Host Your Websites on Your Own Cloud Server - No Prior Linux Know-how Required!
Learn how to save tons of money by hosting lightning-fast websites on a low-cost cloud server, even if you know nothing about hosting or Linux.
Course Expected launch Date: 1st October 2023
Are you Tired, Stressed and Frustrated over Your Website Performance & Associated Costs? Or Do you own a VPS and want to take its Management, Performance and Security to the Next Level?
Novice
Are you just starting out to host your very first website?
We've been there early in our journey. Every long journey starts with the first step. And no matter how long the journey be, one day it ends. The day it ends is the day you realize whether you made it or not.
You reach your destination provided your direction is right. If the direction is not right, you usually march in circles. It's the wrong direction that leads you to a place that you don't want to be.
Here in this course we will guide you to success all the way through (though not precisely in this order):
- Properly registering a domain.
- Installing the required software.
- Registering your VPS.
- Configuring proper DNS records.
- Securely connecting to your VPS.
- Strengthening the security of your VPS and enable auto-updates.
- Installing the required software on your server.
- And finally launching websites.
We won't make any false promises. The shortest class of the course is around 5 minutes and the longest class is around 40 minutes. All the classes lie in between this length. These are not bite size classes and they cover the topics in depth. It is to facilitate the understanding of the core concepts. This core-understanding will cover you in the real-world scenarios, when the going gets tough.
The deal is simple; If you're willing to endure the pain, we're willing to assure you the results.
Advanced Beginner
Do you already have a few websites and use shared-hosting to host your websites?
We've been there, and have suffered every grievance you can imagine.
Some of the issues we faced were:
- Slow website speeds.
- Websites regularly getting offline for extended periods of time.
- Websites getting hacked out of no reason and the hosting provider demanding large monthly amount to transfer to a secure managed account
- Inability to run some scripts or plugins as the provider's servers didn't have particular modules installed.
- Sent emails bouncing back as the shared server on which the client's websites were hosted got blacklisted.
- Paying a large chunk of money just for a single website for some specialized Wordpress hosting.
And this list goes on and on.
What if I tell you that there is a way out of this hosting nightmare? There's a way you can actually save money you spend on hosting and use it to better feed your family. And that way is to host your own websites on a Virtual Private Server or VPS. Believe me it is cheaper than shared hosting.
The issue is running a VPS is not everybody's cup of tea. Yes there are tutorials and courses available on the net, claiming to teach you how to run a VPS starting from a few minutes to a few hours.
Trust me we've been through those tutorials and courses. The issue with the online tutorials is that each tutorial deals with a specific task. First it won't describe the issues and the roadblock you may encounter while doing it or discuss the security implications. You'll need to go through tens of different tutorials to just launch your personal VPS.
If you have some client websites as well then you'll need to ensure you perform the task professionally. For that purpose you may need to hire a Linux professional that may cost you 100s of $$$.
And the issue with most VPS courses is that they're mostly made by instructors who just have been through the same tutorials. Those courses are as far fetched from real-world scenarios as are those instructors from the field.
This course is made by IT professionals having both teaching and training experience and who host real servers for real clients. Dealing with IT challenges is their routine. Once you take this course you'll know what we mean by that.
If you're still uncertain about configuring your own server, let me tell you that hosting your websites on your own hand-configured server is a completely different feeling that can't simply be described in words. It's like being free and excited. It's like running your business on a Ferrari you own, as compared to running it on a hired Uber.
Choice is yours!
Proficient
If you already own a few VPSes and are proficient at your work, this course will still help you - guaranteed!
Let me ask you some questions regarding your VPSes:
- Are your servers properly documented? If yes, which tool you use for server documentation? Can you easily search for an issue which you just encountered if it happened before with another server?
- Which tool you use to connect to and manage your server? Is it Putty? If your answer is yes then I'm afraid any of our course graduates may consider you live in a cave.
- Which protocol you use to connect to your server? Are you sure it is safe and secure?
- What is Public-key Cryptography and how it works?
- What role does Diffie-Hellman algo plays in securing the SSH communication?
- Are the emails from your web server are DMARC compliant, without installing DKIM?
- What is better: Using CNAME or A-Records for your domain resolution?
- Do you get the system emails from each of your VPSes to an email address of your choice?
- Does your VPS auto update both the distro and all the installed software from different repos? Are you sure that your auto-updates will not fail during the next update? And do you have means to know if auto-updates fail for any reason?
- How do you protect SSH from man-in-the-middle attacks?
- Does your VPS properly synchronize time and do you know which time metrics are important for time synchronization? Have you defined redundant timeservers in case NTP Pool fails?
- Is your VPS protected against a website getting hacked and starts spewing spam?
These are very few of the questions, detailed answers to which you'll find in this course.
Attending this course is risk-free, assured by our iron-clad 30-days no questions asked guarantee. Yes, we may ask a question or two why you got inclined to take a refund, but that will be after issuing you the refund, not before.
Setup Web Server
To get started all you need is the ability to use a PC. All of our videos contain accessible step-by-step instructions from level 0 upwards which you can easily follow while you're doing this course. Every step is covered from installing the software to registering your domain, registering and configuring your VPS, and to finally lauch your own websites.
Our course uses the Best Server Management Software, the Latest Approach to Linux, and is designed by guys who are Active Professionals Managing Real Linux Servers for Real Clients.
Special offer! Enroll now and get a 35% discount !
Course Contents
Here are the complete course contents. You may want to expand individual classes to view class duration and the class objectives. The last two modules are still under development. Register now to take advantage of the discounted price.
1
Module 1: Linux Distros, Hosting & Cloud Providers
Duration: 16 mins
Class Objectives
By the end of this class you'll be able to:
- Describe what is Linux and why is it the preferred Operating System for Servers.
- Differentiate between different Linux distros or flavors.
- Describe the advantages of using a particular distro called Debian over others.
- Describe what is a Web Server and differentiate between Static and Dynamic Web Servers.
(It is highly recommended to view this class in full screen mode.)
Duration: 12 mins
Class Objectives
By the end of this class, you will be able to:
- Describe what is web hosting and its types.
- Describe the advantages and disadvantages of each type of hosting.
- Select the type of hosting most suited to your needs and requirements.
Duration: 13 mins
Class Objectives:
By the end of this class, you will be able to:
- Describe the salient features of Tier 1, and Tier 2 Cloud Hosting Providers.
- Describe the specific cloud requirements of Enterprise customers.
- Describe the role of the Hypervisor in Cloud Virtualization.
2
Module 2: Tools of the Trade
Duration: 6 mins
Class Objectives
By the end of this class, you'll be able to:
- Describe the four tools needed to successfully manage your VPS.
- Describe the necessity of using, each of these tools.
Duration: 15 mins
Class Objectives
By the end of this class, you will be able to:
- Describe why you need a command-line tool to manage your VPS.
- Download and install Remote Desktop Manager on a Windows PC.
- Describe the RDM interface and its main components.
- Get a glimpse of connecting to your upcoming VPS using RDM.
Duration: 14 mins
Class Objectives:
By the end of this class, you will be able to:
1. Describe why you need a command-line tool to manage your VPS.
2. Download and install Remote Desktop Manager on a MAC.
3. Describe the RDM interface and its main components.
4. Get a glimpse of connecting to your upcoming VPS using RDM.
Duration: 10 mins
Class Objectives:
By the end of this class, you will be able to:
1. Install Sublime Text on a Windows PC.
2. Create a New Sublime Text project from the given template.
3. Quickly search/replace text across your entire project.
Duration: 9 mins
Class Objectives:
By the end of this class, you will be able to:
- Install Sublime Text on a Mac.
- Create a new Sublime Text project from the given template.
- Quickly search/replace text across your entire project.
Duration: 10 mins
Class Objectives:
By the end of this class, you will be able to:
- Install WinSCP on a WIndows PC.
- Describe WinSCP interface.
- Get a glimpse of connecting to your upcoming VPS using WinSCP.
Duration: 13 mins
Class Objectives:
By the end of this class, you will be able to:
- Install FileZilla on a Mac.
- Describe the FileZilla interface.
- Get a glimpse of connecting to your upcoming VPS using FileZilla.
Duration: 14 mins
Class Objectives:
By the end of this class, you will be able to:
- Install Scrivener on Windows.
- Make adjustments to the Main Editor Window for better screen area utilization.
- Insert images the right way.
- Change file and folder icons.
Duration: 14 mins
Class Objectives:
By the end of this class, you will be able to:
- Install Scrivener on a Mac.
- Make adjustments to the main editor window for better screen area utilization.
- Insert images the right way.
- Change file and folder icons.
3
Module 3: Deploying The Cloud VPS
Duration: 7 mins
Class Objectives:
By the end of this class you will be able to:
- Describe in simple terms what is a protocol and the connection between protocols and ports.
- Describe the default ports used by major protocols.
- Describe in simple terms the process of connecting to a server.
Duration: 23 mins
Class Objectives
By the end of this class, you will be able to describe in simple terms:
- The three stages of connecting to a VPS through SSH.
- The necessary SSH related files and SSH key pairs on the server.
- The Diffie-Hellman Algorithm, why it was needed and the role it plays to secure communication.
- Public-key Cryptography, and how it works.
Duration: 9 mins
Class Objectives:
By the end of this class, you will be able to:
Generate and save the ED25519 SSH key pair using the Remote Desktop Manager (RDM.)
Duration: 11 mins
Class Objectives:
By the end of this class, you will be able to:
Generate public and private SSH keys using Remote Desktop Manager (RDM) to connect to your server.
Duration: 4 mins
Class Objectives:
By the end of this class you'll be able to:
- Describe why is it a good idea to have your web server running before the registration of your domain.
- Get pointers to select the ISP better suited to your needs.
Duration: 13 mins
Class Objectives:
By the end of this class you will be able to:
- Create a new account on Linode.
- Add SSH public key to Linode Console.
- Launch a VPS with Linode.
- Connect to the VPS via Remote Desktop Manager.
Duration: 13 mins
Class Objectives:
By the end of this class you will be able to:
- Create a new account on Hetzner.
- Add SSH public key to Hetzner Console.
- Launch a VPS with Hetzner.
- Connect to the VPS via Remote Desktop Manager.
Duration: 16 mins
Class Objectives:
By the end of this class, you'll be able to:
- Configure RDM not to auto-disconnect from the server.
- Change the Prompt, Font, and colors of the terminal.
- Enhance the ls directory listing.
- Get acquainted with the functionality of the authorized_keys file.
Duration: 20 mins
Class Objectives:
By the end of this class, you'll be able to:
- Connect to your VPS using RDM.
- Configure RDM not to auto-disconnect from the server.
- Change the prompt, font, colors and ls listing of the terminal.
- Get acquainted with the functionality of the authorized_keys file.
Duration: 16 mins
Class Objectives:
By the end of this class you'll be able to:
- Regenerate server SSH key pairs for enhanced security.
- Configure WinSCP to connect to your VPS.
- Secure RDM and WinSCP from man-in-the-middle attacks.
Duration: 14 mins
Class Objectives:
By the end of this class, you'll be able to:
- Regenerate server SSH key pairs for enhanced security.
- Configure FileZilla to connect to your server.
- Secure RDM and FileZilla from man-in-the-middle attacks.
4
Module 4: Domains & The DNS
Duration 8 mins
Class Objectives:
By the end of this class you will be able to:
- Differentiate between Generic, and CC TLDs.
- Describe in simple terms the roles ICANN, IANA, IETF, and the domain registrars play in the DNS management process.
Duration 9 mins
Class Objectives
By the end of this class, you will be able to describe in simple terms:
- Register your own domain name.
- Update your domain's nameservers.
- Create different domain profiles for different nameservers.
Duration 8 mins
Class Objectives:
By the end of this class, you will be able to:
- Describe in simple terms how DNS works and how it relates to website hosting.
- Describe in simple terms the functionality of the Name Servers.
- Describe in simple terms the process of Domain Name Resolution.
- Describe in simple terms the relationship between the DNS records and Name Servers.
Duration: 24 mins
Class Objectives:
By the end of this class, you will be able to:
- Define in simple terms the Primary & Secondary Zones, Zone Transfer, SOA, TTL, A & AAAA records.
- Add your domain to NS1 or Linode Name Servers.
- Add the A and AAAA records for your domain and the VPS to NS1 or Linode Name Servers.
- Test the added records.
Duration: 10 mins
Class Objectives:
By the end of this class you'll be able to:
- Configure RDM and WinSCP on Windows to access your server by its name.
- Discover why WinSCP throws an unknown server warning when the server IP is changed by the server name.
- Configure RDM and FileZilla on macOS to access your server by its name instead of the IP address.
- Discover why RDM and FileZilla throw unauthentic server warnings when the server IP is changed by the server name.
Duration: 16 mins
Class Objectives:
By the end of this class you will be able to:
- Describe in simple words the importance of www resolution for a website.
- Describe the process of www resolution using the CNAME records.
- Describe the process of www resolution using the A records.
- Enable www name resolution for your domain.
Duration: 29 mins
Class Objectives:
By the end of this class you will be able to:
- Describe in simple words the usage and functionality of Reverse DNS or PTR records.
- Describe the functionality of the tracert command in Windows and traceroute command in macOS.
- Describe the basic anatomy of an IP address and the process of reverse DNS resolution.
- Implement the Reverse DNS records for your VPS on Linode and Hetzner.
Duration: 8 mins
Class Objectives:
By the end of this class, you'll be able to:
- Describe Mail Exchange or MX records.
- Set the proper MX records for your domain.
- Test the functionality of the MX records.
Duration: 23 mins
Class Objectives:
By the end of this class, you'll be able to:
- Describe SPF records in simple terms.
- Describe how the SPF records protect the emails from spoofing attempts.
- Describe the usage of SPF Mechanisms and Qualifiers.
- Set the proper SPF record for your domain and the VPS.
Duration: 28 mins
Class Objectives:
By the end of this class you'll be able to:
- Describe in simple terms the necessity and the functionality of DKIM.
- Describe the usage of canonicalization, hashing, and signing in the DKIM verification process.
- Describe the usage of DKIM in real-world scenarios.
- Set the proper DKIM record for your domain provided you already have access to a functional email service.
Duration: 36 mins
Class Objectives:
By the end of this class, you'll be able to:
- Describe in simple terms the necessity and the functionality of DMARC.
- Describe the role SPF and DKIM Alignment play in DMARC conformance.
- Describe different types of DMARC tags and options.
- Describe different types of DMARC reports and interpret them.
- Set the proper DMARC record for your domain provided you already have access to a functional email service.
5
Module 5: Basic VPS Configuration
Duration 10 mins
Class Objectives:
By the end of this class you will be able to:
- Explain in simple terms the pros and cons of the sudo command.
- Use sudo to run commands on the VPS.
- Explain the rationale behind not using sudo for VPSes managed by a single user.
Duration 17 mins
Class Objectives
By the end of this class, you will be able to describe in simple terms:
- Describe in simple terms the importance and the usage of systemctl command.
- Set the proper FQDN i.e. Fully Qualified Domain Name of your server.
Duration 12 mins
Class Objectives:
By the end of this class, you will be able to:
- Describe in simple words the SSH mechanism, which is used to authenticate to your server.
- Take and restore your server image to mitigate any disaster caused by wrong SSH settings.
- Download the main SSH server configuration file.
- View all the current SSH settings utilized by your server, and copy them to a text file for easy reference.
Duration: 33 mins
Class Objectives:
By the end of this class, you will be able to:
- Describe and configure the critical SSH settings in the light of the 3 Stages of SSH Authentication.
- Disable insecure SSH Keys, Algorithms and MACS i.e. Message Authentication Code Algorithms.
- Disable Server Password Authentication, root password etc.
Duration: 12 mins
Class Objectives:
By the end of this class you'll be able to:
- Differentiate between System, User, and Dynamic or Private ports.
- Secure the SSH Port and configure all the relevant software to use the new port.
- Disable TCP Port forwarding.
- Test all the applied SSH settings.
Duration: 23 mins
Class Objectives:
By the end of this class you will be able to:
- Explain what is the Debian Repository and how it is configured on your server.
- Explain the syntax of sources.list and compare this file from different ISPs.
- Explain what are the Debian Distributions and Components.
- Secure the software update process from the Debian repository.
Duration: 39 mins
Class Objectives:
By the end of this class you will be able to:
- Install and Configure the "Unattended Upgrades" package to automatically update both your operating system and any installed software.
- Configure the "Unattended Upgrades" to automatically restart the required services after being updated.
- Configure the "Unattended Upgrades" for optimal performance.
Duration: 27 mins
Class Objectives:
By the end of this class, you'll be able to:
- Describe in simple terms The Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), Universal Time Coordinated (UTC), and The Leap Seconds.
- Describe why the inclusion of The Leap Seconds in UTC is important to keep time in sync with The Universe.
- Check how different apps use different timezones.
- Set the proper timezone for your server and ensure that all the apps and services on your server use the same timezone.
Duration: 25 mins
Class Objectives:
By the end of this class, you'll be able to:
- Describe in simple words the Network Time Protocol (NTP) along with its shortcomings and alternatives.
- Describe the NTP Daemon, Systemd Timesyncd Service, and Chrony, along with their shortcomings and advantages.
- Check if NTP Daemon, Systemd Timesyncd Service, or Chrony is running on your server.
- Remove NTP Daemon and Systemd Timesyncd service.
Duration: 18 mins
Class Objectives:
By the end of this class you'll be able to:
- Install Chrony.
- Describe Debian Vendor Zone and NTP Pool Project.
- Enable Chrony logging.
- Add additional timeservers to Chrony's configuration for resiliency and redundancy.
Duration: 29 mins
Class Objectives:
By the end of this class, you'll be able to:
- Describe the syntax of the chronyc command.
- Use the tracking command to view Chrony Performance Metrics.
- Describe NTP Metrics such as Residual Frequency, Skew, Root delay, etc.
- Describe how NTP Metrics are utilized to select the primary reference timeserver.
Duration: 24 mins
Class Objectives:
By the end of this class, you'll be able to:
- Use the sources command to view NTP Performance Metrics for different timeservers.
- Explain NTP Metrics such as Poll, Reach, LastRx, Margin of Error, etc.
- Use the gathered metrics to select superior timeservers to achieve better time accuracy for your VPS.
Duration: 12 mins
Class Objectives:
By the end of this class, you'll be able to:
- Stress test Chrony to understand its time correctional behavior.
- Describe how a change in the local time affects the System time metric.
- Describe how Chrony automatically adjusts the Update interval.
- Determine approximately in how much time Chrony corrects large time anomalies.
6
Module 6: Enable Emailing
Duration 24 mins
Class Objectives:
By the end of this class you will be able to:
- Describe the importance of Email Delivery from your VPS.
- Describe the drawbacks of spamming from a VPS, and the importance of whitelisting domains and email addresses.
- Check if your VPS is allowed to send emails.
- Contact your ISP for the removal of any emailing restrictions on your VPS.
- Install Postfix to send emails.
Under Construction
Class Objectives
By the end of this class, you will be able to describe in simple terms:
- Null your VPS i.e. disable all incoming emails from the Internet to your VPS.
- Send a test email from your VPS to check successful email delivery.
Under Construction
Class Objectives:
By the end of this class, you will be able to:
- Allow emails from your VPS only to whitelisted domains and email addresses.
Under Construction
Class Objectives:
By the end of this class, you will be able to:
- Change the default sending email address from root to your server name. This differentiates emails from a particular server.
- Change the default receiving email address from root to your desired one.
- Test the new configuration.
7
Module 7: NginX - Coming Soon!
8
Module 8: Bonus - Coming Soon!
Bonus
Classes Transcripts/Material
All the classes come with the class transcript along with the relevant URLs mentioned in the lecture.
Class material like configuration files, icons are all included with the relevant classes.
Members Forum
An exclusive member's only forum is included with the course. You can aks questions from our highly qualified instructors regarding any issue you face while following the course.
$50 Discount
This course is still under development. Till the time this course completes we are offering a $50 dicount out of the original price of $249.95.
Discount ends with the release of the final class which is expencted within a few weeks.
About M F Faruqi
M F Faruqi is the founder of Mindbuilt Technology and Mindbuild Design Studio. He has been serving in the IT arena for more than 20 years. His educational background is in Theoretical Physics, but has been involved with IT, ever since he came out of the University.
He's in a unique position to teach this course. Initially in his carrier he has taught computers to children in an International school, from kindergarten to 8th grade.
He has also served as the Chief Operating Officer in an off-shore Software Development House. There he led a team of more then 50 developers. He has been managing his own businesses since the last 20 years.
Course is Nearing Completion
As of September 2023, all course Modules till Module 7 are complete. Expected date of completion of Module 7 is by November 2023. Expected date of course completion is January, 2024. Till course completion the price is discounted by $50. After course completion the price will be $249.95.
100% Satisfaction Guarantee
Our #1 priority here at Mindbuilt is your satisfaction. Which means we stand by our course 100%.
Attending this course is risk-free, assured by our iron-clad 30-days no questions asked, no holds barred, no ifs, no buts, 100% refund guarantee.
If you don't love our course, you will get your money back.