Admin: Automated server configuration article

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Automated server configuration article

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# Hetzner Online Server Configuration – A Beginner's Guide

This article details configuring a MediaWiki instance on a server provided by Hetzner Online, a popular German hosting provider. It's aimed at newcomers to both Hetzner and MediaWiki administration. We will cover server selection, initial setup, and basic software installation, focusing on a Debian-based environment, which is commonly used.

== Server Selection and Initial Access

Hetzner offers a variety of server options, ranging from virtual private servers (VPS) to dedicated hardware. For most MediaWiki installations, a VPS is sufficient. When selecting a VPS, consider the following:

* **CPU Cores:** At least 2 cores are recommended for moderate traffic.
* **RAM:** 4GB is a good starting point, but 8GB or more is preferable for larger wikis or higher traffic.
* **Storage:** SSD storage is crucial for performance. 80GB is a reasonable minimum, increasing with wiki size.
* **Network Bandwidth:** Ensure sufficient bandwidth to handle anticipated traffic.

After ordering your server, Hetzner will provide you with access details via email:

* **IP Address:** The public IP address of your server.
* **Root Password:** Use this to log in directly via SSH.
* **Console Access:** Access the server via a web-based console.

Use an SSH client (like PuTTY on Windows or the built-in `ssh` command on macOS/Linux) to connect to your server:

```bash
ssh root@your_server_ip
```

== Initial Server Setup (Debian)

Once logged in, update the package lists and upgrade existing packages:

```bash
apt update
apt upgrade
```

It's highly recommended to create a new user with `sudo` privileges instead of working directly as `root`.

```bash
adduser your_username
usermod -aG sudo your_username
```

Switch to the new user:

```bash
su - your_username
```

Configure a firewall. `ufw` (Uncomplicated Firewall) is a simple and effective option:

```bash
apt install ufw
ufw allow ssh
ufw enable
ufw status
```

== Software Installation: LAMP Stack

MediaWiki requires a web server, a database, and PHP. We will install a LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL/MariaDB, PHP) stack.

=== Apache Web Server

```bash
apt install apache2
systemctl start apache2
systemctl enable apache2
```

Verify that Apache is running by opening your server's IP address in a web browser. You should see the default Apache welcome page.

=== MariaDB Database Server

```bash
apt install mariadb-server mariadb-client
systemctl start mariadb
systemctl enable mariadb
```

Secure your MariaDB installation:

```bash
mysql_secure_installation
```

Follow the prompts to set a root password, remove anonymous users, disallow remote root login, and remove the test database.

=== PHP and Required Extensions

```bash
apt install php libapache2-mod-php php-mysql php-gd php-curl php-mbstring php-xml php-zip
```

Restart Apache to load the new PHP modules:

```bash
systemctl restart apache2
```

== MediaWiki Installation

Download the latest version of MediaWiki from the official website: [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Download](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Download). Use `wget` to download it directly to your server. For example:

```bash
wget https://releases.wikimedia.org/mediawiki/1.40/mediawiki-1.40.0.tar.gz
tar -xzvf mediawiki-1.40.0.tar.gz
mv mediawiki-1.40.0 /var/www/html/mediawiki
chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/mediawiki
```

Create an Apache virtual host configuration for your wiki. Create a new file in `/etc/apache2/sites-available/`:

```bash
sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/mediawiki.conf
```

Paste the following configuration (replace `your_domain.com` with your actual domain name or IP address):

```apache
<VirtualHost *:80>
ServerName your_domain.com
DocumentRoot /var/www/html/mediawiki

<Directory /var/www/html/mediawiki>
Options FollowSymLinks
AllowOverride All
Require all granted
</Directory>

ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/mediawiki_error.log
CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/mediawiki_access.log combined
</VirtualHost>
```

Enable the virtual host and restart Apache:

```bash
sudo a2ensite mediawiki.conf
sudo systemctl restart apache2
```

== Database Configuration for MediaWiki

Navigate to your wiki's URL in a web browser. The MediaWiki installer will guide you through the configuration process. You will need the following information:

* **Database Type:** MySQL/MariaDB
* **Database Name:** Create a new database in MariaDB for MediaWiki.
* **Database Username:** Create a new database user with appropriate permissions.
* **Database Password:** Set a strong password for the database user.
* **Admin Username:** Choose a username for the MediaWiki administrator account.
* **Admin Password:** Set a strong password for the administrator account.

=== Server Specifications Summary

Here's a table summarizing recommended server specifications:

{| class="wikitable"
! Specification
! Minimum
! Recommended
! High Traffic
|-
| CPU Cores
| 2
| 4+
| 8+
|-
| RAM
| 4GB
| 8GB
| 16GB+
|-
| Storage (SSD)
| 80GB
| 160GB+
| 320GB+
|-
| Bandwidth
| 100 Mbps
| 500 Mbps
| 1 Gbps+
|}

=== PHP Version Support

{| class="wikitable"
! PHP Version
! Supported
|-
| 7.4
| Yes
|-
| 8.0
| Yes
|-
| 8.1
| Yes
|-
| 8.2
| Yes
|}

=== Common PHP Extensions

{| class="wikitable"
! Extension
! Description
|-
| php-mysql
| MySQL database connectivity
|-
| php-gd
| Image manipulation
|-
| php-curl
| Making HTTP requests
|-
| php-mbstring
| Multibyte string support
|-
| php-xml
| XML processing
|-
| php-zip
| Zip archive support
|}

== Further Configuration

After installation, explore the MediaWiki configuration options in `LocalSettings.php` to customize your wiki. Consider installing extensions to add functionality. Regularly back up your wiki's database and files. See [[Help:Configuration]], [[Help:Extensions]], and [[Help:Backups]] for more information. Also review [[Server Maintenance]] for ongoing upkeep. Remember to consult the official MediaWiki documentation at [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:Configuration](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:Configuration) for detailed instructions. For assistance with [[Troubleshooting]], refer to the dedicated help page.

[[Category:Server Hardware]]

== Intel-Based Server Configurations ==
{| class="wikitable"
! Configuration
! Specifications
! Benchmark
|-
| [[Core i7-6700K/7700 Server]]
| 64 GB DDR4, NVMe SSD 2 x 512 GB
| CPU Benchmark: 8046
|-
| [[Core i7-8700 Server]]
| 64 GB DDR4, NVMe SSD 2x1 TB
| CPU Benchmark: 13124
|-
| [[Core i9-9900K Server]]
| 128 GB DDR4, NVMe SSD 2 x 1 TB
| CPU Benchmark: 49969
|-
| [[Core i9-13900 Server (64GB)]]
| 64 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe SSD
|
|-
| [[Core i9-13900 Server (128GB)]]
| 128 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe SSD
|
|-
| [[Core i5-13500 Server (64GB)]]
| 64 GB RAM, 2x500 GB NVMe SSD
|
|-
| [[Core i5-13500 Server (128GB)]]
| 128 GB RAM, 2x500 GB NVMe SSD
|
|-
| [[Core i5-13500 Workstation]]
| 64 GB DDR5 RAM, 2 NVMe SSD, NVIDIA RTX 4000
|
|}

== AMD-Based Server Configurations ==
{| class="wikitable"
! Configuration
! Specifications
! Benchmark
|-
| [[Ryzen 5 3600 Server]]
| 64 GB RAM, 2x480 GB NVMe
| CPU Benchmark: 17849
|-
| [[Ryzen 7 7700 Server]]
| 64 GB DDR5 RAM, 2x1 TB NVMe
| CPU Benchmark: 35224
|-
| [[Ryzen 9 5950X Server]]
| 128 GB RAM, 2x4 TB NVMe
| CPU Benchmark: 46045
|-
| [[Ryzen 9 7950X Server]]
| 128 GB DDR5 ECC, 2x2 TB NVMe
| CPU Benchmark: 63561
|-
| [[EPYC 7502P Server (128GB/1TB)]]
| 128 GB RAM, 1 TB NVMe
| CPU Benchmark: 48021
|-
| [[EPYC 7502P Server (128GB/2TB)]]
| 128 GB RAM, 2 TB NVMe
| CPU Benchmark: 48021
|-
| [[EPYC 7502P Server (128GB/4TB)]]
| 128 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe
| CPU Benchmark: 48021
|-
| [[EPYC 7502P Server (256GB/1TB)]]
| 256 GB RAM, 1 TB NVMe
| CPU Benchmark: 48021
|-
| [[EPYC 7502P Server (256GB/4TB)]]
| 256 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe
| CPU Benchmark: 48021
|-
| [[EPYC 9454P Server]]
| 256 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe
|
|}

== Order Your Dedicated Server ==
[https://powervps.net/?from=32 Configure and order] your ideal server configuration

=== Need Assistance? ===
* Telegram: [https://t.me/powervps @powervps Servers at a discounted price]

⚠️ *Note: All benchmark scores are approximate and may vary based on configuration. Server availability subject to stock.* ⚠️

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Admin: Automated server configuration article