Hi guys I am going to manage a dedicated host along with a few other colleagues.

I'd like to know for Redhat Linux 7.1, what are good books and references to properly setup an Apache/Linux web server optimized etc? Thanks in advance :)

I like "Linux Apache Web Server Administration (Linux Library)" by Charles Aulds.

I believe this topic was covered reciently and there were other suggestions (can't find the thread right now).

Frank

Originally posted by ffeingol

I believe this topic was covered reciently and there were other suggestions (can't find the thread right now).


Frank, you mean this thread :D:

http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=32909

All the best information out there is on the net. For a start, you might want to take a look at http://www.linuxdoc.org/

Book knowledge is great, but you will just need to get your hands dirty and get in there and mess around with the server testing things out. This is where you will learn most of your information. At least thats how it was for me.

Hi Falconz,

If there is anything I can add to the topic, I would strongly advise you to read the apache documentation at www.apache.org . It is very lucidly written and gives a great intro to web servers. In hosting you will be meddling more with the webserver than with the OS

Then know the concepts of DNS -if you are not using a controlpanel [and I strongly recommend you not to use! :)] you need to be able to create domains, subdomains, park-point, change MX records, forward URLs and just the elementary things you would expect to do in a virtual hosting environ

You should know the actual syntax for all these

Then in Unix [whatever flavour] you should know how to create users, assign passwords, managing users,groups and chmod etc.
File mgt is essential

With this in theory you can set up virtual hosts and serve web pages - but it's like driving - you know everything and you know nothing! After this, it's just a question of usage and familiarity

All the best to you
Cheers
Balaji

Originally posted by MotleyFool
[and I strongly recommend you not to use! :)]

I disagree with this. While I agree it is important to know how Apache, BIND, Sendmail, etc all work and you should be able to do the configuration by hand, there are two very valid reasons for using control panels:

1. Most likely your primary profession is not server administration. Your primary profession (whether you are running a hosting company, or just have a dedicated server for your site) is something else, and the server is just a tool to aide in that profession. If a control panel makes it easier for you to do your job, then why not use it? You wouldn't expect a physicist to calculate [insert whatever the heck it is physicists calculate] by hand, right? You expect them to be able do the math, and understand the ideas behind the equation, but there is no problem using a computer to do the actual computation. Similarly, there is no problem using a control panel to manage a server, as long as you understand what the control panel is doing behind the scenes.

2. If you are providing virtual hosting, most customers expect a control panel, if you don't provide them one, you stand a good chance of losing that customer.