Web Hosting Talk : Web Hosting Main Forums : Hosting Security and Technology : Intermediate Server management

[letsgo]

Before I get flamed, I want to say that the business plan never involved me being involved in server management. I'm strictly a marketing and sales girl.

However, as time goes by (and as we all know, BP's will ALWAYS change) I'm finding it necessary to do more and more. I usually seem to bumble through via a process of trial and error, much Googling, some help from fellow WHT'ers and I think, pure luck.

I'm not what you could call fresh out of the box, nor am I dumb and incapable, I'm just starting to hit a wall where my underlying knowledge of why things happen isn't strong enough to ensure I'm confident .

I know theres no such thing as "Complete Server Management in 24 hours" by SAMS (although heck I wish there was) but I'm trying to find something that will give me a solid grounding in the basics of WHY things happen.

Any constructive feedback, pointers, etc.. would be gratefully recieved. We run WHM on RH9 at EV1.

[choon]

Try to install Linux From Scratch (LFS) on your desktop. Upon successful installing LFS, you will have some ideas about each software used in Linux OS
Why I recommend you such install... you can't admin your box/server/system well if you do not know much about the software being installed... IMO

[letsgo]

Choon.. thank you sooo much. Its exactly what I need and will be a HUGE help I'm sure to getting a solid grounding, I feel like a baby who has been plonked on her feet and told to run, long before she can walk or even crawl!

Cheers again

[Str]

Installing exactly the same version of OS and software locally as you have on your server help as well.

[choon]

You will have to be running linux either from your HDD or from CDROM in order to install LFS. You can use KOPPIX which will boot up linux using CDROM and from there you can dive in to install LFS.

Just my thoughts

[letsgo]

I've borrowed an old PC from so I can play, experiment, destroy etc without risking my connection with the outside world.

You may hear back from me as all goes wrong, I get terribly confused and start to beat it later but thanks again.

[magnafix]

This is a neat page:

http://people.redhat.com/alikins/system_tuning.html

[pmabraham]

Greetings Nickki:

"I want to say that the business plan never involved me being involved in server management. I'm strictly a marketing and sales girl."

In that case what did the business plan cover in the areas of server management as well as security management?

I'm asking not to flame, but I continue to see more and more hosts not plan out fully in those areas, then they get hacked and the like.

Thank you.

[letsgo]

I didnt suggest for a second that there was no technical support involved in the business.

Merely that although I started out as the marketing and sales person, I have a desire to learn the technical side of it and that it would potentially give us further cover if I was able to undertake some of the more minor tasks.

Our business plan covered security as well as server managenent through our technical team, leaving me to be concerned with other aspects.

[pmabraham]

Greetings Nickki:

Thank you for helping me understand.

May I suggest two books?

RedHat Linux Network and System Administration by Terry Collings and Kurt Wall.

Building Secure Servers with Linux by Michael D. Bauer.

Still on my reading pile, btw, is "Network Intrusion Detection" by Stephen Northcutt and Judy Novak.

Thank you.

[Jake Weg]

another nice book "automating unix and linux administration" I'll have to look up the author later.

[pmabraham]

Greetings Jake:

Kirk Bauer is the author of that book.

Thank you.