Which server control panel should I use?

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RobertGonzalez
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Which server control panel should I use?

Post by RobertGonzalez »

Okay, so I am a few moments away from getting my (hopefully) last dedicated server for a while. Since I am absolutely in love with MySQL5 I need to have that on the server, and I found two hosts that offer dedicated servers with PHP5 and MySQL5 (one is a CentOS system, the other is Fedora Core 5) that are less than $100 per month. I am very familiar with FC5, but I am still not that versed in CLI to be able to add users, websites and FTP accounts so my clients can actually upload their sites and have their sites resolve correctly.

My Dilemma
Seeing as I need MySQL5, and the two most common control panels (cPanel and Plesk) do NOT support MySQL5, I need a control panel that I can use that will not choke on a MySQL 5 installation. So far I have looked at Webmin (which I have used a little bit) and ISPConfig (which I have never used). My question to you all is...

What are your experiences with less-than-mainstream server control panels? Does anyone use one that works with MySQL5 other than the ones I have listed? Does anyone have any feedback on the two control panels that I have listed above?

As always, any help is much appreciated.
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Kieran Huggins
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Post by Kieran Huggins »

In the open source corner we have:
ispconfig: http://www.ispconfig.org/
vhcs: http://www.vhcs.net/new/
Zpanel: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zpanel (their website is down?) (demo: http://zpanel.meisam.net)

Commercially, there's:

http://www.cubepanel.com/ (free version available for < 30 users)

I have no experience installing or using any of the above :-(

I hate Plesk - cPanel/whm is OK, haven't used webmin since the 90's.
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RobertGonzalez
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Post by RobertGonzalez »

Thanks Kieran. I am looking at cubepanel at the moment as it appears to be the only one that specifically mentions support for Fedora Core 5.
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evilmonkey
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Post by evilmonkey »

AFAIK, cpanel works with MySQL 5. My WHM has an option to install it.
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RobertGonzalez
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Post by RobertGonzalez »

I read up on updating MySQL to 5 within WHM. I have not heard very many successful stories about it.

I am starting with a fresh install, so I can pretty much get away with whatever I want at the moment. The one caveat to this is that I need to be able to get the server servable within the next few days so I can convert all my existing accounts on my other servers on to this new one.
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Kieran Huggins
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Post by Kieran Huggins »

if your other accounts are cPanel accounts you can make life easier by installing cpanel on the new server and doing a "cPanel Transfer"
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RobertGonzalez
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Post by RobertGonzalez »

Nope. None of them are cPanel accounts. They have all been GoDaddy accounts that use their proprietary Simple Control Panel.
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My First company. You can talk to the persons over
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SwellJoe
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Virtualmin supports MySQL 5

Post by SwellJoe »

Hey guys,

Virtualmin, in both the Open Source version found at: http://www.webmin.com/index8.html and the commercial version found here: http://www.virtualmin.com, support MySQL 5.

Webmin's MySQL management module also works great with MySQL 5, and if you haven't used it since the 90's, you're missing some great functionality (and the next year is going to see the biggest improvements in its history, due to heavy commercial involvement from a couple of companies).

To avoid any hint of impropriety, I'll point out that I'm the co-founder of Virtualmin, Inc. So, I have a vested interest in Virtualmin Professional. But I don't make any money on Virtualmin GPL, and I believe you'd be doing yourself a disservice if you don't at least consider it. It is, by far, the most advanced Open Source control panel available (though, admittedly, the documentation is sparse...that's changing very soon, however).
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RobertGonzalez
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Post by RobertGonzalez »

Thanks for the input. I just have already installed CP+ from PSoft (the makers of HSphere). I am very impressed with the ease of use of that app. But thanks for the input.
alex.barylski
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Post by alex.barylski »

Hey Everah, nice timing. I'm looking for a dedicated server...you mind sharing what companies you managed to find?

After some searching, I've really liked what I've heard from serverbeach.com but I'm always open to alternatives :P
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RobertGonzalez
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Post by RobertGonzalez »

I had narrowed it down to AMHosting and Cari.net. I ended up going with Cari.net because their support was a lot more accessible over the phone and their prices are very reasonable. Plus they react very quickly, having my server set up for me in a matter of minutes.
alex.barylski
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Post by alex.barylski »

Cari.net eh?

I stumbled onto them too actually, really like what I seen...thanks man :)
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seodevhead
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Post by seodevhead »

In my mind, without a doubt your best option would be a cPanel/WHM on a CentOS distro. I have one of my dedicated servers running this setup and love it. I hardly ever use WHM other than to set up my hosts. Plesk is some crap IMO. Can't speak about webmin... although it is my impression that it is inferior, no?
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RobertGonzalez
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Post by RobertGonzalez »

The more I use the panel I picked (CP+ from the folks and PSoft, the makers of HShere), the more I realize that their product is a re-skinned version of Webmin. Having used Webmin a bit at work, and now having used it considerably for dedicated server, I would say Webmin would easily go head to head with Plesk or CPanel. It can literally do anything those other guys do, and without the risk of compatibility issues with current server software (like Plesk has with MySQL 5 - still).
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