User Guide - ISPmanager Overview
- 31/12/1969 7:00 PM
Applicable Plans - Virtual Server in Cloud using ISPmanager (ISPsystem)
User Guide - ISPmanager Overview
Overview
ISPmanager is a web hosting Control Panel that allows you manage your server through a web based user interface. With ISPmanager you can manage users, domains, email accounts, databases and more from a central location.
ISPmanager replaces the earlier Webmin Control Panel for users of the Virtual Server in the Cloud Hosting Service. If you have Virtual Servers that use Webmin, those will not be affected. But any new Virtual Server created after 6 December 2011 will be created with the ISPmanager Control Panel.
If you have Virtual Servers that use Webmin and want to migrate to an ISPmanager VS, please contact eApps Sales for more information. There is no direct migration path, so a custom solution will need to be worked out for you.
ISPmanager Overview
Accessing ISPmanager from the Customer Portal
Accessing ISPmanager via direct URL
Using the ISPmanager Help System
Accounts Management
Administrators
Users
Mailboxes
Domains
WWW domains
E-Mail domains
Management Tools
File Manager
Reboot
SSL Certificates
Web-scripts (APS)
Server Statistics
Usage statistics
System information
Traffic
Server Settings
Server parameters
IP-addresses
Database servers
PHP configuration
PHP extensions
Perl modules
Python modules
Applications
Plugins
Extra Applications
MindTerm (SSH client)
ISPmanager Overview
ISPmanager allows you to manage almost all aspects of your Virtual Server from a web-based GUI. This user guide gives an overview of the main functions, such as how to install applications, how to add IP addresses, and how to add users. Other functions, such as how to create web sites or e-mail users, are only touched on in this user guide, and are explained in greater detail in their own user guides.
Not every menu or menu option is covered in this user guide. If you have questions on something that is not covered here or in one of the other user guides, please use the ISPmanager Help system. See below for more information.
Accessing ISPmanager from the Customer Portal
To access ISPmanager from the Customer Portal, you will need to log in to the Portal http://portal.eapps.com, and in the main Portal screen, click on the Virtual Servers tab.
In the Client Area > My Virtual Servers screen, click on the magnifying glass icon to the right of the listing for the Virtual Server.
This takes you to the Client Area > My Virtual Servers > Product Details screen, showing the Overview for the Virtual Server.
In the Virtual Server Details section, there is a link to the Control Panel. Click on that link to be taken to the ISPmanager login screen. Note that ISPmanager uses a self-signed SSL certificate, so you will have to add an exception in your browser to be able to access the site.
Accessing ISPmanager via direct URL
You can also access ISPmanager via a direct URL. You can give the URL to domain owners and mailbox users who will not have access to the Customer Portal but who will need to access ISPmanager to manage their domains and mailboxes.
To access ISPmanager via direct URL, go to https://IP_ADDRESS/manager/ispmgr - you can also use your domain name if you have DNS set up to point to it.
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Note the https in the URL - if you try to connect using just http, your connection will time out and you will never see the log in screen. |
Using the ISPmanager Help System
ISPmanager has a built-in context sensitive Help system. This means that if you click on the Help icon in any screen, you will be taken to a new web page that provides information on the specific screen you are looking at. The Help icon is located in the upper right hand corner of every screen. Some sections even have video tutorials available directly from the menu option screen.
ISPmanager Help system
Most questions you may have about how to actually use ISPmanager are answered in the Help system, which is very comprehensive and thorough.
Accounts Management
In the Accounts Management menu you can create Administrators, Users, and Mailboxes.
Administrators
The default Administrator user for ISPmanager is the system root user, logging in with the root password. To add a new Administrator, click on the New icon at the upper right of the Administrators screen, and follow the prompts. You can limit the access of the new Administrator user if needed.
You are also able to Edit and Delete existing Administrators, as well as Enable or Disable them.
Users
By default, there are no Users created on the system. This allows you full control to add only the users you actually need. (Note that user in this context refers to a user with a login and password on the server, not to a system user with a UID of less than 500)
To add a new User, click on the New icon at the upper right of the User Management screen. There are three screens to complete: User, Permissions, and Limits. Please note that in the Limits screen you will need to set a disk quota for the user, in MB (Megabytes).
You are also able to Edit and Delete existing Users, as well as Enable or Disable them. If you have a large number of users, you can use the Filter to restrict your search. If you need to log in as a specific user, click on Enter.
Remember to consult the built-in Help if you need more information on how to create and manage users.
Mailboxes
To have a Mailbox, you will need to have an E-Mail domain, which is added in the Domains menu.
To add a new mailbox, click on the New icon at the upper right of the Mailboxes screen. The mailboxes can belong to "virtual users", meaning that they do not have a shell account and a login and password to access the server. Also please note that you will need to specify a maximum size for the mailbox, in MB (Megabytes).
You can also Edit an existing mailbox, set the Responder message, and Filter the mailboxes to search. You can also Delete a mailbox, Empty a mailbox, Enable and Disable a mailbox, and download settings for Outlook.
Remember to consult the built-in Help if you need more information on how to create and manage mailboxes. More information on how to create and manage Mailboxes is found in the E-Mail User Guide
Domains
In the Domains menu you can add WWW domains (domains for web sites) and E-Mail domains (domains that receive e-mail). Note that a WWW domain does not have to be an E-Mail domain, and vice versa.
WWW domains
A WWW domain is a domain associated with an actual web site.
To add a new WWW domain, click on the New icon at the upper right of the WWW domains screen. This will allow you to specify the domain name and any aliases, as well as the owner and IP address.
You are also able to Edit an existing domain, as well as add Apache configurations to the VirtualHost block in Config. You can also Delete the domain, and look at the Logs or All logs. If you have a lot of domains, you can use the Filter to search for a specific domain. You can also add custom Errors pages, and also manage Redirects and MIME. You are also able to log in a the user for the domain by clicking on Enter.
More information on how to add and manage WWW domains is found in the Creating Websites User Guide
E-Mail domains
An E-Mail domain is a domain that can receive e-mail on the Virtual Server. Remember that an E-Mail domain does not have to have an associated WWW domain, it can be used for e-mail only.
To add new E-Mail domain, click on the New icon at the upper right of the E-mail domains screen. This allows you to specify the domain, and also the owner of the domain.
You are also able to Edit an existing domain and Delete a domain. The Boxes icon lets you see the existing mailboxes for that domain. You can also set up Redirects and Groups.
More information on how to add and manage E-Mail domains is found in the Email User Guide
Management Tools
In the Management Tools menu you can perform tasks related to server and file management.
File Manager
In the File Manager you can navigate the file system, create and delete files and directories, and upload and download files. You can also extract compressed files, and archive files in either zip or tar format.
For more information on using the File Manager, see the built-in Help available in the File manager screen. Also see the File Manager User Guide.
Reboot
Clicking on Reboot will allow you to reboot the Virtual Server.
SSL Certificates
You can create self-signed SSL certificates, or add a commercial SSL certificate. More information on how to add and manage SSL certificates is found in the SSL User Guide.
Web-scripts (APS)
Web-scripts must be installed as the WWW domain owner, not as the root user. The User Guide explains how this works - http://support.eapps.com/ispmgr/web_scripts
Web-scripts are free applications that you can install on your VS. These range from blogs to photo galleries to eCommerce solutions. To find out what a particular web-script does, click on it once to highlight it, and then click on the Info icon at the upper right of the screen. This gives a description of the application, and often a link back to the application home page.
If you are looking for applications such as WordPress, Drupal, or Joomla!, they will be found in the Web-scripts.
Server Statistics
In the Server Statistics menu you can see information related to Virtual Server usage, such as how many domains and mailboxes are on the VS.
Usage statistics
In the Usage statistics screen you can see the number of users, mailboxes, and domains on the VS. There are no management functions here, only reporting.
System information
The System information screen shows you information on the CPU, RAM, disk space, load averages and uptime.
Traffic
The Traffic menu shows the bandwidth for a range of dates. There are graphic reports available for showing the bandwidth and traffic used. It is recommended that you review the available Help for this screen, as well as watch the video tutorial.
Server Settings
The Server Settings menu is where you can change the time zone, add IP addresses, and install applications.
Server parameters
Server parameters lets you change the system time zone, and also forward the e-mail for the root user to another e-mail address.
IP-addresses
Adding an IP address consists of two separate steps - first from the Customer Portal, and then from ISPmanager.
Customer Portal
You will need to purchase an IP address through the Customer Portal first. Please see the User Guide: Managing IP Addresses - http://support.eapps.com/portal/ip_address for more information. The section on Allocating a new IP address from the Customer Portal is the relevant section.
ISPmanager
Once you have allocated a new IP address in the Portal, you will need to add it to ISPmanager. From the IP-addresses screen, click on New and paste in the new IP address. Then click OK. This adds the IP address as eth0:1. You can add as many IP addresses as you need.
Database servers
If you have a database server installed, such as MySQL or PostgreSQL, they will be listed in the Database servers screen.
To see the database root password, highlight the database and click on Edit. To add a new database, such as a remote database, click on New.
More information on how to manage databases is found in the MySQL User Guide and PostgreSQL User Guide.
PHP configuration
If you have PHP installed, you will have a PHP configuration menu item. This allows you to manage some of the options found in php.ini, such as allowing register_globals and changing the PHP memory limit and file sizes.
More information is available in the PHP User Guide.
PHP extensions
If you have PHP installed, you will have a PHP extensions menu item. This shows all the currently installed PHP extensions and modules. If you need to install other PHP modules, click on the Install icon at the top right of the screen, and select the module you want to install from the drop down menu.
More information is available in the PHP User Guide.
Perl modules
The Perl modules screen shows the installed Perl modules. To install additional Perl modules, click on the Install icon in the upper right corner, and select the module you want to install from the drop down menu.
Python modules
The Python modules screen shows the installed Python modules. To install additional Python modules, click on the Install icon in the upper right corner, and select the module you want to install from the drop down menu.
Applications
The Applications screen shows the available applications that can be installed on the Virtual Server, or are already installed on the VS. These are the main applications offered by eApps for our customers.
If an application is installed, it will have version listed in the Installed version column. If the application is enabled, there will be a yellow lightbulb in the Status column. If an application is disabled, the lightbulb will be blue. Note that an application can be installed and disabled.
Application screen
Installing Applications
Before installing any application, click on the Refresh button at the top right of the screen. This will force ISPmanager to re-read the application repository, which will make sure that you are getting the newest available version of the application that is being provided.
To install an application, click on it to highlight it, and then click on the Install icon in the upper right corner. This will bring up a window asking you to click OK. Once you do this, the application will start to install. While the application is installing, you will see a small spinning CD icon in the Status column for that application. When the CD icon disappears, the application is installed. The lightbulb in the Status column will now be yellow, and the application name and version will show in the Installed version column.
Deleting (uninstalling) Applications
To remove an application, highlight the application, and then click on the Delete icon in the upper right corner. This will give you a warning that deleting the application will also remove all the data associated with the application. If you want to continue, click OK. Note that this uninstalls the application, it doesn't actually delete it from the system. You can install the application again if needed.
Plugins
Plugins are additional features that you can add to ISPmanager. Please note that these plugins are provided by the vendor of ISPmanager, not by eApps. Use them at your own risk.
To see what plugins are available, click on the Install icon on the top right of the screen.
Please note - the appins plugin was written specifically for eApps by the ISPmanager vendor. Please do not delete this plugin.
Extra Applications
If you have installed applications that have a web GUI, such as Mailman, phpMyAdmin, or phpPgAdmin, these applications will show up in the Extra Applications menu. You may need to refresh your browser after installing the application to see it in Extra Applications.
You can click on the name of the application, and a new browser tab or page will open and allow you to access that application.
More information on how to use applications like phpPgAdmin and phpMyAdmin is found in the user guides for the databases they are used for - PostgreSQL and MySQL.
MindTerm (SSH client)
MindTerm is a Java based SSH client that you can use to connect to the command line of your system. Depending on your browser, you may have to give the Java plugin permission to run. You may also need to allow the Java applet to access your computer.
If you find yourself frequently working from the command line, you may want to look at using an actual SSH client such as Terminal.app on Mac OS X or PuTTY on Windows.
More information on using MindTerm can be found in the SSH User Guide