Category: Server

(Episode #39 – CLI Monday: How to Keep Your SSH Sessions Alive)

1. Create a file locally ~/.ssh/config

2. Host *
     ServerAliveInterval 60

3. Restart any ssh sessions

$ cat ~/.ssh/config
Host *
  ServerAliveInterval 60

$ chmod 600 ~/.ssh/config
$ chown user:group ~/.ssh/config

(Digital Ocean: How To Run Parse Server on Ubuntu 14.04)
(Digital Ocean: How To Migrate a Parse App to Parse Server on Ubuntu 14.04)
(GitHub: NodeSource Node.js and io.js Binary Distributions)

Before You Begin

1. Check for updates
   sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade

Install Node.js, Development Tools, other stuff, and parse-server

1. Go to user’s home directory
   cd ~
2. See NodeSource page for up-to-date installation instructions
   curl -sL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_7.x | sudo -E bash -
3. Install nodejs, build-essential and git
   sudo apt-get install -y nodejs build-essential git
4. Install htop
   sudo apt-get install htop
5. Install bcrypt
   sudo apt-get install bcrypt
6. Install tmux to allow processes to run without ssh connection
   sudo apt install tmux
7. Install parse-server and mongodb-runner (I haven’t figured out what the runner does)
   sudo npm install -g parse-server mongodb-runner

Setup Parse Cloud Code

1. Go to user’s home directory
   cd ~
2. Make a cloud directory
   mkdir -p ~/cloud
3. Make a main.js file
   nano ~/cloud/main.js
4. Paste

   Parse.Cloud.define('hello', function(req, res) {
     res.success('Hi');
   });

5. Save and exit

Setup a new parse-server app

1. Things you need
   • App name (long) ${newAppLong}
   • App name (short) ${newApp}
   • Password (no funny characters) ${password}
   • Parse port number ${port}
   • Parse appId ${appId}
   • Parse masterKey ${masterKey}
2. Open port in ufw
   sudo ufw allow ${port}
3. Add a new user to mongoDB
   mongo --port 27017
use ${newApp}
db.createUser({user: "${newApp}", pwd: "${password}", roles: [ { role: "dbOwner", db: "${newApp}"} ]})
exit
4. Restart MongoDB
   sudo service mongod restart
5. Configure nginx for ${newApp} (parseapp) as per Setting up nginx on Ubuntu for parse-server
6. Start parse-server on boot
   crontab -e
   If first run, select nano, 2
   At the bottom of the file add either:
   • for https://example.com/${newApp}/
     @reboot tmux new-session -s test -d parse-server --port ${port} --appId ${appId} --masterKey ${masterKey} --databaseURI mongodb://${newApp}:${password}@localhost:27017/${newApp} --cloud /home/parse/cloud/main.js --serverURL https://example.com/${newApp}/ --appName "${newAppLong}"
   • or for https://${newApp}.example.com/
     @reboot tmux new-session -s test -d parse-server --port ${port} --appId ${appId} --masterKey ${masterKey} --databaseURI mongodb://${newApp}:${password}@localhost:27017/${newApp} --cloud /home/${currentUser}/cloud/main.js --serverURL https://${newApp}.example.com/ --appName "${newAppLong}"

   Save & exit

7. Open a new terminal window
8. Check if npm and node are installed locally
   npm -v
node -v

If not, download and install fromhttps://nodejs.org/

9. Install parse-dashboard locally
   sudo npm install -g parse-dashboard
10. Run parse-dashboard locally
    parse-dashboard --appId ${appId} --masterKey ${masterKey} --serverURL https://example.com/${newApp}/ --appName "${newAppLong}"
    or
    parse-dashboard --appId ${appId} --masterKey ${masterKey} --serverURL https://${newApp}.example.com/ --appName "${newAppLong}"

Mini series

1. Setting up a server at Linode
2. Install Let’s Encrypt to Create SSL Certificates on Ubuntu
3. Setting up MongoDB on Ubuntu
4. Setting up nginx on Ubuntu for parse-server
5. Setting up parse-server on Ubuntu

Getting started

(Linode: Getting Started)
(Digital Ocean: Additional Recommended Steps for New Ubuntu 14.04 Servers)

1. Sign up
2. Add a Linode
   • Select
     Linode 2048
   • Select
     Location
   • Click
     Add this Linode!
3. Click linodexxxxxxx
4. Click Deploy an Image
5. Cofigure deployment
   • Image Ubuntu 16.04 LTS
   • Deployment Disk Size max
   • Swap Disk 512MB
   • Root Password ••••••••
   • Click Deploy
6. Boot
   • Click Boot
   • Confirm boot
7. SSH
   • Click Remote Access tab
   • Click SSH Access link ssh root@xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
   • Click Allow to open in Terminal
   • Terminal should open (first run has some additional Allows and yeses)
   • Enter password in Terminal
8. Update software via ssh apt-get update && apt-get upgrade
9. Choose a newhostname and set it hostnamectl set-hostname newhostname
10. Update /etc/hosts
    • nano /etc/hosts
    • Add IP address and newhostname separated by a tab below:
      127.0.0.1 localhost
127.0.1.1 ubuntu.members.linode.com
xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx newhostname
    • Exit ^X
    • Save y
    • File Name to Write: /etc/hosts ↩︎
11. Setup timezone (I like UTC)
    • dpkg-reconfigure tzdata
    • Arrow around, ↩︎, ⎋
12. Setup NTP network time synchronisation
    • sudo apt-get install ntp

Securing the server

(Linode: Securing Your Server)

1. Login
   • ssh root@xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
   • Password
2. Add a limited user account
   • adduser example_user
   • Password
   • Retype password
   • Enter Full name
   • Room number
   • Work phone number
   • Home phone number
   • Other
   • Is the info correct? Y
3. Add user to admin group
   • adduser example_user sudo
4. Logout exit
5. Login again, but as the new user
   • ssh example_user@xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
   • Password
6. Harden SSH access
   • Create an ssh directory on the Linode machine
     mkdir -p ~/.ssh && sudo chmod -R 700 ~/.ssh/
   • (open a new Terminal window)
   • Check if you have an RSA key-pair on your local Mac
     ls ~/.ssh/id_rsa*
     If NOT,
     ssh-keygen -b 4096
   • Copy the public key from your Mac to the Linode machine
     scp ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub example_user@xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:~/.ssh/authorized_keys
   • Swap back to linode terminal
   • Set permissions on the Linode machine
     sudo chmod 700 -R ~/.ssh && chmod 600 ~/.ssh/authorized_keys
   • Logout
     exit
   • Login again, as the new user
     ssh example_user@xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
     (no password required)
7. Edit SSH Daemon Options
   • sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config
   • Password
   • Disallow root logins over SSH: change PermitRootLogin yes to PermitRootLogin no
   • Maybe disable SSH password authentication: change PasswordAuthentication yes to PasswordAuthentication no
   • Restart SSH Daemon sudo systemctl restart sshd
8. Automatic updates (Ubuntu: Automatic Updates)
   • Install package sudo apt install unattended-upgrades
   • Make schedule sudo nano /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/10periodic
     Add lines:
     APT::Periodic::Update-Package-Lists "1";
APT::Periodic::Download-Upgradeable-Packages "1";
APT::Periodic::AutocleanInterval "7";
APT::Periodic::Unattended-Upgrade "1";
     Exit ^X
     Save y
     Write ↩︎
   • Setup notifications sudo apt install apticron
9. Enable firewall
   sudo ufw allow proto tcp from any to any port 22
sudo ufw enable
10. Use Fail2Ban to block multiple unsuccessful login attempts
    (Linode: Using Fail2ban to Secure Your Server)
11. Install Fail2ban
    sudo apt-get install fail2ban
12. Configure fail2ban
    • cd /etc/fail2ban
    • Copy fail2ban.conf file and # all lines
      sed 's/\(^[[:alpha:]]\)/# \1/' fail2ban.conf | sudo tee fail2ban.local &> /dev/null
    • Copy jail.conf file and # all lines
      sed 's/\(^[a-z tab]\)/# \1/' jail.conf | sudo tee jail.local &> /dev/null

Point a domain name at your new IP

(Linode: DNS Manager Overview)
(Linode: Common DNS Configurations)

1. Login to your domain registrar and change the zone file (DNS management) to point to Linode’s name servers.
   • ns1.linode.com
   • ns2.linode.com
   • ns3.linode.com
   • ns4.linode.com
   • ns5.linode.com
2. Create a new domain zone
   • Login to Linode Manager
   • Click on DNS Manager tab
   • Click Add a domain zone
   • Domain your domain
   • SOA Email A good email address
   • Insert Default Records Yes, ...
   • Click Add a Master Zone

Mini series

1. Setting up a server at Linode
2. Install Let’s Encrypt to Create SSL Certificates on Ubuntu
3. Setting up MongoDB on Ubuntu
4. Setting up nginx on Ubuntu for parse-server
5. Setting up parse-server on Ubuntu