Getting Started With Your Dedicated Server .Getting Started With Your Dedicated Server Setting up

Getting Started Guide

Getting Started With Your Dedicated Server Setting up and hosting a domain on your Linux Dedicated Server using Plesk 8.0.

Getting Started with Your Dedicated Server Plesk 8.0 Version 1.1 (06.23.08) Copyright2008.Allrightsreserved.

Distributionofthisworkorderivativeofthisworkisprohibitedunlesspriorwrittenpermissionisobtainedfromthecopyrightholder.

Trademarks Used in This Book LinuxisaregisteredtrademarkofLinusTorvalds.PleskisaregisteredtrademarkofSWsoftHoldings,LTD.SSHandSecureShellaretrademarksofSSHCommunicationsSecurity,Inc.RedHatandFedoraareregisteredtrademarksofRedHatSoftware,Inc.MacisaregisteredtrademarkofAppleComputer,Inc.UNIXisaregisteredtrademarkofTheOpenGroup.WindowsXP,Entourage,andOutlookareregisteredtrademarksofMicrosoftCorporationintheUnitedStatesand/orothercountries.ThunderbirdisanunregisteredtrademarkoftheMozillaFoundation.

Allothertrademarksandcopyrightsarethepropertyoftheirrespectiveowners.

Table of Contents

Introduction iv Security Information iv

Reprovisioning Your Server vi

Getting Help vi

Other Resources vii

1 Setting Up Your Dedicated Server 1 Choosing a Host Name, User ID, and Password 1

Choosing a Host Name 1

Choosing a User ID 2

Choosing a Password for Your Server 2

Logging in to Your Manager for the First Time 3

2 Connecting to Your Dedicated Server 5 Connecting to Your Server Using Plesk 5

Connecting to Your Server Using SSH 10

Gaining Root Access on Your Server 11

3 Adding a Domain to Your Server Using Plesk 13 Logging in to Plesk 13

Step 1 Creating a Client in Plesk 14

Step 2 Creating a New Domain in Plesk 17

Step 3 Setting Up Hosting for Your Domain 20

4 Setting Up DNS for Domains on Your Server 25 Step 1 Creating a Zone File for Your Domain 25

Step 2 Creating and Registering Your Domain Hosts 26

Step 3 Assigning the Name Servers to Your Domain 28

Accessing Your Domain Using FTP (Uploading Files) 29

TableofContents ii

5 Setting Up Email on Your Dedicated Server 31 Using Plesk to Set Up an Email Account 31

Connecting to Your Email Account 34

Accessing Your Account Using an Email Client 34

Accessing WebMail for Domains on Your Server 35

Introduction

Unlikenormalhostingplans,whichputmanycustomers'accountsonasingleserver,adedicatedserverisreservedexclusivelyfortheaccountandusageofasinglecustomer.Thismeansthatyouhaveexclusiverightstotheserver'sbandwidth,memory,andstoragespace.

Whenyoupurchaseadedicatedserver,youactuallyleaseaserverbox,whichyoucanconfigureandsetupaccordingtoyourpreferences,butitremainsatourdatacenter.

AssistedServicePlanisadedicatedserveroptionthatshiftstheresponsibilityofsetup,monitoring,backup,maintenance,security,andpatchingofyourdedicatedservertoourserversupportteam.

AssistedServicePlandedicatedserversremoveroot/systemlevelaccessbutallowcontroloverallotheraspectsoftheserver.Pleskcontrolpanelisinstalledforadvancedservermanagementtasks.

SECURITY INFORMATION Comparedtosharedhostingaccounts,adedicatedserveroffersmorepowerandmoreversatility.Youcanrunandinstallvirtuallyanythingonyourserver.However,withthisaddedcontrolcomesaddedresponsibility.

Youareresponsibleforthesecurity,backup,andmaintenanceofyourdedicatedserver,withtheexceptionofAssistedSericePlanservers.WedonotautomaticallybackuporinstallfirewallsonyourdedicatedserverunlesstheyarepurchasedforanAssistedServicePlandedicatedserver.

UnlessyouhaveanAssistedServicePlandedicatedserver,wedonotautomaticallybackupyourdedicatedserver.Wedo,however,offeranFTPbackupservicewithourdedicatedserveraccounts.FormoreinformationaboutourFTPbackupservice,pleasevisitourWebsite.

Remembertokeepyouradministratorpasswordsecure.Anyonewhohasadministration,orrootaccess,toyourservercanmanipulatethesoftwareandcontentthatyourunonyourserver.

Introduction v

Youcanalsopurchaseahardwarefirewallfromustouseonyourdedicatedserver.Youcanuseahardwarefirewalltocontrolthetraffictoandfromyourserver.Formoreinformationaboutourfirewallservice,pleasevisitourWebsite.

Introduction vi

REPROVISIONING YOUR SERVER If,atanytime,youwanttoreverttoacleansetuponyourdedicatedserver,youcanreprovisionyourserver.Reprovisioningerasesallofthecontentonyourserverharddrive.Yourserverreturnstothestateitwasinwhenyoufirstpurchasedit.

YoucanreprovisionyourserverusingtheDedicatedHostingManager.

} To Reprovision Your Server 1. LogintoyourAccountManager.

2. UndertheHosting&Emailsection,selectDedicated/VirtualDedicatedServers.

3. ClickLaunchManagernexttotheserveryouwanttoreprovision.YourDedicatedHostingManageropens.

4. UndertheSupportsection,clickReprovisionServer.TheReprovisionServerpagedisplays.

5. Ifyouchooseto,enteranewhostnameandusername.Thesevaluesdefaulttothecurrenthostnameandusernameforthisaccount.

6. Enterandconfirmanewpassword,andthenclickContinue.

Youwillreceiveaconfirmationnoticeonceyourserverisreprovisionedandreadytogo.Typically,yourserverisreadyinlessthanfivehours.

GETTING HELP Afteryousetupyourserver,youcaneasilygethelpbysubmittingatroubleticketusingyourDedicatedHostingManager.Alternatively,youmaycontactCustomerSupportdirectlyforassistance.

} To Open a Trouble Ticket 1. LogintoyourAccountManager.

2. UndertheHosting&Emailsection,selectDedicated/VirtualDedicatedServers.

3. ClickLaunchManagernexttotheserveraccountthatyouneedhelpwith.

4. IntheDedicatedHostingManager,underSupport,clickTroubleTicket.

5. Enteryourcontactinformation,includinganemailaddressandphonenumber.

6. UnderTroubleTicketDescription,enterasummaryandadetaileddescriptionofyourissue.

7. ClickContinue.

8. ReviewyourtroubleticketinformationandclickSubmit.

Introduction vii

OTHER RESOURCES Youcanusetheseresourcestolearnmoreaboutmanagingyourdedicatedserver:

Resource URL

PleskDocumentation http://www.swsoft.com/en/plesk/

YoucanfindUserManualsandFlashTutorialsonSWSoftsWebsite.

Redhat/FedoraCoreDocumentaion

http://fedora.redhat.com/docs/ORhttp://www.redhat.com/docs/

RedhatsextensivedocumentationcanhelpyougetacquaintedwiththeLinuxoperatingsystemandtheshellcommandsthatyoucanusewithSSH.

CentOS4Documentation http://www.centos.org/

YoucanfindUserManualsonCentOSsWebsite.

Onceyouhavepurchasedyourdedicatedserverandweveworkedontheinitialconfiguration,youneedtologintoyourDedicatedHostingManagertofinishsettingthingsup.

TheDedicatedHostingManagerisaneasyplaceforyoutosetupthehostname,userID,andpasswordforyourserver.Youcanalsouseittoscheduleservermaintenance,reprovisionyourserver,viewbandwidthstats,requestadditionalIPs,andsubmittroubletickets.

CHOOSING A HOST NAME, USER ID, AND PASSWORDNote:ServerswithAssistedServicePlanrequireyoutosupplyadditionalinformation,includingthedomainnameyouareusingforyourWebsitehostingandtheemailaddresstowhichdedicatedservercorrespondenceissent.

ThefirsttimeyouaccessyourDedicatedHostingManager,youllneedtocreateahostname,userID,andpasswordforyourserver.ThisistheuserIDandpasswordthatyouwillusetoconnecttoyourserverinthefuture.ItsagoodideatohavethismaterialreadywhenyoulogintoyourManagerforthefirsttime.

Choosing a Host Name Theservershostname(alsoknownasyouraccountname)isauniquenameforyourserver.Ifyouhavemultiplevirtualserveraccounts,yourhostnameswillhelpyoudifferentiatebetweendifferentaccountsinyouraccountlist.

Yourhostnamecanbeanything,aslongasitfitstheserequirements:

Itmustcontainbetween315characters.

Yourhostnamemuststartwithaletter.

Itcanonlybemadeupofletters,numbers,singledots,orasingledash.

Youcannotstartorendyourhostnamewithasingledotordash.

Youcannotincludeanyspacesoranyotherspecialcharactersinyourhostname.

1. Setting Up Your Dedicated Server

SettingUpYourDedicatedServer 2

Choosing a User ID YouruserIDistheprimaryIDthatyouusetoaccessyourserver.ThisistheuserIDyouusetoaccessyourserverfromanSSHorSCPprogram.

YouruserIDcanbebetween4and32lowercasealphanumericcharacters.YouruserIDcannot:

Beginwithanumber.

Containspaces.

Containsymbols.

Containcapitalletters.

OurdedicatedserversalsohavealistofreservedtermsthatyoucannotuseasauserID.Thesetermsarelistedbelow:

Choosing a Password for Your Server Thisisthepasswordthatyouuse,alongwithyouruserID,toconnecttoyourserver.Thisisalsothepasswordyouusewhenyouusethesu - rootcommandtogainrootaccesstoyourserver.KeepinmindthatAssistedServicePlandedicatedserversdonotallowrootaccess.

Duetosecurityreasons,youcannotlogindirectlytoyourdedicatedserverasroot.However,youdohaverootaccessifyoudidnotpurchaseAssistedServicePlan.Togainrootaccesstoyourserver,loginwithyourusualuserIDandthenusethesu - root command.Tolearnmoreaboutrootaccess,seeGainingRootAccessonYourServeronpage 11.

Reserved Terms on Our Dedicated Servers

adm

admin

administrator

anonymous

backup

binftp

body

games

gopher

guest

halt

iusrlp

mailnull

news

nfsno

nobody

nscdntp

operator

pcap

root

rpc

rpcuserrpm

smmsp

sshd

sync

system

uucp

vcsa

SettingUpYourDedicatedServer 3

Tokeepyourserversecure,werequireastrongpasswordforyouraccount.Astrongpasswordisapasswordthat:

Containsbetween714characters.

Ismadeupoflowercaseletters,uppercaseletters,andnumbers.

Doesnotbeginwithanumberorsymbol.

Doesnotcontainbackslashes,colons,singlequotes,doublequotes,spaces,ampersands(&),orthecaretsymbol(^).

Doesnotcontainyourusername.

LOGGING IN TO YOUR MANAGER FOR THE FIRST TIME Onceyouvedecidedonahostname,us