X9 Web Hosting - Server Technology

All servers are custom built machines using top quality hardware and the latest technology that is known for its reliability. Server loads are carefully monitored to ensure the best possible service to customers and when a hardware upgrade is needed, it is carried out without delay.

Minimum Server Specification

	We only use Dell servers for all servers which are true server-grade machines in every sense of the term.

	We only use top of the line Intel Dual Core Dual Processor Xeon 5130 2.0GHz (Woodcrest) processors or better. This ensures stability within all accounts due the power of these monster processors.

	Our servers use high speed SATA II 16MB Cache 3.0 Gb/sec hard drives. Making your website blaze across the internet.

	We use only the highest quality RAM in our servers comprising of 2048MB FB-DIMM 667 ECC Ram which ensures that access to the server memory is a quick and efficient process.

Dual (x2) Gigabit NIC's

100mbps uplink to switch

In house monitoring

Third party monitoring by Hyperspin

Software

CentOS 4.x

Apache 1.3.x

PHP 5.x

MySQL 4.x

FrontPage 2002 Extensions

CGI

PERL 5.x

SSI

phpMyAdmin

WHM / cPanel control panels

ExiScan / Clam Active Email Anti Virus

Zend Optimizer

All software is updated regularly with newer, stable versions so that everything is always running smoothly. Due to this, the versions listed above may differ slightly from the actual versions installed.

It must be remembered that a server is often only as good as the network it's connected to. Please see our network page for a full run down on this area.

Server Security & Optimization

The following security enhancements and optimization tweaks are configured on every server used by X9 Web Hosting:

	SIM - (System Integrity Monitor) - 24x7 Internal Monitoring of services.
	SPRI - (System Priority) - Sets priority to current processes being run on your server, decreasing load 10-25%.
	PRM - (Process Resource Monitor) - Monitors all resources used by all processes and if a process is being flooded or causing high load on the server, it is killed.
	BFD - (Brute Force Detection) - Detects brute force connections and automatically enters the offending IPs into the firewall to be blocked.
	LES - (Linux Environment Security) - Enforces root-only permissions on system binaries as well as other restrictions on system programs.
	Exiscan with Clam-Antivirus - Detect emails containing viruses or spam and discard them so your server is not the origin of the spread of today’s common viruses or spam emails.
	/tmp & /var/tmp hardening – We harden /tmp and /var/tmp so no malicious scripts can be executed from the commonly used directory.
	/dev/shm & /proc hardening - Another place hackers tend to upload files to is /dev/shm. This directory is hardened as well.
	Optimize FTP Server for faster connections.
	Optimize MySQL & Apache to reduce load and speed up connections.
	Secure Apache to reduce the amount of information visible about a server's software making it less vulnerable.
	Host.conf Hardening - Prevents IP spoofing and prevents DNS poisoning.
	CHKRootKIt – Simple script that detects software used by hackers. It scans once a day and emails the client if any suspicious scripts are found.
	Disabling Unused Services – We disable unused services to prevent them from being exploited.
	Firewall Installation - CSF (Config Server Firewall) iptables based firewall and anti-dos rulesets.
	TCP/IP Hardening – Prevents DDOS and SYN-Flood attacks.
	Logwatch – We receive a report with all activity that has taken place on the server for that day.
	Operating System Optimization – Optimize the OS for faster operation and load reduction.
	Disable Open DNS Recursion - Prevent foreign queries that strain your dns servers and prevent it from being utilized in DNS DDoS attacks.
	Remove unused software – We remove unneeded software to minimize the number of software that could possibly be exploited.
	Remove unused services – Unused services are shutdown and their ports closed.
	Libsafe - Libsafe prevents buffer overflows and scans for exploitable software and notifies the client daily if any is found.
	eAccelerator / Zend Optimizer / Ioncube Installation - eAccelerator dramatically decreases page loading times by caching php scripts in a compiled state.
	SSH Server Hardening - locks down and hardens the SSH server.
	Nessus Security Scan - We perform a full system security scan weekly and patch any vulnerabilities found.