Hi, I wanted to ask if you can recommend a control panel for windows free or open source. I need to use it on my Windows 2008 server.
Thanks to all

myserverweb,
Here is another thread that may have some information for you:
http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showthread.php?t=362566&page=2

The control panel is another layer of complexity, but if you need it you need it.

DotNetPanel has now gone OpenSource.
They've changed their name to WebSitePanel, http://sourceforge.net/projects/websitepanel

DotNetPanel has now gone OpenSource.
They've changed their name to WebSitePanel, http://sourceforge.net/projects/websitepanel

Interesting, I didn't know this.

Its only just been announced... There were rumors at the Parallels Summit they've bene given a wedge of cash to make it open.

wow, I just got the email announcement from dotNetPanel that they went open source, and it is BSD license as well.

yeah, i just got the newsletter too.. looks interesting, going to test install tomorrow :)

why did they do a thing like that?
I would like to read about this decision if someone kindly gives me a link to click.
Note: I am *still* using Helm3 on my windows servers because I am *yet* to find something easy and trouble free as a windows hosting control panel.
Plesk for windows is dominating this business and I am definitely hating it so much that I don't do windows hosting anymore because whether I want to still use helm3 on my new servers I have to pay to swsoft again! DOH!

with dotnet panel going opensource maybe this will change!
what do you think?

Here is the email for those who have missed it:
We are excited to announce that SMB SAAS Systems Inc. has revised theDotNetPanel codebase and posted that new code under the new name "WebsitePanel" to SourceForge.NET as an open source project:

http://sourceforge.net/projects/websitepanel


WebsitePanel is a line-of-business application and we recognize the benefits of using an open source development model as a more agile and flexible way to meet the growing needs of the web hosting community.

This will enable the hosting and development community to directly contribute to the future of the project, ensuring WebsitePanel’s continued development as an affordable and scalable control panel for Microsoft Windows hosting.

With this change, software developers and hosting providers can now easily integrate WebsitePanel directly into their own offerings and extend the functionality and features to meet their customers’ Windows hosting needs.

For current DotNetPanel customers SMB SAAS Systems Inc. will be providing free community support for a limited time. Future new versions and product updates (including enterprise modules) and bug fixes will be available at no cost to all customers via the WebsitePanel open source project.

We encourage all our customers to move to the WebsitePanel, which will continue to be supported, and participate in WebsitePanel project at SourceForge.NET.

We enjoy working with you and look forward to seeing WebsitePanel continue to grow!

Sincerely yours,
Feodor Fitsner,
CEO and President

Well, I think that DotNetPanel will suits to your requirements. Its comes with much more features.

I think it would be perfect for someone who wants a free panel, or better yet, if you were to extend the API, use DNP as the backend infrastructure/provision system and develop your own front end interface.

The "framework" isn't anywhere near as flexible for what a larger host would need it to be though, but for a decent developer, its a good start..

I am not happy about DNP doing this, it'll be just weeks until someone works out how to hack current DNP hosts.

I am not happy about DNP doing this, it'll be just weeks until someone works out how to hack current DNP hosts.

AGREE :mad:

Hi Guys

Hmmm... Do agree with you about the exploits that could be opened up (not a nice thought on live servers). Open source could be what is needed to bring this software up-to-date, but, I am hesitant.

What do you propose as an alternative going forward?

I think it’s a silly move on their part, like people said above it will take no time for hackers to figure a way in to the hosts currently using the panel. Bad move indeed.

I think it’s a silly move on their part, like people said above it will take no time for hackers to figure a way in to the hosts currently using the panel. Bad move indeed.

I am not happy about DNP doing this, it'll be just weeks until someone works out how to hack current DNP hosts.

I think thats a slight exaggeration.. Unless the web interface was prone to injection attacks (which in that case it would have always been), there is no new advantage to hackers using the opensource version.

Any developer contributing to the public source will obviously have the code reviewed. Thats how opensource projects works, so there would be roughly the same chance of dodgy code getting in as there would a regular employeed developer.. Only difference now is there is no liability if anything did get coded in....

And on top of that... A while ago I used a .net reflector to decompile DNP to see if the architecture was flexible enough for my infrastructure (which it wasn't), but that was possible because the source wasn't code protected, and probably never has been.

What you should demand is a refund for the remaining licensing fee's. I'm sure there are people who recently renewed their licenses and are now greatly out of pocket.

I agree that the risk of being hacked is being exaggerated. As mentioned, anyone interested could have decompiled the dll and viewed the source before DNP went open source. Further, if one has followed best practices and only allows DNP's Enterprise Server (the heart of the system) to be reached by Panel (the UI website) you are well protected.

Overall impact of DNP going open source is not good as you can also view it from the discussion on their official forums too. DNP clients are not happy clients.

http://forum.dotnetpanel.com/forums/t/7702.aspx

Apart from Hosting Controller and Parallels , does any one have some alternatives in mind for Windows Control panel?

Other then the blatent theft of client money, I think DNP going OS opens doors for allot of hosts. For ages, hosts have been battling with what their control panel doesn't do or won't support, with a heavy license fee for something you don't get.

I've never like/used DNP so am not affected by the change, but just think what hosts can do with an opensource control panel supporting IIS, sharepoint, hyper-v and exchange. You could extend the API, write your own frontend interface and use DNP to provision the infrastructure without directly needing to code it.

Now, I couldn't care less about why DNP did this, either they got paid to go opensource (which is what i heard) or they were shedding money and wanted out. Either way, you've got 2 years of solid development already written for you, allowing you to focus on the interface, and all those things that annoyed DNP users/customers in the first place. For anyone wanting to code their own CP, it's a gift.

Just read about this. The irritating thing for me is that I only got my VPS 2 months ago to move my reseller hosting to it. Paid £180 for DNP, and then 2 months later it becomes open source. Now that is a poke in the eye :(

Now, I couldn't care less about why DNP did this, either they got paid to go opensource (which is what i heard) or they were shedding money and wanted out. Either way, you've got 2 years of solid development already written for you, allowing you to focus on the interface, and all those things that annoyed DNP users/customers in the first place. For anyone wanting to code their own CP, it's a gift.

Agreed, I am largely supportive of the move despite having spent thousands on licenses. I think the way they went about it was wrong, it kinda just happened with no warning and was not fair at all to paying customers, especially those who just bought licenses and I hope they are refunded.

The security fears are a huge exaggeration, hackers don't need source code to find exploits and as already mentioned if you followed their recommendations they should not be able to get to your install to attack it.


Overall impact of DNP going open source is not good as you can also view it from the discussion on their official forums too. DNP clients are not happy clients.

More appear supportive than not. You can't please everyone and I can completely understand the opposite side of the coin. Personally I like the fact we can add features we want/need and not have to request them and hope they eventually make them in. And don't forget many DNP users will benefit from this, potentially the development team just exploded in size. Although I am sure, since we all compete with each other there will be some that don't put back additions to gain competitive advantage etc.

How can a gift be theft?

One day it was closed source. Purchasers paid for the functionality.

The next day, the functionality remains, but the source code was gifted to the public at large through the MIT style license.

The functionality would not exist without the prior work of the vendor.

If someone was willing to pay for the closed source functionality, then they got what they thought they were buying. The source code is a bonus.

Then think about whether most users could even begin to modify code in a useful manner.

Most users cannot. The real attraction of open source to the majority of users is simply *price*. All other arguments are just a smokescreen for being tightwads.

The real attraction of open source to the majority of users is simply *price*. All other arguments are just a smokescreen for being tightwads.
LOL Thats what Im always saying about opensource, but in this case, its the zero-cost of R&D for developing provisioning for IIS, Sharepoint, Hyper-V and Exchange that's the real bonus here... For someone who is a developer, thats like 2years of solid development right there... never mind the fact it has been crufted together with a shoehorn..

Any particular justifications for doing that? Wont that provide even strong competition to Plesk Windows and other commercial Windows Control Panel?

Its only just been announced... There were rumors at the Parallels Summit they've bene given a wedge of cash to make it open.

Any particular justifications for doing that? Wont that provide even strong competition to Plesk Windows and other commercial Windows Control Panel?

I want to know too.
What kind of financial benefit can they get when making DNP open source?
It's more understandable if Parallels buy Dotnetpanel and kill it like they did with Helm.