Before diving into setting up your Ubuntu VPS, the first step is to choose a reliable and high-performance VPS provider. For the best quality and performance, you can get a VPS from Linkdata.com. They offer robust hosting solutions that are ideal for web hosting, applications, and cloud computing.

Now, let’s get started with the VPS setup after you’ve purchased your VPS from Linkdata.com.

Step 1: Connect to Your VPS via SSH

Once you’ve received your VPS credentials from Linkdata.com, you can connect to your Ubuntu VPS remotely using SSH. To do this, you need the IP address of your VPS and the SSH credentials provided by the hosting service.

ssh your_username@your_vps_ip_address

Example:

ssh root@123.45.67.89

If this is your first time connecting, SSH may ask you to confirm the connection. Type yes to continue.

Step 2: Update and Upgrade Your VPS

After logging in, it’s important to update your Ubuntu VPS to ensure all packages are up-to-date.

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

This command does two things: it updates the package lists for upgrades and installs any necessary upgrades. The -y flag automatically confirms the installation of upgrades.

Step 3: Set the Timezone (Optional)

Setting your VPS’s timezone can be important depending on your server’s location.

Check your current timezone:

timedatectl

To set the timezone:

sudo timedatectl set-timezone Region/City

Example:

sudo timedatectl set-timezone America/New_York

Step 4: Add a New User (Optional but Recommended)

Running a VPS as the root user is not recommended due to security risks. Instead, create a new user with sudo privileges.

adduser your_new_username

Follow the prompts to set a password and configure the new user.

Grant your new user administrative privileges:

usermod -aG sudo your_new_username

Step 5: Enable a Firewall for Security

It’s important to secure your server with a firewall. Ubuntu has a simple firewall tool called ufw (Uncomplicated Firewall).

To allow OpenSSH connections, run:

sudo ufw allow OpenSSH

Enable the firewall:

sudo ufw enable

To check the status of the firewall, use:

sudo ufw status

Step 6: Install Essential Software

Depending on what you plan to use your VPS for, you may need to install additional software. Below are a few common examples.

Install Nginx (Web Server)

To set up a basic web server:

sudo apt install nginx -y

Start and enable Nginx:

sudo systemctl start nginx
sudo systemctl enable nginx

Install MySQL (Database Server)

If you need a database server, install MySQL:

sudo apt install mysql-server -y

After the installation, secure your MySQL server:

sudo mysql_secure_installation

Follow the prompts to configure your MySQL instance.

Install PHP (For Dynamic Websites)

For PHP-based applications (e.g., WordPress), you’ll need to install PHP:

sudo apt install php php-fpm php-mysql -y

You can install additional PHP modules as needed:

sudo apt install php-xml php-mbstring php-curl -y

Step 7: Secure SSH Access (Optional but Recommended)

To secure your SSH connection, you should disable root login and use key-based authentication instead of passwords.

Disable Root Login

Edit the SSH configuration file:

sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config

Look for the line that says PermitRootLogin and change it to:

PermitRootLogin no

Save the file and exit (CTRL + X, then Y to confirm).

Restart SSH for the changes to take effect:

sudo systemctl restart ssh

Step 8: Set Up Swap Space (Optional)

If your VPS has limited RAM, adding swap space can help your system run more smoothly under heavy loads.

First, check if you have swap enabled:

sudo swapon --show

If no output appears, you can create a swap file:

sudo fallocate -l 1G /swapfile

Set the correct permissions for the swap file:

sudo chmod 600 /swapfile

Mark the file as swap space:

sudo mkswap /swapfile

Enable the swap file:

sudo swapon /swapfile

To make the swap permanent, add the swap file to your /etc/fstab:

echo '/swapfile none swap sw 0 0' | sudo tee -a /etc/fstab

Step 9: Install Monitoring Tools (Optional)

To monitor your server’s performance, you can install tools like htop and vnstat.

sudo apt install htop -y
sudo apt install vnstat -y

Step 10: Reboot Your VPS (Optional)

Once you’ve completed all the setup steps, it’s a good idea to reboot your VPS to ensure all changes take effect:

sudo reboot

You can reconnect after a few moments using the SSH command from Step 1.

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By following these steps, you will have a basic Ubuntu VPS set up, ready to host applications, websites, or any other services. For optimal performance, make sure you choose the best quality VPS from Linkdata.com to ensure a stable and reliable hosting experience.

If you need further help with setting up your VPS. Contact us on live chat or via email support@linkdata.com

1. Understand What DMARC Is

• DMARC is a protocol that builds on SPF (Sender Policy Framework) and DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) to authenticate emails. It helps ensure that emails sent from your domain are genuine and not spoofed.
• DMARC policies dictate what should happen to emails that fail these checks (none, quarantine, or reject).

2. Prepare Your Domain for DMARC

• Set Up SPF and DKIM: Before implementing DMARC, ensure that SPF and DKIM are correctly configured for your domain.
  • SPF specifies which IP addresses are allowed to send emails on behalf of your domain.
  • DKIM adds a digital signature to emails, verifying that the email has not been altered.

3. Create a DMARC Policy

• Start with a Policy of “none”: This policy allows you to monitor email traffic without affecting email delivery. It’s useful for gathering data before enforcing stricter rules.
• A basic DMARC record might look like this:cssCopy codev=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc-reports@yourdomain.com; ruf=mailto:dmarc-failure@yourdomain.com; pct=100;
• Explanation of Record Parts:
  • v=DMARC1: Specifies the DMARC version.
  • p=none: Current policy is monitoring only.
  • rua=mailto:dmarc-reports@yourdomain.com: Specifies where aggregate reports should be sent.
  • ruf=mailto:dmarc-failure@yourdomain.com: Specifies where forensic reports should be sent.
  • pct=100: Indicates the percentage of emails subjected to the DMARC policy (100% in this case).

4. Publish Your DMARC Record

• Add the DMARC TXT Record: Log in to your DNS hosting provider and add a new TXT record for your domain. The record should be added under _dmarc.yourdomain.com with the value set according to the policy you created in the previous step.

5. Monitor Reports

• Aggregate Reports: These reports provide data on email messages sent from your domain and their DMARC results. Look for unauthorized sources or failing DKIM/SPF checks.
• Forensic Reports: These are more detailed and provide information about specific emails that failed DMARC checks.
• Use tools like DMARC Analyzer, Agari, or free options like Google Postmaster Tools to interpret and visualize your DMARC reports.

6. Adjust Your DMARC Policy

• After monitoring for some time, you can adjust the policy to enforce stricter rules:
  • Quarantine: Suspicious emails will be sent to the spam/junk folder.cssCopy codev=DMARC1; p=quarantine; rua=mailto:dmarc-reports@yourdomain.com; ruf=mailto:dmarc-failure@yourdomain.com; pct=100;
  • Reject: Emails failing DMARC will be rejected outright.cssCopy codev=DMARC1; p=reject; rua=mailto:dmarc-reports@yourdomain.com; ruf=mailto:dmarc-failure@yourdomain.com; pct=100;
• Gradually move to stricter policies after confirming legitimate senders are not affected.

7. Maintain and Update Your DMARC Configuration

• Regular Monitoring: Keep checking DMARC reports regularly to identify and respond to any unauthorized sending attempts or misconfigurations.
• Update Policies: As your organization’s email practices change, update SPF, DKIM, and DMARC policies accordingly.
• Train Employees: Make sure staff are aware of DMARC policies and the importance of proper email handling.

Implementing DMARC is a key step in protecting your domain from email-based attacks like phishing and spoofing. By setting up DMARC, you can significantly reduce the risk of cyber threats and improve the trustworthiness of your email communications.