Introduction
As a newbie system administrator you may at times be faced with a daunting task of managing multiple servers on a command line. This may involve having to SSH into the servers; whether a VPS or a Dedicated one for every small task that you have to do.
CentOS Web Panel commonly known as CWP offers a web based control panel that solves the cumbersome issue of CentOS server management. It is a free and open source application and offers a wide range of options and features for server management including:
- Web server management such as PHP version handler and plugin management, apache web host creator, status view and configuration and reverse proxy.
- User management feature such as adding, modifying and removing users.
- DNS management features such as editing of nameservers IP, DNS zone manager and zone list resolver.
- Email features.
- Security handling such as firewalls configuration, SSL certificate management, shell access manager and user permissions handling.
- System management features
- Database management.
You will be installing the CentOS 7 web panel on your Server.
Prerequisites
- A VPS or Dedicated Server running CentOS 7
- A non root user configured with sudo privileges
- Basic knowledge command line
Steps
Update your System Packages
$ sudo yum update && sudo yum upgrade
Install Dependencies
$ sudo yum install epel-release $ sudo yum groupinstall "Development Tools" $ sudo yum install wget
Install CentOS Web Panel
$ wget http://centos-webpanel.com/cwp-latest $ sudo sh cwp-latest
############################# # CWP Installed # ############################# go to CentOS WebPanel Admin GUI at http://SERVER_IP:2030/ http://YOUR_SERVER_IP:2030 SSL: https://YOUR_SERVER_IP:2031 --------------------- Username: root Password: ssh server root password MySQL root Password: PuSDPmDZf5CW ######################################################### CentOS Web Panel MailServer Installer ######################################################### SSL Cert name (hostname): hostadvice.local SSL Cert file location /etc/pki/tls/ private|certs ######################################################### visit for help: www.centos-webpanel.com Write down login details and press ENTER for server reboot! Press ENTER for server reboot!
If you are authenticating with an SSL certificate, you can access the dashboard on your browser via:
https://YOUR_SERVER_IP:2031
Alternatively, if you do not have an SSL certificate, you can access the dashboard on your browser via:
http://YOUR_SERVER_IP:2030
You should see a screen similar to the figure below.
To login as an administrator, use your root account credentials.
Special Note: If you are unable to login due to incorrect credentials and getting the message “Encryption error!” or “Login fail”, try changing your root password by using the command
$ passwd
You should see the dashboard page similar to the one below (as per current version).
The main navigation area should be on the right side panel.
Conclusion
You have successfully installed CentOS Web Panel. Everything should be straightforward henceforth as you explore the various features offered. Go ahead and add a new email account, configure your nameserver, DNS and create a new hosting package. It is however recommended that you install an SSL certificate and use it to authenticate users who login. For MySQL login, kindly use the credentials offered after installation of CWP.
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- Check the recommendations for the best VPS and get a suitable one.
