His article is entitled:  My favorite web server setup, Ubuntu Server, LAMP, Webmin, and Virtualmin

patrick — Wed, 07/13/2011 – 20:33

It contains step-by-step instructions for installing Ubuntu with the LAMP options plus Webmin and Virtualmin.

Patrick’s introductory paragraph explains, “Over the past few years I have experimented with different web server setups. I have found that the combination Ubuntu,  LAMP (Linux, Apache, Mysql, and PHP), Webmin, and finally Virtualmin provide many advantages in my day to day workflow as a web developer. This setup provides me with an easy to use and easy to maintain web server that lessens the time spent configuring the server and increases my time programming. Here are my step by step instructions for setting up my favorite server configuration.”

My commentary:  I found Patrick’s well written and well organized article because I was searching for a graphical interface for managing the configuration of Apache, PHP, MySQL, DNS services, and IMAP/SMTP email, on my Ubuntu server 12.04.02 O/S.  On my Ubuntu server, I have installed the open source ZPanel from the Zpanel script, which installation seems good so far for setting up domain users, hosting their domains, ftp, databases, and webmail.  However, it lacks the ability to access and manage the configuration files without me having to manually search for their paths on the server’s file system.  In this regard, the Zpanel documentation and forum support seems a bit scant.  And, I do not know whether ZPanel automatically installs various services to different directories than the default directories that would have been established if I had installed LAMP as selected options during the Ubuntu server installation.  Due to this concern of mine, I remain reluctant to install Webmin and Virtmin unless they actually search the file system or otherwise locate and identify the exact location of the relevant configuration files to be managed.