Hi Ive returned to ISPConfig after nearly 20 years. Using the ubuntu 20.04 / debian howto, I'm about to start installation on a bare metal cloud server on which I will be hosting Nextcoud, mail, web, database etc services. I also wish to implement and control VMs (preferably Virtualbox ), Some of these services may initially be VMs but could eventually become separate servers over time. My two queries are: 1- Which is more suitable for the above, multi-server or single-server? 2- Would I have to install OpenVZ in order to manage Virtualbox? 3- Would the ISPConfig install be better of in it's own Virtualbox vm or would it be better left native on the bare metal server? Thanks for any illumination Bernie O
1. I would suggest Hetzner instead as I am not sure what bare metal cloud server can or cannot do; as hertzner vps can do both single and multi server setup. 2. I am quite sure that the latest ISPConfig do not support OpenVZ. 3. I think the later is best. Note: I am not affiliated with nor do I gain benefit from Hetzner. Just a user who have tested several vps and found out that ISPConfig works good with its vps.
Hi Ahrasis Thank you for the response. I am confident that the hardware platform I'm using will run which ever configuration I choose. I'm more worrying about the actual configuration and the best way to start that will allow smooth expansion but be flexible while I'm still a small operator. I don't want to use OpenVZ, I more interested in Virtualbox but some documents seem to indicate OpenVZ is needed in order to use and control Virtual machines like Virtualbox or VMware. Is this just outdated documentation? So if I use the multiserver setup my AMD Ryzen 32GB server would be capable of at least 4 virtual machines which would be the mail x 2, web, Nextcloud, with the main server itself being the panel. Does this seem a reasonable set up or am I being too ambitious. The idea would be that as the number of clients grows the virtual machines could be transferred to separate physical machines. Cheers for the assistance
Just misunderstanding. Ispconfig has management capability for the last/old version of openvz. You don't need openvz for anything if you are wanting to use vm's, use your preferred vm platform/manager. (For what it's worth were happy with proxmox). I think your plan seems reasonable for future growth.
Can you tell me if the Hetzner VPS/Bare-metal can do virtualization with VMware-workstation or VirtualBox.? Ive successfully installed ISPConfig multi-server on Fasthosts Bare-metal CloudNX but then found out VirtualBox would not create drives on that machines HDD because class 2 hypervisor has been deliberately disabled in the bios. The error is a generic one which seems to indicate the drive is full when in actual fact there is close to a1TB free.
For what its worth I run multiple vm's on ESXI hosts and I don't host clients. I would say multi server from the outset, It isn't difficult to convert from single to multi but its a pain in the backside, or at least that was my experience when I did it. Besides, having everything under one host might save a little money, but it means a single point of failure. Probably something you will want to avoid. I presume you will be hosting clients so you will want to be sure customers can get in touch should their server go down. If its all under one host then you lose that right away.
I ended up taking @ahrasis and @jesse-norell suggestions. It has been a very interesting journey. I have not as yet decided on if I will use ISPConfig for two reasons. 1 I went for Proxmox as suggested and liked it. I initially went with an auction Intel Xeon E3-1275 but it kept freezing on me so eventually I rented a new Hetzner AMD AX51 Ryzen 7 as my base install. 2 As a result I don't want to install ISPConfig also as the base install. I may later decide to put it in a VM and use it that way but the truth is I may choose WHMCS for its billing module which seems easier and less cost while sticking with Proxmox. I'm still learning in what has been a very steep curve for 3 months. This weekend I OPNSense as a firewall in a VM and installed both Cloudinabox and Mail-In-A-Box_LDAP as VM's. All went well and I now have this configuration. The last 2 days however have been taken up with trying to get the Nextcloud (Cloud-in-a-box) LDAy to talk to the MIAB LDAP server via port 636. I can't get this to work. Either the Cloud-in-a-box (ldaps requests won't talk to the Mail-in-a-box ldaps service or the MIAB ldap service won't acknowledge the CIAB ldaps request to connect. Both boxes have ufw firewall install with ports open for 636/tcp The setup is as below: Help! I blame the 3 respondents here for my headaches and short nights but also thank them for encouraging me to continue on this wonderful educational and satisfying journey. Please help me to continue.
have you checked the pricing for whmcs recently? not long ago they changed the licensing method, anyone with a full 'lifetime' license now has to pay a monthly subscription fee to be able to get updates now. the lifetime license now only covers usage of the version you had at the time of this change. and what you have to pay depends on the number of customers, you could pay the highest tier just having customers all buying 1 domain name each through you, and what whmcs will charge you is way more than the profit you'd get on all those domain sales. it's pissed a lot of whmcs customers off. i'm currently evaluating hostbill and blesta as alternatives.
Thank you. I was looking at Blesta as well. I'm appreciative of such discussions. It's invaluable to my decision making. I will look at hostbill as well. I think an obvious own goal is scored here by the price of the ISPConfig billing module and its lack of downward scalability for startups. I probably would not look at anything else if I was catered for but it seems it's not for me until I am already so successful I can afford it anyway.
what's the problem with the price of the ispconfig billing module? it's a one-off 59 euro's + vat. damn site cheaper than the alternatives. if i could find some decent domain registration / management system to use along with it, i wouldn't bother with hostbill, blesta, or whmcs at all.
Absolutely nothing I'm sure. My understanding is that it is unwieldy so not for smallholdings. Am I misunderstanding this? Then as you say there is also domain registration/management module... Just looking at it again today it seems it has also adopted the 12 month support model. I will be looking at the whole lot again as soon as I resolve my current issue. Does the ISPConfig module also allow a client to do his billing also?
