Newest KB Articles in HC Linux Control Panel

Apache problem upon installing SSL Certificate

Tue, 22 Oct 2019 13:00:28 GMT

Question: Apache crashes upon installing SSL from the HC panel. What could be the reason for it?

Answer: If all steps for SSL installation are performed using the HC panel, then Apache never crashes, and the SSL certificate is installed properly. Apache crashes only in such cases if manual tasks are performed for installing an SSL certificate on a website in the Apache Web Server. So, it is very strongly recommended to carry out the process using the HC10 panel instead of doing manual tasks, which could result in Apache crashing.

Reason for Apache to crash upon installing SSL: HC has its own mechanism for installing SSL certificates on Linux Websites. For this, as you generate a Certificate Request (CSR) using the HC panel from Provisioning >> Website Dashboard >> Dedicated SSL, then HC performs the following tasks:

Creates a directory with website name like domain.com under /etc/ssl/hc/domain.com
Also, HC places both domain.com.csr and domain.com.key files at the same location /etc/ssl/hc/domain.com

Now, upon initiating an SSL Certificate install request from the HC panel, as these files and folders are missing from Apache, the service crashes and does not start.

How to prevent this from happening?

Solution # 1 (Automate the process of SSL install using HC control panel): Perform all tasks for certificate request generation and its installation using the HC panel. This way, all processes will be automated, and Apache will never crash upon installing an SSL certificate on your website.
Solution # 2 (Case where manual CSR was generated): For this case, where CSR was generated manually and SSL certificate received from the CA, using it, then in this case, Apache crash can be avoided by following the steps given below:

Place the CSR and KEY files under your domain's name directory at this path ( /etc/ssl/hc/domain.com/ ). If the directory with your domain name does not exist, then create one manually.
Also, place your SSL Certificate file under SSL directory at this path ( /web_root_directory/domain.com/special/ssl/ ). Once you have placed the files correctly on the specified paths, then install the SSL on your domain by following this documentation ( https://help.hostingcontroller.com/hc10/default.aspx#pageid=installing_dedicated_ssl ).
Note: Make sure the names of CSR, KEY and SSL Certificate files should be in proper format (Like domain.com.csr, domain.com.key, domain.com.crt).

We strongly recommend following the automated way (Solution # 1) of installing SSL certificates on Linux websites. For any further assistance, send an email to support@hostingcontroller.com

How to configure multiple PHP-FPM versions in HC10 panel?

Wed, 09 Oct 2019 05:09:17 GMT

To configure multiple PHP-FPM versions in HC10 panel, go to >> Server Manger >> Servers >> Edit

Click on Save & Edit Roles and move to ‘Scripting Settings’ section. There you will have to give path of PHP-FPM configuration file which is by default located at this path: /etc/php-fpm.conf

Click ‘+ Add PHP Version’ again to add another version in HC panel which is installed on different location.

Now create a Website on your Linux server through HC panel and enable scripting on it through its Dashboard:

For any query please contact us at support@hostingcontroller.com

How to run Multiple versions of PHP-FPM on Debian/Ubuntu?

Wed, 09 Oct 2019 03:58:00 GMT

PHP-FPM (FastCGI Process Manager) is a PHP FastCGI implementation optimized for high-traffic environments. It allows you to run multiple PHP versions side-by-side, ideal for hosting diverse applications. This guide explains how to install and configure multiple PHP-FPM versions on Debian or Ubuntu servers.

Prerequisites

A Debian or Ubuntu-based server (Ubuntu 20.04+, Debian 10+ recommended)
Root or sudo access

Step 1: Update the System

Before proceeding, ensure your package list is up to date:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Step 2: Add the `ondrej/php` PPA

The ondrej/php repository provides access to multiple PHP versions:

sudo apt install -y software-properties-common
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ondrej/php
sudo apt update

Step 3: Install Apache and FastCGI Module

Install Apache and required FastCGI modules:

sudo apt install -y apache2 libapache2-mod-fcgid

Enable necessary Apache modules:

sudo a2enmod actions fcgid alias proxy_fcgi

Restart Apache:

sudo systemctl restart apache2

Step 4: Install Multiple PHP Versions

Install the desired PHP versions and PHP-FPM packages. Below is an example with PHP 7.4, 8.0, and 8.1:

sudo apt install -y php7.4 php7.4-fpm php7.4-cli php7.4-mysql php7.4-curl php7.4-zip \
php8.0 php8.0-fpm php8.0-cli php8.0-mysql php8.0-curl php8.0-zip \
php8.1 php8.1-fpm php8.1-cli php8.1-mysql php8.1-curl php8.1-zip

You can verify installed PHP versions:

php7.4 -v
php8.0 -v
php8.1 -v

Step 5: Configure PHP-FPM Pools (Optional)

Each PHP version installs its own FPM service and pool configuration file. You can adjust settings such as user, group, and socket paths.

Example for PHP 7.4:

sudo nano /etc/php/7.4/fpm/pool.d/www.conf

Update the following lines as needed (optional customization):

user = www-data
group = www-data
listen = /run/php/php7.4-fpm.sock
listen.owner = www-data
listen.group = www-data

Repeat for other versions (/etc/php/8.0/fpm/pool.d/www.conf, etc.)

Restart all PHP-FPM services:

sudo systemctl restart php7.4-fpm
sudo systemctl restart php8.0-fpm
sudo systemctl restart php8.1-fpm

Step 6: Configure Apache Virtual Hosts per PHP Version

To serve different PHP versions on different sites, create separate Apache virtual hosts using <FilesMatch> and ProxyPassMatch.

Example for a site using PHP 7.4:

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName site74.example.com
    DocumentRoot /var/www/site74

    <FilesMatch \.php$>
        SetHandler "proxy:unix:/run/php/php7.4-fpm.sock|fcgi://localhost/"
    </FilesMatch>
</VirtualHost>

Example for a site using PHP 8.0:

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName site80.example.com
    DocumentRoot /var/www/site80

    <FilesMatch \.php$>
        SetHandler "proxy:unix:/run/php/php8.0-fpm.sock|fcgi://localhost/"
    </FilesMatch>
</VirtualHost>

Enable your virtual hosts and restart Apache:

sudo a2ensite site74.conf
sudo a2ensite site80.conf
sudo systemctl reload apache2

Step 7: Verify the Setup

Create a test.php file in each site's DocumentRoot:

echo "<?php phpinfo(); ?>" | sudo tee /var/www/site74/test.php
echo "<?php phpinfo(); ?>" | sudo tee /var/www/site80/test.php

Visit http://site74.example.com/test.php and http://site80.example.com/test.php in a browser. Each should show a different PHP version with FPM/FastCGI as the Server API.

Step 8: Manage PHP-FPM Services

Each PHP version runs as its own service. Useful commands:

sudo systemctl status php7.4-fpm
sudo systemctl restart php8.0-fpm
sudo systemctl enable php8.1-fpm

Disclaimer

The instructions provided are for informational purposes only. Proceed at your own risk. Hosting Controller Inc. is not responsible for any data loss or system issues following this guide.

How to redirect HTTP request to HTTPS in Apache Web Server and how this process is automated in HC

Tue, 11 Dec 2018 07:35:19 GMT

Question: How to automatically redirect HTTP request to HTTPS in Apache Web Server?

Answer: In this knowledge base article, we have explained manual mechanism to redirect websites from HTTP to HTTPS. Note that if you are using Hosting Controller control panel for managing your Linux websites then these steps are not required as we have explained in the end of this kb article.

Manual Steps: Using HC Panel interface when you enable SSL certificate on a website it will create only HTTPS (:443) entries in the apache web server. Those who do not want to map HTTP (:80) virtual host entry in apache then you can simply redirect the all non-secure web requests toward secure HTTPS by following below instructions:

Access the Linux Server and go to path "/etc/httpd/conf.d"
Create a file with name redirect.conf
Open the file in editor vi redirect.conf and make an entry for a website that you want to redirect automatically from HTTP to HTTPS

</VirtualHost>
<VirtualHost 192.168.0.54:80>
ServerName linuxsite1.com
Redirect permanent / https://linuxsite1.com/
</VirtualHost>
<VirtualHost 192.168.0.54:80>
ServerName mysite2.com
Redirect permanent / https://mysite2.com/
</VirtualHost>

Save the file and exit from editor
Now open httpd.conf and include the redirect.conf file in it
IncludeOptional conf.d/redirect.conf

save and exit
Restart httpd service

Automated process via HC panel : As also explained above Http to Https redirection is already automated in HC panel and you don't have to do any manual tweaks for it.

Upon installing SSL certificate on a website via HC panel , HC panel automatically adds a file domain.com.conf under "/etc/httpd/hc" with the mechanism to redirect any http request to that website towards https URL.If this is not somehow working on your website then open ticket by sending an email to support@hostingcontroller.com

How to use Let’s Encrypt in HC v10

Wed, 15 Aug 2018 12:32:26 GMT

Question: Configuring Let's Encrypt in HC10 for Linux platform

Solution:

HC10 gives you the option to install free SSL using Lets Encrypt. Certbot package is required to be installed prior to configuring Let’s Encrypt with Hosting Controller. To install certbot package, run the following command:

yum install certbot

sudo apt-get install certbot

Once the package is installed, following steps will be required for configuring Lets Encypt on Apache WebServer in HC10:

Configuring Lets Encrypt on Apache WebServer

Login as Global Admin in HC10.
Click and then navigate to Servers >> Edit Server >> WebServer.
Now select the option Automated SSL (Letsencrypt). See below screenshot for clarity:

Acme client path will be automatically fetched as you have installed certbot package on your webserver machine.
Account Email: This is the email to which all emails related to Lets Encrypt will be sent.

Installing SSL using Lets Encrypt

Now Install Automated SSL option will appear on the Dashboard of Linux websites in HC10 panel at : Provisioning >> Websites >> Dashboard. Please see below screenshot for clarity:

*** If you want to manually renew all domains for another 90 days then execute below command.

certbot renew --non-interactive --debug

How to install SSL Certificate using Name Based SSL (SNI) through HC10?

Wed, 07 Mar 2018 12:33:21 GMT

How to install SSL Certificate using Name Based SSL (SNI) through Hosting Controller 10?

Server Name Indication (SNI) allows multiple SSL certificates to run on the same IP address. Multiple websites can exist on the same IP address. These are known as name based sites. Without SNI all these name based sites would be required to use the same certificate. SNI enables them to utilize multiple certificates. Hosting Controller facilitates this SNI enabled CSR generation process.

To install SSL certificate through Hosting Controller utilizing SNI follow the below steps:

Caution: Make sure your Apache web server supports SNI extension and your web browser also supports SNI. Amost all new Linux Operating Systems support it.

Login to HC panel and go to Server Manager :: Cluster Settings :: Manage Cluster Settings and enable "Name Based SSL (SNI) under Linux Web Server Role.
Enable Name Based SSL (SNI) by editing the Web Server Role at this path Manage Servers :: Servers :: Edit :: Save & Edit Roles.
To generate the CSR file for the domain follow this path Provisioning :: Websites :: Dashboard :: Website Details :: Dedicated SSL :: Generate CSR and once it is generated successfully then acquire a certificate from a CA (Certificate Authority) against the generated CSR.
Place the certificate file at web root path of the website and then Install that SSL Certificate on the domain by following this path Provisioning :: Websites :: Dashboard :: Website Details :: Dedicated SSL :: Select Certificate File :: Save.

How to enable and install Name Based SSL Using SNI through HC9 Linux

Tue, 20 Dec 2016 10:23:37 GMT

Question: How to enable and install Name Based SSL Using SNI through HC9 Linux ?

Answer: Make sure that your Apache Web Server supports SNI extension and your web browser also supports SNI. Almost all new Linux Operating Systems support it.

Login to HC panel and go to Cluster Configuration :: Manage Servers :: Cluster Settings and enable "Name Based SSL Using SNI" & “Dedicated SSL” under Linux Web Server Role.
Both “Named Based SSL Using SNI” and “Dedicated SSL” can be installed by navigating to the same path i.e. Website Services :: Manage SSL :: Install SSL Certificate.
To generate the CSR file for the domain follow this path Website Services :: Manage SSL :: Generate CSR and once it is generated successfully then acquire a certificate from a CA (Certificate Authority) against the generated CSR.
Place the certificate file at web root path and then Install that SSL Certificate on your desired domain by going to this path Website Services :: Manage SSL :: Install SSL Certificate.

How to install and make a KVM work with HCnix?

Fri, 28 Nov 2014 13:40:43 GMT

Question: How to install and make a KVM work with HCnix?

Introduction:

KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) is a full virtualization solution for Linux. It acts as a hypervisor allowing the creation of both Windows and Linux Virtual Machines (V.M).

Recommended OS:

Debian 6.0.2 x64

Installation:

Prior to installing, the entries in the attached file sources.txt should be copied at /etc/apt/sources.list

Once done the following commands should be executed:

apt-get update
apt-get install bridge-utils
apt-get install kvm
apt-get install libvirt-bin
apt-get install kpartx
apt-get install virt-manager

Replace the following entries in vi /etc/network/interfaces

auto lo br0

iface lo inet loopback

iface br0 inet static

bridge_ports eth0

address 192.168.0.245

broadcast 192.168.0.255

netmask 255.255.255.0

gateway 192.168.0.1

Note: Sample IP addresses given above should be replaced with actual IPs of your network and eth0 with the machine network card name holding those IPs.

Then reboot the machine.

The command to check the Virtual Machine in KVM is virsh list, and if you are using Linux Desktop GUI then you can see virtual machine management interface using command virt-manager

That’s it. KVM is now ready to provision Virtual Machines via HC.

How to run a Linux website with both http and https protocol

Fri, 04 Apr 2014 14:42:56 GMT

Question: How to run a Linux website with both http and https protocol ?
Answer:

It is not possible to create the Linux website with both http and https protocol through HC panel. You have to perform some manual steps to run the Linux website with both ‘http’ and ‘https’ protocol:

Run the following command to check ServerRoot path

$ apachectl –V

and then check the output for "-D HTTPD_ROOT" directive. e.g

-D HTTPD_ROOT="/etc/apache2" (for Debian/Ubuntu)

-D HTTPD_ROOT="/etc/httpd" (for CentOS, Fedora,RHE)

Create a file e.g domain-name.conf in the same ServerRoot directory (/etc/apache2 Or /etc/httpd)

Copy <VirtualHost> tag of the desired website from apache configuration file and paste it in domain-name.conf file, change the port for that website from :443 to :80 in Virtualhost tag and also delete the lines containing the following directives:

SSLEngine on
SSLCertificateFile/etc/ssl/hc/yourdomain.com/yourdomain.com.crt
SSLCertificateKeyFile /etc/ssl/hc/yourdomain.com/yourdomain.com.key

Add following line in apache configuration file
include domain-name.conf
Restart apache service and now site will run with both http and https protocol

How to backup HCnix Hosting data using RBX

Tue, 19 Nov 2013 12:27:48 GMT

Question: How to backup HCnix Hosting data using RBX?

Answer:
RBX has been provided as a built-in module for HCnix panel. You can follow the given steps to configure it inside the panel and take backup:

Login to the host-admin level in HCnix and navigate to the path Backup Services :: Backup Services :: Configure Server Backup.
On configuration page, provide the required details in the fields under the following sections:
- Configured Server Roles: Select the server that you want to backup through HCnix here. Moreover, also define the specific roles (Web, DB, DNS, and Mail) that should be backed-up. If you want to backup the webspace then also check mark the respective option “Backup Webspace”.
- HCnix Database Login Information: Provide MySQL root user credentials here if you want to backup HCnix database as well.
- Backup Location: Define backup location. RBX can be set to backup and place the data on the local machine, or remote server. In case of remote server, provide the FTP details of the remote machine for connection purpose.
- Backup Schedule: Schedule the backup operation here. You can set the scheduler to backup the data on daily, weekly or monthly basis.
- Purge Previous Backups: Enable this option if you want to purge the previous backups to optimize the disk usage.
Once the configuration has been completed, click on “Configure Backup” button. It will initiate the scheduler for backup operation. The backup will be taken on the time interval that has been defined in the backup scheduler settings.
If you want to stop the backup scheduler, navigate to the same path Backup Services :: Backup Services :: Configure Server Backup at the host-admin level and click on “Unconfigure Backup” button at the right bottom of the page.

You can also sell backup resources to the webadmin in the hosting-plans for giving them the option to backup their individual resources (Web, DB, DNS and Mail).

Note: When running RBX in non-license mode it will backup limited number of data, in order to avail complete backup/restore functionality you should buy RBX add-on against your HCnix key.