ServerMatrix Server ordered! What do I do while I wait?

[Stachel]

Guess what! Guess what!

Server ordered! (ServerMatrix Super Xeon) :D

What do I do while I wait? True, they said it will only be 24-36 hours, but still...

1) Hold my breath :eek:
2) Read the vBulletin Manual
3) ?

Stachel

[Zachery]

Paitence :)

I just got mine a few days ago and im still in the process of setting some things up. plus dont forget you need to wait another 72 hours to wait for the domain to propagate ;)

[Stachel]

Ohhhh that's right. I had better start the domain name transfer from godaddy.com to servermatrix.com

Or... Zachery do I have to wait till the physical box gets up?

I don't wanna wait! :p


My GoLive Plan is to try to not fail out of grad school while doing the following:

A - Get production server up

0) Keep domain parked at GoDaddy.com but point GoDaddy's nameservers to the new server at servermatrix.com
1) Verify Apache 1.x is already installed
2) Verify php 4.0.18 is already installed
3) Install mySQL
4) Get GD and Curl
5) Use whm's Apache update tool to compile Apache with GD & curl support
6) Install vBulletin 3.0.1
7) Install PhotoPost v4.7
8) Ask the eva person in the vBulletin config optimization person if everything looks OK with those settings (After I figure out how people put those scroll bars boxes in a post - slick!)

B - Finish skin on current LunarPages server
(I was going to go live on LunarPages till I found out *here* in *this forum* that they were dropping support. I'm like geez, when were they planning on telling me! Just a simple email would do. It is really that tough to see who is running vBulletin?)

0) Finish my skin, which is getting pretty clooose


I've been carrying around 55 pages of skin code in the back of my purse for the past 8 weeks. I bought several skins and am reverse-engineering how to do what I want to do. It was really confusing at first, but now I think I sort of understand it. The tricky part is figuring out what changes affect what on the screen.

I had hired 2 different people to do one for me and they both took my money and dropped out of sight. :mad: One I got a refund back from only after starting the process with the attorney general's office to to prosecute Felony Theft-by-Trick charges, and using military and law enforcement resources to track down his father. The other punk I haven't dealt with yet, but that will happen.

So I said f---'em, I'll do it myself! Thankfully I know a PhotoShop expert, so he is figuring out the graphics and I am figuring out the code.


C - Migrate my test instance vBulletin 3.0.0 structure on Lunarpages to ServerMatrix

I think to be legal I need to buy a 2'nd license for the production vBulletin server, because I want to keep a test instance up that has no one on it to experiment with various things.


D - Announce

Announce slowly so I have a chance to work out the kinks.

There is printed matter that will start going into distribution in 1.5 weeks that have at the bottom of it "Come visit us at our forums" with the address. So you can imagine how thrilled I was when the Skin people I hired turned out to be total @#$%^ flakes, and then when I saw here that LunarPages dropped support for vBulletin.


If I get that far, I will feel All-Knowing and All-Powerful :)

Stachel

[SaintDog]

You can tranfer the domain to their DNS or you can create your own instead. Most domains won't take 72 hours, in fact, most registered with NameCheap or GoDaddy (add .com) normally take 12 hours to finish up, with a record of mine taking a max up 16 hours :). I can't honestly vouch for others since I don't use anyone else :).

As for the server, did you order with or without CPanel? If with, then upgrading MySQL, PHP and Apache are going to be much much easier than doing a manual compile. While you may be a bit more limited at first, you can always fool around with the configuration files later :). If you didn't get a control panel, that is just as well fine :), though CPanel generally will make things easier and from what I've seen, it is much more (oddly enough) stable on RedHat Enterprise than it is on RedHat 7,8 and 9.


As for the skin, best of luck getting it completed. Honestly, check the xSkin v2.0 and look around it. We are working on skins as well and have been and the xSkin is a great skin to base work off of when doing you own, but if you are 55 pages down, then you probably don't need any advice :). I'd love to see the skin if you feel like showing it off :), I am always looking to see new CP skins!


Edit: I think I answered my own question about CPanel heh.

[Stachel]

Yep - got Cpanel.

What do you mean about XSkin though - that is a Cpanel skin, right?

You can base a vBulletin skin off a Cpanel skin?

Stachel

[Zachery]

I imagin you can if you really wanted to. I just got everything setup (had to recompile apache + php for GD + curl)

:D but im finainaly ready to go

[Stachel]

I'm jealous!

What is GD and curl for.

Stachel

[Stachel]

Does the order of what I'm doing in A) steps 0-5 matter?

[Zachery]

GD is required if you want to have vBulletin generate the lil numbers for when someone registeres to prevent bots from registering, curl is required for paypal and other authoizing thingiers :D


cPAnel / WHM will come installed with just about everything, however you will need to use whm's apache update tool to compile with GD & curl support.

:)

[Stachel]

Do these versions all work happily together? (This is the latest of each)

Apache 2.0.49 from http://httpd.apache.org/download.cgi
php 4.3.6 from http://www.php.net/downloads.php
mySQL 4.0 from http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/
GD 2.0.22 from http://www.boutell.com/gd/
Curl 7.11.1 from http://curl.haxx.se/download.html

Zachery is that what you are using?

Stachel

[Zachery]

id suggest using apache 1.x as it comes presintalled and 2 while is ready probaly shouldnt be used in a production enviroment, on cPanel 4.3.5 is still under testing.
mysql 4.0.18 should be installed by default

Basicily cPanel does almost everything websoftware wise for you, unless you didnt oder cpanel.

[Furnace]

I hope you are planning on securing the server a bit as well. Cpanel while very useful doesn't do everything for you ;)

As for the versions of everything you want to install don't go for the latest. Go for what has been tested for a few months already and proven to be stable.

[Stachel]

I hope you are planning on securing the server a bit as well.Hi Furnace, with what?

The only up-option I picked from the Super Xeon was FloodGuard from NetZentry ($10 / month) for the denial of service thing.


As for the versions of everything you want to install don't go for the latest. Go for what has been tested for a few months already and proven to be stable.OK.

Stachel

[Stachel]

Sunday update:

SM says they never received the message from the billing person OK'ing the new server (he says he left them a message) so it's not in the queue yet. :(

So, I'll just get some Visine :eek: and keep reading this forum.

Stachel

[Furnace]

Hopefully SM will of installed a firewall, removed direct root login and updated the kernal to the latest secure version for you, but it's always useful if you know how to do things yourself incase there is ever a major problem.

[Stachel]

My server has been born! :D

It's alive and very naked! :eek:

Stachel

[Zachery]

Once you can access WHM rebuild Apache with GD Curl and Mycrypt support :)

[poolking]

One word of warning do not park your domain with your host, park it somewhere else and point the nameservers to your host.

That way your domain name cannot be held to ransom if the relationship with your host sours.

[Stachel]

Thanks poolking! That's what I meant to say, I just didn't know how to say it. (no really!) I've read lots of horror stories about putting too many eggs in 1 basket like that when things go wrong, so I wouldn't do it. I'll correct my original Plan with the way you worded it.

I've had to concentrate hard on skinning this week because my graphic artist is leaving town and I needed to make sure I had everything from him. It's almost DONE :D and I'm jumping up and down excited about it because I think it looks massively cool.



Only remaining prob is that my bottom link row button image conditionals aren't working - the
<if condition="$show['adminoptions']"> show the admin button *.gif </if>


isn't working. No red x either. I'm just copying that from a different part of the code so maybe I am not using the right conditional. But it works if displaying "Admin" link in text just fine! I need to look at it some more and will post a Q in the right place here if I still can't get it to work.


Stachel

[Stachel]

Did the rebuild with whm.
"You now have successfully built and installed the Apache 1.3 HTTP server."

However, my httpd won't start.

Saw 2 problems, and am stuck on 2'nd problem:

Prob 1) I got around by commenting out the line in the httpd.conf file
Invalid command 'Alias', perhaps mis-spelled or defined by a module not included in the server configuration

The line was
Alias /bandwidth/ /usr/local/bandmin/htdocs
and now it is
# Alias /bandwidth/ /usr/local/bandmin/htdocs

Prob 2) I am stuck on:

Cannot load /usr/local/apache/libexec/mod_rewrite.so into server: /usr/local/apache/libexec/mod_rewrite.so: undefined symbol: dbm_fetch


On first build try, I installed only:

php module v4.3.3
Curl (v7.10.5)
Curl SSL Support (v2.8.16)
GD (v2.0.15)

and deselected everything else
On second build try, I installed several more of the default things selected:

php module (V4.3.3)
V4.3.3
FTP
mysql module
pear
sockets
track vars

but still saw same error message

Stachel

[Stachel]

Ha! I fixed it. (I'm not sure why or exactly what I did fixed it, but it worked though) This site had the exact problems explained: www.vttoth.com (http://www.vttoth.com)
Apache seems happy now.

Just installed vBulletin 3.0.1. That seems to be happy working fine. (I really like your install procedure - it lets you see what is happening and then you can OK by.) I could have just pulled over the vBulletin 3.0.0 from my test area that has the skin and the forum structure, but I have distrust-of-all-upgrade-procedures affliction.

PhotoPost is going to ask me where GD was installed. I see a bunch of GD stuff in

/home/cpapachebuild/buildapache/php-4.3.3/ext/gd/libgd

but that seems to be more of the source files than any useful *.exe's.

Stachel

[Icheb]

There is no .exe under linux ;) .

[Stachel]

Get outa town!! :eek:

Any reason why I shouldn't let ServerMatrix do automatic kernel upgrades?

It's telling me if I want to do this:

Run the command (as root): up2date --configure
Remove the "*kernel" entry form the "Package skip list".
Save your configuration settings.

[Stachel]

OK, I have PhotoPost Pro and PhotoPost Classifieds installed and it all seems to be working!

Now I feel like a genius! ::micro bicep flex:: :D

Stachel

[Stachel]

Guess what guess what!


We officially go live next week and in just test mode spreading the word around a little we already hit over 50 simultaneous users!! Wow am I ever glad I got the dedicated server!

Everyone really loves the skin! ::happy dance::

Gotta skin the PhotoPost Pro & Classifieds - the are still naked :eek: .
Will post a link after I do!

And the server is still OK! I am amazed everything just hasn't just fallen over yet.

Yikes and I haven't gotten the Eva person to verify my config! Is he a bot or a real person?

I feel like the mother who is hosting a party for a bunch of wild teenagers and want to say,
"Ok kids now have a blast, but for god's sake don't BREAK anything!"

Stachel

[Zachery]

Eva aka George is real ^^

Make sure your build of cpanel is a stable release before you go live :)

[Stachel]

Eva aka George is real ^^OK Zachery, if you say so. You've been right before once or twice, so I'll go out on a limb and take your word for it. ;)



Make sure your build of cpanel is a stable release before you go live :)I have cPanel 9.2.0-R20

Is that a stable release? hmmmm?

The only strange thing that has happened so far was I received an email from the server that

cpsrvd failed @ Wed May 5 18:41:11 2004. A restart was attempted automagicly.

Stachel

[Zachery]

No thats a Release (not cpanel stable)

I had that same release and it has been giving me errors and been going down from time to time, i just rebuilt to a stable release tonight in hopes of fixing the problems

In case it wasnt mentioned elier
Click on Change Update Preferences

set Cpanel/WHM Updates: to "Manual Updates Only (STABLE tree)"
Set cPanel Package Updates: to "Manual Updates Only"
Set Security Package Updates: : "Automatic"



:) well, at least these are my settings. and im 99% sure Eva recomended the Security and Cpanel/WHM Updates settings to me if not cPanel Package Updates as well :)

[Stachel]

Update changes done !

How do I get the Stable version? I don't see that defined in their FAQ...

Dumb question: on a day-to-day basis, if I'm not renting out websites, is it necessary?

Stachel

[Stachel]

http://www.webhostgear.com/3.html

That Cpanel newbie guide looks helpful, if not a bit out of date (Oct 23 2003)

[Zachery]

Well, you do need your server to be stable, and i was still getting thoughs errors and im not really renting out space either. (well just a few friends ;P)

Theres a section under cpanel and it should have a link to update it. ^^ good luck, it always scares me to udpate stuff i cant touch (if you know what i mean)(

[Stachel]

The link says "Upgrade to latest version"

But what I really need to do is *regress* to a stable release, right?

Or, does "latest version" mean the Stable One.

Stachel

[Zachery]

You should see a link that says

Upgrade to Latest Version

Then a a new page will load up saying



With your current Update Settings, you will be upgrading to the latest STABLE build.

and it will have a big CONTINUE button after it.

[Stachel]

::exhale:: OK, that seemed to work! Thanks Zachery! :D I'm now at cPanel 9.2.0-S25


Is this a good thing or a bad thing:



The following Packages were marked to be skipped by your configuration:


Name Version Rel Reason
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
kernel 2.4.21 9.0.3.ELPkg name/pattern
kernel-smp 2.4.21 9.0.3.ELPkg name/pattern
kernel-source 2.4.21 9.0.3.ELPkg name/pattern

[Zachery]

Didnt notice that when i did my config, so i couldnt tell you honestly :)

[Erwin]

Does SM actually install a firewall for you guys? :) If not, best make sure one is installed.

[Stachel]

HI Erwin,

I am paying for that, and Acunett did some additional security stuff.

http://www.acunett.com/management/

Stachel