FoosterNET Hosting (Free during beta testing!)

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fman23
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FoosterNET Hosting (Free during beta testing!)

Post by fman23 »

Hello everyone! It's fman23 and I'm back with high quality hosting!

I will be choosing 5 servers to host for free to beta test my new open-source platform for server hosting, MCP (Master Control Program). Apply below with your server idea and I'll let let you know if you are accepted and DM you setup instructions. Please, please, please provide feedback on the interface and server hosting so I can make it ready for general use.

During or after the beta testing period, I'll host servers for $2 per month, but beta testers will get free for life. I plan on adding DDoS protection in the near future but it turns out that is a hard problem.

Scripting right now is in Python, but contact me at [email protected] if you need PHP or Bash or some other language. I plan on adding support for them before the beta testing period is over.

Features implemented:
* Full control via web interface
* Settings control with reloading functionality
* Scripting (Python at the moment but others implemented very soon!)
* Syntax highlighting
* Support for non-ascii characters

Features planned:
* SSH/SFTP access
* Resource hosting
* Multiple scripting languages
* Support for colours
* Guided editing of language files
* Client list in interface

Let me know if you need any of those features right away and I'll prioritize them and get them done sooner. None are particularly hard, but I have a day job which slows things down.
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Re: FoosterNET Hosting (Free during beta testing!)

Post by compguygene »

Where is the server located? I might be interested if it is a complementary location to the VPS I self host in NY.
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Re: FoosterNET Hosting (Free during beta testing!)

Post by fman23 »

They are located on Linode's infrastructure currently in Atlanta, but I can move it elsewhere for you.

I've also already implemented SFTP access and containerization of servers/scripts preventing them from being able to interact with other servers!
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Re: FoosterNET Hosting (Free during beta testing!)

Post by compguygene »

Just so you know, I did actually find affordable VPS hosting with anti-ddos protection. The locations that I found that were the best combination of performance/value were Dallas, Los Angeles, Los Vegas, possible New Jersery (I want to really test that before I say its any good) and the UK.
Once I have tested a few locations, if they do well, I will share links.

Linode in Atlanta would be complementary. I would like to host a Wild West Practice server that is open to any teams to use. People with the right access will be able to change to different modes to suit the team's needs. I do plan on bringing back Ww, but not as a clan, but as a team that is more open to people joining when they wish to.
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Re: FoosterNET Hosting (Free during beta testing!)

Post by fman23 »

Do you need scripting and if so, what language?
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Re: FoosterNET Hosting (Free during beta testing!)

Post by compguygene »

Nope, all I need is the normal server start script. Ideally I would like to be able to attach to a screen session that the server is running in, but I can live without it.
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Re: FoosterNET Hosting (Free during beta testing!)

Post by fman23 »

What source (e.g. sty+ct+ap) do you need? Also, check your PM for initial credentials if you haven't already.

A screen session has a few security implications, but I can look into it if you really value it.
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Re: FoosterNET Hosting (Free during beta testing!)

Post by compguygene »

I would prefer sty+ct+ap, for the flexibility. Don't worry about the screen. If there are security implications, I would rather not do it. I am just used to doing command line, etc. on my own servers. Thank you for the login credentials. I checked and I can login.
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Re: FoosterNET Hosting (Free during beta testing!)

Post by Lucifer »

What sorts of security implications does screen have? I mean, you still have to ssh in to the server to use screen...
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Re: FoosterNET Hosting (Free during beta testing!)

Post by compguygene »

Lucifer wrote:What sorts of security implications does screen have? I mean, you still have to ssh in to the server to use screen...
Good question! I was wondering that myself. Considering that one user cannot attach to another user's screen, I could see where this might be an issue if all users of the control panel are actually on the same user. I have shared VPS's with others in the past and kept each user on there own login to avoid those problem. Of course, I will never forget helping a former server admin get his servers to NOT run as root because that is just a terrible idea.
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Re: FoosterNET Hosting (Free during beta testing!)

Post by fman23 »

The daemon that manages the servers does not run as root (mostly; there's a root helper if you choose to go the container route) and does not use individual Unix users for privilege/server separation. This allows multiple users to manage the same server among other things. It does run the server binary and scripts in unprivileged containers with random UID ranges. I could potentially sandwich screen in there and do some magic to route SSH users to the proper screen session, but it would require a bit of rearchitecting. Not too much though since it already incorporates an SSH server with virtual users.

I think a screen session is a good idea so I'm going to implement that functionality in the near future. I envision it kinda like LISH for Linode.

I'm still rethinking the whole architecture so I might redo it a bit to use Unix privilege separation, but that would make running the server manager as root a hard requirement.

EDIT: What do you think of running SSH servers on random ports inside of the containers?
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Re: FoosterNET Hosting (Free during beta testing!)

Post by compguygene »

Thank you for explaining the basics of the architecture that you have chosen. Personally, I think that running ssh on non-standard ports is always more secure. I am glad to hear that you are going the container route. I understand a little about containers. But only a little. I haven't had a reason to learn yet.
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Re: FoosterNET Hosting (Free during beta testing!)

Post by fman23 »

Sorry for the delay, I was fiddling with sty+ct+ap but it just segfaults on newer operating systems. These are running on the latest Fedora for the newer systemd container support.

You should be good to go. I gave you sty+ct if that's ok. When you login you should have access to everything you need. Open a bug report at https://github.com/fkmclane/MCP/issues if you encounter a problem or ask here if you have any questions.

Thanks so much for testing this! I would say it is alpha quality (no pun intended) at the moment, but hopefully I can forward that to beta soon if no bugs come up.

EDIT: I forgot to forward the port out of the container so I'll need to fix that. Give me another day or so then I'll be ready.
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Re: FoosterNET Hosting (Free during beta testing!)

Post by compguygene »

Thanks for letting me know. Sty+ct is fine, I am just kinda spoiled with some of the bells and whistles that sty+ct+ap has. Since sty+ct+ap is not really being maintained, I do really expect it to suffer bitrot over time. I am glad to help with some alpha/beta testing. Just looking at your UI and knowing a little about how you have configured things, I am impressed, but I know there will be things to work out on the way.
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Re: FoosterNET Hosting (Free during beta testing!)

Post by fman23 »

Alright. You should be good to go now. I disabled individual container network interfaces for now, but I might revisit it in the near future. It just requires inside network configuration and these containers are about as minimal as it gets and do not contain utilities for network configuration.
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