Resources

Helpful Sites

We've compiled a list of some of our favorite sites below. These sites offer great tools or are handy resources for the latest on security and topics relevant to Linux and dedicated servers.

Online Tools

PC Tools Password Generator
We cannot stress enough the importance of good passwords. Using good passwords is an easy security step that anyone can take. We use this Password Generator nearly everyday to create strong and unique mixed-character passwords for clients and rackAID.

Alertra
Is it your server or your ISP? Everyday we have clients that due to local ISP issues have trouble accessing their own website. If you're having trouble, try using Alertra's SpotCheck tool. Enter your url and Alertra servers will try to access your site from Germany, China, the US and more. Their tool reports back to you with a timestamp, response time, the amount of data received and the transfer rate for each location that checked your site.

traceroute.org
Wondering if your client in Thailand, Iceland or Seattle can get to your server? traceroute.org collects in one place online traceroute tools from all over the globe.

IP Chicken
Need to know your office or home IP? IP Chicken is a great little tool that returns your IP instantly.

Network-Tools.com
Need to run a traceroute or ping but don't have shell access? Network-Tools.com lets you run a number of commands right in your browser.

DNS Report
Email not working? Domain not resolving? A quick run of your domain through DNSReport can help identify incorrectly configured mail records or a missing A record.

Resources

DistroWatch
Want to know what versions are available or if a particular distro supports the software you need? DistroWatch is a great place to start. They have compiled information for dozens of Linux distributions including what packages are supported by a particular distribution. This is very useful if you are interested in migrating to a new OS and not sure if it covers all your needs.

Security Updates

Secunia
Keeping track of bug fixes and critical security updates for all your software across multiple platforms is a headache. Secunia helps make the process less painful by compiling security and update information you need in one place. Their criticality scale is extremely useful in deciding whether or not you need a particular update immediately, or if it can wait.

Linux Security
LinuxSecurity.com strives to provide objective and helpful information about security as it relates to the fast-growing, revolutionary open source product that is Linux.

US-CERT
US-CERT is a partnership between the Department of Homeland Security and the public and private sectors. Established to protect the nation's Internet infrastructure, US-CERT coordinates defense against and responses to cyber attacks across the nation.