kristian

Apache 2.0

Install Apache from Debian stable:

apt-get install apache2

Apache is ready and running. Test that it is workin by pointing browser to www.mysite.com. Read Apache’s security tips.

Apache’s files and directories are:

• /etc/apache2/sites-available/mysite.com: Your virtual domain configuration.
• /etc/apache2/sites-enabled/mydomain.com: Symlink to you configuration, when site is enabled with a2ensite mysite.com command.
• /var/log/apache2/: Logs.
• /var/www/mysite.com: Your site.

Install Cronolog:

apt-get install cronolog

Make your sites configuration file in /etc/apache2/sites-available/mysite.com:

  ServerAdmin [email protected]
  ServerName www.mysite.com
  ServerAlias mysite.com
  DocumentRoot /var/www/mysite.com
  ErrorLog "|/usr/bin/cronolog /var/log/apache2/%Y/%Y-%m-mysite.com-error.log"
  CustomLog "|/usr/bin/cronolog /var/log/apache2/%Y/%Y-%m-mysite-com-access.log" combined

Make /var/www/mysite.com directory for your sites files. Enable your sites configuration file:

a2ensite mysite.com

Reload Apache:

/etc/init.d/apache2 reload

If you for some reason want to remove the site from Apache configuration:

a2dissite mysite.com

More about installing Apache.

PHP 5.1

In order to use apt-get to install PHP 5, you need to add one of the dotdeb.org mirrors to /etc/apt/sources.list, like:

deb http://packages.dotdeb.org stable all

And istall PHP:

apt-get update
apt-get install libapache2-mod-php5

Php.ini is in /etc/php5/apache2/php.ini and recommended .ini is in /usr/share/doc/php5-common/examples/php.ini-recommended.

More about installing PHP.

MySQL 5.0

Install MySQL also from dotdeb.org as PHP:

apt-get install mysql-server
apt-get install php5-mysql

More about installing MySQL.

Virtual Private Servers (VPS) come pre installed with operating system. Debian Linux is used in this how to. Debian’s apt packages are real time savers and they require minimum work. First thing to do is to install firewall and ntp service. Make a SSH connection with PuTTY to your VPS to install the programs.

PicoFIREWALL

PicoFIREWALL is a Linux kernels iptable’s configuration script and it requires minimum work to install and configure. Add the following line in your file /etc/apt/sources.list:

deb http://debian.seismo.ethz.ch sarge ethz_sed

Install picoFIREWALL:

apt-get update; apt-get install picofirewall

PicoFIREWALL is now installed and running, but aknowledge that with default settings picoFIREWALL prevents all incoming connections into the server, including SSH. And since you don’t have a console login for the VPS server you have to make some configuration to be able to login again. Edit /etc/picofirewall/open_log.cfg file and add:

0/0,tcp,22

This opens SSH port 22 connection to all ips. You could use your desktop client’s ip and add instead something like:

111.222.111.222,tcp,22

But remember that your internet connection’s ip might change. If you know any computer you have access and whitch ip is not changin, it might be good backup to add that ip as allowed. I don’t know what is the best solution if you only have a changing ip and you don’t want to make port 22 open to everybody. One might think that services like DynDNS is the answer, but these services don’t make different the fact that your connections ip is still changing and kernels iptables operates only on ip address layer and DNS layer is higher layer.

If and when you want to open the http port 80 edit /etc/picofirewall/open_log.cfg file and add:

0/0,tcp,80

After changing picoFIREWALL’s configuration run:

/etc/init.d/picofirewall start

Ntp

There is no reason why you would not like to have a exact time in your server. So install ntp:

apt-get install ntp
apt-get install ntp-server

To set the time first time you have to stop the ntp service, set the time and start the sevice again:

/etc/init.d/ntp-server stop
ntpdate pool.ntp.org
/etc/init.d/ntp-server start

If you notice that ntpdate won’t change the time of the server, your VPS hardware is propably forcing Linux time synchronization and it is propably not the exact time. Then you have to edit /etc/sysctl.con file and add the line to disable forced synchronization:

xen.independent_wallclock = 1

More info about virtualization’s time synchronization.