allu62

One of the most amazing experiences, that I made during the setup of my waiting-for-Tommy-VPS, was to learn to know how powerful are a community and a forum like the HelioHost's one. Without the help of their admins and the forum members, I would have never succeeded. Thanks! As I got quick and helpful answers to all my questions, I was surprised that my last post (made last Wednesday: https://www.helionet.org/index/topic/44536-timeout-on-hestia-update/), with actually 92 views, has never been answered and I wondered what the reason could be. I've found several possible answers: 1. Did I ask to many questions before? 2. Did I post in the wrong forum? 3. As the questions concern Hestia and Awstats, i.e. specific software, is it not previewed to answer related questions? Not previewed and well seen to post such questions in this forum? 4. Is getting an answer (at least partially) a question of chance? The chance, that someone, who actually knows an answer and considers the question important enogh to be answered, reads the post? In my actual case, may one reason be, that the post title is badly chosen? 5. As I saw another not-answered post, made on Thursday, may the reson simply be due to the special situation, where the HelioHost stuff has more than lots to do with the servers re-installation? You may argue, why all these concerns, if, anyway, I intend to use my VPS only until Tommy is back. I guess, that's how I am. If I do sth, I want to do it as well as possible and understand as much as possible of what I do. The messages concerning Hestia update have stopped and there is no real importance if Awstats works or not. But I really thought that these messages could mean that there's sth important not working correctly. And Awstats running perfectly on Tommy, and I myself not having found how to include a full download list (I also think that for two days, awstats did not update the stats?), I hoped to find someone in the forum, who knows Awstats well or who experienced similar problems and perhaps solved them. Sorry for this long post and sorry, if (during my VPS setup), I asked for help to often. Anyway, independently of what ever, HelioHost are unique on the net. Thanks for having the chance to be part of this great community with their even greater "free webspace for everyone" philosophy, for three and a half years.

Hi. For 3 days, I get an email from my VPS cron service; email title: "Cron <admin@vps43> sudo /usr/local/hestia/bin/v-update-sys-hestia-all". Message: "Error: Timeout was reached". Someone has an idea what may be the reason of this? And, more important, is it sth I have to worry about? Another, non-related question: My avstats now works fine, except that I do not succeed in displaying the full download list. I get a "page not found", what is normal, because there is no downloads.html generated in the monthly directories. I looked at the avstats config file, but did not see what I have to change. On Tommy, it worked well...

Hestia has installed a spam filter, too. You are right. Mails shouldn't be a real issue. And Ubuntu shouldn't need an antivirus, I guess? With 2GB of memory, clamav is not reasonable and not installing it avoids work and possible problems. Thanks.

I have no idea if it's true that there is no need for an antivirus on Linux, as some people say. Running a mailserver without an antivirus seems risky to me and in Hestia there is a "not installed" in red in the antivirus column for the mailserver- I posted yesterday in the Hestia CP forum and got a very detailed description, how to install and congigure clamav. However, the last line of the answer to my post shows a major issue when installing the antivirus- That I should be aware that clamav needs some 1GB free memory (how is this possible?). On my 2GB VPS, all services running, there are only 1.2GB free memory left. Would installing clamav not cause more problems than being without, especially because 99% of the mails are spam, that I delete without ever opening them?

Error 500 seems to indicate, that there is an error in the PHP script. I think, that you can find details when having a look at the Apache error log. My PHP scripts work all fine, including access to MariaDB, all this without that I had to do anything at all (config by Hestia). Your error may be caused by a difference between the PHP, the script is intended for (maybe v5), and the PHP version, that you are actually using on your VPS; I think it's version 7.4; you can change this in the config of your PHP server.

Thanks. But it will never be more for me than a work-around during the time, Tommy is rebuild. Two big differences: 1. Security. I'm really scared being hacked. 2. If something doesn't work, on the VPS, I have to fix it myself, whereas on Tommy, there are lots of very kind people, who have all the knowledge, that I'm to old to acquire, who look after it. But, the experience is amazing, that's true.

Ups, forgot to thank you for webmail help!

Of course, it's webmail.mydomain.lu and not www.mydomain.lu/webmail. Sometimes you don't see the most evidents things. 🙂 awstats is a nice statistics application, that I also used on Tommy. Because of the timeout, I switched back to port 22. To change the port: In Hestia, as admin user, push the "Servers" button, scroll down to SSH and chose "Edit". The SSH configuration file is displayed. Change the Port key from 22 into your new port and uncomment this line. Struggling like me... In fact, my site is full functional now; did MariaDB and connection with Perl yesterday. But there are lots of admin tasks to do, for example, configuring antivirus for mail directory. Really a lots of work for just one month. But, learned a lot about Linux!

I (more exactly my "sponsor") used this URL to make the payment on Saturday morning via PayPal. Had I to post the transaction code here or elsewhere? Would be sad to loose the VPS, because even if it's partially really heavy and several things do not work as I expected, the website, including Perl and MySQL is actually running...

With the actual weather in Luxembourg, it's a nightmare to be a non-professional, trying to configure a VPS, when you have to sit with your laptop outside, in order to have Internet access. Nevertheless, the major part of my website is running, DNS issues resolved thanks to the help found in this forum, Perl CGI figured out by myself after some 6 hours of hard work. Today, I configured mail and my server receives emails, including emails with non existing accounts going to a default one. Sending emails seems fine, too. However: - Has anyone an idea, what I must do to use webmail? With http://www.mydomain.lu/webmail, I get a "page not found" error (the same for https). To note that there is no webmail folder in my domain's web or mail directory. Have I to run some setup script for Roundcube, that perhaps creates this folder? Another problem, that I have no idea how to solve, is awstats. Awstats is actually running, but is only accessible via http. In fact, it does not work with the alias, defined in the generated config, but with an alias I created myself. - Is there some additionnal configuration to do, if I want to access the awstas pages with https? And why, when accessing it with http, the pages are immediately displayed, with a "basicauth/require valid user" set for the awstats directory? Forgive me for asking, concerning sth that seems evident, but I'm not sure, because Hestia does lots of things automatically. - When I changed my SSH port, the connection with PuTTY was timed out. May that be, because I have to open the new port in iptables? And if I change the port, have I to use the new port for secure FTP, too, or are these two things, that have nothing to do with each other? Sorry, for all these questions, but the Hestia documentation is limited to some specific points and there are very few webpages, where I found some usefull information. Thanks in advance.

My static pages are actually running on the VPS. Thanks to Hestia and the power of the HelioHost community forum. How shall I do to pay, I mean in order that you know that it is for a VPS that already exists and not for a new one to build? And, just to be sure: If I pay for 6 months (primarily to consider as a donation), this does not mean that I'll have to keep the VPS during all this time and that I can't come back to Tommy, as soon as the rebuild is done? In fact, I consider the VPS as nothing more than a solution during the transition phase...

Big thanks for this suggestion: The static pages of my site are actually running on my VPS! To add, that ClouDNS seems globally to be a real good solution: Creation of a zone and addition of A and other records is entirely free and their service is simple and implicit to use. Thus, if you need a free DNS server to host the records for your website, you should have a look at https://www.cloudns.net/ ...

Lots to tired to be curious... Tried the whole afternoon to solve the problem. 1. I created an account on ClouDNS and added 4 NS and an A and AAAA record for my domain there. They tell it's ok. 2. I changed the name servers at my DNS provider's to the new NS records. DNS servers were accepted and the update was done. 3. I changed the NS records on my VPS. Here, too, all seems ok. However, if I point my browser to my domain name, I still come to my old site on Tommy. Doing a DNS audit on dns.computer, they tell me that's all ok, but with ns1.heliohost.org and ns2.heliohost.org as nameservers. Is this simply, because it takes time, until the changes take effect? Or, will it only work when my DNS records are deleted at HelioHost?

Thanks a lot for your concern and efforts. Hestia created the new zone with ns1/2.heliohost.us as DNS servers, but these do not exist. My DNS provider asks for 2 DNS servers, that must be given by name. I hope that Krydos sees the posts; he probably would have a suggestion. Thanks anyway and have a nice day.

Thanks for answer. It's my own .lu domain, registered at a provider's in Luxembourg. If I understand you well, bind on my VPS is a "real DNS server", all of my DNS-related records may be registered on the VPS and all DNS requests for my domain will directly be passed from my DNS registerer to my bind server (if I set the A record there)? Hestia has installed iptables and I think fail2ban, too. Perhaps I should shutdown the SSH server (if this works from Hestia) as I'll only exceptionally need direct access to the system (as, for example, to install Perl, I suppose). I choose the VPS for the transition time, where Tommy is rebuild, because I want to keep my site online. Playing around would be a good occasion to learn new things, but my site is priority and having no Internet access of my own, I'm doing all this, sitting on the sidewalk, so to say. Perhaps a good idea for later, on a local virtual machine...

My brandnew VPS is running, with Hestia installed. Next step: moving my website (hosted on Tommy) to the VPS. I suppose that this is essentially 3 steps: Create a new domain record, create a new web record and upload the files. Two major questions: 1. I suppose that HelioHost has to delete my actual DNS records (on Tommy), before I can create new ones? 2. Must I change server names at my DNS provider's? What are the DNS servers responsible for myvps.heliohost.us? My VPS itself, perhaps? Another question concerns security. What should I absolutely do to avoid hacking and other problems? Thanks for answer. And thanks for having the possibility to have this amazing experience, that's mostly complete newland for me.

Thanks! 😊

If the 3-day free trial is still ok for you, I'm ready to experience being the sysadmin of a VPS. I even think, that I should try to install Hestia myself. This seems not really complicated and it would be better to start from scratch, if some day I write a tutorial for my site. If you think, that it's preferable that you do it, that's ok for me. But, only if you really have the time. And, if possible, with Apache as webserver (I know the Apache config files from my local server and I suppose that they are quite the same on Ubuntu than on Windows). Big thanks for all!

It's a challenge, the possibility to learn new things and writing articles for my website, that could help others... The offer of a 3-4 days trial is some kind of "sign of heaven", as my "sponsor" left for Italy this morning. Thus, if you set up my VPS on Wednesday, I could pay on Saturday, when he'll be back. This independently of if I keep the VPS or not; consider it as a donation, my way to say thanks and show my admiration.

I know that Krydos and the others are more than busy now and I have no intention to steal their time. Maybe, this is all a misunderstanding. First, I thought that installing the web interface would be, for them, a routine task, just taking some minutes. Second, I understood Krydos proposition as his conviction that, with Hestia installed, setting up a running website (at least a minimum of it, as it is only for transition time) could be done by a non-professionnal without to much sysadmin knowledge and efforts. I guess, that you (balloons) are a pro and it seems that you think that a non-pro should only do such things, if he is prepared to encounter all kinds of problems. Someone else, who understands more about all this than myself, could give an opinion? Yesterday I was sure about what to do, but now I have more and more doubts. Perhaps, I should do nothing at all, just waiting until the new Tommy is ready and continue there, where I'm actually am...

That VPS is nothing but the OS may be read in Krydos' posts; thus I know what it is. And having to install all servers myself, are you sure? If HelioHost installs Hestia, everything seems to be automatically installed (if I correctly understood the Hestia documentation). For the rest you may be right, that I'll get problems: Nginx instead of Apache, MariaDB instead of MySQL, some PHP application server instead of Apache PHP module, I guess, nothing said about Perl (but might be part of Ubuntu OS)...

"You are really the best!", someone wrote. He must know HelioHost for some time... 😍 This seems a pretty good idea for me. Staying at HelioHost during the transition phase, having the possibility to learn new things, and having a pretext to ask my "sponsor" for help and with a 6 moths VPS subscription, showing my gratitude and admiration for you guys. Did I read well, that the subscription has to be canceled manually, or is there an option to do this automatically? I ask because, it's not me, who will pay and I want to be sure not causing any problems to people, who have the kindness to support me. What will I have to do when the transaction is done? Posting the ID and waiting for an email, telling me that I can start installation and file transfer? Nice day to everyone!

As for your AAA support, you were really quick to find a solution with Plesk. Thanks, in the name of all those who believe in a free Internet for everyone! As far as I understand, the situation is similar to the Tommy disk crash: Backup by HelioHost of all user accounts and restore of the accounts after the rebuild. And the only thing to do, restore/re-upload the files, recreate the databases and import their data? The question is, what to do meanwhile. Just waiting is not an option for me. The loss of visitors and, more important, the loss of actual Google Search rankings, would be to big. Apart giving up my web dreams or giving up HelioHost, two options, I guess: VPS and temporarily moving my site to the server of some other web space provider. Not really prepared to loose lots of time and surely not to loose my good mood with having to install a webserver, PHP, Perl, eventually MySQL and a web interface, I think the second option is be the best for a Windows user, not really used to work in a Unix console. Someone has a suggestion for a provider, where I find web space free of charge, being sure that my PHP and Perl scripts will run correctly, with eventually the possibility for 1 MySQL database (my big database application being actually anyway offline)? And, a more important question, how much time is left for me to take a decision, I mean how long Tommy will still be up and my site accessible (should I change forced https, because the certificates are signed by cPanel?)? Thanks for answer and thanks for a really nice job you do!

Concerning FTP access (from Windows): I use WinSCP. Create site: host=tommy.heliohost.org; protocol=SFTP;port=1342;user=cPanel_user_name. Leave password blank, push Connect button and enter password when asked so. This works for me (hope for you, too); just retried 5mins ago...

Hi everyone. Maybe the reason ot cPanel's action simply is, because in a world, where money is everything, people who believe in "free things for everyone" are what they don't want, what they hate, what they try to eliminate... Not sure, what this now really means. My site is still accessible, with https (I guess that the cerificate will remain valid for some month and then https will be over, as the certificates are established by cPanel?). FTP access works fine, too, thus, it's not necessarily the end? Nor for HelioHost, nor for us? Even though, with only FTP (I suppose that it's also possible to access phpMyAdmin; please, can someone tell me how?), no more possibility for other configurations, it will be difficult. Please, can someone give me a clue, what I should do? Searching for another provider? Waiting, in the hope that they find a replacement for cPanel? It's really sad, how dreams, that were coming true, are distroyed, from one day to the other, without warning. Cruel world!