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Zabbix Understanding and HDD Management

Zabbix Understanding and HDD Management It’s been a while since I last posted here, but I can assure you that I haven’t been wasting my time.

I’ve launched a new mini server in my local network, running on a Raspberry Pi. The system is Raspberry Pi OS Lite.

I’ve spent some time working with Zabbix. While my understanding has improved, I’m still a long way from being fully proficient.

Here’s what I’ve done with Zabbix:

1. Connected a second host to the server: a Raspberry Pi running Raspbian Lite in my local network.
2. Created and implemented a template. I also used a pre-made template downloaded from GitHub.
3. Configured apache-agent.conf with a command that checks the auth.log for open SSH connections.
4. Connected an raspberry pi machine to Zabbix to monitor basic statistics.

Zabbix has been installed

Installation was piece of cake - from now Zabbix is available under Zabbix but program itself is quite complicated. I prepared simple dashboard with CPU/RAM and HDD monitoring. I'm trying now to understand how to prepare my own items and triggers.

Today's Achievements

DKIM and DMARC now functioning properly

We have successfully configured DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) and DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance), ensuring that our outgoing emails are highly secure. Here’s a quick reminder of what these protocols do:

DKIM: Our server now signs outgoing emails with a private key stored on the SMTP server. The receiving mail server retrieves the public key from our domain’s DNS records to verify the authenticity of the message. If the verification fails, the email is either marked as spam or rejected, protecting us against email spoofing.

DMARC: This protocol dictates what happens to emails that fail DKIM or SPF (Sender Policy Framework) validation. In our case, such emails will be moved to the SPAM folder, and an alert will be sent to the admin mailbox.

Ubuntu Pro has been enabled, enhancing security, extending support for certain applications, and improving cloud integration. The current status of the services is as follows:

anbox-cloud yes disabled Scalable Android in the cloud
esm-apps yes enabled Expanded Security Maintenance for Applications
esm-infra yes enabled Expanded Security Maintenance for Infrastructure
landscape yes disabled Management and administration tool for Ubuntu
livepatch yes enabled Canonical Livepatch service
realtime-kernel* yes disabled Ubuntu kernel with PREEMPT_RT patches integrated

I’ll be reviewing these services further and customizing them as needed.

Automated Process Monitoring Script Implemented: A new script is now running hourly to check the status of critical processes on the server. If any of these processes go down, the script triggers an alert. Currently, notifications are sent via email, but in the future, I plan to implement SMS alerts for quicker response.

A breath of freshness

System Update: The server has been upgraded to the latest Ubuntu 24.04 LTS ("Noble Numbat") During this process, several package dependency issues were encountered. Notably, the FTP server package was unintentionally removed. After addressing these challenges, the system is now operating as expected.

VNC Server Migration: The VNC server has been transitioned from x11vnc to TigerVNC, accompanied by a shift to the GNOME desktop environment.

Enhanced Mail Services: The mail system has been enhanced with the integration of the Roundcube web client, accessible at webmail Users can log in using their system credentials. The mail infrastructure comprises:

Postfix: A straightforward Mail Transfer Agent (MTA) responsible for handling incoming and outgoing email traffic.
Dovecot: An IMAP and POP3 server that manages message retrieval for Roundcube.

Today's Accomplishments

Today, I learned how to manage subdomains on an Apache server.

Additionally, I installed and tested the following software:

- smartmontools – A tool for monitoring hard drive health. I configured it to send daily (quick) and weekly (comprehensive) reports via email, providing HDD performance status updates.
- rsync – Installed and configured for automated backups. I wrote a script that performs daily backups of all public_html folders at 6:35 AM, ensuring data security.
- Postfix mail server – Successfully installed and configured for outgoing emails. Emails can now be sent using the following command:

echo "Test email from my server" | mail -s "Test Email"

Incoming mail configuration is still in progress.

php worldpress ssl

Since now server is handling correctly:

- PHP 8.3
- wordpress
- SSL

I learned today that there is multiple extensions for wordpress which you might need. Feel free to contact me to to install them.

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