, then you can use the new optimized version since this will run much fast on a lower specification machine since it has been designed to take up less memory and utilize less CPU.

If you choose to use an internal monitoring system then you gain the ability to monitor internal factors of your server, such as the amount of CPU and memory that is available for use by the operating system and programs that you have installed on your VPS or dedicated server – this is very important if you are running a server which is hosting web hosting and design clients, since you don’t want their websites going down because of a lack of resources. Other factors which you might want to consider when choosing a monitoring system is the accuracy of the results that are collected and in turn produced; for example, with an external monitoring system you will want to be considering how spread the multiple geographical monitoring stations are and with the case of an internal monitoring system, you should find out whether internal server resources can be monitored or not – this will give you an advantage since you will be able to monitor all aspects of your server then, both internal and external which means that accurate results should be produced.

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Posted in Dedicated Servers, Linux Server Tips, Reliable web hosting, VPS Hosting, VPS Windows Hosting, Windows 2003 Server Tips, Windows Plesk Server

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Benefits of dedicated servers in games website.

November 24th, 2010

Every once life one is the time when he/she have his own game to play. In today’s market you can see allover digital games are more popular like xbox360, play station and Nintendo games capture the game markets. But can you think it why everyone likes to play online? And this base idea of dedicated server games theme.

Everyone cannot afford to buy Xbox 360, play-station or Nintendo But; current games versions available on Internet are better than to play alone. There quality display, speed is specially made to give you a high quality excitement, and these kinds of things are possible through dedicated servers.

There quality, display, speed are in particular made to give you a far above the ground quality thrill, and these kinds of things are probable through dedicated servers. If you pay money for a game DVD, how much time you play? At one period, to play that game getting so boring, this is the major reason behind popularity of online games. With lend a hand of dedicated game servers’ people can play against someone else there is no want of same play station. This is the main reason, the online game providers never end require of dedicated game servers. Network bandwidth is one the crucial part in gaming business, because it must be compulsory always in upstream. Here home or office broadband Internet connection is not plenty. Normally with this type of connection, player does not get upstream bandwidth to host out-and-out game servers more than five to ten clients, but in the past years this is the only option was available for game hosting.

Couple of years before, the player who have the game, host the server and also run the client. However, on another side, the bandwidth provider of latest broadband service, handle the outgoing traffic at same time, therefore the host computer struggled to provide a good quality of service to the players on the network, while at the same time running the game on the same computer.

However, the online game providers realized, the importance of dedicated servers, because they need professional server to read data and transferring huge amounts of data as fast as players need it, therefore they purchased rack mounted server machines and collocated them inside Data Center Services to host their games Website. They paid monthly charges for it and the services they got is invaluable, these set ups improved the quality of their games.

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Posted in Dedicated Servers, Shared Hosting, Windows 2003 Server Tips, Windows Plesk Server

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