Networking

Networking Configuration for MediaWiki 1.40

This article details the essential networking configuration aspects for a MediaWiki 1.40 installation. Proper network setup is crucial for performance, security, and accessibility of your wiki. This guide assumes a basic understanding of networking concepts like IP addresses, DNS, and firewalls.

Overview

A well-configured network allows MediaWiki to efficiently serve pages to users, communicate with databases, and potentially interact with external services like search engines or OAuth providers. Key areas to consider include the web server's network interface, DNS resolution, firewall rules, and potential load balancing configurations. Misconfiguration in any of these areas can lead to accessibility issues, slow performance, or security vulnerabilities. Refer to Special:MyPreferences for user-specific settings that may impact network performance.

Web Server Network Interface

The web server (typically Apache or Nginx) needs a properly configured network interface. This interface is how the server connects to the network and receives requests from users.

Setting	Value
IP Address	Static IP address assigned (e.g., 192.168.1.10)
Subnet Mask	Defines the network size (e.g., 255.255.255.0)
Gateway	The router's IP address for external communication (e.g., 192.168.1.1)
DNS Servers	Addresses of DNS servers for name resolution (e.g., 8.8.8.8, 8.8.4.4)

These settings are usually configured through the operating system’s network configuration tools. For Linux systems, this often involves editing files like `/etc/network/interfaces` (Debian/Ubuntu) or `/etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth0` (CentOS/RHEL). Ensure the server has a static IP address to avoid issues if the IP address changes. See Manual:Configuration for more details.

DNS Configuration

Correct DNS configuration is vital for users to access your wiki using a domain name. You need to create an A record in your DNS zone file that points your domain name (e.g., `www.example.com`) to the static IP address of your web server. Consider using a Content Delivery Network (CDN) such as Help:CDN for improved performance.

DNS Record Type	Name	Value
A	www.example.com	192.168.1.10
MX	example.com	mail.example.com (if handling email)
CNAME	wiki	www.example.com (optional, for a shorter URL)

DNS propagation can take up to 48 hours. You can verify DNS resolution using tools like `nslookup` or `dig`. See Special:Search for more information on wiki search functionality that relies on correct DNS.

Firewall Configuration

A firewall is essential for securing your MediaWiki installation. You need to allow inbound traffic on ports 80 (HTTP) and 443 (HTTPS) to your web server. If you are using SSH to administer the server, you should also allow inbound traffic on port 22 (or a custom SSH port). Restrict access to these ports to only trusted IP addresses or networks whenever possible. See Manual:Firewall for more advanced configuration options.

Port	Protocol	Action	Source
80	TCP	ALLOW	Any
443	TCP	ALLOW	Any
22	TCP	ALLOW	Trusted IP(s)
3306	TCP	ALLOW	Server IP (for database access)

Common firewall tools include `iptables` (Linux), `firewalld` (Linux), and Windows Firewall. Be sure to configure your firewall *before* making your wiki publicly accessible. Proper firewall configuration is critical for Special:Security and data protection.

Load Balancing (Optional)

For high-traffic wikis, consider using a load balancer to distribute traffic across multiple web servers. This improves performance and reliability. Load balancers can be hardware appliances or software solutions like HAProxy or Nginx.

Load balancing requires careful configuration of DNS and web server settings. The DNS record should point to the load balancer's IP address, and the load balancer should be configured to forward traffic to the backend web servers. See Help:Scalability for more details. Consider setting up a Special:Statistics page to monitor server load. Consult your hosting provider for assistance with load balancing if needed.

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