The Dreaded Server Move

It’s been an exciting June at CatalystX, after we removed some legacy servers and consolidated to a much newer platform. Our latest acquisition boasts some pretty impressive speed, RHEL/Centos 6, the latest-and-greatest Apache & PHP and a brand new, blazing fast mail server to boot.

While it allows us to pass a lot more functionality onto our customers, moving off of our legacy platforms proved to be quite a challenge. But now, all’s good, backups are secured and we’re rolling with it!

New Site

Earlier tonight, we rolled out a brand-spanking-new website for Knoxville’s premier ICF contractor, Parks ICF. The company’s owner and staff were dismayed at the aging site, the difficulty they had in maintaining it, and the impossibility of updating, no thanks to a Flash-based header and navigation.

We took the wheel, and converted their static HTML site into a full-fledged Content Management System using WordPress, did quite a lot of redesign to get everything going the way they wanted, installed a few choice plugins and developed some cool template features, and finally converted the unwieldy Flash-based header & navigation into a nice, neat package built with JavaScript and CSS.

The result? They’ve gained SEO, Facebook & Twitter integration, an easy way to do Press Releases, a simple editor that anyone in the company use and TONS OF SPEED — users no longer have to download a 1 Meg flash file on each page load!

The Kitchen Sink

It’s been a while since we’ve posted anything here, thanks in no small part to our continuing attempts to stay busy and find new business through these trying times. We’d like to remind our existing customers that we’re still alive and kicking, so if you know of anyone we could help, please pass them our way!

For those who need fairly constant support, don’t forget about our one-year-term Monthly Service contracts, which can offer a pretty significant savings when you’re stuck paying standard, hourly rates — as low as $60 an hour for Corporate-class consulting!

And, as a reminder, for those looking for a new Website without dropping a huge down payment, we are offering the small down payment, with one year of monthly fees, with hosting included to help you cut some costs.

Don’t forget our new array of — and pricing for — Web Hosting, Webmaster and SEO services.

In the meantime, if there’s anything we can do, just let us know!

In an effort to try and clear up any confusion, there have been a few changes to simplify things for everyone, and even offer up some lower-cost options.

• Systems Administration & Consulting
  Onsite Services, and Service & Consultings Contracts. It’s plain and simple — you pay a monthly fee, you get access to us for the number of hours you choose per month.
• Design & Development Services
  You can pay for a Website Design, or you can pay Monthly with Hosting included. We can also take your existing website, and transform into something you can easily edit yourself.
• Hosting & Web Services
  You have three options of hosting:
  1. Bring-Your-Own Website for Basic Hosting
  2. Fully Managed Hosting for do-nothing-on-your-end Service
  3. Private Server Hosting where you can have full reign of your own server

  After hosting, there’s Webmaster Services where we can manage your Web Content for you, and SEO Services to help you get some Rank and Social Attention. Of course, we offer a bundle of all three — hosting, Webmaster & SEO to help on costs.

We’re ready when you are!

If you’re looking to get creative with your company’s Website and don’t know where to start, CatalystX can provide you with a brand new Web Design or a complete Content Management Solution that’s easy to learn and use for 50% off of our normal prices! To take advantage of this offer, enter the coupon code WEBDEV2012 at checkout.

For those looking for Onsite Service (only available in the greater Knoxville area), Remote Administration Services or Webmaster Services (both available most anywhere in the world!), you can save 25% on our already discounted Contract rates by entering the coupon code SERVICE2012 at checkout. If you sign up soon, you’ll get the 25% off Rate for an entire year.

Note: These are limited time offers! The sooner you sign up, the sooner you can save!

To celebrate Cyber Monday, our 50% off Black Friday Deal has been extended — until December 15th!

Our fully-featured, content-managed Web Design package valued at $2500, you get it $1250. Integration of your existing site into WordPress, valued at $1000, you get it for $500. Taking care of your existing website for an hour a month, valued at $100 per month now only costs you $50 per month for an entire year! You want us to remotely manage your hosted Linux server for five hours a month, what usually costs you $300 is now only $150 per month for an entire year!

Browse our Web & Design Services and our Remote Administration Services, choose a package you like and enter BFSVC2010 when you check out, and your 50% discount will be automatically applied! This offer is only good for signups until 11:59PM US/Eastern on December 15th, 2010!

Want an Incredible Deal on Web Design, Content Management Integration, Webmaster or Remote Systems Management Services? Check out our Black Friday deal for a 50% — Yes, Fifty Percent! — discount! If you sign up for our one of our Monthly Webmaster Services deals on Black Friday, you’ll get 50% every month for an entire year!

Our fully-featured, content-managed Web Design package valued at $2500, you get it $1250. Integration of your existing site into WordPress, valued at $1000, you get it for $500. Taking care of your existing website for an hour a month, valued at $100 per month now only costs you $50 per month for an entire year! You want us to remotely manage your hosted Linux server for five hours a month, what usually costs you $300 is now only $150 per month for an entire year!

Browse our Web & Design Services and our Remote Administration Services, choose a package you like and enter BFSVC2010 when you check out, and your discount will be automatically applied! This offer is only good for signups on Friday, 26-November-2010, from Midnight until 11:59PM!

     Ten years ago today, the final touches of this company’s business plan were finished and pushed out into the open from a small cubicle at an office of a long-since-dead company.  The primary focus at that time was providing Webmaster and Server Administration skills for fledgling hosting companies.
     Over the next few years, as we began to provide our own hosting and design services, rapid growth allowed us to quit our day jobs.

     Over the last few years, many companies have come and gone, thanks in no small part to the economic instability which has left many people uncertain about the future.  Many companies have become transient, moving to different areas in order to reduce labor costs or take advantage of different niche markets.

     It’s that very thought makes us reflect that we are proud to be an East Tennessee company.  
     But we’re also fortunate that the majority of our services, from Administration Services to Telephone Systems to Web Design and Hosting, can be provided remotely to nearly anywhere in the world.  As a testament, some two-thirds of our business comes from the Western US and Europe.
     But East Tennessee is where most of us grew up.  It’s where we know people, and know them well.  It’s where we’ve made clients who’ve lasted for years and years.  We’re not going anywhere, and we’re still dedicated to providing the best possible service you can get.

     To our clients, old and new, we thank you for helping us go ten years strong, and look forward to a prosperous eleventh year.

     Happy New Year, 2010.

In accordance with new Federal Regulations and increased registrar pricing, all .com, .org, .biz and .info have increased, effective October 19th, 2009.

Still, CatalystX continues to beat our competitor’s prices, offering them at only $10 per year.  All .net and .us prices have remained the same at only $8.75 per year.  As an added benefit to our customers both old and new, we now provide .info and .biz domain names as part of our repertoire.

     Router Firmware should always be updated to the latest version if, for nothing else, than to ensure that the security of your network — even if nothing is connected that you’re worried about. Unfortunately, security breaches these days are a nuisance to the Internet as a whole as too many Internet-connected systems are becoming Keyloggers and Spam Zombies which can be used in concerted efforts to lodge both hacks and Denials of Service to other systems.

     Many people have complained about not being able to get the Xbox 360 with Xbox Live to recognize the Open NAT on the latest Linksys firmware. Unfortunately, many “gurus” have asked that people downgrade their firmware on Linksys WRT-based routers, a move which is both a bad idea for security purposes, and leaves other non-WRT Linksys routers without a solution.

     The easy way to get Open NAT on the Linksys is a bit obscure, and perhaps mislabeled in the Linksys interface. Open up the Browser interface to your Linksys (http://192.168.1.1/ if you left it as default), and go to your Security section. On the Filter tab, check the box beside “Filter NAT Redirect” and “Save” at the bottom.

     Now, on your Xbox 360, configured with Automatic settings (and not set in a DMZ like many “experts” have recommended), you should now have Open NAT.

Note: On some Linksys routers, the location of these options may change, but a dilligent search through the Web interface should reveal the options.  This solution also works for routers loaded with the much-improved DD-WRT firmware.

     In Cpanel, performing an EasyApache update to Apache 2.x & PHP 5.x breaks PEAR more often than not.  Cpanel admins and users are left with only the very basic PEAR modules, and are unable to use the Module Installer front-end due to error messages indicating that every package one attempts to install is invalid.
     Attempting to install Net_URL, for instance, results in the following:

downloading Net_URL-1.0.15.tgz …
Starting to download Net_URL-1.0.15.tgz (6,303 bytes)
…..done: 6,303 bytes
Could not get contents of package “/root/tmp/pear/cache/Net_URL-1.0.15.tgz”. Invalid tgz file.
Download of “pear/Net_URL” succeeded, but it is not a valid package archive
Error: cannot download “pear/Net_URL”
Download failed
install failed

     The problem is caused by differences in the way PHP 5.2.x parses code, and can be fixed by manually patching the listContent function in PEAR’s Archive_Tar package.  Open /usr/local/lib/php/Archive/Tar.php and look at the offending Line 220:

//            if (!$this->_extractList('', $v_list_detail, "list", '', '')) {
            $x = $this->_extractList('', $v_list_detail, "list", '', '');
            if (!$x) {

     We commented it out, and added two more lines.  Now, from both the command-line & WHM interface, everything magically works.

Note: In some instances (depending on your OS, Cpanel version & build options — multiple servers show no uniformity), you’ll have to make the same change to /usr/lib/php/Archive/Tar.php.

/var/log/secure gets slammed with these errors every time anyone tries to connect to any service which requires authorization:

Deprecated pam_stack module called from service
     [servicename]
pam_env([servicename]:setcred):
     Unable to open env file: /etc/environment

The fix has been elusive, as Ensim continues to re-write the pam.d files, but running this script will take care of both issues posthaste.

Save this as /usr/local/sbin/fix_pam:

#!/bin/sh

# -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
#
# fix_pam ver 1.0a
#
# (c) Copyright 2007 Mark Steel / Catalyst IT. All rights reserved.
#
# This script may only be distributed unmodified.
#
# This script is intended to be used to fix the "depracated pam stack module"
# errors on servers and virtual hosts.
#
# NOTE: THIS SCRIPT IS NOT GPL
#
# -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

perl -i -p -e 's/required(.*)pam_stack.so service=system-auth/include\tsystem-auth/' /etc/pam.d/*
perl -i -p -e 's/pam_pwdb/pam_unix/' /etc/pam.d/*
perl -i -p -e 's/pam_env.so$/pam_env.so readenv=0/' /etc/pam.d/system-auth

perl -i -p -e 's/pam_env.so$/pam_env.so readenv=0/' /home/virtual/FILESYSTEMTEMPLATE/siteinfo/etc/pam.d/system-auth
VIRTUAL=`find /home/virtual/FILESYSTEMTEMPLATE -name pam.d`
for i in $VIRTUAL; do
perl -i -p -e 's/required(.*)pam_stack.so service=system-auth/include\tsystem-auth/' $i/*
perl -i -p -e 's/pam_pwdb/pam_unix/' $i/*
done

DOMAINS=`sitelookup -a site_root`
for i in $DOMAINS; do
perl -i -p -e 's/required(.*)pam_stack.so service=system-auth/include\tsystem-auth/' $i/etc/pam.d/*
perl -i -p -e 's/pam_pwdb/pam_unix/' $i/etc/pam.d/*
perl -i -p -e 's/pam_env.so$/pam_env.so readenv=0/' $i/etc/pam.d/system-auth
done

service saslauthd restart

Run once, and you’re golden.