Table of Contents
The flagship product of Plesk is Plesk Server Administrator, or PSA. This server management software makes use of a graphical user interface (GUI) which allows users to perform a wide array of administrative tasks simply and easily. With PSA, a user does not require advanced knowledge of the operating system or hours of work to create domains, add e-mail accounts or check site statistics. Instead, PSA makes server management accessible and easy for the average computer user. This manual deals with PSA 2.5.
Plesk Server Administrator (PSA) is designed to be used both by experienced administrators and users with little or no server administration or programming experience. Typical users and customers include:
PSA can dramatically reduce a Web hosting company or an ISP's support workload. Customers or "clients" no longer need to call their support staff to perform various routine or complicated tasks; PSA makes those tasks accessible to the customers enabling them to support themselves. Clients are empowered by PSA to manage their own accounts, allowing the hosting companies to focus on more complex issues. Because the Plesk database is structured around a customer (not a domain), PSA lets a hosting company run its reseller programs immediately after installing the software. PSA increases customer satisfaction and reduces the support workload.
Server manufacturers can include PSA as a pre-installed feature to add value to its products and to diversify its product lines. When PSA is installed, the server is ready for immediate use; it only needs to be networked.
Many small businesses do not have a full-time system administrator to maintain their company's Internet server. Limited technical skills or the high cost of outsourced hosting need not limit a business's online presence. PSA empowers a business's existing staff to manage all email and hosting requirements; the web-based interface empowers the average computer user.
Plesk Server Administrator (PSA) provides three tiers of administration: admin, client, and domain. All can perform tasks at remote locations via any standard Internet browser. The following capabilities exist for each type of user:
System Administrator - Admin
Client Administrator
Domain Administrator
The Plesk Server Administrator (PSA) 2.5 is available for the following platforms:
For RedHat® systems you can choose either the self-extracting package or the RPM version.
Theoretically, PSA should work on all versions of Linux (e.g. Caldera OpenLinux, Debian Linux, et cetera), but Plesk Inc. has not tested the software on all versions and cannot guarantee the product's performance. The current release runs on Red Hat® Linux. Future releases of PSA may run on other Linux versions.
These are the system requirements for each platform that runs with Plesk Server Administrator 2.5
Server Side:
Red Hat® Linux
Red Hat ® Linux version 7.1 or 7.2
Pentium 166 MHz or higher w/ 32MB Ram and 80 MB of disk space.
or
FreeBSD®
FreeBSD® versions 4.1, 4.2,4.3 and 4.4
Pentium 166 MHz or higher w/ 32 MB Ram and 80 MB of disk space.
Client Side:
Supported browsers:
Supported mail clients:
By default PSA is entirely installed into the /usr/local/psa directory. It is important to partition the hard drive accordingly.
You do not need to know Unix or Linux or be a programmer in order to use the Plesk Server Administrator. Also, the PSA software is easy to install. PSA must be installed on a clean server in one dedicated host. The installation procedure is semi-automated, informing you of system changes and your progress at each step. There are no complex commands to learn and no technical information to know.
As soon as PSA is installed, both administrators and clients are ready to manage the system. PSA provides great flexibility to the user, enabling him/her to remotely access and administer servers at anytime. The default settings provided for opening accounts and domains can be changed with the click of a button. With PSA, each client can create his/her own settings and make his/her own adjustments.
The Plesk Server Administrator (PSA) uses extensive security measures to assure your system of the highest possible integrity and protection. It should be noted however that this is limited to PSA and the software it installs. The security of the server operating system is considered the responsibility of the system administrator and is not part of the PSA installation and/or set up:
PSA uses the secure HTTP (HTTPS) protocol. All documents and communications between users and the server are fully encrypted and secure.
PSA provides a generic secure socket layer (SSL) certificate that enables secure transactions between a remote user and PSA. However, this certificate will not be recognized by the web browser as being valid for your control panel URL, which results in warning messages. Certifications can be purchased directly through the PSA control panel or by contacting a certificate-signing authority directly.
When creating an FTP account on the server, the login shell is set to /bin/false, preventing any Telnet-like programs from accessing the account.
When creating physical hosting with PHP support, you are unable to start an external program from the PHP script. It is impossible to read or write files above the user's home directory.
PSA uses the suexec feature of the Apache web server for secure CGI operation.
On FreeBSD and Linux systems, PSA uses the chroot feature on the FTP server, preventing clients from changing their home directories to another directory.
PSA applies a chroot to the named process to eliminate any possibility of gaining system access through named.
PSA has chosen the Qmail mail system and ProFTPd ftp system both of which maintain the highest security standards in their respective fields of service.
Firewalls are not currently supported, but may be added in a future release.
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