linode account....questions

@elev:

1. The Linnode matrix says that the 64 meg plan is not available - but it seems like its orderable from another page - what's going on?

I'm not sure. I'd trust the "Linode Availability" page over any ordering page you've seen. Linode.com is waiting on new systems to be delivered, until then you probably won't be able to get a new Linode, unless a pre-existing account cancels.

@elev:

2. I would want to point (2) domains to my vps - would there be any problem running apache with 2 virtual domains - would there be any problem in doing this?

You can do this. I have four or five virtual domains running under Apache on my Linode, it works fine. Since a Linode is just like any other Linux installation, there is no reason to think that anything that works under Linux on a full host won't work on a Linode.

@elev:

3. DNS wise - how would I most easily point from registrar to my vps? (I heard something about everydns.net….would that be useful)?

You'll need DNS servers. I've never heard of everydns.net but if they are a DNS service, I'm sure they'd be fine. I use zoneedit.com, which is free and very good. Also Chris has posted recently that he will be serving DNS for those Linodes that want it. I think there might be a fee associated with that, but I don't know for sure. If I were you I'd just sign up for a zoneedit.com account, they are super easy to use.

If you need specific DNS help, I'd recommend searching online for it first since there are a bazillion guides for setting up DNS. You can ask a specific question here but it's highly unlikely that any question you might have wouldn't be answerable with a google search first.

@elev:

4. In terms of security - how vulnerable is the vps to attack? What would I need to do to make it more rugged against attack?

The Linux operating system running on a Linode is as vulnerable as any Linux installation is anywhere, no more and no less. Different Linux distributions have different methods for keeping packages up-to-date and thus ensuring as much security as possible. I use RedHat and the RedHat Network which makes it super easy to stay on top of the latest security patches.

There is the additional security risk of the Linode host systems themselves (the host installation of Linux which is in control of the hardware that the Linodes run on) being hacked. We can only assume that Chris at Linode.com knows how to keep his systems as secure as possible, and there's no reason to believe otherwise.

@elev:

5. I looked through some other posts regarding backups, and I was wondering - whether there is anyway to snap a backup image of the vps (after I installed apache, and configured it with other things)?

Sure. Make a copy of your Linode's filesystem(s) right after it has been configured. You can copy it either to another Linode, another virtual disk within your Linode (if you have space), or another computer entirely. I use a simple script that I wrote which uses rsync to nightly make an incremental backup of my system. I keep 7 days worth of backups on my home computer. Also I back my home computer up to my Linode, so I'm covered should either system go down.

If you search on google you will find lots of information on using rsync to do nightly backups. You can either try to find a software package already made to do this (I don't know much about this but there must be some out there), or roll your own, like I did. I can post my script here if you like, it might help you out.

@elev:

6. A vps would seem to be an excellent way to learn more about linux. If I'm a newbee (linux and vps) - where should I start in terms of a distro and how to install various things (apache, cms, etc…)? Debian strikes me like a good distro because of apt - is this the way to go?

There is no one answer to this question. Which distribution you should choose depends upon alot of factors. Furthermore, reams and reams have been written on this topic - once again, a google search will be enlightening.

@elev:

7. I understand that that this is an "unmanaged" type of service - would something like cpanel help….is there something else that you guys already have which helps with things like mysql instances, etc…?

Sorry, I can't help you here, I have been managing Unix/Linux systems for a long time and don't use any of the new graphical system admin tools. Linodes are pretty cheap though so there's really no excuse for not getting one and trying out every administrative tool you can find (google again), and settling on what you like.

Thank you for the answers! Sounds like I'll be putting an order in for a linode.