FreeBSD VPS v3 Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why can't I login to my VPS v3 account as the root user?
2. Where do subhosted sites reside on VPS v3?
3. What is the difference between the admin, root, and standard users?
4. Is Java installed on my VPS v3?
5. Is Tomcat available for my VPS v3?
6. How do I install custom applications or use the FreeBSD Ports Collection?
7. What are some of the differences between VPS v3, VPS v2, VPS v1, and dedicated FreeBSD Unix?
8. Can a VPS v3 have more than one IP address?
9. Does the VPS v3 support multiple SSL certificates?
10. What do the commands shutdown -r and reboot do on my VPS v3?

1. Why can't I login to my VPS v3 account as the root user?

   For security purposes, direct root logins using the username root and the root password are not permitted in any VPS v3 service. Many administrative tasks can be accomplished by logging into the VPS v3 account as the administrative user. See the Connection Guide and SSH Keys for more information on the different protocols as well as the appropriate user to connect with.

2. Where do subhosted sites reside on VPS v3?

   
   The default location for subhosted Web content in VPS v3 is in the content owner's www directory. For example, for a domain administrator user bob, content for domain.com would reside in the /home/bob/www/domain.com directory (where /home/bob is the home directory of the bob user). This is the easiest way to manage subhosts in a multi-user environment. Other methods such as a common vhosts directory (as used for VPS v1 accounts) can also be used, but this can cause complications with ownership and file permissions. For more information, see Virtual Subhosting.

3. What is the difference between the admin, root, and standard users?

   
   The main difference between the different classes of users is based on permissions offered to the user. A normal user can only affect the files he owns, whereas the admin user can affect some system files. The admin user is created at the time you provision your account. The root user has the ability to control anything, including files owned by other users. Because of the power of the root user, this user does not have FTP or email access and can only access the account through SSH, either directly using an SSH key generated for the root user or indirectly by connecting through shell as the admin user and then using the su command to become the root user. For more information on the abilities of different users, see VPS v2/v3 Users.

4. Is Java installed on my VPS v3?

   
   The Java Developer's Kit 1.5.x and Java Runtime Engine 1.5.x are available for VPS v3 3000 plans through vinstall_jdk and vinstall_jre, respectively. The vinstall gives instructions for downloading the Java code and the directory in which to place the code.

5. Is Tomcat available for my VPS v3?

   
   
   Yes. Tomcat is available through vinstall tomcat and requires the Java Developer's Kit or Java Runtime Engine be installed already. Tomcat provides a web framework for Java and will allow you to process and serve JSP pages.

6. How do I install custom applications or use the FreeBSD Ports Collection?

   
   The VPS v3 environment enables you to install and run most FreeBSD compatible software exactly as it would be done for a dedicated FreeBSD server. This includes the ability to install software from the FreeBSD Ports Collection, which is available in the /ports directory on your account. See The FreeBSD Ports Collection for details about what is available and how to use the Ports Collection.
   
   Many common programs that require additional configuration or special installation steps are available using the vinstall utility.
   
   See the Advanced VPS v2/v3 Administration section for more information about considerations and information you should be aware of before attempting to install custom programs on your VPS v3.

7. What are some of the differences between VPS v3, VPS v2, VPS v1, and dedicated FreeBSD Unix?

   
   VPS v3 provides an update to the popular VPS v2 product. VPS v3 updates the operating system from FreeBSD 4.7 to FreeBSD 6.0 and updates the file system from UFS1 to UFS2. Because of these updates, VPS v3 supports the latest Java Developer's Kit, Java Runtime Engine, and Tomcat Web framework. VPS v3 also provides updates to services such as Apache 2.x, MySQL 5.x, and PHP 5.x.
   
   VPS v2 and VPS v3 are designed with the goal to emulate the behavior of a dedicated FreeBSD server in a shared environment. Because of this, VPS v2/v3 accounts appear and feel much more like a dedicated FreeBSD server than the legacy VPS v1 accounts. One of the notable differences of VPS v2/v3 is that, because of the shared environment, the VPS v2/v3 root user does not have the ability to modify kernel or hardware related systems. However, the core services and all applications are within the area controlled by the VPS v2/v3 root user. It is significant to note that any of the system files not specifically changed by the VPS v2/v3 administrator will continue to be maintained and updated by our staff. For more details, see the Advanced VPS v2/v3 Administration section of our Web site.
   
   The multi-user environment of the VPS v2/v3 makes application management slightly different than for VPS v1. The VPS v2/v3 admin user has most of the capabilities of the primary user on VPS v1. New software, however, must be installed by the root user, which has total control over the VPS v2/v3 (and can also be used for management). Because the shell is within the virtual environment, the use of the VPS v1 virtual command is not needed with VPS v2/v3. The configuration of the VPS v2/v3 supports the granting of shell access to sub-users, allow them to install some of their own programs, and increases the security of your account.

8. Can a VPS v3 have more than one IP address?

   
   No. At this time, VPS v3 accounts come with a single static IP address and are not able to support additional addresses.

9. Does the VPS v3 support multiple SSL certificates?

   
   At this time, because VPS v3 has one IP address, you can only associate one SSL certificate with the standard SSL port (443) for the Web server. You can, however, configure your Web server to use the Apache Listen directive to monitor other ports for SSL requests, and associate other certificates with these different ports. Doing this requires you to indicate the port number in the URL. If you choose to provide multiple certificates on your VPS v3, please be aware that this configuration is not supported by our Technical Support representatives.

10. What do the commands shutdown -r and reboot do on my VPS v3?

    
    The shutdown and reboot commands behave at a virtual level closely to the way they would for a dedicated Unix server. Because you do not have access to manually start the system, you can not completely halt your VPS v3 (the -h option for the shutdown command is disabled), but you can restart all the services on your account.
    
    The shutdown command attempts to cleanly halt and restart services on your VPS v3, including execution of the commands in /etc/rc.shutdown. The shutdown procedure then kills any processes that do not exit cleanly, and restarts the init process (init reads the rc files and starts up system services).
    
    The reboot command differs from shutdown because it does not attempt a clean shutdown of your system. Instead, reboot simply kills all running processes and then runs init (which will run the rc scripts).