This long weekend, I decided to take on the challenge of redoing my VPS server. Here are the specs of the setup:

• Operating System: AlmaLinux 9.5
• Kernel: Linux 5.14.0-503.23.2.el9_5.x86_64
• Hardware: AMD EPYC 9354P 32-Core Processor (2 cores allocated)
• RAM: 8GB

I run multiple sites and services on this server, including email, web/data hosting, databases, and various security sentries.

The Process & Challenges

Overall, the setup went relatively smoothly, aside from a few issues with PHP and Postfix/SMTP. The email server still requires some fine-tuning, but for the most part, everything is up and running. The process was both fun and exhausting, but that’s part of the experience!

Managing a VPS is an ongoing responsibility—it requires constant monitoring to maintain optimal performance and security. I’m always researching new administration techniques to improve efficiency and security, and honestly, I enjoy the challenge!

A Look Behind the Scenes

This devlog is just a brief overview of the project. In reality, the three-day process involved extensive installations, configurations, testing, and stress testing. I’ll cover some of these in more detail in future posts.

One interesting example is my YouTube to MP3 conversion system for https://utubemp3.net/. Without diving too deep into the technical details, I had to automate cookie extraction from a local PC and securely upload the cookie file to my site’s root directory. This entire process runs in the background every 10 minutes, ensuring seamless functionality. I’m happy to say it’s working flawlessly!

Final Thoughts

That was just one of many challenges I had to tackle over these three days. Now that everything is set up and running smoothly (for the most part), I can finally breathe—though, as always, server management is an ongoing battle! 😆

Stay tuned for more in-depth insights into specific aspects of the setup. Until next time!