—————Update, August 2016: This article refers to Nginx 1.5.x. As of version 1.9.11, Nginx supports loading modules dynamically at runtime, so I’d suggest that route instead. If you still want to recompile Nginx, an updated tutorial for recompiling Nginx 1.9+ installed with Apt on Ubuntu 16.04 is available here. Meanwhile, an updated tutorial for compiling […]
Category: Systems Administration
Comparison of Apache Multi-Processing Modules
A quick summary of the major Linux/Unix Apache multi-processing modules. Prefork Default MPM in Apache < 2.4 Consumes more RAM than threaded MPMs like Worker or Event Threadless design is safe for non-thread-safe modules like mod_php Spawns child processes that each deal with one request at a time Performs poorly on high-traffic servers with many concurrent […]
Use Fail2ban to Block Bot Attacks
The Fail2ban monitoring utility tracks your server logs and temporarily adjusts your firewall rules to block IP addresses that originate suspicious behavior. Out of the box, though, Fail2ban ignores some annoying activity. For example, in your Apache error logs, you’re seeing a lot of entries like this: These are bots or script kiddies attempting to […]
Install SquirrelMail
————— Update July 2017: SquirrelMail seems to have been abandoned by its developer. I’d strongly consider using Roundcube instead. ————— So now you have an Ubuntu 12.04 mail server set up with Postfix, Dovecot, virtual users, and a spam filtering system. But you have another problem: your IT department at work won’t let you add […]
SpamAssassin on Ubuntu
——————–Note: This article pertains to Ubuntu 12, and it applies to versions of Ubuntu or Debian that use init rather than systemd. To install SpamAssassin on Ubuntu 15+, see the instructions here.——————– In our previous installment, we set up a Postfix and Dovecot mail server with virtual domains and users on Ubuntu 12.04. It works […]
Ubuntu Email Server with Postfix, Dovecot, and MySQL
————— Update November 2021: Added instructions for using Dovecot and Postfix with Let’s Encrypt. Also adjusted Postfix config to block auth attempts over port 25. This setup will get you 90%+ on mail server security tests. ————— ————— Update November 2020: If you’re on Ubuntu 20.04, these instructions still mostly work as written. There is […]