Parallels Plesk 12: here's a new twist
This year we have several times expressed our opinion that the traditional hosting market is unlikely to live as before (for example, here and on Habré ). It would be strange if we ignored these trends when developing our own products. Therefore, the new version of the Parallels Plesk 12.0 solution (software for managing the work of everything related to the web - domains, websites, mailboxes, DNS, etc.) was made taking into account the new reality, where the time of price wars among hosters has already passed. Today, value-added solutions to individual segments of the audience, rather than the standard VPS or shared hosting packages, start and win in the market today. So, according to Netctaft, those who create offers in the field of web hosting for different target audiences have increased their market share from 5 to 51% over the past 3 years.
Based on this trend, we have divided the product into 4 different “editions” - for web admins, web developers, web studios and hosters, each of which now has its own set of tools and features. What exactly - under the cut. We would like to know what tools you personally lack for your scripts.
Another picture from the photobank, you thought, right? Not certainly in that way. For example, one of the people depicted here devoted quite a few hours explaining to us how their business is organized on WordPress. Guess which?
We divided the audience of the Parallels Plesk 12 product into 4 groups, each with its own specific needs:
• Web admins. They have the admins of their own sites and blogs, as well as those who work with websites and mail of their company or client. As a rule, they do not need a wide variety of tools (respectively, they are not ready to overpay for them), but the most simple interface is necessary.
• Web developers. Working both on themselves and on customers, independently hosting their own web applications and games. They also do not require a large number of options, since more often they deploy only one application on one web server, but in the case of working with clients, it becomes necessary to access the latter to the product being developed.
• Web-studios / digital-agencies. Usually create a lot of sites on their own or on the basis of CMS. Good agencies often score scores for dozens, but usually do not exceed a hundred. From here - the need for convenient tools that can both accurately configure one site for the needs of a specific project, and manage sites in large quantities.
• Hosters. Here it is clear - the traditional virtual hosting for a large (or even huge) number of users and the need for appropriate tools for the distribution of resources.
')
Each group has its own “edition” of the product (“edition”). All editions are based on a common distribution, but the functions in them are different and are determined by the license key. On the one hand, this allows each group to offer the functions it needs, without overloading people with extras - well, why would the site owner on their own VPS have any resellers ... And on the other hand, it allows making “simplified” editions cheaper.
Of course, all the basic functions are available to everyone - to create a database, upload files, adjust PHP settings ... But for each group, in addition to this, we wanted to find something useful for it.
For Web Admins: Plesk Web Admin Edition
• The simplest edition is minimalism and simplicity of the interface, plus a low price.
• Pleasant bonus - the control panel is fully compatible with browsers tablets and smartphones. Wherever and whenever you need to fix something - all (!) Functions of the panel are available in a convenient form.
For Web Developers: Plesk Web App Edition
• Anything above, plus:
• While the developer himself can use the so-called Power User interface to configure the server, site and applications, for his customers he can enable a simplified interface (Custom View), where there will be only the most needed functions (say, the mailbox has to be started). The customer has less confusion, the server less risk of breaking suddenly.
• Additional tools for developers (support for PgSQL, MS SQL, Tomcat, ColdFusion).
For web studios: Plesk Web Pro Edition
• Anything above, plus:
• Ability to create multiple accounts and manage them.
• Wordpress Management Tool (WordPress Toolkit) for sites on this CMS.
For hosters: edited by Plesk Web Host
• Anything above, plus:
• Full access to all administration tools, including user management, subscriptions and resellers
• Reduced price for VPS
In short, all editorial options can be tabulated
Of course, in the new version there are major innovations that affect all or most of the listed editions. About them in order - below.
Working with all sorts of attacks on sites and servers, unfortunately, has long been a sad necessity. There are quite a lot of solutions of all sorts, and we chose long enough what to take to protect websites and web applications. The main criterion in the selection was their universality - in the issue of security, community trust plays a very important role. Of the solutions that work on the server, they finally stopped at Fail2ban and ModSecurity.
Fail2Ban provides a cut-off of "annoying" visitors through a temporary firewall ban. Typical scenario - the bot is trying to find a password in the dictionary. This system protects SSH, FTP, web and mail services, as well as the Parallels Plesk panel itself.
ModSecurity - a kind of firewall for web applications that focuses on protection against penetration of well-known or recently discovered vulnerabilities. The mechanism of its work is a cut-off of requests to the site, which contain signs of invasion. The simplest example is that in the query they are trying to pass SQL code (the so-called SQL injection).
It should be noted that ModSecurity is not valuable in itself, but only with a reliable supplier of rules for it. Today three suppliers of rules are known:
• Core ModSecurity (free)
• Comodo (free)
• Atomic (commercial)
Of course, Plesk supports all three. The best is Atomic (they sometimes have time to update the rules twice a day to protect against new holes). The special trick is that they provide free quality rules for Plesk (and only for Plesk), albeit limited compared to the commercial version.
The free rules from Core ModSecurity, unfortunately, are famous for excessive cruelty, and there is a test mode for using them - when the alerts are reported to the user, but visitors are not blocked.
ModSecurity is currently supported only for Apache / Linux, but we very much look forward to further expand support for Nginx / Linux and MS IIS / Windows.
For external site protection an integrated solution from ServerShield CloudFlare is offered. You don’t need to set anything up here - just the traffic will be redirected to CloudFlare servers, filtered by their algorithms and returned back. To properly account for visitors, you can install mod_cloudflare through plesk autoinstaller.
WordPress is known as the number one CMS system in the world for building websites, and has long ceased to be just a “blog”. Many studios create client sites based on WordPress. Such demand could not be ignored - WordPress Toolkit appeared. It allows you to massively update sites on WordPress, install and update themes and plugins, provides the recommended security settings.
For example, if users themselves are not in a hurry with updates, there is an opportunity to warn / rush, and roll updates to all sites forcibly, if necessary. Some of the suggested things can be done by the plugins themselves (but without the mass scale - one installation at a time), but in the area of protection, we took care of the features and automation that are not in WordPress plugins, but only textual recommendations. For example, it is difficult for plugins to change file system rights, but for Plesk, this is not at all difficult. The settings are divided into safe recommended and optional, which can potentially break some plugins. The decision is made by admin.
Few things can create more headaches for the admin than blocking their server for sending spam. This does not mean that you have sent spam and suffered a cause - spam bots that get access to the server in one of 3 ways usually send spam:
• stolen email accounts
• web scripts for mass spam sending - a Trojan script added to the site
• hacked system accounts (linux shell)
We mark each letter in order to link which of your users sent it, and then count the limits - for the mailbox, domain (including all mailboxes and websites of the domain) and at the client account level (including all mailboxes and web sites). client subscription sites). If the limit is exceeded, the sender is temporarily blocked. And the source of spam itself can be easily found using Plesk reports and notifications. Statistics and reports on attempts to exceed the limits for a specified period is available for different objects - mailboxes, domains, subscriptions. The report will contain information on the number of objects that attempted to exceed the limit, their list and description of each specific object for the selected period. Statistics can be requested at least every hour. In addition to the notification in the control panel, the administrator receives a message about a possible attempt to send spam to the mail.
• Those who wish to place mail not on their server, but Gmail, Exchange or another external system, can now turn off local mail for any domain in order, so to speak, not to interfere.
• Mass mailbox management has been greatly expanded.
• Eliminated the need to keep open relay on localhost for own mailings - minus one spam channel.
• Dovecot support has appeared in addition to the already old Courier-IMAP. We expect a more stable IMAP / POP3 + operation for server mail sorting rules.
• If the server is still banned for spam, then you can quickly change the IP used to send mail.
• The user interface and admin interface Power User (which with tabs) now works fine on mobile device browsers. Adapts to virtually any screen size in an optimal way.
• In both interfaces (user and admin) you can see all your domains, subdomains, aliases, etc. from all subscriptions at once (they are also “web space”), on one page.
• Optional simplified interface for resellers (same as for customers)
• Administrators can perform various operations with reseller accounts on behalf of resellers.
• An administrator can turn a customer into a reseller and vice versa, as well as transfer customers between resellers
• All users (administrators, resellers, customers) can post descriptions in Plesk for domains and mailboxes. Administrators and resellers can also leave descriptions for subscriptions and customers. Of course, none of them see the descriptions left by the parent link
• Ability to restore from a backup any single fragment - up to a single file or mailbox.
• New migration utility (“migrate”): allows you to easily develop your own scripts for migration according to your own rules (for example, in parts).
• Improved and advanced SDK.
• Support for new OS - OpenSuSE 13.1, Ubuntu 14.04, RHEL 7, CentOS 7.
• Significantly expanded SDK and API for developing integrations.
• A portal for third-party extensions to Plesk has been launched - you can view and install them directly from the panel. The list can be found at http://ext.plesk.com
Only 2 months after the release - about 30 extensions with the most different functions. Saving backups to Dropbox , an external DNS server , support for LiteSpeed (a commercial fast web server), two-factor authorization via Clef , etc., and so on.
• Several times accelerated the creation of a new account on multi-domain servers for virtual hosting.
• Greatly accelerated the creation of an FTP account and other file operations on large sites (with a large number of files).
• Pool of individual IIS subscriptions.
• All logs are collected in the / var / log / plesk folder to simplify problem analysis and technical staff training. Also in one place are created folders for collecting various types of collection - logs on migration through the Plesk Migration Manager - in / var / log / plesk / PMM, on the Plesk installation - in /var/log/plesk/install/*.log.
This, of course, is not all that we came up with, or you suggested (including through the portal plesk.uservoice.com , which we already wrote about in Habré ): we tried to limit ourselves to the most interesting. A complete list of all can be found here:
By the way, if the correlation between what the users asked for in the new Plesk and what has appeared is interesting, then here is the data: in 12.0, 27 of the proposals that you declared on plesk.uservoice.com were included, including 8 of 10 most popular offers at that time.
Download Parallels Plesk 12 here: http://sp.parallels.com/en/products/plesk/download/ , as well as our colleagues in the Infobox ( action with a free opportunity to test the new version.
We are waiting for your comments.
Based on this trend, we have divided the product into 4 different “editions” - for web admins, web developers, web studios and hosters, each of which now has its own set of tools and features. What exactly - under the cut. We would like to know what tools you personally lack for your scripts.
Another picture from the photobank, you thought, right? Not certainly in that way. For example, one of the people depicted here devoted quite a few hours explaining to us how their business is organized on WordPress. Guess which?
Editorial staff
We divided the audience of the Parallels Plesk 12 product into 4 groups, each with its own specific needs:
• Web admins. They have the admins of their own sites and blogs, as well as those who work with websites and mail of their company or client. As a rule, they do not need a wide variety of tools (respectively, they are not ready to overpay for them), but the most simple interface is necessary.
• Web developers. Working both on themselves and on customers, independently hosting their own web applications and games. They also do not require a large number of options, since more often they deploy only one application on one web server, but in the case of working with clients, it becomes necessary to access the latter to the product being developed.
• Web-studios / digital-agencies. Usually create a lot of sites on their own or on the basis of CMS. Good agencies often score scores for dozens, but usually do not exceed a hundred. From here - the need for convenient tools that can both accurately configure one site for the needs of a specific project, and manage sites in large quantities.
• Hosters. Here it is clear - the traditional virtual hosting for a large (or even huge) number of users and the need for appropriate tools for the distribution of resources.
')
Each group has its own “edition” of the product (“edition”). All editions are based on a common distribution, but the functions in them are different and are determined by the license key. On the one hand, this allows each group to offer the functions it needs, without overloading people with extras - well, why would the site owner on their own VPS have any resellers ... And on the other hand, it allows making “simplified” editions cheaper.
“Dear Editors”: Tools and Functions
Of course, all the basic functions are available to everyone - to create a database, upload files, adjust PHP settings ... But for each group, in addition to this, we wanted to find something useful for it.
For Web Admins: Plesk Web Admin Edition
• The simplest edition is minimalism and simplicity of the interface, plus a low price.
• Pleasant bonus - the control panel is fully compatible with browsers tablets and smartphones. Wherever and whenever you need to fix something - all (!) Functions of the panel are available in a convenient form.
For Web Developers: Plesk Web App Edition
• Anything above, plus:
• While the developer himself can use the so-called Power User interface to configure the server, site and applications, for his customers he can enable a simplified interface (Custom View), where there will be only the most needed functions (say, the mailbox has to be started). The customer has less confusion, the server less risk of breaking suddenly.
• Additional tools for developers (support for PgSQL, MS SQL, Tomcat, ColdFusion).
For web studios: Plesk Web Pro Edition
• Anything above, plus:
• Ability to create multiple accounts and manage them.
• Wordpress Management Tool (WordPress Toolkit) for sites on this CMS.
For hosters: edited by Plesk Web Host
• Anything above, plus:
• Full access to all administration tools, including user management, subscriptions and resellers
• Reduced price for VPS
In short, all editorial options can be tabulated
Key new features
Of course, in the new version there are major innovations that affect all or most of the listed editions. About them in order - below.
New security tools
Working with all sorts of attacks on sites and servers, unfortunately, has long been a sad necessity. There are quite a lot of solutions of all sorts, and we chose long enough what to take to protect websites and web applications. The main criterion in the selection was their universality - in the issue of security, community trust plays a very important role. Of the solutions that work on the server, they finally stopped at Fail2ban and ModSecurity.
Fail2Ban provides a cut-off of "annoying" visitors through a temporary firewall ban. Typical scenario - the bot is trying to find a password in the dictionary. This system protects SSH, FTP, web and mail services, as well as the Parallels Plesk panel itself.
ModSecurity - a kind of firewall for web applications that focuses on protection against penetration of well-known or recently discovered vulnerabilities. The mechanism of its work is a cut-off of requests to the site, which contain signs of invasion. The simplest example is that in the query they are trying to pass SQL code (the so-called SQL injection).
It should be noted that ModSecurity is not valuable in itself, but only with a reliable supplier of rules for it. Today three suppliers of rules are known:
• Core ModSecurity (free)
• Comodo (free)
• Atomic (commercial)
Of course, Plesk supports all three. The best is Atomic (they sometimes have time to update the rules twice a day to protect against new holes). The special trick is that they provide free quality rules for Plesk (and only for Plesk), albeit limited compared to the commercial version.
The free rules from Core ModSecurity, unfortunately, are famous for excessive cruelty, and there is a test mode for using them - when the alerts are reported to the user, but visitors are not blocked.
ModSecurity is currently supported only for Apache / Linux, but we very much look forward to further expand support for Nginx / Linux and MS IIS / Windows.
For external site protection an integrated solution from ServerShield CloudFlare is offered. You don’t need to set anything up here - just the traffic will be redirected to CloudFlare servers, filtered by their algorithms and returned back. To properly account for visitors, you can install mod_cloudflare through plesk autoinstaller.
Built-in WordPress Management Tools
WordPress is known as the number one CMS system in the world for building websites, and has long ceased to be just a “blog”. Many studios create client sites based on WordPress. Such demand could not be ignored - WordPress Toolkit appeared. It allows you to massively update sites on WordPress, install and update themes and plugins, provides the recommended security settings.
For example, if users themselves are not in a hurry with updates, there is an opportunity to warn / rush, and roll updates to all sites forcibly, if necessary. Some of the suggested things can be done by the plugins themselves (but without the mass scale - one installation at a time), but in the area of protection, we took care of the features and automation that are not in WordPress plugins, but only textual recommendations. For example, it is difficult for plugins to change file system rights, but for Plesk, this is not at all difficult. The settings are divided into safe recommended and optional, which can potentially break some plugins. The decision is made by admin.
Manage email accounts and spam
Few things can create more headaches for the admin than blocking their server for sending spam. This does not mean that you have sent spam and suffered a cause - spam bots that get access to the server in one of 3 ways usually send spam:
• stolen email accounts
• web scripts for mass spam sending - a Trojan script added to the site
• hacked system accounts (linux shell)
We mark each letter in order to link which of your users sent it, and then count the limits - for the mailbox, domain (including all mailboxes and websites of the domain) and at the client account level (including all mailboxes and web sites). client subscription sites). If the limit is exceeded, the sender is temporarily blocked. And the source of spam itself can be easily found using Plesk reports and notifications. Statistics and reports on attempts to exceed the limits for a specified period is available for different objects - mailboxes, domains, subscriptions. The report will contain information on the number of objects that attempted to exceed the limit, their list and description of each specific object for the selected period. Statistics can be requested at least every hour. In addition to the notification in the control panel, the administrator receives a message about a possible attempt to send spam to the mail.
Mail Account Management
• Those who wish to place mail not on their server, but Gmail, Exchange or another external system, can now turn off local mail for any domain in order, so to speak, not to interfere.
• Mass mailbox management has been greatly expanded.
• Eliminated the need to keep open relay on localhost for own mailings - minus one spam channel.
• Dovecot support has appeared in addition to the already old Courier-IMAP. We expect a more stable IMAP / POP3 + operation for server mail sorting rules.
• If the server is still banned for spam, then you can quickly change the IP used to send mail.
Interface
• The user interface and admin interface Power User (which with tabs) now works fine on mobile device browsers. Adapts to virtually any screen size in an optimal way.
• In both interfaces (user and admin) you can see all your domains, subdomains, aliases, etc. from all subscriptions at once (they are also “web space”), on one page.
Reseller and subscription management
• Optional simplified interface for resellers (same as for customers)
• Administrators can perform various operations with reseller accounts on behalf of resellers.
• An administrator can turn a customer into a reseller and vice versa, as well as transfer customers between resellers
• All users (administrators, resellers, customers) can post descriptions in Plesk for domains and mailboxes. Administrators and resellers can also leave descriptions for subscriptions and customers. Of course, none of them see the descriptions left by the parent link
General technical updates
• Ability to restore from a backup any single fragment - up to a single file or mailbox.
• New migration utility (“migrate”): allows you to easily develop your own scripts for migration according to your own rules (for example, in parts).
• Improved and advanced SDK.
• Support for new OS - OpenSuSE 13.1, Ubuntu 14.04, RHEL 7, CentOS 7.
Integration
• Significantly expanded SDK and API for developing integrations.
• A portal for third-party extensions to Plesk has been launched - you can view and install them directly from the panel. The list can be found at http://ext.plesk.com
Only 2 months after the release - about 30 extensions with the most different functions. Saving backups to Dropbox , an external DNS server , support for LiteSpeed (a commercial fast web server), two-factor authorization via Clef , etc., and so on.
New to Windows
• Several times accelerated the creation of a new account on multi-domain servers for virtual hosting.
• Greatly accelerated the creation of an FTP account and other file operations on large sites (with a large number of files).
• Pool of individual IIS subscriptions.
New to Linux
• All logs are collected in the / var / log / plesk folder to simplify problem analysis and technical staff training. Also in one place are created folders for collecting various types of collection - logs on migration through the Plesk Migration Manager - in / var / log / plesk / PMM, on the Plesk installation - in /var/log/plesk/install/*.log.
This, of course, is not all that we came up with, or you suggested (including through the portal plesk.uservoice.com , which we already wrote about in Habré ): we tried to limit ourselves to the most interesting. A complete list of all can be found here:
By the way, if the correlation between what the users asked for in the new Plesk and what has appeared is interesting, then here is the data: in 12.0, 27 of the proposals that you declared on plesk.uservoice.com were included, including 8 of 10 most popular offers at that time.
Download Parallels Plesk 12 here: http://sp.parallels.com/en/products/plesk/download/ , as well as our colleagues in the Infobox ( action with a free opportunity to test the new version.
We are waiting for your comments.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/234789/
All Articles