What (Else) Should I Do after Setting Up my Ubuntu Server?

May 17, 2013 3.8k views
victoriousrock
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victoriousrock
Hi, I have just finished setting up my Ubuntu server (thanks for the guides here! :) ) for my multiple websites. I understand that there is *still* much to be done before I can even start working on the websites and so I read a bit more and have the following questions... 1. Should I even use phpMyAdmin? I heard that it provides a convenient way to manage databases (I am going to need to input a lot of data; every bit of convenience counts!) but there seem to be lots of security issues with it. 2. How do I use cron jobs to my advantage? I understand that they can help me do certain administrative tasks (especially updates) but I am not sure where to start learning more about them... 3. What/How should I monitor my server? 4. Should I install ClamAV or TripWire for the server? 5. How should I "harden" my Apache server? Thanks!
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5 Answers
kamaln7 MOD May 17, 2013
1. As you like. I personally have a separate locked-down phpmyadmin droplet.

2. http://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/define-cron-crond-and-cron-jobs/

3. You can use a service like pingdom to get notified if your server goes down.

4. As you wish.

5. There's a lot of information about that on the internet: https://encrypted.google.com/search?q=how+to+secure+apache
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c0smicalninja May 20, 2013
If possible, replace Apache with Nginx if you're paranoid over security, especially, if you run a PHP website.
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victoriousrock May 20, 2013
@Kamal:

1. Hmmm... How would that droplet be able to control the MySQL servers in other droplets?

2. Ah I see, thanks!

3. Pingdom is too expensive for my usage (but I have managed to find free services like StatusCake). Am I right to say that it is possible to do everything using Apache's features? Or should I just leave it to such services for efficiency?

4, 5. Ok then :)

@Dave Smith: I am not sure if my websites will be purely PHP though so I am going to stick with Apache
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kamaln7 MOD May 23, 2013
1. You just give it access to mysql (https://www.digitalocean.com/community/articles/how-to-create-a-new-user-and-grant-permissions-in-mysql) and install phpmyadmin on it so you can connect to the other db server.

3. There are many free alternatives out there such as StatusCake and Uptime Robot.
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victoriousrock May 28, 2013
Thanks, will go check those out too :)
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