Hi Barry
I have been playing around with a dedicated server with WebMin on it for a client. Probably not the same set up as at UK2 and in all probability a lot more user friendly than the system I was trying to work around.
First things:
Root user - this user can do everything. Be very wary when doing anything as this user.
One good thing about this user is that it can create other users with limited privileges so you can create a user with restricted privileges so that you do not 'break' the server on your first day.
WebMin - when I was looking around
Live Search I found a great WebMin manual that someone hosts on their site. It may be this one -
Welcome to Webmin - don't have the time to check just now so make a search for 'webmin +manual' and you will find there are a few sites offering help.
Webmin basically creates a virtual server for every domain you host. Within the hosting info, you tell it where to put the logs (error logs and combined logs is the minimum required). Look at the path to the www for the domain and add a /www/site level above the www for the public access area and also add a /www/logs directory to the www so that you can have ftp access to your logs. Else the logs are sitting down in the depths of the server and you will never find them. If you are using php, then you can also add a /www/php for any php scripts which you want to keep out of the public area.
Somewhere there is the php.ini file and you will need to use ssh to add the /www/php to the path statement
The above covers enough for you to get a site working.
One other thing that you need to do is find the logrotate.d directory. In this directory you will find the instructions for rotating your logs files (and deleting them after 'so-many' rotations) to give you manageable logs and to prevent the server from being taken over by logs.
Have a read of logrotate in the online apache manual, look at the other files in the logrotate.d directory to give you an idea of the syntax.
ssh - this is how you turn your computer into a terminal from which you operate your server.
I use the command line - the same place you send pings etc. You can also use Putty, which I have never tried.
The login command is: ssh user@server-url [enter]
You will be asked for the password, which will not display as you type.
If you have the correct user, server domain name and password, you will be logged in. What you see varies depending on how the server is set up but you will most probably see a $ or > on the left and you can type of the right of that/those symbols.
Two commands to start you off:
ls - lists the contents of the current directory
cd - changes the current directory.
For now, if you manage to login, do the - ls - command. If that works, then it is time to start exploring your system. Type a - cd / - this changes you from the currect directory to the root directory of the server (you may have been there alread). Do another - ls - command to see what you next see.
As long as you are only doing ls and cd commands, you can't break anything, so feel safe and explore. What you are looking for is directories called usr, local, home, etc, var, sendmail, bin, lib and a file called httpd.conf - this is a very important file as it controls the http hosting area on the server. When you get used to your server, you will be using this file all the time, editing and tweaking it to get your sites working they way you want them to. This is the file where you can do all the .htaccess things and a whole lot more.
But it is far too early to let you start editing any of the configuration files.
When you have finished with playing with ssh, just type - logout - which will disconnect the ssh session from the server.
I assume you have a managed dedicated server? If so, support should be able to hold your hand for a lot of the actions and help you find many files. My host has a document section which tells me where to find a file and what line needs editing to get the server to behave in this way or that way, etc. I have never yet had to pay support to do anything for me. But I think that if I were installing some new software I would be a lot happier paying the money they ask for than trying to find the correct page in the various manuals so that I did not break the server.
Once you get into it, it really is a lot easier than you think. Most hosts have a user forum and there you will find many 'old hands' to guide you through anything you need, no matter how dumb the question. Everything I have learned is through reading the forums (and a few manuals too - but only to learn the answer to the current question)
Good luck.