Major Internet Providers Disconnect Backbone Network in Russia
As announced earlier this week, two of the largest Internet providers worldwide, Cogent Communications and Lumen (former CenturyLink), pulled out of Russia.
As announced earlier this week, two of the largest Internet providers worldwide, Cogent Communications and Lumen (former CenturyLink), pulled out of Russia.
Cogent was the first U.S.-based internet carrier to withdraw from Russia as per their announcement on Friday, 4th of March 2022, with Lumen’s exit following on Tuesday 8th of March 2022.
As per an official statement published to Lumen’s website, “We decided to disconnect the network due to increased security risk inside Russia. We have not yet experienced network disruptions, but given the increasingly uncertain environment and the heightened risk of state action, we took this move to ensure the security of our and our customers’ networks, as well as the ongoing integrity of the global Internet.”
Cogent announced the decision of immediate Internet service termination to its customers in Russia via e-mail:
In light of the unwarranted and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, Cogent is terminating all of your services effective at 5 PM GMT on March 4, 2022. The economic sanctions put in place as a result of the invasion and the increasingly uncertain security situation make it impossible for Cogent to continue to provide you with service.
All Cogent-provided ports and IP Address space will be reclaimed as of the termination date. For any colocation customers, your equipment will be powered off and kept in the rack for you to collect.
If not collected within thirty days, the equipment will be removed from the rack and stored. For any utility computing customers, you will not have access to your servers after the termination of service. The servers will be disconnected and kept in storage by Cogent for an indeterminate period.
About Cogent Communications
Cogent Communications is a multinational internet service provider based in the United States. Cogent’s primary services consist of Internet access and data transport, offered on a fiber optic, IP data-only network, along with colocation in data centers.
Lumen Technologies, Inc. (formerly CenturyLink) is an American telecommunications company headquartered in Monroe, Louisiana, that offers communications, network services, security, cloud solutions, voice, and managed services. The company is a member of the S&P 500 index and the Fortune 500.
NetShop ISP Integrates Revolut to facilitate one-click payments for its hosting services
NetShop ISP teams up with Revolut in an effort to provide customers yet another convenient payment solution for servers, web hosting and cloud services.
NetShop ISP teams up with Revolut in an effort to provide customers yet another convenient payment solution for servers, web hosting and cloud services.
In December 2020 NetShop ISP announced the acceptance of Revolut payments through the Revolut App. As of Tuesday, 8th of March 2022, Revolut has been fully integrated in myNetShop Portal enabling new and existing customers the option to pay securely using their Revolut account, physical or virtual cards with a single click.
“Our open mindset and flexible structure allows us to action swiftly in global regulatory changes and new trends. As we serve individuals and organizations from all over the world in different industries, payments can be a daunting task due to today’s global regulatory and banking environment. Without sacrificing our KYC and AML procedures, our integration with Revolut will help in expediting the time between payment capturing and service provisioning.” said Elena Efthymiou, Operations Manager at NetShop ISP.
In addition to Revolut’s integration, NetShop ISP offers a wide range of payment methods including Credit/Debit Card (JCC), PayPal, TransferWise, Coinbase, BitPay and Wire Transfer.
For more information about the acceptable payment methods please contact NetShop ISP’s Customer Care team via e-mail (customercare@netshop-isp.com.cy), phone (+357-24-250808) or live chat (https://netshop-isp.com.cy).
NetShop Internet Services (established 2004) is an Award Winning Data Center Services & Server Hosting Provider with privately-owned Infrastructure in Cyprus, Malta, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Singapore, United States and Hong Kong.
Its world-class, carrier-neutral data centers are strategically located in the world’s most prominent tech and financial markets to provide you with high-speed connectivity, ultra low latency hosting, cloud scalability and organizational flexibility.
NetShop ISP expands Infrastructure footprint with Secure Private Network in Three Continents
NetShop ISP, a leading provider of Bare Metal Servers, Data Center solutions, and cloud hosting, today announced the availability of its Secure Private Network (SPN) in Europe, Asia and the United States.
NetShop ISP, a leading provider of Bare Metal Servers, Data Center solutions, and cloud hosting, today announced the availability of its Secure Private Network (SPN) in Europe, Asia and the United States.
The Secure Private Network allows customers to interact with their servers without the use of additional VPN or secure tunnels. Additionally, SPN enables businesses to transfer large amounts of data and multimedia across the globe securely and fast.
“As a Datacenter company, we are committed in providing our customers a top-notch and resilient network to host their digital infrastructure. With more than 55% of our global Datacenters capacity to be used for serving online casinos, streaming and CDN companies, our Secure Private Network can guarantee content’s delivery fast, free and securely”, said Stefano Sordini, CEO NetShop ISP.
The backbone infrastructure of NetShop ISP’s transcontinental network is L3 fabric (also known as IP fabric) which has significant advantages over traditional L2-based solutions that most data centers use. L3 fabric offers true redundancy and high protection from Ddos attacks (specifically unicast flooding).
As announced today, the SPN available via NetShop ISP’s Data centers in Netherlands, Singapore and the United States and can be used by Cloud, Co-located and Bare metal servers, as well as by customers with Private racks. Each customer receives a dedicated network address which is fully isolated from other customers and the public Internet.
Traffic within the Secure Private Network is entirely free.
For more information about NetShop ISP’s Secure Private Network (SPN) in Singapore, Netherlands and US data center facilities, please contact Sales team or read more about it here.
How To Sync Multiple Linux Servers with Lsyncd
In this article we will demonstrate how to automate files and data synchronization using lsyncd; a popular and free open-source software used for keeping two or more servers synchronized automatically.
In an era when most businesses conduct online transactions, servers down time and network disruptions cause a major impact. The more visitors a website has, the more robust and bulletproof its underlying online infrastructure must be.
In the past few years we have witnessed large hosting and cloud providers going down due to cyber attacks and fire incidents. Business owners and IT managers need to ensure that the right disaster recovery and business continuity plans are in place to overcome potential threats that may impact their business.
Infrastructure horizontal scaling is a commonly used practice that increases the ability of a website to handle a significant amount of traffic and protect it against hardware failure of a standalone web or database server. Horizontal scaling is often implemented using cloud or dedicated servers in different hosting providers across multiple regions in order to eliminate as many single point of failures (SPoF) as possible.
Ensuring that all web servers have the same data is a challenging task as, otherwise, you will end up with missing or corrupted data when a backup server takes the primary role upon a disaster.
In this article we will demonstrate how to automate files and data synchronization using lsyncd; a popular and free open-source software.
What is Lsyncd
Lsyncd is a free, open-source utility that can be downloaded and configured with no charge for the software or use. It’s setup is simple as you only need to install a single package. Comprised of reliable technology, rsync and ssh, lsyncd makes the perfect utility for synchronizing data across two or more servers.
Please note that lsyncd is not real-time. It pushes changes every 15 seconds. This value can be modified via the configuration file if needed.
Modern sysadmins use lsyncd for several scenarios such as:
Load balancing – this works best when the traffic levels are relatively low (or intermittent), or new and modified content is not frequently accessed.
High availability – keeping in mind that there are multiple aspects of high availability. Using lsyncd to push data to another host that can take over in the event of a hardware failure is an excellent use-case.
Real-time offsite backups – a great way to keep a running record of the files and folders that have changed will ensure we push the changes to a second host for backup purposes.
Lsyncd Configuration on Linux CentOS
Install EPEL Repo
The first step is to add the EPEL repository which contains the lsyncd package.
root@server ~]# yum -y install epel-release
If everything goes well, you will see a “Complete!” message. Then you need to make sure the EPEL repo is enabled.
Open the epel.repo file as follows:
[root@server ~]# vi /etc/yum.repos.d/epel.repo
Change the “enabled=0” to “enabled=1” as follows:
[epel] name=Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux 7 - $basearch #baseurl=http://download.fedoraproject.org/pub/epel/7/$basearch metalink=https://mirrors.fedoraproject.org/metalink?repo=epel-7&arch=$basearch
failovermethod=priority
enabled=1
gpgcheck=1
gpgkey=file:///etc/pki/rpm-gpg/RPM-GPG-KEY-EPEL-7
Install Lsyncd
Proceed to install the lsyncd package using the following command:
[root@server ~]# yum -y install lsyncd
Configure SSH on Master
At this point we need to configure SSH on Master server so that it can push files to the slave/backup server without requiring password authentication or user intervention. To do so, we will create SSH keys on the master server as follows:
[root@server ~] # ssh-keygen -t rsa
Upon execution of the command above you will be prompted with several questions. You can use the defaults. When prompted to enter passphrase, hit Enter to proceed with empty passphrase.
Enter passphrase (empty for no passphrase):
Enter same passphrase again:
Your identification has been saved in /home/username/.ssh/id_rsa.
Your public key has been saved in /home/username/.ssh/id_rsa.pub.
The key fingerprint is:
SHA256:rCwcRH+3oop3kMhAehxmmNzi8vr0g/wOfwSowCsw user@server.localhost-2022-02-22-08:14:45+0000
The key's randomart image is:
+---[RSA 4096]----+
|. . . . |
| = o . . |
|o.= . . . . |
|oDo . . . . . |
|B. .. Y . |
|O+.. o . . |
|O++.o o . . . |
|=*. . ... . . o. |
|.o.=+.++. . . |
+----[SHA256]-----+
root@alt [~]#
Once the SSH keys are generated, transfer the public key (the file ending with .pub) to the slave server. In this way, master server will authenticate with the slave without the need for password.
NOTE: It is normal if when using the above command you are prompted to authenticate via password. This is because the SSH key is not yet in place.
Before proceeding to the next step, verify that the passwordless authentication works. From the master server, try to ssh to the slave server as follows:
Now that Lsyncd is installed and configured, along with the SSH keys for password-less authentication, execute the following commands to start and enable the lsyncd service.
[root@server lsyncd]# systemctl start lsyncd
[root@server lsyncd]# systemctl enable lsyncd
Created symlink from /etc/systemd/system/multi-user.target.wants/lsyncd.service to /usr/lib/systemd/system/lsyncd.service
Verify Lsyncd is Working
Check both your master and slave directories (/var/www/html/) are empty.
[root@server ~]# cd /var/www/html
[root@server html]# ls -luah
total 0
[root@server html]#
[root@slave-server ~]# cd /var/www/html
[root@slave-server html]# ls -luah
total 0
[root@slave-server html]#
Create an empty file on the master server named index.html. You can quickly do so by using the touch command as follows:
[root@server html]# touch index.html
After 15 seconds, lsyncd will notice the changes and push the new file to the slave server. We can monitor the lsyncd log on the master server to verify the transfer has occurred, and what files were transferred across.
[root@server ~]# cd /var/log/lsyncd
[root@server lsyncd]# cat lsyncd.log
Tue Feb 22 09:02:18 2022 Normal: Rsyncing list
/
/index.html
Tue Feb 22 09:02:20 2022 Normal: Finished (list): 0
[root@server lsyncd]#
Now, check the /var/www/html/ directory on the slave server to confirm the new index.html file has been pushed successfully.
[root@slave-server ~]# ls -luah /var/www/html
total 1
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 10 Feb 22 09:04 index.html
[root@slave-server ~]#
Congratulations! You have now configured lsyncd on your two Linux servers for automatic file directories synchronization.
Network Stress Testing: How To Generate High Bandwidth Traffic on your Server
In this article we show you how to stress test your network by generating high bandwidth traffic using advanced ping command parameters. All commands shown further in this article work in any Linux Server.
Network and infrastructure uptime is vital to any online business in 2022. One of the main responsibilities of network engineers and system admins is to ensure the network and infrastructure work uninterruptedly and will stay consistent even through high bandwidth traffic periods, also known as peak hours.
In the same context, Internet Service Providers (ISP’s) and Managed Services Providers (MSP’s) are required to maintain stability of their Internet service in order to be aligned with the Uptime SLA’s offered to their customers.
This is where stress testing comes into play in order to ensure your network is resilient enough to withstand large influxes (spikes) of traffic or users at any given time.
In this article we show you how to stress test your network by generating high bandwidth traffic using advanced ping command parameters. All commands shown further in this article work in any Linux Server. Similar parameters exist for ping in Windows environment, which we will explain thoroughly in an upcoming article.
What is Stress Testing
Stress testing of a network is the practice of deliberately and intensively testing it by overloading it with all, or as many as possible, protocols (TCP, IP, UDP, and ICMP, etc.) and data types (audio, video, image, etc.).
This kind of testing, which is also known as “torture testing” involves pushing networks beyond their normal operating capacities, to find their breaking points. It is meant to find their limits and also to observe their network performance (or deterioration) as they approach these extremes.
How To Generate High Traffic with Ping Command
Stress testing a Network or Server with ICMP packets is the easiest way. Assuming the destination network is not blocking ICMP requests you can follow the examples below to generate high traffic.
Option 1 – Send Large and unstoppable Packets to a Target
Using the “- s” parameter in ping you can change the size of bytes in an ICMP packet header and send it over a ping command as follows:
ping -s 25000 <target IP>
Option 2 – Create ICMP Packet Storm
The following command creates a ping flood or storm to the destination server/network.
ping -s 20000 -f <target IP>
As you can see from the above screenshot, in one simple command running for 2 seconds we managed to send 1,162 packets to the destination server.
Option 3 – Combination of the above
By combining the first two options (-s and -f parameters) you will be able to send a storm of packets with a custom defined packets header size. Be careful as this could put your server, router, and network into real stress!
ping -s 20000 -f <target IP>
As per the screenshot above, you can see that in just 5 seconds we have generated ~77,000 packets to the destination server.
Network Monitoring during Stress Testing
It is recommended that you monitor the bandwidth on the destination network during your stress testing. In this way you can gather valuable information such as min/avg/max network speed and bandwidth traffic. Additionally, using advanced packet sniffing tools you can further analyse how packets were handled on your network/server whilst it was “under attack”.
Bandwidth Monitoring using Zabbix during Network Stress Test
Hassle-free Network Administration & Stress Tests
NetShop ISP offers Premium support plans and Managed services for businesses that are short in IT staff or lack of specialization in network administration and infrastructure management.
Hundreds of the world’s largest Forex, Gaming and Gambling companies have delegated the management of their cloud and dedicated servers into our hands.
Contact us today to learn more about our Managed Services and how we can help you increase your network’s uptime while you can focus on developing your core business.
Introducing Acronis Cyber Infrastructure in Malta Data Centers
In this article, we’ll take a look at the importance of both solutions and how to best utilize Acronis Backup and Disaster Recovery, specifically in our Malta Data Centers.
When disaster strikes, whether that be due to a natural disaster or manmade occurrence like a cyber-attack, having effective solutions in place to protect your data and business is essential. Excessive downtime can be extremely costly for companies, so implementing Backup and Disaster Recovery solutions can guarantee a business is prepared for any unforeseen event.
When deciding on the appropriate solution to ensure business continuity, businesses tend not to realize the importance of having both Backup and Disaster Recovery, often believing that implementing just one solution is sufficient.
In this article, we’ll take a look at the importance of both solutions and how to best utilize Acronis Backup and Disaster Recovery, specifically in our Malta Data Centers.
The Importance of Data Backup
Data Backup has become a crucial component to the successful running of any company, with potential risks being posed in many forms. Cyber-attacks are rife, with hackers, ransomware and viruses being a huge threat to data security, as well as potential natural disasters that could destroy or severely damage data centers.
In effect, Data Backup, or Backup as a Service (BaaS), is a copy of all of your data securely stored on a remote server, with systems in place to make restoring it in the event of a disaster as quick and seamless as possible.
Why Disaster Recovery is Essential
Disaster Recovery is a lot more than just data backup – it’s a strategic plan and set of processes put in place to not only protect business data in the event of failure or disaster, but to allow them to rapidly reinstate access to their data and other IT resources, in order for business operations to reconvene as quickly as possible.
Disaster Recovery plans tend to include failover processes, allowing businesses to switch to redundant servers and continue running without interruption. A robust Disaster Recovery plan will guarantee a low Recovery Time Objective (RTO), meaning the time interval between disaster striking and your business operations resuming as normal will be significantly short.
Malta Data Centers for Backup and Disaster Recovery
When it comes to choosing your Backup and Disaster Recovery site, there are some fundamental factors that need to be considered. Other than the proximity of the site from that of your primary data center, uptime, connectivity and safety from natural disasters are all key to choosing the right location.
Ranked as the second safest country in the world in terms of natural disasters, Malta proves to be a low risk location that is optimal for DR and backup, with strong infrastructure in place guaranteeing minimal concern of downtime. In fact, each of NetShop ISP’s three Malta data centers are strategically located within industrial areas where there are no hazards or potential threats, and operate with a 2N redundancy model on critical systems, proving a popular choice for iGaming, Blockchain and other Financial industries who heavily rely on their IT infrastructure.
Acronis Backup and Disaster Recovery with NetShop ISP
Our Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) solution utilizes Acronis Cyber Cloud Infrastructure (ACI), meaning our customers get access to 3 core services; Cloud Backup, Application and Servers Recovery and Malware Scanning.
Implemented within just 2 business days, our solution provides quick and robust premium protection for all of your critical data, with RTO of up to just 5 minutes.
Get in touch with our Cyber security experts to discuss the optimal Disaster Recovery plan for your organization.
How To Install SSL Certificate on cPanel: Step-by-Step Tutorial
In this tutorial we will demonstrate how to generate and install a Commercial SSL Certificate Product on cPanel Lite Service.
An SSL certificate is a digital certificate that authenticates a website’s identity and enables an encrypted connection. SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer, a security protocol that creates an encrypted link between a web server and a web browser. The connection becomes from the not secure http:// to the secure https:// URL.
In this tutorial we will demonstrate how to generate and install a Commercial SSL Certificate Product on cPanel Lite Service. The main steps of the procedure are the follow :
Generate the CSR in cPanel
Upload CSR in portal – Generate SSL Certificate
Install SSL Certificate.
Prerequisites
The following are required to execute the task:
An account on my.netshop-isp.com.cy: For the purposes of this tutorial, a demo account was created: netshop-tutorials@netshop-isp.com.cy.
A cPanel Lite Service: A Cyprus cPanel Lite Web Hosting product was purchased from my.netshop-isp.com.cy website. The product is hosted on https://athena.netshop-isp.com.cy:2083/
A domain: The domain ssldesk.com was purchased and associated with the cPanel service for this tutorial.
A Commercial SSL Certificate: A RapisSSLCertificate addon was acquired.
Let’s get started on how to install SSL Certificate on your cPanel account.
Step 1: Generate the CSR
The first step is to generate the CSR. A CSR (certificate signing request) is one of the first steps towards getting your own SSL certificate. Generated on the same server you plan to install the certificate on, the CSR contains information (e.g. common name, organization, country) the Certificate Authority (CA) will use to create your certificate.
a. Login to your my.netshop-isp.com.cy portal and access your cPanel Lite Service. Through the main menu on the left, you can locate your services at the bottom. Select your cPanel Lite service.
b. Click on the Login Details option to find the URL (https://athena.netshop-isp.com.cy:2083/) where your service is hosted, along with the credentials to access you account. Click on the URL to access cPanel and use the credentials to login into your cPanel account.
c. Once you are inside your cPanel account, scroll down to find SSL/TLS option under SECURITY tab.
d. Next, click on the Certificate Signing Requests (CSR) on the right.
On the next page, you must fill some mandatory fields that will be used to generate your unique CSR.
d.1. Key: A mandatory field where you can select “Generate a New 2048-bit key” to generate a completely new Private Key, since this is the first time using the service.
d.2. Domains: A mandatory field you can add the domain(s) (example: ssldesk.com) you wish to secure. Keep in mind, ONLY Fully Qualified Domain Name(s) (FQDN) are valid.
If you purchased a Wildcard certificate, it should be represented with an asterisk in front of the domain (*.example.com). To create your CSR code for multiple domains, enter each domain in a new line.
d.3. The next page will show the newly generated CSR. With the use of the generated Private Key and the information provided, the CSR Code is created. You can now use the Encoded Certificate Signing Request to activate the purchased SSL Certificate through my.netshop-isp.com.cy portal.
Keep the below Certificate tab open as we will need the Encoded Certificate Signing Request later on, or you can copy the contents of the Encoded CSR: box now to a notepad file for easier retrieval.
You will have to copy the entire CSR from -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE REQUEST----- until the end, including -----END CERTIFICATE REQUEST----- when submitting the CSR code for SSL activation.
e. Before moving on to the next section (Upload CSR – Generate SSL), an email account should be created in cPanel to use it later for the domain validation and SSL request appoval (Upload CSR – Generate SSL, Step 4). Go back to the cPanel Dashboard and click on Email Accounts under EMAIL.
f. Then, click on the +Create button to create a new email account.
g. Add a Username and a Password in the respective fields and click the +Create button. For the username, you can choose between the reserved names: webmaster, administrator, admin, hostmaster or postmaster. In this example we have chosen webmaster@ssldesk.com. Instead of a password, you can send a login link to an alternate email address.
You can see that the new email is created under the current domain (@ssldesk.com).
Now that the CSR is generated and an email account is created, we can move on to the next section.
Step 2: Upload CSR in myNetShop Portal
In this step, we are going to use the CSR Code created in the previous steps and upload it in my.netshop-isp.com.cy portal. Then, we will approve the domain, activate the SSL through an email from the vendor and finally we can generate and download the SSL Certificate.
a. Log in to your my.netshop-isp.com.cy portal. Through the menu on the left, click on SSL CERTIFICATES under SERVICES -> ADDONS. Then click on the RapidSSL Certificate product.
Note that the Product/Service’ status is still pending. As soon as the SSL Certificate is generated, the status will become active.
b. On the next page, click on the Certificate Setup on the left.
b.1. You will have to copy-paste (upload) the CSR Code generated earlier (Generate CSR – Step 5.12). If you didn’t keep the tab open or you didn’t copy it earlier, you can access the CSR Code from cPanel -> SSL/TLS -> CERTIFICATE SIGNING REQUESTS (CSR) under the Certificate Signing Requests on Server.
Reminder: You will have to copy the entire CSR from -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE REQUEST----- until the end, including -----END CERTIFICATE REQUEST----- when submitting the CSR code for SSL activation.
b.2. Under the Select server software: , choose cPanel and then submit.
c. On the next page, you will see that the CSR information is uploaded. Also, at the top right of your browser you can see the pop up message that the CSR was updated. You need to check and verify the rest of the information and once done, scroll at the bottom and click the Continue button.
d. To complete the order, you have to choose the Validation Method. This is where theemail webmaster@yourdomain.com (in our tutorial: webmaster@ssldesk.com) is needed. On the Validation Method field select Email Validation and on the Approval email foryourdomain.com field, choose the email account you have created earlier (Generate CSR – Step 8). Click the Complete Order button when finished.
e. An email with a unique link will be send to the account specified. You need to access the inbox of the recently created email account (in our tutorial webmaster@ssldesk.com) to approve the certificate and validate your domain ownership. To access the inbox, go to your cPanel -> Email Accounts. Locate the email address (in this example: webmaster@ssldesk.com) and click Check Email.
f. On the next page, click on the Open button and check the Open my inbox when I log in checkbox.
g. You should now have access to your email account associated with your domain (in this example: webmaster@ssldesk.com) through the RoundCube cPanel plugin. You should be able to see your Inbox along with all the necessary folders. Check your Inbox for the Certificate Approval Request email from the SSL vendor (RapidSSL).
Usually the email is received within a few minutes, but the vendor might need up to 24 hours to send the validation email.
Open the email from the SSL vendor and click the unique link included for certificate approval and domain ownership validation.
h. The unique link in the email will redirect you to a new browser tab to the vendor’s website where you need to approve your domain. Click on the Approve button to proceed.
Once you approved, a confirmation message should appear.
Now that the SSL Certificate is activated and the domain is validated, we can move to the next and final section where we will download the SSL Certificate from the portal and install it on the domain on cPanel to make it secure.
Step 3 – Install SSL Certificate
We are almost done! The final step is to download the generated SSL Certificate from my.netshop-isp.com.cy portal and install it on our domain associated with the cPanel Service.
a. Go to your my.netshop-isp.com.cy portal. From the main menu on the left navigate to Services -> Addons -> SSL Certificates. Click on your SSL Certificate Service.
b. Click on Certificate Details and then click on Download Cert button to download the SSL Certificate.
c. A cert.zip file will be downloaded. The file contains the necessary files to install the SSL Certificate on your domain. Extract the file and open the CER – CRT Files folder.
d. Go to your cPanel account -> SSL/TLS and choose INSTALL AND MANAGE SSL FOR YOUR SITE (HTTPS) option.
e. In the next page, you will find three empty fields that need to be filled with the contents of the downloaded SSL Certificate files and the CSR Code. Also, make sure to select the Domain for which the SSL Certificate is to be installed (example: ssldesk.com). Find below the association between the required files and the corresponding fields:
e.1. In the Certificate: (CRT) field you must copy-paste the contents of the ssldesk_com.crt (your domain) file from the SSL Certificate files (Step 3).
e.2. In the Private Key (KEY) field you must copy-paste the contents of the CSR Code generated in the previous steps (SSL/TLS -> PRIVATE KEYS (KEY)).
e.3. In the Certificate Authority Bundle: (CABUNDLE) field you must copy-paste the My_CA_Bundle.crt file from the SSL Certificate files (Step 3).
For each of the files, you will have to copy the entire code from -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE REQUEST----- until the end, including -----END CERTIFICATE REQUEST----- when submitting the text to install the SSL Certificate.
After uploading the Certificate: (CRT) in cPanel, you have the option to click the Autofill by Certificate button or the Autofill by Domain button to automatically fill the rest of the field boxes.
Finally, after all required files are uploaded in the respective fields you can click the Install Certificate button.
Upon successful installation of the SSL Certificate a pop up window will verify the activation.
That was it! The last confirmation is to visit the website and verify that is secure. Type https://ssldesk (or you https://yourdomain URL) and check the icon next to the URL.
Summary
Originally the domain ssldesk.com was not secured (http://). The SSL had to be installed to establish the website as secure (https://).
The CSR was created with the use of the generated Private Key and the information provided in cPanel.
The CSR Code was uploaded no the my.netshop-isp.com.cy portal.
The domain was verified and the certificate validated via email in cPanel.
The SSL Certificate was created and could be downloaded from my.netshop-isp.com.cy portal.
Finally, the SSL Certificate on the domain and now the web server and web browser connection is secured.
How To Create Software RAID 10 on Ubuntu 20.04 Server
Whilst hardware RAID may offer better performance and interoperability than software RAID, the latter is cheaper as no Hardware RAID controller is needed. In this tutorial, you will learn how to setup software RAID on Ubuntu 20.04.
In this tutorial, you will learn how to setup software RAID on Ubuntu 20.04. Whilst hardware RAID may offer better performance and interoperability than software RAID, the latter is cheaper as no Hardware RAID controller is needed. Additionally, software raid gives users the flexibility to configure arrays without being restricted by hardware due to a special multiple device (MD) driver that is contained in Linux kernels.
Ubuntu 20.04 installation wizard
About RAID Level 10 (mirroring+stripping)
RAID10, also known as RAID 1+0, is a RAID configuration that combines disk mirroring and disk striping to protect data. It requires a minimum of four disks and stripes data across mirrored pairs. If two disks in the same mirrored pair fail, all data will be lost as there is no parity in the striped sets.
Create Software RAID10 on Ubuntu 20.04
While it is possible to configure software raid on an existing Ubuntu installation using the mdadm tool, in this tutorial we will demonstrate how to do it during the Ubuntu 20.04 installation.
Step 1 – Guided Storage Configuration
Once prompted for disk partitioning, choose Custom Storage Layout
Ubuntu 20.04 Guided Storage Configuration
Step 2 – Create swap
In this step you need to create a swap partition for each individual disk. To do so, click the first device, hit Enter and then choose the option “Add a GPT Partition”.
Ubuntu 20.04 Add GPT Partition for swap
Type 4G to allocate 4 Gigabytes for your swap partition.
Ubuntu 20.04 allocate swap space
Repeat Step 2 for all your disk devices so that you create a 4G swap partition for all of them.
Once you have completed Step 2 for all devices, your partitioning layout should look like this:
Ubuntu 20.04 create swap partition on each disk
Step 3 – Create partitions
At this point we are ready to create the partition for each of our devices. From the available devices section, click the first device, hit Enter and then choose “Add a GPT Partition”.
Size: use the max value indicated
Format: choose “Leave unformatted”
Mount: choose “Leave unmounted”
Ubuntu 20.04 Create partitions wizard
Repeat Step 3 for all of your devices.
Step 4 – Create Software RAID10
Choose “Create software RAID (md)” and you will be prompted to a menu screen as follows:
Ubuntu 20.04 Create Software RAID
Choose RAID Level: 10 and mark the partitions to be included in the RAID.
Ubuntu 20.04 Allocate partitions for RAID10
Step 5 – Create root and boot partitions
Click your newly created RAID10 partition (md0 in our example) to create the root “/” and boot partitions as shown below. Then hit [ Done ] to continue with the Ubuntu 20.04 installation.
Deploy Ubuntu 20.04 on a Cloud Server
NetShop ISP’s global cloud infrastructure is popular for deploying virtual server instances with fixed or customized specifications.
To deploy Ubuntu 20.04 on the Cloud simply choose your desired VPS plan and during Checkout choose “Ubuntu 20.04” Operating System. Upon order completion your Ubuntu cloud server will be up and running in less than 60 seconds.
Recommended Server Specifications for Ubuntu 20.04 Server edition
The recommended system requirements are:
CPU: 1 GHz or better
RAM: 1 GB or more
Disk: minimum of 2.5 GB
NetShop ISP launch their biggest Flash Sale yet
NetShop ISP is kicking off 2022 with the launch of our biggest ever flash sale on bare-metal dedicated servers. Starting on Monday 24th January, both new and existing NetShop ISP customers will be able to benefit from huge discounts of over 80% on reused servers.
NetShop ISP is kicking off 2022 with the launch of our biggest ever flash sale on bare-metal dedicated servers. Starting on Monday 24th January, both new and existing NetShop ISP customers will be able to benefit from huge discounts of over 80% on reused servers.
The reuse and repurposing of equipment is part of a strategic effort to adopt a more environmentally-friendly approach. NetShop ISP’s initiative to reuse server hardware not only offers clients significant savings, but also furthers the company’s efforts of implementing sustainable practises.
NetShop ISP’s CEO, Stefano Sordini comments, “By aligning our customer-centric and ecological values, we’re able to offer exceptional value for money in our best sale yet, whilst also doing our part to lessen our impact on the environment.”
Included in the sale are standardized server systems that can be found in our product portfolio, as well as customized systems that have been previously adapted to meet customer requirements. Servers purchased in the flash sale are pre-deployed in our racks, and will be provisioned instantly unless changes to the configuration are made during the checkout process, in which case provisioning may take up to 8 hours.
This limited time promotion allows customers to purchase servers listed in the flash sale within 7 days before they are withdrawn, and purchases cannot be combined with any other discount coupon.
To order your dedicated server and benefit from over 80% discount in our flash sale, visit our website here. You can also submit your details here to be notified of future sales and promotions.
How To Fix Error nf_conntrack table full dropping packet in Linux Servers
will help you resolve the error nf_conntrack table full dropping packet that may appear on heavy loaded CentOS servers. Solution for CentOS 6 & 7.
In this article we will help you resolve an issue which can come up on Linux CentOS servers that creates network flapping and packet loss.
Issue
During network monitoring of one of our customers’ servers we detected a network flapping. Accessing the server via ssh was not possible (due to the heavy network usage) so we connected to it via iDRAC.
The following messages were seen in /var/log/messages (they may also appear in /var/log/kern):
A server can enter this panic state in cases that it’s under a DDoS attack or very likely to happen when there are a lot of network connections. Our client’s server was used for virtualization so one or more Virtual machines happened to generate a lot of network packets.
CentOS servers, by default, allow 65,536 connections. This limit is enough for lightly loaded servers, but it can be exhausted on high traffic servers.
How To Fix
During a disaster it is important to remain calm. Below you can read how to mitigate this issue and resolve the network flapping. We provide the solution for both CentOS 6 and CentOS 7 environments.
Solution for CentOS 6
Step 1: Check value of nf_conntrack_max
Run the following command to check the value of nf_conntrack_max:
$ sysctl net.netfilter.nf_conntrack_max
Step 2: Check number of active connections
$ cat /proc/sys/net/netfilter/nf_conntrack/count
If the value of nf_conntrack_max is reached, then the server is dropping packets already.
* To calculate the new hash value use this formula:
HASHSIZE = CONNTRACK_MAX / 4
Step 2: Restart Firewalld
$ systemctl restart firewalld
Step 3: Verify new nf_conntrack_max value
$ sysctl -a | grep nf_conntrack_max
Top 5 Features your Media Streaming Host Should Have
The landscape of media entertainment has changed drastically, with IPTV and audio streaming services gaining massive traction. With that being said, in this article we’ll break down the top 5 essential features your Media Streaming Host should have.
There’s no doubt that streaming media online requires substantial resources, so choosing the right Web Host is vital. With the streaming market being worth billions, and growing rapidly, having a strong infrastructure is the key to success in what is now a highly-competitive industry.
Streaming media is the process of any multimedia content, video or audio, being transmitted over the Internet and played by the client in real-time. In essence, the user doesn’t need to download the file in order for it to play, as it’s sent in a continuous stream of data.
The landscape of media entertainment has changed drastically, with IPTV and audio streaming services gaining massive traction. With that being said, in this article we’ll break down the top 5 essential features your Media Streaming Host should have.
Choosing the right Media Streaming Host
The quality of your streaming service greatly depends on the server and network hosting the files, so here is what you need to consider.
Bandwidth Options
Streaming media consumes a significantly high amount of bandwidth, so it’s important that you check what options are available to you when deciding on a hosting provider. In most cases, bandwidth can be allocated as either metered or unmetered, and both should be considered depending on the amount of data you anticipate to transfer.
Metered bandwidth is a predetermined amount, and therefore the more economical option, unless you exceed the agreed upon amount. Whereas unmetered bandwidth, or unlimited bandwidth, is not measured so you don’t have to worry about overage fees. At NetShop ISP, we offer a range of bandwidth options to accommodate any streaming project.
High-performance Network
The performance of your streaming platform will depend on the speed and reliability of your network. It’s important to opt for a hosting provider that guarantees your server will be operational under any circumstances with a comprehensive SLA.
Our network has the capacity to rapidly deliver your content to a worldwide audience, with a 99.9% uptime guarantee.
Locations
Of course, the location of your server will directly affect streaming speed and quality. In order for your users to have a smooth experience with zero buffering, low latency is essential. Having servers in multiple global data centers, or utilizing a CDN, will enhance the delivery of your content and ultimately grow your viewer-base.
NetShop ISP has privately-owned data centers located in three different continents, designed for the effective delivery of content worldwide.
Storage
Media files, and video files in particular, are really large and contain a lot of data – thus they consume a lot of storage space. It’s important that your server has the right resources to correctly store huge amounts of data, with SSDs being the optimal choice to guarantee fast streaming speeds as well as efficient transcoding.
Support
Finally, it’s always recommended to opt for a hosting provider who understands the complexities of your project and is well-versed in media streaming. Having a support team available 24/7 will be greatly beneficial, as well as the option of Fully Managed services for complete peace of mind.
Host your Media Streaming Infrastructure at NetShop ISP
Our Media Streaming Hosting solutions are designed to accommodate even the most complex streaming project via purpose-built Satellite Colocation Infrastructure. For more information on our solutions or to discuss your project, get in touch with our Specialists.
iGaming in Malta: Free Guide for Database Replication Server Hosting
In this article we wil explain everything you need to know about the technical infrastructure requirements and the need of a Database Replication Server in order to apply for an MGA iGaming License in Malta.
The online gambling regulatory landscape in Europe is changing vastly. Since 2019, European countries like Cyprus, Ukraine, The Netherlands, Germany (and more to come) revise their regulatory framework in order to fight money laundering, strengthen the local players’ protection and, of course, to provide more attractive incentives for gambling companies that wish to apply for a license.
In 2017, the Malta Gaming Authority has published a White Paper launching a consultation process in connection with an overhaul of the current legal and regulatory framework applicable to gaming activities in Malta.
The multi-licence system which was in place until that time, was replaced with a system comprising of two different types of licenses; a B2C and a B2B licence.
MGA Technical Infrastructure Hosting Requirements
Along with the introduction of the new license types, the Malta Gaming Authority revised the hosting requirements depending of the license that an applicant holds. Today, igaming companies that hold a Malta MGA license may host their primary infrastructure in any European country as long as they maintain a database replication server in Malta.
Prior the new licensing changes introduced in 2017, cloud hosting was not accepted as a type of hosting for an igaming licensee. Companies had to lease dedicated servers or colocate their own hardware in a Maltese datacenter.
Today, cloud hosting is allowed as long as the servers are provisioned within the EU region.
As per MGA’s directions, any application proposal submitted to the Authority should include the following information:
Details about the replicated server including physical location, rack number and IP addresses;
Details about the connectivity to the live servers, including details of the security protocols in place for the transmission of data;
Details on the type of data being replicated and its transmission frequency including time lags, if any, between the processes taking place on the live servers and the replication servers. This should provide adequate assurances of real time replication, security, confidentiality and integrity of data.
A fully-documented procedure, allowing MGA officials immediate and unhindered access to be able to conduct routine or ad hoc inspections on the replication server, (both physically and electronically) as may be required.
What is Data Replication & Why Is Needed
Data replication is the process of generating copies of data in different, redundant locations for backup and fault tolerance purpose. When it comes to the online gaming licensing requirements, data replication is required by regulators so there is local copy of players activity and financial data in locally hosted servers.
Today, companies can achieve data replication using databases built-in capabilities, or use third-party tools. For example, Oracle and Microsoft SQL Databases support data replication with in-built tools, however in some MySQL database environments, IT professionals may use third-party tools to achieve real-time data replication.
Data replication comes into ways; synchronous and asynchronous.
Synchronous data replication is when there is real-time, automatic replication of data upon any changes.
In the Asynchronous mode, replication of data is initiated only when the Commit statement is passed to the Database.
Database Replication over Network for iGaming business
Compliant Replica Database Server for Malta iGaming License
As explained previously, regardless of the location where your primary infrastructure is hosted you will need, minimum, a Cloud or Dedicated Server to be hosted in an approved Malta Datacenter to serve as replication of critical data.
As per MGA’s documentation, critical (or regulatory) data is composed of player details, financial transactions and game-play transactions.
Below you can find useful information about the different types of server hosting for MGA data replication.
1. Virtual Private Cloud Server
This is the most affordable type of hosting which also offers dynamic scalability.
Pros:
a. Cheapest option to get started
b. Deployed Instantly
c. Easy, on-the-fly Resources upgrade
Cons:
a. Hardware resources may not be dedicated to your application
b. Costly when hardware resources increase significantly (comparing with the same resources a Dedicated server may have)
This is the most popular hosting option nowadays as you get to utilize the full power of the Server, without investing capital to purchase any equipment.
Pros:
a. Robust and more secure environment than a Virtual Cloud Server
b. 100% of the hardware’s resources are dedicated to the application or database
c. The higher the resources (CPU, Disk, RAM) the cheaper it is in comparison to the pricing of a Cloud server with same specifications
The Colocation hosting option is mostly preferred by established iGaming companies, usually by B2B Suppliers. In this case, the customer buys the hardware (servers, firewalls, network equipment) and co-locates it to the Datacenter facilities. The Hosting provider will provide Network connectivity, Power and Managed Services if needed.
