Managing a VPS
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I have a VPS also.
Some things I've learned...
1- Know your details.
Take the time to learn what your various versions are because this will matter a lot in getting help. Centos and Ubuntu, while both linux, behave slightly differently and the commands used on one don't necessarily work on the other.
2- Get used to SSH
You will be using this a lot.
I'd recommend bookmarking this site if you don't already have it. (Having a list of commands makes things a lot easier.)
3- Proper capitalization and spelling are key.
iptables -i and iptables -I are not the same thing. Loads of commands are case sensitive and using the wrong one can cause tons of frustration. Similarly make sure everything is spelled properly because it can also make the difference between things breaking down or working.
4- Brush up your googling skills.
Because you're going to need them. But you'll need to know what to look for (which keywords to use). Which is also why I recommended knowing your details... Since getting help on Centos 6.4 might be slightly different than getting help on 6.7.
I made the mistake of rushing when I got mine. (I was in kinda a tough spot, my host was closing down and I didn't want to be billed for another 6 months when I wouldn't get most of it. But I didn't want to cancel and have them delete my site right then.) I installed zPanel for managing things with an interface. But I had a few problems with it...
- AWstats wouldn't work. (Apparently they renamed a module and forgot to update the line calling it in the panel.)
- PHPmail wouldn't work. (Never did figure this one out. I tried getting help from: zPanel, my host via ticket, my host via IRC, owner of a large hosting service, admin of a directory... who was the closest to solving the issue I think.)
I should have slowed down and researched panel options. (I'd likely have gone with either Sentora or Vesta.)
Some things I've learned...
1- Know your details.
Take the time to learn what your various versions are because this will matter a lot in getting help. Centos and Ubuntu, while both linux, behave slightly differently and the commands used on one don't necessarily work on the other.
2- Get used to SSH
You will be using this a lot.
I'd recommend bookmarking this site if you don't already have it. (Having a list of commands makes things a lot easier.)
3- Proper capitalization and spelling are key.
iptables -i and iptables -I are not the same thing. Loads of commands are case sensitive and using the wrong one can cause tons of frustration. Similarly make sure everything is spelled properly because it can also make the difference between things breaking down or working.
4- Brush up your googling skills.
Because you're going to need them. But you'll need to know what to look for (which keywords to use). Which is also why I recommended knowing your details... Since getting help on Centos 6.4 might be slightly different than getting help on 6.7.
I made the mistake of rushing when I got mine. (I was in kinda a tough spot, my host was closing down and I didn't want to be billed for another 6 months when I wouldn't get most of it. But I didn't want to cancel and have them delete my site right then.) I installed zPanel for managing things with an interface. But I had a few problems with it...
- AWstats wouldn't work. (Apparently they renamed a module and forgot to update the line calling it in the panel.)
- PHPmail wouldn't work. (Never did figure this one out. I tried getting help from: zPanel, my host via ticket, my host via IRC, owner of a large hosting service, admin of a directory... who was the closest to solving the issue I think.)
I should have slowed down and researched panel options. (I'd likely have gone with either Sentora or Vesta.)
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Whatever you do Never run: rm -rf /
I wouldn't mind going VPS either, but its kind of hard to get going.
I wouldn't mind going VPS either, but its kind of hard to get going.
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There are Managed VPS plans where the web host help you manage your server like how shared web hosts manages your server for you. But, Managed VPS usually cost more than regular VPS plans because you also need to pay the web host for managing your VPS.
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I've taken enough CMD/Bash/SSH in college that I could manage one by myself without the extra cost.
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Sometimes, if you pick a Managed VPS, the web host will give you more RAM, a faster CPU, more bandwidth, more storage, and other features which are better than the cheapest un-managed VPS plan on the same web host because you are paying more money each month for a managed VPS, so you sometimes get better server hardware specs, and service if the web host is more generous.
The extra cost of a managed VPS is sometimes just $10 extra than the un-managed VPS for the cheapest managed VPS server plan which is good enough for many sites which don't get hundreds of new topics, replies, visitors, and pageviews an hour.
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Offhand it's probably unmanaged. (Unmanaged pretty much gives you access to the server then leaves everything else up to you. No further help. ) Either that or they only have set business hours and only provide help from 9AM to like 6PM Monday to Friday.
Most managed VPS start around $40-50 a month. Unmanaged are a lot less expensive, usually $20-30 a month instead for the same package as managed.
Can you find a VPS that's managed and only $10 more expensive than an unmanaged? Sure... but there may be caveats. Like you may be comparing two wildly different packages. EX- Unmanaged host gives 10TB of bandwidth, 250GB of HDD, 4 core Intel Xeon @ 3.6ghz, 4GB ram, etc... Managed host gives 2TB bandwidth, 50GB HDD, 2 core Intel Xeon @ 2.4ghz, 2GB ram, etc...
Truthfully most times, if you know what you're doing, it's better off to go unmanaged because you're going to have more resources for a cheaper price than you would on a managed option.
Most managed VPS start around $40-50 a month. Unmanaged are a lot less expensive, usually $20-30 a month instead for the same package as managed.
Can you find a VPS that's managed and only $10 more expensive than an unmanaged? Sure... but there may be caveats. Like you may be comparing two wildly different packages. EX- Unmanaged host gives 10TB of bandwidth, 250GB of HDD, 4 core Intel Xeon @ 3.6ghz, 4GB ram, etc... Managed host gives 2TB bandwidth, 50GB HDD, 2 core Intel Xeon @ 2.4ghz, 2GB ram, etc...
Truthfully most times, if you know what you're doing, it's better off to go unmanaged because you're going to have more resources for a cheaper price than you would on a managed option.
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and of course this is the internet, I doubt there isn't a VPS issue that can't be looked up.
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I agree there is most likely an answer posted online to most VPN problems, but the answers can be hard to find if the user don't know what the user is looking for to fix the VPS problem.
It would be a good idea to stick to using a shared web host and managed VPS servers if the user is a beginner user, and don't want to risk their website going offline for a very long time, or not work properly because of the user not knowing how to setup software on a VPN, and fix problems which can occur when running a website on a VPS server.
If a website becomes offline or slow for too long, it will eventually lose most of its search engine rankings which can take years to get, and some users will think the website has closed down.
So you currently host your forum on a VPS?
Yes, that's right. Since posting that though I have made some changes. I no longer use zPanel for one. (I ran into an issue where emails weren't sending, had to take backups, reformat and start from scratch.)
Also, another thing I'd suggest (might be good practice for any admin really...) is to create a folder or something on your computer and save every guide/solution to problems you encounter. (Not just links to them, but actual copies too. Like a .pdf version or downloaded webpage.) This way in case you ever run into the same issue, you can look through your guide and take the same steps again to solve it.
Plus in case you ever run into an issue and need to retrace your steps you can have a list of exactly what you've done. When I was trying to figure out why PHPmail wasn't working I had to refer to those guides to see exactly what I'd done... but some of those sites actually got deleted/taken down (sometime after I initially used them) so the instructions weren't available anymore. Thankfully I had saved guides so I could say exactly what I'd done.
Also, another thing I'd suggest (might be good practice for any admin really...) is to create a folder or something on your computer and save every guide/solution to problems you encounter. (Not just links to them, but actual copies too. Like a .pdf version or downloaded webpage.) This way in case you ever run into the same issue, you can look through your guide and take the same steps again to solve it.
Plus in case you ever run into an issue and need to retrace your steps you can have a list of exactly what you've done. When I was trying to figure out why PHPmail wasn't working I had to refer to those guides to see exactly what I'd done... but some of those sites actually got deleted/taken down (sometime after I initially used them) so the instructions weren't available anymore. Thankfully I had saved guides so I could say exactly what I'd done.
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the gaming(force)latest folder on my laptop/PC is currently about 1 GB or so from all the stuff I collected and documented over this forum's years and I often go back looking for stuff. It's solid advice.
Thanks for the advice, but chances are I'm gonna move it back to a shared account or just pay someone to manage it for me. Programming and stuff like that are just not my thing. I could never get into it in school and that's why I chose to study literature and art after high-school. I did try to look through the tutorials and articles you linked, but I find them incredibly boring to the point where studying them for a few hours becomes really annoying. I'm gonna stick to what I'm good at, and leave server management to those who know how to do it.
Yeah, it's a fair step up in difficulty and truthfully, most people will never even need to consider going with a VPS. (Only those that want more power for resource intensive scripts, which would get accounts cancelled on shared hosting, or are doing multiple projects may need one.)
Using a free forum host = easy (really nothing to break except some CSS)
Using shared hosting = medium (far more customization/control compared to free forum host because you can access php files themselves now. Still can't access server controls though)
Using a VPS = Hard (Even more control compared to shared since can now access server level controls)
I'm not sure if Dedicated server is that much of a step up from VPS though since basically everything that applies to a VPS applies to a dedicated server. The only real difference is how much power/resources you have (and how much it costs).
Using a free forum host = easy (really nothing to break except some CSS)
Using shared hosting = medium (far more customization/control compared to free forum host because you can access php files themselves now. Still can't access server controls though)
Using a VPS = Hard (Even more control compared to shared since can now access server level controls)
I'm not sure if Dedicated server is that much of a step up from VPS though since basically everything that applies to a VPS applies to a dedicated server. The only real difference is how much power/resources you have (and how much it costs).
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Thanks for the advice, but chances are I'm gonna move it back to a shared account or just pay someone to manage it for me. Programming and stuff like that are just not my thing. I could never get into it in school and that's why I chose to study literature and art after high-school. I did try to look through the tutorials and articles you linked, but I find them incredibly boring to the point where studying them for a few hours becomes really annoying. I'm gonna stick to what I'm good at, and leave server management to those who know how to do it.
You wish it was programming, at least from what I believe VPS should just be command line stuff which falls under simple coding.