Chapter 1. About Plesk 6.0
This server management software makes use of a graphical user interface (GUI), which allows users to perform a wide array of administrative tasks simply and easily. With Plesk, a user does not require advanced knowledge of the operating system or hours of work to create domains, add e-mail accounts or check site statistics. Instead, Plesk makes server management accessible and easy for the average computer user. This manual deals with Plesk 6.0.
Plesk provides four tiers of administration: admin, client, domain, and mail name user. All can perform tasks at remote locations via any standard Internet browser. The following capabilities exist for each type of user:
- System Administrator - Admin
System Management
- Hardware Reboot and/or Shutdown
- IP aliases management
- System time setting
- Server level statistics retrieval
- Master feature - allows to access and manage other networked Plesk servers
- Services Management
- Set up server-wide mail limits
- Set up allowable mail relay capabilities and mail blockers
- Enable external mail abuse prevention system (MAPS)
- Set up DNS server default zone template
- Start, stop or restart system services
- Manage the PostgreSQL admin account
- Control Panel Management
- Co-brand using company logo and link
- Set up control panel access security and adjust sessions time settings
- Allow discounted domain registration and SSL certificate purchasing
- Set up screen paging options
- Set control panel language; currently English is set by default
- Customize appearance of your control panel by means of skins
- Add customizable buttons to the Domain Administration page
- Adjust the server-wide statistics calculation to better suit your needs
- Set up additional services
- Enable and configure the notification system, which will let you be aware of the ongoing events, such as creation of new client, new domain, and client quotas exceeded
- Set up system-wide client and domain templates which will simplify new client account and domain creation procedures with automatic assignment of all necessary restrictions
- Log various actions performed within the system
- Add and manage scheduled actions with crontab management capabilities
- Use skeletons for defining the structure of new virtual hosts
- Client Management
- Create, edit, and delete system clients
- Allow reseller capabilities
- Set up client level limits on domain creation by means of configurable domain templates
- My.Plesk.Com Service Management
- Access to additional server tools purchasing
- Client Administrator
- Multiple Domain Management
- Create, edit, and delete domains and/or hosting accounts
- Set up FTP and/or anonymous FTP services
- Set up web server allowances
- Traffic limits
- Scripting - PHP, SSI, CGI, mod_perl, mod_python, and/or Apache ASP
- FrontPage server extensions
- SSL support
- Set up domain level limits
- Create and manage domain templates, including settings for traffic and disk space limits
- Mail accounts
- User accounts
- Databases
- Manage DNS zones
- Back up/restore domains
- Manage mailing lists
- Manage log files and configure log rotation schedule
- Handle all files and directories in a more convenient way by means of File Manager
- Access FrontPage directly from the control panel
- Set up domain tools
- Manage the client's IP pool
- Create and edit domain templates
- Use skeletons for defining the structure of new virtual hosts
- My.Plesk.Com Service Management
- Domain registration and management services
- SSL Certification purchasing and management services
- Access to additional domain tools purchase
- Control Panel Management
- Co-brand using company logo and link
- Set up screen paging options
- Set control panel language
- Customize control panel appearance with employing various skins
- Domain Administrator
- Mail Account Management
- Create, edit, and delete POP3 mail boxes / quotas
- Create, edit, and delete mail redirects
- Create, edit, and delete mail groups
- Create, edit, and delete multiple configurable autoresponders
- Utilize IMP webmail service
- Domain Report Management
- Review domain services
- Access domain statistics
- Web User Management
- Create, edit, and delete domain web users
- Set up scripting capabilities for web users
- Protected Directory Management
- Create, edit, and delete protected directories
- Set up access with SSL or standard http
- Manage directory users
- SSL Certificate Management
- Create CSR or self-signed certificate
- Install SSL certificate
- FTP Service Management
- Change passwords
- Utilize anonymous FTP service
- Mailing Lists Service Management
- Add new mailing lists
- Remove mailing lists
- Access the mailing list administration interface
- Enable/disable the mailing lists
- Enable/disable the mailing lists service
- Database Management
- Create, edit, and delete multiple databases
- Manage database users
- Direct access to databases through PhpMyAdmin and PhpPGAdmin
Deploy and manage Tomcat web applications
Manage log files and configure log rotation schedule
Handle all files and directories in a more convenient way by means of File Manager
Access FrontPage (and FrontPage over SSL) directly from the control panel
Add and manage scheduled actions with crontab management capabilities
Back up/restore domains
- Mail Name Administrator
- Change mailbox password
- Adjust interface preferences
- Create, edit, and delete mail aliases
- Create, edit, and delete mail groups
- Create, edit, and delete multiple configurable autoresponders
- Enable/disable existing mail redirects on the domain
Plesk users do not need to know Unix or Linux or be a programmer in order to use Plesk 6.0. Also, the Plesk software is easy to install. Plesk must be installed on a clean server in one dedicated host. The installation procedure is semi-automated, informing you of system changes and your progress at each step. There are no complex commands to learn and no technical information to know.
As soon as Plesk is installed, both administrators and clients are ready to manage the system. Plesk provides great flexibility to the user, enabling him/her to remotely access and administer servers at anytime. The default settings provided for opening accounts and domains can be changed with the click of a button. With Plesk, each client can create his/her own settings and make his/her own adjustments.
Plesk 6.0 uses extensive security measures to assure your system of the highest possible integrity and protection. It should be noted however that this is limited to Plesk and the software it installs. The security of the server operating system is considered the responsibility of the system administrator and is not part of the Plesk installation and/or setup:
Plesk uses the secure HTTP (HTTPS) protocol. All documents and communications between users and the server are fully encrypted and secure.
Plesk provides a free self-signed secure socket layer (SSL) certificate that enables secure transactions between a remote user and Plesk. However, this certificate is not from an "official" authority and will not be recognized by the web browser as being valid for the login URL, which results in warning messages. If you wish to use a real SSL certificate for the Control Panel you can. Certificates can be purchased directly through the Plesk control panel or by contacting a certificate-signing authority directly.
When creating an FTP account on the server, the login shell is set to /bin/false, preventing any Telnet-like programs from accessing the
account. All newly activated shell accounts are sandboxed to the domains home directory.
When creating physical hosting with PHP support, you are unable to start an external program from the PHP script. It is impossible to read or write files above the user's home directory.
Plesk uses the Suexec feature of the Apache web server for secure CGI operation.
Plesk uses the chroot feature on the FTP server, preventing clients from changing their home directories to another directory. Plesk applies a chroot to the named process to eliminate any possibility of gaining system access through named.
Plesk employs the Qmail mail system and ProFTPd ftp system both of which maintain the highest security standards in their respective fields of service.
There is a possibility of entering different IP-addresses for A domain record and domain hosting address (which is added into Apache configuration file) to ensure that the server functions properly behind the firewall.
Plesk provides additional security measures, allowing the administrator to restrict control panel access from certain IP addresses.