If there are any Linux engineers still left over at Ensim, they may want to send a few over to ThePlanet for a training course in how to deploy their software.
Recently, we've had a number of issues (minor for us) that involve new Ensim servers over at ThePlanet. There is a conflict between ThePlanet's deployment process and how Ensim manages IP addresses. This deployment error impacts setting up secondary DNS as well as IP based sites and unnecessarily frustrates new dedicated server owners.
Unlike Plesk, Ensim does not expect additional IP addresses to be already bound to the server. However, ThePlanet's provisioning system automatically assigns your initial IP allotment. As a result, when you try to setup your virtual DNS server, you will get IP related errors. Or if you try to add an IP based site on these IPs you will also get errors.
To get around this deployment problem, you have to delete the extra IP addresses. You can do this using the "ip" command. For example:
ip addr del 192.168.1.1 dev eth0
Would remove 192.168.1.1 from eth0. You never want to remove your primary IP address, just the aliases. If you are at all unsure about this, then I suggest you have a sysadmin help you out. If you blow out your primary IP, your server will be unreachable. You will then have to get ThePlanet to fix up your box.
The fact that this is easy to fix is not the point. The point is that dedicated server providers should deliver products that work. Key functions within Ensim are broken due to the provisioning process that ThePlanet employs. Essentially, ThePlanet is handing you a broken server to begin with and then relying on you to fix their mistake.
Though a small technical problem, the impact that this has on end users can be significant. To me, this represents a lack of proper testing or understanding of the product the company is selling, a symptom that plagues many dedicated server providers. I wonder how many trouble tickets this mistake generates.
