Extending cPanel's Home Directory to a New Partition

Is your cPanel server's /home directory running out of space? This can stop you from creating new accounts or cause other issues. A common solution is to add a new hard drive and configure cPanel to use it for new user accounts. This guide explains how to do that simply.

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PREPARING THE NEW PARTITION

Before cPanel can use the new space, you need to add and set up a new hard drive on your server.

Steps:

1. Install New Hard Drive: Physically install the new hard drive into your server.

2. Format the Drive: Format the new drive with a suitable file system (like ext4).

3. Mount as /home2: Create a new directory, for example, /home2, and mount the new hard drive to this location. This makes the new storage accessible.

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TELLING CPANEL TO USE THE NEW PARTITION

Once /home2 is ready, you have two main ways to tell cPanel to use it for new accounts. Both methods involve editing the cPanel configuration file: /etc/wwwacct.conf.

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OPTION 1: DEDICATE NEW ACCOUNTS TO /home2

This option makes sure all future cPanel accounts are created directly in the new /home2 partition.

How to Configure:

• Edit the /etc/wwwacct.conf file.

• Find the line that says HOMEDIR.

• Change its value to /home2.

Example:

HOMEDIR=/home2

Result:

After this change, any new cPanel accounts you create will automatically be placed in the /home2 directory. Existing accounts in /home will remain there.

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OPTION 2: AUTO-SELECT BASED ON FREE SPACE

This is a more flexible option. cPanel will check both /home and /home2 and create new accounts on the partition with the most free space.

How to Configure:

• Edit the /etc/wwwacct.conf file.

• Find the line that says HOMEMATCH.

• Set its value to /home*.

Example:

HOMEMATCH=/home*

Result:

With this setting, when a new account is created, cPanel will intelligently decide whether to put it in /home or /home2 based on which directory has more available disk space. This helps distribute user data more evenly across your storage.

NCftp - get multiple Folders with ftp

The NcFTP client is a powerful tool for transferring files over FTP, especially useful for system administrators and developers. It offers advanced features like recursive directory downloads, making it a great alternative to standard FTP clients. This guide will walk you through installing NcFTP and using its recursive download capabilities.

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INSTALLING NCFTP

NcFTP is compatible with various Unix-like operating systems, including FreeBSD, Solaris, and most Linux distributions.

On Debian/Ubuntu Systems: You can easily install NcFTP using the apt-get package manager. Open your terminal and run the following command:

sudo apt-get install ncftp

This command will download and install the NcFTP client on your system.

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RECURSIVE DIRECTORY DOWNLOADS WITH NCFTPGET

ncftpget is a command-line tool within the NcFTP suite designed for efficient file transfers, particularly for scripting and advanced usage. It allows you to download entire directories and their contents recursively.

Basic Recursive Download Command: To download a remote directory and all its subdirectories and files, use the following format:

ncftpget -R -v -u "USERNAME" ftp.server.com /local/directory /remote/directory

Let's break down the options:

• -R: This crucial option tells ncftpget to copy all subdirectories and files recursively from the remote server.

• -v: Stands for "verbose." This displays detailed download activity and progress in your terminal, which is helpful for monitoring transfers.

• -u "USERNAME": Specifies the username for logging into the FTP server. If you omit this, ncftpget will attempt to log in anonymously.

• ftp.server.com: Replace this with the actual hostname or IP address of your FTP server.

• /local/directory: This is the path on your local machine where you want to save the downloaded files.

• /remote/directory: This is the path to the directory on the remote FTP server that you wish to copy.

Example: If you wanted to download the /www-data directory from ftp.nixcraft.net to your local /home/vivek/backup directory, using the username ftpuser, the command would be:

ncftpget -R -v -u "ftpuser" ftp.nixcraft.net /home/vivek/backup /www-data

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TROUBLESHOOTING: "TAR MODE" ERROR

Sometimes, when performing recursive downloads, you might encounter an error message similar to this:

tar: End of archive volume 1 reached
tar: Sorry, unable to determine archive format.
Could not read directory listing data: Connection reset by peer

This error often indicates that ncftpget is attempting to use "TAR mode" for the recursive transfer, which might not be supported or configured correctly on the FTP server, or it's encountering issues with directory listings.

Solution: Disable TAR Mode To resolve this, you can add the -T option to your ncftpget command. The -T option explicitly tells ncftpget not to try using TAR mode with recursive mode.

Revised Command for Error Resolution:

ncftpget -T -R -v -u "ftpuser" ftp.nixcraft.net /home/vivek/backup /www-data

By adding -T, you ensure that ncftpget uses a different method for recursive downloads, bypassing the TAR mode issue.

HIDING BACKGROUND PROCESS OUTPUT: THE /DEV/NULL TRICK

When running a command on a Linux or Unix-like system, the program often produces output:

1. Standard Output (stdout): Normal results, messages, or requested data (File Descriptor 1).

2. Standard Error (stderr): Warnings, errors, and diagnostic messages (File Descriptor 2).

When you run a long-running process in the background, this output can clutter your console, even after you move on to other tasks.

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THE SOLUTION: REDIRECTING TO /DEV/NULL

To hide all output and keep your terminal clean, you must redirect both stdout and stderr to a special location called /dev/null.

/dev/null is a virtual device known as the "bit bucket" or "black hole." Any data written to it is instantly discarded.

THE STANDARD REDIRECTION COMMAND

The standard, most effective command to silence all output is:

yourcommand > /dev/null 2>&1

How This Works:

1. > /dev/null: This redirects Standard Output (stdout, or FD 1) to the black hole (/dev/null).

2. 2>&1: This redirects Standard Error (stderr, or FD 2) to the same place where stdout (FD 1) is currently pointing. Since stdout is pointing at /dev/null, stderr is also sent there and silenced.

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RUNNING IN THE BACKGROUND (THE FULL COMMAND)

To combine output hiding with background execution, you simply add the ampersand (&) at the end.

yourcommand > /dev/null 2>&1 &

This command accomplishes two things:

1. Silences All Output: (> /dev/null 2>&1)

2. Sends to Background: (&) - It immediately returns control of the terminal to you, allowing the process to run independently.

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PERSISTENT BACKGROUND EXECUTION (NOHUP)

If you are running a command in the background and want it to continue running even after you log out or close your terminal session (a common need for server-side tasks), use nohup.

The Command for Persistent, Silent Background Task:

nohup yourcommand > /dev/null 2>&1 &

How This Works:

• nohup: Ensures the process ignores the "hang up" signal sent when a terminal is closed.

• > /dev/null 2>&1: Silences all output (otherwise, nohup would create a file called nohup.out).

• &: Runs the entire sequence in the background.

This is the ideal way to run a Linux application in the background that you expect to survive your session and generate no console noise.

Rsync command

Rsync (Remote Sync) is a powerful utility for copying and synchronizing files and directories, particularly across networked locations. Unlike simple copy commands, Rsync is designed for speed and efficiency by only transferring the parts of files that have actually changed.

This makes it the go-to tool for backups, file migration, and maintaining synchronized mirrors between servers.

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THE CORE CONCEPT: DIFFERENTIAL COPYING

The key to Rsync's efficiency is its "delta transfer" algorithm.

• Checks for Differences: Rsync first compares the files in the source location to the files in the destination location. It does this quickly by comparing file sizes and modification times.

• Transfers Only the Delta: Instead of copying entire files that have been modified, Rsync calculates the differences (the "delta") within the files. It only transfers those small blocks of changed data, dramatically reducing the amount of network bandwidth and time required.

KEY BENEFIT: RESUMABLE TRANSFERS

One of Rsync's most valuable features is its ability to handle interruptions gracefully:

• If a large transfer is interrupted (e.g., due to a lost network connection, power failure, or timeout), you can simply re-run the exact same rsync command.

• Rsync will pick up where it left off, checking files and continuing the sync from the point of interruption, saving you from restarting the entire copy process.

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UNDERSTANDING THE COMMAND SYNTAX

The basic Rsync command follows a simple pattern:

rsync [OPTIONS] [SOURCE] [DESTINATION]

EXAMPLE BREAKDOWN

The provided example is a very common and practical use of Rsync:

rsync -av source/public_html/ destination/public_html/

1. The Source and Destination:

• source/public_html/: The location where the files currently reside (the directory to be copied from).

• destination/public_html/: The location where the files should be copied to (the target directory).

2. The Options (-av):

The power of Rsync lies in its flags, with -av being the most widely used combination for general synchronization.

• -a (Archive Mode): This is a shorthand for several important flags (-rlptgoD). It ensures the synchronization is comprehensive and preserves file integrity by:

  • recursing into directories.

  • linking files.

  • preserving permissions.

  • time-stamps (modification times).

  • group ownership.

  • owner (user) ownership.

  • Device files and special files.

• -v (Verbose): This simply tells Rsync to output detailed information about the files being transferred, giving you confirmation and real-time progress.

Using this command ensures that the files in the destination directory are an exact, efficient, and attribute-preserving mirror of the source directory.

Install Grsecurity on 32 bit OS is : Kernel

Ideal way to install Grsecurity on 32 bit OS is : Just follow the steps given below.

Fetch the sources:

Download kernel from kernel.org

#wget http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v2.6/longterm/v2.6.32/linux-2.6.32.51.tar.gz

Downlaod latest Grsecurity patch from below URL :

#wget http://grsecurity.net/stable/grsecurity-2.2.2-2.6.32.51-201201021326.patch

Extract:
tar xjf linux-2.6.32.51.tar.gz

Patch the kernel:

#cd linux-2.6.32.51

#patch -p1 < ../grsecurity-2.2.2-2.6.32.51-201201021326.patch

Now start making the kernel :

# make clean && make mrproper

Edit your kernel as per your need :

# make menuconfig

Compile your kernel and install it:

# make bzImage

# make modules

# make modules_install

Make sure it’s working ok with the help of following command :

# depmod 2.6.32.51-grsec

Installing and booting the new kernel :

# cp arch/i386/boot/bzImage /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.32.51-grsec

There is also a file called “System.map” that must be copied to the same boot directory.

# cp System.map /boot

Do not forget to make changes in /etc/grub.conf

also go to grub prompt after this and fire below command :

# grub > savedefault –-default=0 –-once

Now reboot server :

#Shutdown -r now.