Advice Needed: I Got a new CPanel Server - How to Prepare/Optimize for Hosting?

[hostgirl]

I am new to CPanel and just got a CPanel server setup. I would like to know

1) what all steps i need to perform before i begin hosting my customers on it?

2) My customers mainly use chi, php, and mysql hosting.

3) I have to move around 100 customer from a non-Cpanel server to this cpanel server. How do i do it? Do i need to create each domain, mailboxes and mysql accounts manually?

4) Is there going to be any other issue when moving domains from a standard non control panel Linux server to the CPanel server? I understand the php/cgi paths would change, is there anything else i need to take care of?

5) Any other advice you might want to give to a Cpanel newbie on how to optimize and secure this Cpanel server?

Many thanks!

 

[madaboutlinux]

1) Setup the Hostname, Add ip addressess and Nameservers. Also go through the following options :-
Server Configuration >> Basic WHM/Cpanel Setup.
Server Configuration >> Tweak Settings
Security >> Tweak Security.
For more info about these options you can refer :- http://www.cpanel.net/docs/whm/

2) No problems with it. Cpanel provides it.
/scripts/mysqlup --force << To install Mysql.
/scripts/easyapache << Execute it and compile with php.

3) From which server(control panel) you are trying to move ? I guess there is options in WHM to move accounts from servers having different control panels.

4) Depends on the previous control panel.

5) To secure your server, you can install APF firewall which uses iptables rules. You can also install chkrootkit and rkhunter to detect any abnormal files. You can install it from :- http://www.sagonet.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2855

 

[fwwebs]

This is a pretty good start: http://www.webhostgear.com/cid_6.html

 

[hostgirl]

1) Setup the Hostname, Add ip addressess and Nameservers. Also go through the following options :-
Server Configuration >> Basic WHM/Cpanel Setup.
Server Configuration >> Tweak Settings
Security >> Tweak Security.
For more info about these options you can refer :- http://www.cpanel.net/docs/whm/

2) No problems with it. Cpanel provides it.
/scripts/mysqlup --force << To install Mysql.
/scripts/easyapache << Execute it and compile with php.

3) From which server(control panel) you are trying to move ? I guess there is options in WHM to move accounts from servers having different control panels.

4) Depends on the previous control panel.

5) To secure your server, you can install APF firewall which uses iptables rules. You can also install chkrootkit and rkhunter to detect any abnormal files. You can install it from :- http://www.sagonet.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2855

Thanks for the nice tip.

My existing customers do not use any control panel, it runs Bind, Apache, Sendmail and MySQL. Is there any way i can pull all domains, email accounts, ftp files and databases automatically via some script?

 

[Murtaza_t]

Thanks for the nice tip.
My existing customers do not use any control panel, it runs Bind, Apache, Sendmail and MySQL. Is there any way i can pull all domains, email accounts, ftp files and databases automatically via some script?

Well you will have to seach google to find such a script or ask some one to prepare a script for you. However I think the best way would be moving accounts manually.
how many accounts are they in all?

 

[gamerunner2]

well really if you are going to do "web hosting" like very good webhosting you may not want to go with a server,more like a data center..
to do that the best thing is to tell your customers with a 5 week notice that all servers are going to be down back everything up blah blah blah...
now you cant transfer stuff because cpanel needs a fresh hard drive to install on and with that on it is a pain,now have people back stuff up and install cpanel and if you got staff add all the DNS stuff manualy,i remember when i was on hosting team and that a Xeon and and a Hard Drive blew in one of our servers,and we had a count of 237 customers

 

[hostmedic]

GameRunner - Suggest...

Gamerunner

I have used services from PlatinumServerManagement.com
there are a few others online - such as Chirpy (review his username for details)

My suggestion is to get with one of these guys/girls and sign up with them for the server management - even if its just 1 month or so.

If you keep your current server online - as well as have the new server online -they can do a transfer and then update the dns on the old box to point to the new box - account by account.
Once tested and you know all is ok - you may then set your dns servers to the new IP addresses and go to town...



Best of Luck to this venture...

 

[hostgirl]

Gamerunner

I have used services from PlatinumServerManagement.com
there are a few others online - such as Chirpy (review his username for details)

My suggestion is to get with one of these guys/girls and sign up with them for the server management - even if its just 1 month or so.

If you keep your current server online - as well as have the new server online -they can do a transfer and then update the dns on the old box to point to the new box - account by account.
Once tested and you know all is ok - you may then set your dns servers to the new IP addresses and go to town...



Best of Luck to this venture...

Yes, this is what i need. But i rather do it myself then hire someone else as i need to learn to admin CPanel. I have both servers online. I have around 150 customers which i need to move. Some have more the one mailboxes, few use php and mysql database.

Is there any other good read or tutorial you guys would know?

 

[gamerunner2]

wait? i forgot are you installing on the same server or a differnt one?..if your starting on a differnt one get the cPanel's on those servers and just last night i found it. when you got into like the cpanel i had if you into /usr/local/cpanel/base/ then into the webhost manager directory there is a file that keeps all the DNS stuff..well since your running the same software that cPanel uses for DNS the files are the same (i had my friend look on his servers about that he dosent have cPanel) and all you have to do is just go through all your customers data and zip all the data up and when you install cPanel put it into there directory..or just have them back it up if you can..

 

[hostgirl]

wait? i forgot are you installing on the same server or a differnt one?..if your starting on a differnt one get the cPanel's on those servers and just last night i found it. when you got into like the cpanel i had if you into /usr/local/cpanel/base/ then into the webhost manager directory there is a file that keeps all the DNS stuff..well since your running the same software that cPanel uses for DNS the files are the same (i had my friend look on his servers about that he dosent have cPanel) and all you have to do is just go through all your customers data and zip all the data up and when you install cPanel put it into there directory..or just have them back it up if you can..

No, i have an old server with no control pane, this server has my 150 odd customers hosted. I am using Bind, Apache, Sendmail, PHP, MySQL on this server.

I have rented another server at a different Datacenter, this is the CPanel server and i would like to move all customers to this server.

 

[asterisk]

Essentially it involves tarballing the www directories and also offloading their MySQL databases for transfer into the new Cpanel server. (it may probably be a little bit more complex than that depending on what applications you were offering them previously)

Setup your packages first and then create the accounts for each of your users. While waiting for propagation, upload the tarballed directories and MySQL databases and you're pretty much good to go.

As for securing/hardening server, it'd be best to obtain the services of another such as Chirpy (not that I've done that myself although I've heard many good things about his services). It's probably worth the amount of time you save. You'll not lose out on the learning experience as you'll eventually have to learn anyway when you need to upgrade the tools plus usually such services come with a number of hours of support where you can ask anything you wish to on the stuff that they did for you.

That should get you moving pretty quickly.

Good luck!

 

[hostgirl]

Essentially it involves tarballing the www directories and also offloading their MySQL databases for transfer into the new Cpanel server. (it may probably be a little bit more complex than that depending on what applications you were offering them previously)

Setup your packages first and then create the accounts for each of your users. While waiting for propagation, upload the tarballed directories and MySQL databases and you're pretty much good to go.

As for securing/hardening server, it'd be best to obtain the services of another such as Chirpy (not that I've done that myself although I've heard many good things about his services). It's probably worth the amount of time you save. You'll not lose out on the learning experience as you'll eventually have to learn anyway when you need to upgrade the tools plus usually such services come with a number of hours of support where you can ask anything you wish to on the stuff that they did for you.

That should get you moving pretty quickly.

Good luck!

I thanks for your advice.

How do i move mysql databases?

 

[hostmedic]

how to move mysql from /var

I would suggest reading this web page: http://www.eth0.us/mysql-dir

Hope this helps - not my how to - but have used it a ton

 

[hostgirl]

I would suggest reading this web page: http://www.eth0.us/mysql-dir

Hope this helps - not my how to - but have used it a ton

Thanks, that will help.