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Backing Up Your Cruzio VPS

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Cruzio strongly recommends that you keep backups of everything, including your Cruzio VPS. The Virtualmin Control Panel on your Cruzio VPS has a backup system built-in to make this easy. Backups can be done as one-time backups or can be scheduled to run regularly.

To perform a one-time backup immediately

  1. Log in to your Virtualmin Control Panel at clientlogin.cruziohost.com:10000, replacing clientlogin with the login name you chose when you signed up.
  2. In the left-hand menu toward the bottom of the list, click “Backup and Restore”.
  3. Click “Backup Virtual Servers”.
  4. Under “Virtual servers”, choose which servers are to be included in this backup. The default is to back up all your servers.
  5. You can specify which elements to back up under “Features and Settings”. The default option is to back up everything.

  6. Under “Destination and format”, specify the name and location of the backup file and the format of the backup (single archive file for your whole VPS, or an individual file for each server). By default, the backup process will create a single file for each server, containing a backup of all files on that server, and will create these files in your storage space on your Cruzio VPS.

    You may also specify a remote FTP or SSH server to transfer the file(s) to, or you can opt to download the archive file(s) in your browser.

  7. Click “Backup Now”.

To schedule backups

  1. Log in to your Virtualmin Control Panel at clientlogin.cruziohost.com:10000, replacing clientlogin with the login name you chose when you signed up.
  2. In the left-hand menu toward the bottom of the list, click “Backup and Restore”.
  3. Click “Scheduled Backups”.
  4. Click “Add a new backup schedule”.
  5. Under “Virtual servers”, choose which servers are to be included in this schedule. The default is to back up all your servers.
  6. You can specify which elements to back up under “Features and Settings”. The default option is to back up everything.

  7. Under “Destination and format”, specify the name and location of the backup file and the format of the backup (single archive file for your whole VPS, or an individual file for each server). By default, the backup process will create a single file for each server, containing a backup of all files on that server, and will create these files in your storage space on your Cruzio VPS.

    You may also specify a remote FTP or SSH server to transfer the file(s) to.

  8. Under “Schedule and reporting”, select “Simple Schedule”, then choose the frequency of backups, depending on the frequency of changes to your site.

    You may also specify an email address to receive reports of backup activity.

  9. Click “Create Schedule”.

To restore from a backup

  1. Log in to your Virtualmin Control Panel at clientlogin.cruziohost.com:10000, replacing clientlogin with the login name you chose when you signed up.
  2. In the left-hand menu toward the bottom of the list, click “Backup and Restore”.
  3. Click “Restore Backup”.
  4. Specify the source file to restore from. You can also specify which elements to restore or not restore.
  5. Click “Show What Will Be Restored”.
  6. Review the proposed restore, and if satisfied, click “Restore Now”.

Back up and restore MySQL databases

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Introduction

This information applies to Cruzio’s Website Hosting services. If you purchased Web and domain hosting with Cruzio after July 2006, you likely have Website Hosting services. Otherwise, you may have a Classic domain.

Many websites and Web applications use MySQL databases to store their content and settings. Learn how to protect your database by backing it up, and how to restore it in case of problems.

Back up your database regularly, so that you always have a recent copy to restore.

Be careful when restoring your backup to an existing database, since your backup will overwrite it. Make sure you are restoring the data you want to the destination you want. Otherwise, your website or application may become unusable.

Tools for backing up and restoring your database

Choose one of the tools below: Installatron, Control Panel Backup, or phpMyAdmin.

Installatron

Installatron is Cruzio’s one-click installer for Web applications, such as Joomla or WordPress.

Backing up with Installatron

  1. Go to http://login.cruzio.com and enter your domain name. Select “Control Panel” and click “Go”. Then log in with your admin username and password.
  2. In the sidebar, click the Installatron link.
  3. Your Web application(s) will appear. Find the one you want to back up and click its “create backup” button.
  4. The Installatron backup wizard will launch. Click the Next button to begin.
  5. Select the files, directories, and database tables you want to back up. Click Next.
  6. Click Submit.
  7. Click Complete.

Restoring with Installatron

  1. Go to http://login.cruzio.com and enter your domain name. Select “Control Panel” and click “Go”. Then log in with your admin username and password.
  2. In the sidebar, click the Installatron link.
  3. To the right of the Installatron page heading, click the My Backups tab.
  4. Your backup(s) will appear. Find the one you want to restore and click its “restore this backup” button.
  5. The Installatron restore wizard will launch. Click the Next button to begin.
  6. Select the files, directories, and database tables you want to restore. Click Next.
  7. Click Submit.
  8. Click Complete.

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Control Panel Backup

This backup tool is built into your control panel. It is limited to storing only a single backup per domain at any time.

The Control Panel Backup tool does not have a built-in restore function. You will need to retrieve your backup with an FTP application, and you will need to use phpMyAdmin to restore it.

Backing up with Control Panel Backup

  1. Go to http://login.cruzio.com and enter your domain name. Select “Control Panel” and click “Go”. Then log in with your admin username and password.
  2. In the sidebar, click Backup Your Account.
  3. Your domains will be listed. Click the small icon under the B (for backup) column for the domain you want to back up.
  4. Select the directories and databases you want to back up. Click “Backup now!”
  5. To schedule a recurring backup, in the list of domains, click the small icon under the S (for scheduling) column for the domain you want to back up.
  6. If “Disable scheduled backup” is selected, click its checkbox to deselect it. Select the items you want to back up, set a schedule (an asterisk means it will repeat every hour, day of the week, or day of the month), and enter an email address for notification. Click the Schedule button.

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Restoring with Control Panel Backup

If you are not familiar with FTP, follow our instructions for Website Publishing with Filezilla FTP.

  1. Open your FTP program, and connect to your Web host.
  2. Navigate to the “backups” directory.
  3. Your database backup is a file ending in the extension “.mysql”. Download it to your computer.
  4. Follow the phpMyAdmin steps below for restoring your database.

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phpMyAdmin

phpMyAdmin is a sophisticated tool for managing MySQL databases. It is as easy to destroy a database as it is to back it up. Use with caution.

If you have a Classic domain, you do not have the ability to restore any MySQL database backups. You may want to contact Cruzio and request a migration of your domain hosting to Website Hosting services.

Backing up with phpMyAdmin

  1. Go to http://login.cruzio.com and enter your domain name. Select “Control Panel” and click “Go”. Then log in with your admin username and password.
  2. Select the domain with the database you want to back up. If your Cruzio domain is on Host 6 or above, you’ll find the domain by going to the Main Menu on the upper left and clicking Domains.If you do not know what Host number your domain is on, after you log into your control panel, look at the address (URL) at the top of your browser. You will see it start with “https://host” followed by a number. That number is your domain’s Host number.
  3. Click the Databases icon. If you are on Host 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5, it will be under the Services section.If you are on Host 6 or above, it will be under the Applications & Services section.
  4. Choose your database by clicking on the database’s name.
  5. If you are on host 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5, click the “DB WebAdmin” icon.If you are host 6 or above, click the “Webadmin” icon.
  6. phpMyAdmin will open in a new window, so be sure your browser does not block pop-ups.
  7. In the sidebar of the phpMyAdmin window, click the database you want to back up.
  8. Toward the top of the page, click the Export tab.
  9. In the SQL Options area, under Structure, select “Add DROP TABLE” and “Add IF NOT EXISTS”. Leave all other options as they are.
  10. Near the bottom of the page, select “Save as file.” Optionally, in the “file name template” box, you can append the date, like this: __DB__01_01_2011
  11. At the bottom right, click Go.
  12. A file with the extension .sql should download to your computer. This is your database backup. Store it in a safe location.

Restoring with phpMyAdmin

  1. Go to http://login.cruzio.com and enter your domain name. Select “Control Panel” and click “Go”. Then log in with your admin username and password.
  2. Navigate to your domain’s Databases screen, as you did above in steps 2 and 3 of the backup procedure.
  3. Choose your database by clicking on the database’s name. If the database name does not already exist, create a new database by first clicking the “Add New Database” icon. Make sure the “Database name” matches the name of the database you are importing. Leave “Type” and “Database server” as they are and click “OK”.
  4. If you just created a new database in the previous step instead of clicking on an existing database, you will need to create an admin user before you can access the new database. Click the “Add New Database User” icon. For “Database user name”, make it match the name you just gave your database. For “New password” and “Confirm Password”, enter what you want your database admin password to be. When done, click “OK”.
  5. If you are on host 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5, click the “DB WebAdmin” icon.If you are host 6 or above, click the “Webadmin” icon.
  6. phpMyAdmin will open in a new window, so be sure your browser does not block pop-ups.
  7. In the sidebar of the phpMyAdmin window, click the database you want to restore to.
  8. Toward the top of the page, click the Import tab.
  9. In the “File to import” section, click the button to browse and choose a file from your computer. In the window that pops up, navigate to the .sql file you exported when you were backing up. Double-click the file to select it.
  10. Once you have located your .sql database file, double-click it to open it. The file importing window should close.
  11. At the bottom right, click “Go”.
  12. You should see a message near the top of the page, letting you know whether the import finished successfully.

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Adding a Domain to your Cruzio VPS, Creating a Virtual Server

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Requirements and Overview

Before following the steps in this procedure, you must complete the Post Installation Wizard procedure.

To begin hosting a domain name on your Cruzio VPS, you must:

  • Register a domain name, and configure its DNS (Domain Name System) settings;
  • Create and configure a virtual server for the domain name you’ve registered.

Registering and configuring DNS for a domain name

At a registrar of your choice, register a domain name. While still logged into your account at the registrar, configure the domain to use these DNS servers:

  • Primary DNS server: ns1.cruziohost.com
  • Secondary DNS server: ns2.cruziohost.com

Creating and configuring a virtual server

  1. Log in to your Virtualmin Control Panel at clientlogin.cruziohost.com:10000, replacing clientlogin with the login name you chose when you signed up.

  2. In the top left corner, click Create Virtual Server.

  3. On the Create Virtual Server screen, in the “New virtual server details” section, fill out the requested information:

    Domain name
    The domain name you registered.
    Description
    A simple description of the virtual server. This could be as simple as “domain.com”. If you’re running a server for a specific task, you may wish to identify it here for ease of tracking.
    Administration password
    A password specific to this domain.
    Server Configuration Template and Account Plan
    Your Virtualmin Control Panel comes with default settings configured. You can create custom templates and plans if you need them.
    Administration Username
    You can allow Virtualmin to auto-generate a username, or you can pick one yourself. (Auto-generated usernames are the domain name with the .com, .net etc. removed.)

  4. Look at the Enabled Features section and see if you need to change any settings in this section. However, for most installations, the default settings in these areas are fine.

  5. If you have specific IP addressing needs, configure the options in the “IP address and forwarding” section.

  6. Click “Create Server.” This process may take a minute or so. Once this process is complete, you should see a drop-down menu in the top left corner with your domain(s) as selectable options.

  7. If you wish to set up email for this domain, please visit our VPS email setup instructions.

For some tips on securing your virtual server, check out this helpful post by Cruzio Consultant Bryan Zimmer: Securing your VPS

Adding a DNS record to your Website Hosting domain

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This document explains how to add a DNS record to your website hosted with Cruzio. Please note, these instructions only apply to Cruzio Website Hosting services. They do not apply to Cruzio Classic web hosting. If you have Classic web hosting, then you will need to contact Cruzio to have your DNS records modified.

Do not add or change DNS records if you are not aware of any reason why they should be changed.

  1. Go to http://login.cruzio.com/ and enter your domain name.  Click “Control Panel” and click “Go”. Enter your admin username and password and log in.
  2. Select the domain you want to add a DNS record to. If you are on host 6 or 7, you’ll find it by going to the main menu in the upper left corner, and clicking Domains.If you do not know what host number you are on, after you log into your control panel, look at the URL at the top of your browser. You will see it start with https://host followed by a number. That is the host number you are on.
  3. Click the DNS Settings icon. If you are on host 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5, this icon will be under the Services section. If you are on Host 6 or 7, it will be under the Web Site section.
  4. Under the Tools section, click Add Record.
  5. Select the type of record from the drop-down and fill in the values for the record.
  6. Click OK.

Accessing and using the Xen virtual console

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Requirements for accessing the Xen virtual console

Your Cruzio VPS is managed through the Xen virtual console. To access the virtual console for your Cruzio VPS, you will need:

Connecting to the Xen Shell

Open your SSH client of choice and connect to vps1.cruziohost.com (you may need to replace “vps1” with the vps server your VPS is hosted on.)

Using PuTTY on Windows to access the Xen Shell

  1. Open PuTTY and enter the following settings:

    Host Name: vps1.cruziohost.com (you may need to replace “vps1” with the vps server your VPS is hosted on)

    Port 22

    Connection Type: SSH

  2. Click Open.

    You may be shown this message: “The server’s host key is not cached in the registry…”

    Click Yes to accept the server’s RSA key and store it in your computer’s memory for future sessions.

  3. At the “login as” prompt, enter your username and press the Enter key.
  4. You’re now prompted for your password. Enter your password and press the Enter key. You’ll now be taken to the Xen Shell.

Using Terminal on Mac OSX to access the Xen Shell

  1. Open the Terminal application on your Mac (you can find it in the Applications -> Utilities folder).
  2. Type ssh [username]@vps1.cruziohost.com (you may need to replace “vps1” with the vps server your VPS is hosted on.)
  3. You may be shown this message: “The authenticity of host ‘vps1.cruziohost.com’ can’t be established. RSA key fingerprint is (…) Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no)?”

    Type “yes” and press the Enter key. This permanently adds vps1.cruziohost.com to the list of known hosts on your computer.

  4. You’re now prompted for your password. Enter your password and press the Enter key. You’ll now be taken to the Xen Shell.

Using the Xen Shell commands

The following is a complete list of the commands available within the Xen shell. You can see this list at any time within the shell by entering the “help” command.

For command-specific help, run “help [name of command]”.

boot
Start the Xen guest, if it is not running.
console
Connect to the serial console of the Xen instance using GNU Screen.

To exit the serial prompt, type ‘Ctrl+]’

You may instead exit screen with ‘Ctrl+a k’, or ‘Ctrl+a d’.

exit
Exit the shell.
help [command]
Show help about the specified command, or all commands if no command is specified.
passwd
Change your login password (this will only change the Xen Shell password, not the VPS root password).
pause
Pause your instance. This will pause the Xen guest (your VPS).
quit
Exit this shell.
rdns [ipaddress some.host.name]
Set up Reverse DNS for allocated IP addresses.

When called with no arguments, show current reverse DNS details.

reboot
Reboot the Xen guest.
serial
Connect to the serial console of the Xen instance using GNU Screen.

To exit the serial prompt, type ‘Ctrl+]’.

You may instead exit screen with ‘Ctrl+a k’, or ‘Ctrl+a d’.

shutdown [force]
Shut down the Xen guest.

If the ‘force’ parameter is used, then we’ll forcibly terminate.

status
Show whether the Xen guest is running or not.
sysreq [string]
Send a ‘sysreq’ keystroke to the guest.

This allows you to try to cleanly shut down a hung instance, for example.

unpause
Unpause your instance, and start it running again.
uptime
Show the uptime information of your guest system and this host.
version
Show the version of this shell, and of Xen.
whoami
Show the user you’re connected to the host system as.

Adding FTP Users to Your VPS Domain

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This article is designed to help VPS customers create user accounts with FTP access to their website.

These instructions assume you have Cruzio VPS service, and have already set up a domain on your VPS slice.

Overview

When you use the Virtualmin control panel to set up a domain on your VPS slice, a default FTP account is automatically created for the root user. However, you may wish to create one or more additional FTP accounts.

When you create a new user account user@yourdomain.com, you can give the account one of the following sets of permissions:

  • Email access only
  • FTP access only
  • Email and FTP access

You can change these permissions later on a per-user basis.

Creating an FTP User

The instructions below are for creating a user account with FTP-only access. (To create a user with email-only access or both email and FTP access, adapt the instructions accordingly.)

  1. Log in to your Virtualmin Control Panel at clientlogin.cruziohost.com:10000, replacing clientlogin with the login name you chose when you signed up. When prompted, enter your root username and password.
  2. From the drop-down menu on the left, select the domain you wish to add FTP users to.
  3. From the left-hand menu, click “Edit Mail and FTP Users”.
  4. On the far right side of the page that appears, click “Add a website FTP access user”.

    In the “Website FTP access user details” section, fill in the user’s username/email address, real name, and password. You can change this password later, if you wish.

  5. In the “Quota and home directory settings”, you can specify which directory you want the user to start in when they log into the domain via an FTP client.

    If you want the user to start in the top level directory of the website, set the “Home directory” to “Main website directory”. If you want the user to start in a specific existing subdirectory, set the “Home directory” to “Website subdirectory”, and specify that subdirectory.

    Any website subdirectory must fall under the website’s main public_html directory, so if you want to specify the subdirectory located at public_html/folder1, simply type folder1.

    (Note that setting the home directory does not restrict the FTP user to that directory. To restrict access to the home directory, follow the next set of instructions below.)

  6. Click the “Create” button.

Restricting FTP User Access to Home Directories

Important: back up your VPS before continuing, since mistakes can cause serious problems.

  1. Log in to your Virtualmin Control Panel at clientlogin.cruziohost.com:10000, replacing clientlogin with the login name you chose when you signed up. When prompted, enter your root username and password.
  2. On the upper left, select the Webmin control panel tab. Select “Servers”, and then “ProFTPD Server”. Click the icon titled “Files and Directories”.
  3. Next to the “Limit users to directories” option, under the “Directory” heading, select “Home directory”. Under the “Unix groups” heading, select “Everyone”. This will limit all FTP users to the home directory you specified for each user.
  4. Click “Save”.
  5. Once you return to the main ProFTPD Server page, click “Apply Changes”.

Allow full access to a specific user

To make an exception, and allow a particular user to access more than just their home directory:

  1. On the ProFTPD Server page, click on the “Files and Directories” icon again.
  2. Next to the “Limit users to directories” option, there should be a new line below the existing user(s) you previously set up. Under the “Directory” heading, select “None”; under the “Unix groups” heading, type the username. (Make sure the “Unix groups” heading is not set to “Everyone” or this will contradict the settings you specified earlier.)
  3. Click “Save”.

Restarting Virtualmin on Your VPS

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This article is designed to help Cruzio VPS customers who are unable to reach their Virtualmin control panel at http://clientlogin.cruziohost.com:10000, where clientlogin is the login name you chose when you signed up.

These instructions assume you have Cruzio VPS service and are able to connect to your VPS service via SSH. If you are unable to reach your Virtualmin control panel and unable to connect to your VPS service via SSH, you will not be able to run the commands supplied in this article, and should reboot your VPS service via the Xen virtual shell.

Overview

By default, Cruzio installs two major web-based control panels on each VPS service: Webmin and Virtualmin. Webmin allows Cruzio VPS customers to manage their VPS service via a graphical point-and-click interface, rather than the command line. Virtualmin is a module that works with Webmin to host and manage multiple websites on a single server. For more information, please visit the official Webmin and Virtualmin documentation.

Restarting Virtualmin

Since Virtualmin is a subcomponent of Webmin, you must restart Webmin in order to restart Virtualmin.

  1. Connect to your VPS service via SSH. You will need to log in as the root user in order to run the restart command.
  2. On the command line, type the command /etc/init.d/webmin stop and press Enter. Note that you may get an error message that says the Webmin service is already stopped. This is okay.
  3. On the command line, type the command /etc/init.d/webmin start and press Enter.
  4. Once your command window returns to the command prompt, try logging into your Virtualmin control panel again at http://clientlogin.cruziohost.com:10000, replacing clientlogin with the login name you chose when you signed up. When prompted, enter your root username and password. If you are still unable to get into the Virtualmin control panel at this time, we recommend you reboot your VPS service via the Xen virtual shell.