Tag: vps

Why Choose AlmaLinux Over CentOS for Your Server Needs

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Almalinux vs CentOS
Choose Almalinux over CentOS

With the discontinuation of CentOS 8 at the end of 2021 and the shift to CentOS Stream, many server administrators and developers have been seeking a stable, long-term alternative. AlmaLinux has emerged as one of the most promising options, offering a reliable, free, and open-source solution that’s fully compatible with Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). Here’s why AlmaLinux is an excellent choice over CentOS for your server environment.

1. True CentOS Replacement with Long-Term Stability

AlmaLinux was created with the mission of providing a 1:1 binary-compatible fork of RHEL, much like CentOS originally did. As an RHEL-compatible distribution, it gives users a familiar, stable environment without the rolling-release model that CentOS Stream now follows. With the same structure, commands, and behavior as RHEL, AlmaLinux ensures that users experience minimal disruption while switching from CentOS.

2. Community-Driven and Open Source

AlmaLinux was founded and is maintained by the non-profit AlmaLinux OS Foundation, making it a community-driven project. This structure fosters transparency and community input, giving users a stake in the project’s direction. Unlike CentOS Stream, which is now a rolling pre-release for RHEL, AlmaLinux commits to remaining a stable release compatible with RHEL, driven by community contributions and feedback.

3. Free to Use with No Licensing Fees

AlmaLinux is completely free to use, with no hidden fees or licensing requirements, similar to CentOS. This makes it an attractive choice for businesses, organizations, and individuals who need a robust, enterprise-grade OS without the costs associated with RHEL subscriptions.

4. Extended Support and Long-Term Viability

AlmaLinux OS Foundation has pledged to provide long-term support for AlmaLinux, with updates and patches planned for 10 years, much like RHEL’s lifecycle. This extended support gives businesses peace of mind that they won’t need to switch operating systems frequently and allows for long-term planning and stability.

5. Easy Migration Tools and Guides for CentOS Users

Switching from CentOS to AlmaLinux is straightforward, thanks to the migration tools developed by the AlmaLinux OS Foundation. For users already on CentOS 8, the foundation provides AlmaLinux-deploy, a script that simplifies the migration process by converting an existing CentOS system to AlmaLinux without a full reinstallation. This ease of migration allows businesses to transition with minimal downtime and without costly, time-consuming reconfiguration.

6. Security and Reliability

AlmaLinux maintains rigorous security standards to provide a secure operating system. Regular updates and patches keep the system safe from vulnerabilities, and since it’s built to mirror RHEL, you can expect enterprise-grade stability and security features. For users concerned with CentOS Stream’s potential lack of stability, AlmaLinux offers the peace of mind that comes with a fully stable release model.

7. Wide Compatibility and Support for Enterprise Applications

Since AlmaLinux is designed to be fully RHEL-compatible, it works seamlessly with most applications and software built for RHEL. Many enterprise applications that ran on CentOS 7 and 8 will work without issue on AlmaLinux. This compatibility makes it easy to adopt without needing to alter existing software or configurations.

8. Active and Growing Community Support

AlmaLinux’s community is growing quickly, with active forums, extensive documentation, and support channels to help users troubleshoot and optimize their setups. As an open-source community project, AlmaLinux benefits from the collaboration of developers, businesses, and users, ensuring that AlmaLinux remains resilient and adaptable.

9. Endorsements and Contributions from Major Organizations

Major organizations in the tech industry, including CloudLinux, have endorsed AlmaLinux and are contributing to its development. This backing by established companies provides additional assurance that AlmaLinux is a sustainable, reliable option for production environments. These organizations also contribute resources and expertise to AlmaLinux, ensuring it stays aligned with the needs of enterprise users.

Conclusion: AlmaLinux as the Next Step for CentOS Users

AlmaLinux offers everything that made CentOS great—stability, RHEL compatibility, and cost-effectiveness—while remaining free and open-source. Its commitment to stability and long-term support, backed by a strong community, makes it an ideal choice for businesses looking to transition smoothly from CentOS without compromising on performance or reliability. For server administrators and developers seeking a trusted CentOS successor, AlmaLinux is a compelling, future-proof solution.

Basic Tutorial to Secure an Ubuntu VPS

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Secure Ubuntu VPS
Secure Ubuntu VPS

Securing your Ubuntu VPS is essential for protecting data, ensuring stability, and preventing unauthorized access. Here’s a straightforward guide on some basic yet effective steps to secure an Ubuntu VPS.

1. Update Your System

Start by updating your system to ensure all software is up-to-date with the latest security patches.

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

2. Create a New User and Disable Root Login

For security, avoid using the root account directly and create a new user with sudo privileges.

  1. Create a new user: sudo adduser yourusername
  2. Add the user to the sudo group: sudo usermod -aG sudo yourusername
  3. Switch to the new user: su - yourusername
  4. Disable root login by editing the SSH configuration file: sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config Find the line:
   PermitRootLogin yes

Change it to:

   PermitRootLogin no
  1. Restart SSH to apply changes:
    sudo systemctl restart ssh

3. Enable Firewall (UFW)

Ubuntu’s Uncomplicated Firewall (UFW) provides a straightforward way to manage firewall settings.

  1. Allow SSH access: sudo ufw allow OpenSSH
  2. Enable the firewall: sudo ufw enable
  3. Check the status:
    sudo ufw status

Optionally, if you’re hosting a web server, allow HTTP and HTTPS traffic:

sudo ufw allow http
sudo ufw allow https

4. Change the Default SSH Port

Changing the SSH port can add an additional layer of security against automated attacks.

  1. Open the SSH configuration file: sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config
  2. Find the line: #Port 22 Uncomment and change 22 to your desired port, e.g., 2222: Port 2222
  3. Restart SSH to apply changes: sudo systemctl restart ssh
  4. Don’t forget to allow the new SSH port through the firewall:
    bash sudo ufw allow 2222/tcp

5. Disable Password Authentication and Enable SSH Key Authentication

Using SSH keys instead of passwords enhances security.

  1. Generate an SSH key pair on your local machine: ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096
  2. Copy your public key to your VPS: ssh-copy-id -p 2222 yourusername@your_server_ip
  3. Disable password authentication for SSH: sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config Find the line: PasswordAuthentication yes Change it to: PasswordAuthentication no
  4. Restart SSH:
    sudo systemctl restart ssh

6. Install Fail2ban

Fail2ban monitors login attempts and blocks IPs with repeated failures, protecting against brute-force attacks.

  1. Install Fail2ban: sudo apt install fail2ban -y
  2. Start and enable Fail2ban: sudo systemctl start fail2ban sudo systemctl enable fail2ban
  3. Configure Fail2ban by creating a local jail file: sudo cp /etc/fail2ban/jail.conf /etc/fail2ban/jail.local
  4. Modify settings as needed: sudo nano /etc/fail2ban/jail.local You can adjust the ban time, retry limits, and monitored services.
  5. Restart Fail2ban:
    sudo systemctl restart fail2ban

7. Install and Configure Automatic Updates

Automatic updates reduce the risk of security vulnerabilities by ensuring software remains current.

  1. Install the unattended-upgrades package: sudo apt install unattended-upgrades -y
  2. Enable automatic updates:
    sudo dpkg-reconfigure --priority=low unattended-upgrades

8. Regular Backups

Always keep regular backups to quickly recover in case of an attack or data loss. Many hosting providers, like Hosteons, offer backup solutions, making it easy to automate and restore from snapshots or backups.

Summary

By following these steps, you enhance the security of your Ubuntu VPS against common threats. Regular updates, secure login configurations, a robust firewall, and monitoring tools like Fail2ban all contribute to a safer and more reliable server environment. With these basics covered, your VPS will be better protected against potential attacks.

Ransomware: A Real Threat to Your VPS and Servers – How to Protect Your Infrastructure

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Ransomware Threat
Ransomware A Real Threat

Ransomware is one of the most pressing cybersecurity threats today. For businesses and individuals relying on VPS and servers, a ransomware attack could mean lost data, compromised security, and significant downtime. While ransomware can be devastating, implementing proactive security measures can significantly reduce the risk. Here’s a guide on understanding ransomware, recognizing the risks it poses, and taking effective steps to protect your VPS and servers.

What is Ransomware?

Ransomware is a type of malware that encrypts data on a server, system, or device, rendering it inaccessible. Attackers demand a ransom (often in cryptocurrency) to unlock or decrypt the files. Ransomware attacks are highly targeted, and the costs of an attack can be tremendous—both financially and operationally.

Why is Ransomware a Serious Threat to VPS and Servers?

VPS and servers host valuable data, databases, applications, and other assets crucial for businesses. An attack on these systems can lead to:

  • Data Loss and Corruption: Encrypted files can become irretrievable without paying a ransom, and even paying doesn’t guarantee data recovery.
  • Downtime and Operational Disruption: A compromised server could mean hours or days of downtime, impacting user experience and operations.
  • Financial Losses: Besides ransom payments, recovering from a ransomware attack involves costs for restoration, data retrieval, and enhanced security measures.
  • Reputational Damage: Customers and users may lose trust in a company that has suffered a data breach, leading to longer-term business challenges.

How to Protect Your VPS and Servers from Ransomware

1. Implement Regular Backups

Regular backups are essential for mitigating the impact of a ransomware attack. With recent and secure backups, you can restore your system to a pre-attack state without needing to pay a ransom. At Hosteons, for example, we offer free backup and snapshot options with our VPS and Hybrid Dedicated Server hosting, ensuring you can quickly revert to a secure point if an attack occurs.

2. Use Robust Security Software and Firewalls

Install strong anti-malware and antivirus software on your VPS to detect and block malicious software. Configuring firewalls to restrict access to essential services only, and regularly updating your firewall rules, will provide an additional layer of protection.

3. Regularly Update and Patch Your Server Software

Ransomware often exploits known vulnerabilities in outdated software. Ensure all server software, operating systems, and applications are kept up-to-date with the latest security patches.

4. Implement Access Controls and Authentication

Restrict access to your VPS to only those who need it. Enforce strong, unique passwords, and use two-factor authentication (2FA) wherever possible. Limiting the number of people who can access sensitive systems will reduce the risk of unauthorized access.

5. Disable Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) or Secure It

RDP is a common entry point for ransomware attacks. If you don’t need it, disable it. If you do need it, restrict access through a VPN, or limit it to specific IP addresses and ensure it is only available over encrypted connections.

6. Monitor Network Traffic

Implement network monitoring to detect any suspicious activity, like unauthorized access attempts or unusual data flows. Monitoring helps in early detection, allowing you to intervene before ransomware spreads.

7. Educate Your Team

Human error is a common cause of security breaches. Train your team to recognize phishing emails, suspicious attachments, and best practices for secure server access. This awareness reduces the risk of accidentally downloading ransomware.

Responding to a Ransomware Attack

Even with the best protection, incidents can happen. If ransomware is detected:

  • Disconnect the Infected Server: Immediately isolate the compromised server from the network to prevent the spread of ransomware.
  • Restore from Backups: If possible, restore the affected system from a clean, recent backup.
  • Report the Attack: Notify relevant authorities to assist in tracking the source of the attack and possibly retrieve your data.
  • Analyze and Improve Security: Conduct a post-attack review to understand how the ransomware infiltrated your system and strengthen your defenses.

Conclusion

Ransomware is a serious threat, but with the right security practices, you can protect your VPS and servers from devastating attacks. Regular backups, strong security measures, and constant monitoring are key to keeping your data secure. At Hosteons, we prioritize your security by offering free backup and snapshot features with our VPS and Hybrid Dedicated Server hosting, helping you stay prepared and resilient against ransomware threats. Protect your digital assets today, and ensure your online presence remains safe from this growing menace.

The Importance of Backups for VPS Hosting: Keep Your Data Safe with Hosteons Free Backup Service

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Free VPS Backups or snapshot
Free VPS Backups or snapshot

In today’s digital landscape, data is the backbone of any online presence, whether you’re managing a personal blog, an eCommerce website, or a mission-critical application. For VPS (Virtual Private Server) users, ensuring that data is safe, secure, and recoverable is more than just a precaution—it’s essential for maintaining uptime, protecting business continuity, and safeguarding user trust. At Hosteons, we understand this need, which is why we offer free backups and snapshots with our VPS and Hybrid Dedicated Server hosting. Here’s why having regular backups is vital and how Hosteons is here to support you.

Why Are Backups Essential for VPS Hosting?

  1. Data Protection Against Cyber Threats Cyberattacks and ransomware threats are on the rise, and VPS servers are a prime target for malicious actors. Regular backups can safeguard your data, allowing you to recover quickly in case of an attack. With Hosteons’ free backup services, your data remains protected without additional cost, ensuring your digital assets are always safe.
  2. Minimizing Downtime and Recovery Time For websites or applications, downtime is detrimental—not only for revenue but also for user trust. Backups allow for quick recovery in the event of server failures, data corruption, or accidental deletions, reducing downtime significantly. Hosteons’ backup solutions are designed to minimize the time needed to restore operations, keeping your business running smoothly.
  3. Testing and Development Many developers and IT teams use VPS environments for testing and development. Regular backups allow you to restore your server to a previous state, making it easy to troubleshoot, test configurations, or revert changes without risk.
  4. Compliance and Data Integrity Depending on your industry, you may need to retain certain data for legal or compliance reasons. Backups offer a simple way to ensure data is maintained securely, helping your business meet regulatory requirements.

Hosteons.com Backup and Snapshot Solutions

At Hosteons, we pride ourselves on providing high-quality hosting solutions that prioritize user needs. Our budget US KVM VPS and EU KVM VPS hosting (powered by Intel Xeon servers) and premium Ryzen KVM VPS servers are designed with performance and reliability in mind. For those needing a more robust solution, we offer Hybrid Servers (VDS) on Ryzen 7950x servers. With data center locations in Los Angeles, New York, Portland, Dallas, Miami, Salt Lake City, Frankfurt, and Paris, you can select a location that suits your audience best, all while enjoying 24×7 support.

With our free backup and snapshot service, you can rest easy knowing that you can roll back your VPS to a previous state whenever you need it. Whether you’re a small business or a large enterprise, this feature adds an invaluable layer of security and flexibility to your hosting experience.

Hosteons: Reliable Hosting with Free Backups

When you choose Hosteons, you’re choosing more than just a VPS provider—you’re partnering with a company dedicated to your digital success. From shared and reseller web hosting to hybrid dedicated servers, Hosteons ensures that your data is protected with regular, accessible backups. Let us handle the technical challenges, so you can focus on what you do best.

Start your journey with Hosteons today, and experience the peace of mind that comes with knowing your data is always secure and recoverable.

OpenVZ VPS Gigabit Port Upgrade Now Available

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We have again updated our OpenVZ VPS Packages.

By default our OpenVZ VPS Packages comes with unmetered 100 Mbps Port but if you need Gigabit Port, need not worry now we even offer Gigabit Port, not only this we have even updated our VPS Packages to include more bandwidth or tranfers

OVZ256, OVZ512 and OVZ1 Comes with 2 TB Transfer @ 1Gbps Port Speed

OVZ 2 Comes with 3TB @ 1Gbps Port Speed

OVZ 3 Comes with 4TB @ 1Gbps Port Speed

OVZ 4 Comes with 5TB @ 1Gbps Port Speed

OVZ 5 Comes with 6TB @ 1Gbps Port Speed

OVZ 6 Comes with 7TB @ 1Gbps Port Speed

OVZ 7 Comes with 8TB @ 1Gbps Port Speed

Earlier all packages had only two options either 100 Mbps Unmetered or 2TB Transfer, but now have updated packages to give more bandwidth and not only this 100 Mbps unmetered is still available as default option.

Also existing customers can also request an upgrade to 1Gbps Port Speed

Not only this, you can even get more bandwidth @ 1Gbps, for new orders you get option to opt for it in the order form and existing customer can request upgrade via support ticket 

Backup Service for VPS Now Available

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We are constantly trying to improve quality of services and as a part of this process we have now started offer Backup Service for our Premium Ryzem KVM VPS, Budget Gigabit KVM VPS As well as OpenVZ VPS across all our locations

You can order Backup Service while placing order for your VPS and existing customers can submit a ticket for the same if you need backup service.

We are currently offering two options:

1) Monthly Backups : $2 Per month

2) Weekly Backups: $5 Per month 

Our backup service will keep rotating your backups and keep two copies of backups.

Also you even get an option for manual backup, you can use this option to manually backup your VPS which is very useful when you need to make some changes in your VPS or just want to try out something which may cause trouble later on, so you can take manual backups in this way and restore from your backups anytime directly from your VPS Control Panel.

If you have any doubts feel free submit a support ticket

What’s happing at Hosteons ? So many changes ?

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2020 has been a crazy year for everybody all over the globe, but we at Hosteons have been working behind the scenes to bring new services, service upgrades, server upgrades, and what not.

Here is what’s new with Hosteons:

Premium Ryzen VPS:

We have launched a Premium Range of Ryzen based KVM VPS in two locations – Los Angeles and Dallas (More locations coming soon). Ryzen CPU along with NVME Drives takes your VPS experience to a different level as these are very very fast CPU along with super fast NVME Drives it just makes you feel like as if you are using a Super Fast Dedicated Server with ease of singing a VPS. Our Ryzen VPS Nodes are connected to 10Gbps network instead of our regular 1 Gbps Network to even make your network lightning fast.

Direct Admin Switch:

Due to constant price increase by cPanel we decided to even switch to Direct Admin for our shared web hosting and reseller web hosting and we even took the opportunity to even switch our web server from Apache to Lite Speed along with Kernel Care for reboot less updates, Cloud Linux for stable hosting experience and even more secure with CageFS implementation. We even added Imunify to it to make sure all sites on the server malware free. Not only this now we are using RAID 10 SSD instead of normal HDD for even faster websites. We are now even taking offsite backups every alternate day.

So here are some of the new features of our Shared Web Hosting and Reseller Web Hosting:

  1. Direct Admin Control Panel
  2. Lite Speed Web Server for ultra fast websites
  3. CloudLinux for Stable and Secure Web Hosting
  4. Imunify for Malware and Virus Free Hosting
  5. KernelCare for Rebootless updates hence basically services with no downtime
  6. RAID 10 SSD Based Storage for ultra fast disk access and very fast websites
  7. Regular backups just in case if you ever want to restore your data.
  8. 24×7 Support – We understand how important your website is for you hence we have 24×7 support

These are so many features and benefits not possible to mention all of them in a single article.

Discontinued 100 Mbps KVM VPS:

We have discontinued 100 Mbps Unmetered KVM VPS and instead of started offering Gigabit VPS as we noticed now when 100 Mbps connectivity is very common even in a typical household broadband, so 100 Mbps on a server is not enough, moreover we had more reasons to make this decision like when we were offering 100 Mbps Unmetered VPS even a few abusive or even compromised 100 Mbps VPS could make the network experience bad for other VPS users on the VPS node and since we did not wanted to compromise on quality of our services, we made this tough decision. Though we are not terminating existing 100 Mbps VPS users, they can continue to use their 100 Mbps VPS as long as they keep renewing and even option to upgrade to Gigabit VPS is open for them.

Also new nodes that we are adding for Gigabit VPS are now on 10 Gbps Port, very soon we will upgrade, all our VPS nodes (those nodes will only have Gigabit VPS not 100 Mbps unmetered VPS)

Migration from SolusVM to Virtualizor:

SolusVM is a good VPS control panel but it’s been lacking lots of features that were available in Virtualizor or where were very much needed, hence we even switch from SolusVM to Virtualizor, it wasn’t issue to switch but we still did it with help of very helpful team of Virtualizor.

Some of the new features which were not available until in our VPS control panel will be available now, like:

  1. Custom ISO upload – Now if you need to install an OS that’s not already available in our VPS templates you need not worry, just login to your VPS control panel and you can upload your own ISO and install your own OS, no need to even submit a ticket to do so.
  2. Until now we had to shutdown or suspend VPS of CPU abusive users, but now we can simply cap or limit their CPU usage to make sure experience of other VPS users is not affected and it even avoids downtime for VPS users whose CPU usage goes out of control (usually it’s due to some buggy software)
  3. Complete Integration with our billing system, so now you even don’t need to login to VPS control panel separately, you can mange most of the things directly from Client Porta/Billing/Helpdesk
  4. Support for Block Storage (We plan to provide block storage soon, but lack of support in SolusVM was our biggest hurdle, but now we have this option available)

There are many more features to list in a single article.

Very soon even daily backups will be available with our Premium Ryzen VPS, we will send out an email once it’s available.

New Promos, Discounts for our VPS Hosting Services

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We hope all our clients are at home and safe in this epidemic.

Here are some promos, discounts and some news about our services:

New OpenVZ VPS Nodes added in LA and even launched OpenVZ VPS in NY

  1. RECURR50 – Gives recurring 50% Off on OVZ 1 – OVZ 7 VPS Packages on annual billing cycles
  2. RECURR20 – Gives recurring 20% off on VPS 1 to VPS 7 KVM VPS Packages in LA as well as NY
  3. Free Windows 2019 License on VPS 3 – VPS 7 KVM VPS Packges on annual billing cycle (Just submit a support ticket after placing order to activate windows license). – No coupon code required and can be used along with other coupons.
  4. DA – Free Direct Admin License for KVM VPS 2 and above packages and also OVZ 2 and above VPS Packages
  5. Free Blesta License – Just submit a support ticket we will activate Blesta License for free. (No coupon required)
  6. UPGRADE – Free Upgrade to Next VPS Package, applicable on KVM VPS 1 – VPS 6 and OVZ 1 – OVZ 6 VPS package 
  7. DOUBLEDISK – Double disk space for your VPS, applicable on KVM VPS 1 – VPS 6 and OVZ 1 – OVZ 6 VPS package 

Check our all our VPS Packages at https://hosteons.com/vps.php