Setting Up The Kickstart Server

Kickstart can be configured on an FTP, NFS or Apache server. Each method is explained below, but my experience has been that the Apache server has a number of advantages over the other two.

Using a web server for kickstart is generally easier because:

• Sometimes a kickstart server has to be located on a remote network, often passing through a firewall. Strict firewall rules for HTTP are generally easier to configure than those for FTP or NFS.
• The http:// nomenclature used by kickstart for accessing files is more familiar to users than that used for NFS and FTP. This may be important for you when configuring files for automated kickstart installation.

Basic Preparation

In this example we are going to set up a kickstart server that will be used in Fedora Core installations. All the necessary files will be placed in the /data/network-install directory.

Create the Installation Directories

We'll first create the directories /data/network-install/RPM and /data/network-install/ISO in which we will copy the necessary files.

[root@bigboy tmp]# mkdir -p /data/network-install/RPM

[root@bigboy tmp]# mkdir -p /data/network-install/ISO

You now need to place the network installation driver files into the base directory.

Copying The Files

The HTTP, NFS and FTP kickstart methods all require the base set of Fedora files to be installed on the kickstart server. Here's how to do it:
1) Create a mount point for your CD ROM drive.

[root@bigboy tmp]# mkdir /mnt/cdrom

2) Mount your first Fedora CD ROM.

[root@bigboy tmp]# mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom

3) Copy the files from the CD ROM base directory to the hard disk

[root@bigboy tmp]# cp -r /mnt/cdrom/* /data/network-install/RPM

4) Unmount your CD ROM and use the eject command to retrieve it from the drive bay.

[root@bigboy tmp]# umount /dev/cdrom

[root@bigboy tmp]# eject cdrom

5) Repeat steps 2 to 4 with all your CDROMs. Overwrite files when prompted.
Note: Note: You also have the option to FTP all the files of the desired version of Fedora from the Fedora website to the /data/network-install/RPM directory.

HTTP & FTP Preparation

Copy all the contents of each installation CD to the /data/network-install/RPM directory. This will require about 3-5 GB of space. When this is completed, your /data/network-install/RPM directory should look like this:

[root@bigboy tmp]# ls -1 /data/network-install/RPM

eula.txt

Fedora

fedora.css

GPL

images

index.html

isolinux

README-Accessibility

RELEASE-NOTES-en_US.html

repodata

RPM-GPG-KEY

RPM-GPG-KEY-beta

RPM-GPG-KEY-fedora

RPM-GPG-KEY-fedora-extras

RPM-GPG-KEY-fedora-legacy

RPM-GPG-KEY-fedora-rawhide

RPM-GPG-KEY-fedora-test

RPM-GPG-KEY-rawhide

stylesheet-images 

[root@bigboy tmp]#

NFS Preparation

Create ISO images of the installation CDs and place them in the /data/network-install/ISO directory. This will require about 3-5 GB of space as well. You can download the ISO images from the Fedora website or use the Fedora CDs as shown below. If you create the ISOs files from CDs, make sure they have the same file names as the ones you can download from the Fedora Web site.
Follow these steps for each CD, substituting the filename where necessary:

[root@bigboy tmp]# cd /data/network-install/ISO

[root@bigboy ISO]# dd if=/dev/cdrom of=filename.iso bs=32k

...

...

[root@bigboy ISO]# eject cdrom

Note: Here is a sample procedure to make ISO files with the older mkisofs command. You may have to install the mkisofs RPM on newer Fedora versions. The command requires a mounted CDROM drive, so don't forget the mount command.

[root@bigboy ISO]# mount /mnt/cdrom

[root@bigboy ISO]# mkisofs -J -r -T -o filename.iso /mnt/cdrom

[root@bigboy ISO]# eject cdrom

Setup Your Webserver

You will now have to setup Apache to give the file listings of your /data/network-install/RPM and /data/network-install/ISO directories by pointing your browser to the URL http://192.168.1.100/network-install/RPM/ or http://192.168.1.100/network-install/ISO/ respectively. A sample /etc/httpd/conf.d/kickstart.conf configuration is below. Remember to restart Apache to make these settings take effect.

NameVirtualHost 192.168.1.100

#

# For HTTP Installations

#

<VirtualHost 192.168.1.100>

  ServerName 192.168.1.100

  DocumentRoot /data/

</VirtualHost>

<Directory /data/network-install>

   Options +Indexes

   AllowOverride AuthConfig

   order allow,deny

   allow from all

</Directory>

Setup Your FTP Server

You'll also have to set up your VSFTPD server to make incoming anonymous FTP connections log in to the /data/network-install/RPM directory by default. You will also want to enable the correct logging. Here is a sample snippet of the vsftpd.conf file. Remember to restart VSFTPD to make these settings take effect

#

# File: vsftpd.conf

#

#

# Anonymous FTP Root Directory

#

anon_root=/data/network-install/RPM

#

# Log file definition

#

xferlog_enable=YES

xferlog_file=/var/log/vsftpd.log

Create A Special FTP User

You can also create a special user for non anonymous FTP installations with its home directory as "/". You must also make sure that the user has read access to the /data/network-install directory. An example is below.

[root@bigboy tmp]# useradd -g users ftpinstall

[root@bigboy tmp]# passwd ftpinstall

Changing password for user ftpinstall.

New password:

Retype new password:

passwd: all authentication tokens updated successfully.

[root@bigboy tmp]#

[root@bigbot tmp]# usermod -d / ftpinstall

[root@bigbot tmp]#

Setup Your NFS Server

The steps for setting up an NFS server are more complicated.
1) Create a /etc/exports file with the following entry in it. You must use tabs, not spaces between the entries

/data/network-install    *(ro,sync)

2) Make sure that the rpcbind (portmap on older versions of Linux) , nfs, nfslock and netfs daemons are all running to create an NFS server. The startup scripts for these are found in the /etc/init.d directory. Chapter 29, "Remote Disk Access with NFS", will explain this in more detail.
3) Run the exportfs command to add this directory to the NFS database of network available directories.

[root@bigboy tmp]# exportfs -ra

4) The installation client must have a matching pair of forward and reverse DNS entries on your DNS server. In other words, a DNS lookup on the IP address of the installation client must return a server name that will map back to the original IP address when a DNS lookup is done on that same server name.

[root@bigboy tmp]# host 192.168.1.96

96.1.168.192.in-addr.arpa domain name pointer 192-168-1-96.my-site.com.

[root@bigboy tmp]#

[root@bigboy tmp]# host 192-168-1-96.my-site.com

192-168-1-96.my-site.com has address 192.168.1.96

[root@bigboy tmp]#

This may mean that you will have to create entries for all your DHCP IP addresses if you choose to use a DHCP method of assigning IP addresses during installation.

Configure Your DHCP Server

During the installation procedure, the installation client will prompt you for the IP address it should use for the installation process. I recommend selecting the option that makes the Installation Client get its address via DHCP. This will automate the installation more and will therefore make it faster. It will also reduce the possibility of human error.
Setting up the Installation Server as a DHCP server is fairly straight forward and can be found in Chapter 8, "Configuring the DHCP Server".

Creating A Kickstart Boot CD

Creating a kickstart boot CD is easy to do. Here are the steps:
1. Your RPM directory should have a subdirectory named images in it. There will be a file there named boot.iso which is used in booting your system when installing Linux from DVD or CD. Fedora mirror sites that have directory structures similar to that of the DVD also have a boot.iso file located in the <fedora-version>/Fedora/i386/os/images/ directory. This file is different in both size and function to that on your DVD. It usually larger than 10 MB in size and it is the boot file you need for kickstart. Download the boot.iso file from your favorite mirror site using a utility like wget.

[root@bigboy tmp]# wget http://website.org/8/Fedora/i386/os/images/boot.iso

2. You will now need the device name of your CDROM device. This can be obtained using the wodim command. In this case it is called /dev/scd0.

[root@bigboy tmp]# wodim --devices

wodim: Overview of accessible drives (1 found) :

-------------------------------------------------------------

 0  dev='/dev/scd0'     rwr--- : 'LITE-ON' 'DVDRW LH-20A1P'

-------------------------------------------------------------

[root@bigboy tmp]#

3. Insert a blank CD. The wodim command can now be used again to burn the boot.iso ISO image file to the CD.

[root@bigboy tmp]# wodim dev=/dev/scd0 driveropts=burnfree,noforcespeed \

fs=14M -dao -eject -overburn -v boot.iso

...

...

...

BURN-Free was never needed.

wodim: fifo had 6 puts and 6 gets.

wodim: fifo was 0 times empty and 0 times full, min fill was 100%.

[root@bigboy RPM]# 

Keep the CD. You will soon need it for your kickstart client machine.

The Network Installation

From here on, the installation procedure mimics the regular Linux installation, except for the first couple steps.

• Connect your client Linux box to the DHCP network.
• Boot your system using the kickstart boot CD. This is the only CD you'll need for future network installations.
• A menu will appear. Select “Install or upgrade an existing system”.
• Go through the usual steps until the process prompts for the "Installation Method". You will see a number of choices

Local CDROM

Hard Drive

NFS Image

FTP

HTTP

• Select the network option of your choice (NFS, FTP, HTTP)
• Select the Ethernet device to which the installation client is connected to the installation server network. This would most likely be interface "eth0".
• Select "DHCP" in the following "Configure TCP/IP" screen. This will make the Installation client use DHCP during the installation.

If You Selected The NFS Method

You will now reach the "NFS setup" menu. Enter the IP address of the installation server as the "NFS Server Name". The "Red Hat directory" will be "/data/network-install/ISO". The following menus will be the usual Fedora GUI installation screens.

If You Selected The HTTP Method

You will now reach the "HTTP Setup" menu. Enter the IP address of the installation server when prompted for a "Web site name".The "Red Hat directory" will be /network-install/RPM. The following menus will be text based versions of the usual Fedora installation screens.
During the installation, issue the following command on the server to check the Apache logs. It will help to verify whether the kickstart client is accessing the files correctly. You should get a status code of 200<code> after each GET statement. You should retrace your steps if you are not.

[root@bigboy tmp]# tail -f /var/log/httpd/access_log

192.168.1.247 - - [12/Nov/2006:12:01:04 -0800] "GET /network-install/RPM/repodata/repomd.xml HTTP/1.1" 200 1140 "-" "urlgrabber/2.9.9"

192.168.1.247 - - [12/Nov/2006:12:01:05 -0800] "GET /network-install/RPM/repodata/primary.xml.gz HTTP/1.1" 200 844228 "-" "urlgrabber/2.9.9"

192.168.1.247 - - [12/Nov/2006:12:01:19 -0800] "GET /network-install/RPM/repodata/comps.xml HTTP/1.1" 200 853899 "-" "urlgrabber/2.9.9"

If You Selected The FTP Method

You will now reach the "FTP Setup" menu. Enter the IP address of the installation server as the "FTP Site Name".

• "Not Selecting" The Non-Anonymous FTP Box

The "Red Hat directory" will be "/". The following menus will be text based versions of the usual Fedora installation screens.

• "Selecting" The Non-Anonymous FTP Box

The "Red Hat directory" will be "/data/network-install/RPM". Enter the username and password of your special FTP user account. The following menus will be text based versions of the usual RedHat installation screens.

Note: During the installation, issue the following command on the server to check the FTP logs. It will help to verify whether the kickstart client is accessing the files correctly.

[root@bigboy ~]# tail -f /var/log/vsftpd.log 

Sun Nov 12 20:53:12 2006 1 192.168.1.231 1140 /data/network-install/RPM/repodata/repomd.xml b _ o r ftp-install ftp 0 * c

Sun Nov 12 20:53:21 2006 2 192.168.1.231 844228 /data/network-install/RPM/repodata/primary.xml.gz b _ o r ftp-install ftp 0 * c

Sun Nov 12 20:53:40 2006 2 192.168.1.231 853899 /data/network-install/RPM/repodata/comps.xml b _ o r ftp-install ftp 0 * c

Troubleshooting The Network Installation

You can do some basic troubleshooting by accessing the various installation status screens available.

• The installation logs can always be viewed by hitting <CTRL-ALT-F3>
• Kernel messages can be seen by hitting <CTRL-ALT-F4>
• Access to a limited BASH shell Kernel can be gained by hitting <CTRL-ALT-F2>
• You can return to the main installation screen at any time by hitting <CTRL-ALT-F1> for text based installations and <CTRL-ALT-F7> when the GUI is used.
• Examine your server's <code>/var/log/httpd/access_log, /var/log/httpd/error_log files for the HTTP method; the /var/log/vsftpd.log file for the FTP method; and your /var/log/messages file for the NFS method.

Automating Installation With Kickstart

Both Fedora and RedHat Linux save all the parameters you used during installation in the /root/anaconda-ks.cfg kickstart configuration file. You can use this file to create an automated installation of a duplicate system which can be useful if you have a large number of servers to install.
This section shows you how to automate network installations using the kickstart application and NFS. You can use HTTP and FTP but they have been omitted to keep the discussion brief.

How To Create New Kickstart Configuration Files

You can create a customized kickstart configuration file by using the "ksconfig" command from a GUI console. It will bring up a menu from which you can select all your installation options. When finished, you save the configuration with the filename of your choice.
You may want to then edit the configuration file and comment out certain parameters that may change from system to system with a "#". These could include things like the system's name and IP address. During the kickstart process you will be prompted for these unspecified values.
Note: Do not change the order of the entries in the kickstart configuration file.
Note: The IP address you assign must be on the same subnet as that of the DHCP server for kickstart to work. If the server is going to reside on a different network after the installation, then you'll have to run a separate script to change the IP addressing information after the installation is complete.

Adding Post Installation Commands

You may want to run some commands on the newly created Linux installation after kickstart is complete. Some processes that are activated by default by Fedora may not be suitable for your server and may need to be disabled.
This can be done by placing a %post section at the end of the kicksrart file with all the post installation commands you wish to run. Here is an example:

%post

chkconfig isdn off

chkconfig pcmcia off

chkconfig portmap off

chkconfig apmd off

chkconfig nfslock off

chkconfig nfs off

A Note About Using anaconda-ks.cfg

It is possible to use the /root/anaconda-ks.cfg file as a template for future installations. RedHat comments out the partitioning information in this file, so you will either have to uncomment it and then make your partitioning modifications or be prepared to be prompted for your portioning information.

How To Run A Kickstart Installation

It is best to place your kickstart files in a subdirectory under the /data/network-install directory. The examples below assume the subdirectory is called /data/network-install/kickstart.
Remember that you may want to remove the "#" comments from the partition section of the file. If not, you will be prompted for this information.

Using a NFS Server

Verify that the first two lines of the file look like this or else you may be prompted for NFS ISO file location information.

install

nfs --server=192.16.1.100 --dir=/data/network-install/ISO

Using a Web Server

Verify that the first two lines of the file look like this or else you may be prompted for RPM base file location information.

install

url --url http://192.168.1.100/network-install/RPM

Booting With Your Kickstart Files

There are two ways to specify the name of the kickstart file to use. The first is to enter it manually from the LILO boot: prompt when you insert the boot CD. The second is to have your DHCP server automatically tell the Kickstart client about the name of the kickstart file to use when it assigns the IP address. Both methods are listed below:
Manually Specifying the Kickstart Filename
Once you have booted from your boot CDROM, you'll need to use the following command at the lilo boot: prompt to continue with the installation. The ks.cfg file is the kickstart configuration file we want to use.
NFS Method

boot: linux ks=nfs:192.168.1.100:/kickstart/ks.cfg

HTTP Method

boot: linux ks=http://192.168.1.100/network-install/kickstart/ks.cfg

Configuring The Filename Automatically
Whenever you have to create lots of cloned Linux servers, then you may want to configure your DHCP server to specify the single kickstart configuration file you wish to use. Here is how it's done:
1) Place your kickstart file in the /data/network-install/kickstart directory.
2) Edit your dhcpd.conf file and add the following lines to the section for the interface that will be serving DHCP IP addresses. The next-server value is the IP address of the kickstart server.

filename "/data/network-install/kickstart/ks.cfg";

next-server 192.168.1.100;

3) Insert the boot CD into the kickstart client Linux box and connect it to the DHCP network. At the boot: prompt type in the following command:

boot: linux ks

Kickstart will first search for a configuration file named ks.cfg on either the boot CD. It will then automatically attempt to get a DHCP IP address and see if the DHCP server will specify a configuration file.
Kickstart will then use NFS to get both the configuration file and the installation ISOs. The rest should be automatic.

Conclusion

The Kickstart method of Fedora Linux installation can greatly reduce the length of time it takes to install the operating system. Time is saved not only because a network connection can be faster than using CDs, but also because it can be left unattended to install a predetermined Linux configuration. A Kickstart server connected to an isolated wireless network dedicated to the purpose may be a good idea for data centers with hundreds of Linux servers.
A recent standard called PXE allows you to run kickstart without a CD ROM if you configure the NIC card to do a network boot from a specially configured DHCP server. The topic is beyond the scope of this book, but it may be interesting for readers with more complex projects to research this option more.

Parallels Plesk Panel for Windows 10

To enable the power user:
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
In order to enable the Power User view, run the command:
C:\> "%plesk_cli%\poweruser.exe" --on

To switch the Power User view off and return to the standard panel, use this command:
C:\> "%plesk_cli%\poweruser.exe" --off


panel:- Tools & settings -->Interface Management --> Power User view or Service Provider view

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Directory Structure

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Parallels Plesk Panel and its components are installed by default in the directory C:\Program
Files\Parallels\Plesk\ on a physical server, or C:\Program Files\Plesk\ in the
Parallels Containers environment. The default directory is referred to as %plesk_dir% in the
following list. Some of the subdirectories with corresponding components are listed below.
• %plesk_dir%\admin\ - Parallels Plesk Panel service administrator (psa) files
• %plesk_dir%\admin\plib\ - Parallels Plesk Panel PHP files
• %plesk_dir%\admin\bin\ - Binary utilities
• %plesk_dir%\bin\ - Binary utilities
• %plesk_dir%\admin\htdocs\ - Administrative site document root
• %plesk_dir%\etc\ - Configuration files
• %plesk_dir%\MailServer\ - Mail servers
• %plesk_dir%\backup\ - Domain backup files
• %plesk_dir%\dns\ - BIND name server files
• %plesk_dir%\MySql\ - admin MySQL database server
• %plesk_dir%\Databases\ -
• %plesk_dir%\admin\repository\keys\ - License key files
• %plesk_dir%\admin\logs - Log files.


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Windows Registry

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Parallels Plesk Panel branch in the Registry is
• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\PLESK for 32-bit system and
• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\PLESK for 64-bit system.
The configuration is located under \PLESK\PSA Config\Config
These are important registry parameters:
• IIsConfigured - REG_DWORD = 1
• mySQLDBName - REG_SZ = psa
• PLESK_DATABASE_LOGIN - REG_SZ = admin
• PLESK_DATABASE_PROVIDER_NAME - REG_SZ = may be MySQL, or MSSQL
• PLESKCP_PROVIDER_NAME - REG_SZ = iis
• PRODUCT_FULLVERSION - REG_SZ
• DEBUG - REG_DWORD = 0 or 1
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Parallels Plesk Panel - Supported Databases
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
--- MySQL
--- Microsoft SQL

To determine database provider, you need to run regedit.exe and go to:
• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\PLESK\PSA Config\Config for 32-bit system
• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\wow6432node\PLESK\PSA Config\Config for
64-bit system
The value of the key "PLESK_DATABASE_PROVIDER_NAME" is the database provider which
the Panel uses for database storage.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

MySQL Database

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Parallels Plesk Panel uses the following locations to administer the MySQL database:

• "%plesk_dir%"\MySQL admin MySQL instance main folder.
• "%plesk_dir%"\MySQL\Data\my.ini admin MySQL configuration file.
The following command can be used to log in into the MySQL console:
C:\>"%plesk_dir%"\MySQL\bin\mysql.exe -uadmin -p<password> -P8306 psa

Useful parameters of the my.ini configuration file are:
• skip-grant-tables - log in without password.
• log=C:\\Temp\\mysql.log - enable MySQL log (you can specify another file name and
path.)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

my.ini

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
C:\Program Files (x86)\Parallels\Plesk\MySQL\Data>type my.ini
[PleskSQLServer]
port=8306
basedir=C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Parallels\\Plesk\\MySQL
datadir=C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Parallels\\Plesk\\MySQL\\Data
default-character-set=latin1
default-storage-engine=INNODB
query_cache_size=8M
table_cache=32
tmp_table_size=7M
thread_cache=32
myisam_max_sort_file_size=100G
myisam_max_extra_sort_file_size=100G
myisam_sort_buffer_size=2M
key_buffer_size=2M
read_buffer_size=1M
read_rnd_buffer_size=256K
sort_buffer_size=256K
innodb_additional_mem_pool_size=2M
innodb_flush_log_at_trx_commit=1
innodb_log_buffer_size=1M
innodb_buffer_pool_size=16M
innodb_log_file_size=10M
innodb_thread_concurrency=8
max_connections=300
key_buffer=4M
max_allowed_packet=1M
sort_buffer=256K
net_buffer_length=4K
old_passwords=0
tmpdir=C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Parallels\\Plesk\\MySQL\\Data
connect_timeout=20
[client]
port=8306
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

MS SQL Database
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\80\Tools\Binn\osql –E

The osql utility allows you to enter Transact-SQL statements, system procedures, and script
files. This utility uses ODBC to communicate with the server.
To change the MSSQL administrator's password, start the command prompt session.
• For local server use:
C:\>osql -E -Q "exec sp_password NULL,'new_password','sa'"
• For remote server use:
C:\>osql -S servername_or_address -E -Q "exec sp_password NULL,'new_password','sa'"

Managing Databases

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

%plesk_cli% contains database-server.exe  and database.exe

For example, in order to create the MySQL database server available at 10.0.20.30, with the
database server administrator's login admin and password password, enter:

C:\>database-server.exe --create-server 10.0.20.30 -type mysql -admin admin -passwd password

In order to set a new password password for the database server administrator with login
admin on the remote Microsoft SQL database server mssqlserver available at 10.0.20.40:3838,
enter:

C:\>database-server.exe --update-server 10.0.20.40:3838 -type mssql -admin admin -reset-passwd password

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
create a MySQL database on the domain.tst

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

For example, to create a MySQL database on the domain.tst domain, enter:

C:\>database.exe --create jsmithdb -domain domain.tst -type mysql

To assign the setup password for the database user jsmithdb with the login name of
JohnSmith, enter:

C:\>database.exe --update jsmithdb -update_user JohnSmith -passwd setup

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Cannot Configure Client MySQL Server in Parallels Plesk Panel

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Failed to connect to database: Access denied for user admin@localhost

Diagnostics
• This problem occurs when Parallels Plesk Panel's connection to the MySQL server that
houses its user databases is incorrectly configured.

To configure the settings, follow the next steps.
1. Edit the MySQL configuration file my.ini located within %plesk_dir%\mysql\data.
Add parameter skip-grant-tables into the [PleskSQLServer] section.
2. Restart SQL Server.
3. Log into MySQL.
4. Type the following command.


1. Edit the MySQL configuration file my.ini located within %plesk_dir%\mysql\data.
Add parameter skip-grant-tables into the [PleskSQLServer] section.
2. Restart SQL Server.
3. Log into MySQL.
4. Type the following command.
mysql> update user set password=password('admin_password') where
user='admin';
5. Remove skip-grant-tables from within the [PleskSQLServer] section from
%plesk_dir%\mysql\data\my.ini.
6. Restart MySQL Server.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


Passwords Synchronization

When trying to log in to Parallels Plesk Panel, you get an error message.
This happens if the password for admin in Parallels Plesk Panel does not match the one set in MySQL
First, you need to retrieve your current Parallels Plesk Panel password:

C:\>"%plesk_dir%\admin\bin\plesksrvclient.exe" -get

Then, you should set it up within MySQL. To do this, follow these steps:


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

How to get the plesk verion:

%plesk_dir%--> Type version


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Initial  Plesk Panel Installation
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

There are several ways to install Parallels Plesk Panel:
• Use the Web Interface
• Use the Command Line Interface
• Use the Parallels Containers VZ Template to install the product in a container

• Downloaded packages
• The *.inf3 files
• The log file is autoinstaller3.log
• The error log file is %plesk_dir%\admin\logs\php_error.log.

The repository URL is located at: http://autoinstall-win.pp.parallels.com

If you want to specify any custom locations such as the vhosts location for the Parallels Plesk
Panel, before the installation add into the \PLESK\PSA Config\Config registry key the
following string values:

• PRODUCT_ROOT_D - panel installation path
• PRODUCT_DATA_D - panel data storage path
• HTTPD_VHOSTS_D - vhosts path

Parallels Virtuozzo Containers for Windows FAQ

Parallels Virtuozzo Containers for Windows:

http://kb.parallels.com/en/112514

How do I update Parallels Virtuozzo Containers?

Use the interactive update wizard by running the following command:

"%vz_installdir%\bin\vzupdate.exe"

Which tool manages bridged networks?

To see available bridged networks:

C:\>vznetcfg net list

To create a new bridged network:

C:\> vznetcfg net new %NETWORK_NAME% %HOST_IFACE_MAC%

To add the host interface to a bridged network:

C:\> vzctl set %CTID% --save --ipadd %IPADDR%/%NETMASK% --network %NETWORK_NAME% --nettype bridged

Which log files are available on the Parallels Virtuozzo Containers server?

Container start, stop, migration, creation, deletion, and configuration changes are logged in the main vzlog: C:\vzlog\YYYY.MM.DD-vzlog.log

Template-related operations and package installation via vzpkg are logged in the vzpkg.log: C:\vzlog\vzpkg.log

Parallels Virtuozzo Containers and template update operations are logged in the vzupdate.log: C:\vzlog\vzupdate.log

XML API, SOAP API, backup, and other PVA Agent-related operations are logged in the vzagent.log: C:\vzlog\PVA\Agent\YYYY.MM.DD-vzagent.log

How do I manage Power Panel service?

To start, stop, or restart this service, use the "pvapp" tool:

C:\> net stop pvapp
C:\> net start pvapp

To troubleshoot Power Panel-related issues, check these logs:

Application log in Event Viewer
"%USERPROFILE%\PVA\Power Panel\log\YYYY.MM.DD-agent.log"
"%USERPROFILE%\PVA\Power Panel\log\YYYY.MM.DD-vzagent.log"
"%USERPROFILE%\PVA\Power Panel\log\YYYY.MM.DD-cpcon.log"
C:\vzlog\PVA\Agent\YYYY.MM.DD-vzagent.log

How do I manage PVA Agent service?

To start, stop, or restart the service, use the "pvaagent" tool:

C:\> net stop pvaagent
C:\> net start pvaagent

To troubleshoot PVA Agent-related issues, check these logs:

C:\vzlog\PVA\Agent\YYYY.MM.DD-vzagent.log

What is the service container needed for?

On Parallels Virtuozzo Containers for Windows with PVA Agent installed, there should not be a service container instance because offline management and SOAP API services are served by corresponding sites in IIS.

How do I manage Parallels Virtuozzo Containers service?

On a non-clustered Parallels Virtuozzo Containers installation, it is not advisable to start or stop Virtuozzo management service.

To start, stop, or restart the service, use the "net" tool:

C:\> net stop vzsrv
C:\> net start vzsrv

Containers will be restarted during this procedure.

What is the difference between vzbackup and vzabackup?

There is no difference between vzbackup and vzabackup on Parallels Virtuozzo Containers for Windows. These are two different command-line interfaces for the single backup engine. The vzbackup tool is kept for backward compatibility purposes.

How do I create, enlist, and restore backups stored on a remote Parallels Virtuozzo Containers node?

To create a backup for a container and place the backup in remote storage, run the "vzabackup" command:

C:\> vzabackup --storage %USERNAME%:"%PASSWORD%"@%REMOTE_SERVER_HOSTNAME% -F localhost -e %CTID%

To enlist a container backup available in remote storage, use the "vzarestore" command:

C:\> vzarestore --list --full -e %CTID% --storage %USERNAME%:"%PASSWORD%"@%REMOTE_SERVER_HOSTNAME%

To restore a backup of a container using remote backup storage, use the "vzarestore" command:

C:\> vzarestore -B -e %BACKUP_ID% --storage %USERNAME%:"%PASSWORD%"@%REMOTE_SERVER_HOSTNAME%

How do I migrate a container and protect the source container from deletion?

Use the "vzmigrate" command with appropriate options to keep the source and destination containers:

C:\> vzmigrate --remove-area no Administrator@%DESTINATION_NODE% %CTID%

How can I check the Parallels Virtuozzo Containers version?

Check the version of Parallels Virtuozzo Containers using the "vzctl" tool:

C:\> vzctl --version

How do I check the exact PVA Agent version?

Check the version of ProductBuild in the registry:

C:\>reg query HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Parallels\PVA /v ProductBuild

How do I check whether a node is registered in PVA Management Node?

Use the "vzagroup" tool:

C:\> vzagroup list

A node is not registered in PVA Management Node if the output contains this line:

host is a slave in vzgroup, which master node address is local

If a node is a member of a PVA group, the output will show the IP address of the PVA Management Node it is registered in:

host is a slave in vzgroup, which master node address is %PVA_MN_IP_ADDRESS%

 Where can I find the PVA Agent configuration file?

All PVA Agent configuration files are located in the etc_folder defined in pva.conf.

Check "C:\Program Files (x86)\Parallels\Parallels Virtual Automation\Agent\bin\pva.conf" and find the etc_folder section:


etc_folder
C:\vz\PVA\Agent\Data\etc


This output above means that the main configuration file vzagent.conf is located in C:\vz\PVA\Agent\Data\etc.

Where can I change PVA Agent timeouts and limits?

Locate the vzagent.conf file and adjust the required limits and timeouts there.

 

Is it safe to install Microsoft updates on the Hardware Node?

Due to the design of Parallels Virtuozzo Containers for Windows, only approved Microsoft Windows updates should be installed on the Node.
To assure that only approved updates are installed, verify that the WSUS server is set to "vzwinupdate.sw-soft.com":

C:\>reg query HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate /v WUServer

Never install Windows updates inside containers!

Is .NET Framework needed for Parallels Virtuozzo Containers?

Parallels Virtuozzo Containers for Windows does not need .NET Framework for proper functioning; thus, if some particular container software needs .NET Framework, it should be installed directly from inside the container.

	.NET Framework
OS	1.x	2.0.x	3.0.x	3.5.x	4.0.x
Windows 2003	REDIST	REDIST	REDIST	REDIST	REDIST
Windows 2008	REDIST	BUILTIN	FEATURE	REDIST	REDIST
Windows 2008 R2	REDIST	BUILTIN	BUILTIN	FEATURE	REDIST

REDIST - Install via .msi package (redistributable) downloaded from the Microsoft website or create the template from this package.
BUILTIN - Some versions of .NET are built-in to the current version of Windows and MUST NOT be re-installed via .msi/redistributable package installation.
FEATURE - Install via server roles and features (as of Windows 2008).

Plesk for Linux commands and Usage:

1. For getting Plesk panel admin password in command Line:

# /usr/local/psa/bin/admin --show-password  


2. To reset the Plesk Admin password:

# /usr/local/psa/bin/init_conf -u -passwd <new_password>

Single User mode for changing root password

Entering into Single User mode for changing the root password

In single-user mode, your computer boots to runlevel 1. Your local file systems are mounted, but your network is not activated. You have a usable system maintenance shell. Unlike rescue mode, single-user mode automatically tries to mount your file system. Do not use single-user mode if your file system cannot be mounted successfully. You cannot use single-user mode if the runlevel 1 configuration on your system is corrupted.
When the first boot screen appears press 'b' before countdown goes to 0 seconds.



Then the another screen will appear and select the line stated “Redhat Enterprize Linux Server –(xxxx)”
 Select that line and press 'e'.


 Then the following screen will appear select the “Kernel /vmlinuz ---XXX”  line  and press 'e'.

Then write the word 'single' after a space at the end of the line

Then press 'enter' button of your keyboard.
Then press 'b'
Machine will now booted into single user mode.

Now type:
Sh-3.1# passwd
And give your password twice
And type 'reboot'
Password will be changed.