Author: David Singer

In this article, we will be discussing what it means to employ a “Managed Server” versus an “Unmanaged Server” and what the primary differences are. This article is written in response to ongoing questions we have received from clients regarding the types of resources, services, and capabilities that are included when a managed server is selected for use.

Your domain is the most important part of your web presence. Recognizing this, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has requirements in place that help keep domain transfers secure. Of course, following these requirements means that transferring domains takes a few more steps than you might otherwise think. Here are the steps for transferring domains to and from Liquid Web:

What is Git-Secret?

Git-secret is a bash tool that is used to store your private files and information inside of a git repo on your server. The git-secret tool allows us to encrypt sensitive files that are stored inside a secure, encrypted repository. In this article, we will be examining the process of installing and working with git-secret on an 18.04 Ubuntu Server.

What is Lynis?

Lynis is a well known, seasoned security tool for Linux based systems (including macOS and/or other Unix-based operating systems. It performs an extensive health scan of your systems to support system hardening and compliance testing. The project is open-source software with the GPL license and available since 2007.

What is OpenVPN?

The OpenVPN software bundle is a set of open-source, virtual private network (VPN) applications used to create a direct, secure site-to-site connection that provides remote access between two locations. 

What is GPG?

GnuPG (or Gnu Privacy Guard) is an adaptation of an earlier encryption standard known as PGP (or Pretty Good Privacy). GPG uses the method of "public" and "private" keys for the encryption and signing of messages or data.

Performance Co-Pilot (PCP) is a compact assessment and evaluation tool that is used to collect a wide array of server metrics and examines current and prior operational data. It is designed to be easily customizable utilizing modern APIs and other resources used to extend its functionality. Redhat has taken many of the best features of DStat and coupled them with additional capabilities that extended its usefulness, and have created their own updated version called Performance Co-Pilot.

What Is Fail2Ban?

Fail2ban is an open-source software that actively scans the servers log files in real-time for any brute force login attempts, and if found, summarily blocks the attack using the servers firewall software (firewalld or iptables). Fail2Ban runs as a background process and continuously scans the log files for unusual login patterns and security breach attempts.

What is Siege?

Siege is a remote host http/https regression testing and benchmarking tool that can be used to test the performance of your web server under duress to see how it will perform. 

What is SQuirreL SQL Client?

The SQuirreL SQL Client is an open-source, graphical Java database administration tool that will allow you to review the structure of a JDBC compliant database, browse the data in tables, and issue SQL commands.