More from the Coded Memes article library…
If you’ve had your server switched on for more than a day or two in a major colocation facility, it’s probably already been targeted by automated attacks via SSH. Changing the port number for SSH will eliminate the set of attacks which always look for the standard port 22.
Although in years gone by, Apple’s adaptive firewall implementation was widely derided for incorrect counting of failed SSH login attempts — which could result in legitimate users being banned far more quickly than expected — most or all of these problems are behind it now. It’s hard to think of a reason not to use it.
If you’ve already run through the earlier suggestions about OS X Server preliminaries — mainly including backup and recovery strategies — then it’s time to move on to some very basic configuration.
Several basic setup tasks on OS X Server — especially those related to maintaining backups — can be made easier via launchd, OS X’s replacement for cron.
In previous articles, I’ve described a basic backup strategy for running an OS X-based server; now it’s time to take a look at backing up important information to another server in a geographically distinct location.
Yes, you can run an entire server off a fast, high-capacity flash drive plugged into a USB 3.0 port. Set up one for regular backups from your main SSD or hard drive, and in a pinch you can remove it, plug it into a new server, and boot from it — putting your whole setup back in action literally within seconds.
Even before you fire up Server.app to get your Mac Mini server delivering websites and other services, it’s important to plan for backup and recovery of the machine itself, should anything go wrong. This is part 1 of an ongoing series on setting up your OS X Server as if your livelihood depended on it.
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