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Virtualmin is a rock solid control panel for your VPS, it’s simple as that. It’s sometimes not so simple to set it up correctly due to its many options.

I’ve tried my best to make a decent manual that explains how to set up a domain and email in a quick and dirty way. I’m not talking about security and stuff yet. It’s just about setting things up.

I am also assuming your freshly (re)built VPS has a root password set and that you are now ssh-ing into it. If not, do it now.

1. First thing you need to do is find the name of your network interface

   ifconfig

   It’s probably venet0 (that’s venetzero)

2. apt-get update

3. apt-get install wget nano curl ca-certificates -y

4. cd ~

5. wget http://software.virtualmin.com/gpl/scripts/install.sh

6. sudo /bin/sh install.sh

7. READ THE TEXT BEFORE PRESSING Y
8. Press Y and enter to continue. It will now do the thing. Patience, young one. Phase 1, 2 and 3 should all install without a hitch.  [ OK! ]
9. While you are waiting, go set up the DNS at your registrar.

   @ 1000 MX 10 mail.domainname.tld
   
   * 1000 A 0 VPS_IP_ADDRESS
   
   @ 1000 A 0 VPS_IP_ADDRESS
   
   ftp 1000 A 0 VPS_IP_ADDRESS
   
   localhost 1000 A 0 127.0.0.1
   
   mail 1000 A 0 VPS_IP_ADDRESS
   
   pop 1000 A 0 VPS_IP_ADDRESS
   
   www 1000 A 0 VPS_IP_ADDRESS

   Don’t worry about the SPF, domainkey, the acme-challenge and the dmarc yet.

10. If you get “Device “link” does not exist.”, type in the name of the network interface you found at step 1

All should be ready now and you should see a few success messages. If not, go fix.

Time for a little maintenance.

1. apt-get update

2. apt-get upgrade -y

3. apt-get dist-upgrade -y

4. apt-get autoremove

5. apt-get autoclean

6. RESTART THE VPS

To the control panel mobile!

https://HOSTNAME:10000

1. Log in with your root password
2. You will now have to go through the post-installation wizard, press Next
3. Set everything up to according to your wishes. For me, that’s:
   Preload Virtualmin libraries? yes
   Run email domain lookup server? yes
   next
   Run ClamAV server scanner? yes
   next
   Run SpamAssassin server filter? yes
   next
   Run MariaDB/MySQL database server? yes
   Run PostgreSQL database server? no
   next
   Set a MySQL password. Make it strong!
   MariaDB/MySQL configuration size: Medium system (512M)
   next
   Primary nameserver : YOUR_HOSTNAME and tick the checkbox “Skip check for resolvability”
   next
   Password storage mode: Only store hashed passwords
   next
   Virtualmin post-installation configuration is now complete!
   next

Are we done yet? D: No.

1. Click “Re-check and refresh configuration”If you get
   

   Virtualmin is configured to setup DNS zones, but this system is not setup to use itself as a DNS server. Either add 127.0.0.1 to the list of DNS servers, or turn off the BIND feature on the module config page.

   Click list of DNS servers and add 127.0.0.1 in the DNS Servers field and press Save. Next, click Apply Configuration. Then, click the Virtualmin on top, click System Settings and then Re-check Configuration.

2. No errors? Click Return To Virtual Servers List

Your Virtualmin installation is now ready to had domain names etc added.

Set up your first virtual server

1. Click Add New Virtual Server, Owned By: <new user>
2. Enter the following data:
   Domain name: YOUR_DOMAINNAME.TLD
   Description: Optional, but make a short desc.
   Administration Password: STRONG_PASSWORD!Under Enabled Features tick the options you would like to have. I basically tick everything except for “Setup IP-based virtual FTP” since I don’t need it.
3. Click Create Server
4. If all went well, click Return To Virtual Server Details where you can check things again

Time to install a SSL certificate for your domain

1. Is your domain available already under simple http://? If you have moved your domain and changed your DNS, ping your domain as well to see if everything is set correctly and has been propagated completely. Your frontpage of your domain should say “Apache2 Debian Default Page”
2. Time to make some DNS additions! Click Server Configuration and then click DNS Records.
3. Move the following data over to your DNS settings at your registrar:
   SPF, _acme-challenge.mail and _acme-challengeSo, here’s an example:For SPF:

   DOMAINNAME 1000 TXT 0 v=spf1 a mx a:DOMAINNAME.TLD ip4:IPADDRESS1 ip4:IPADDRESS2 ?all

   For the acme challenges:

   _acme-challenge.mail 1000 TXT 0 RANDOMSTRING_OFCHARACTERS
   
   _acme-challenge 1000 TXT 0 RANDOMSTRING_OFCHARACTERS

4. When everything is set up, go to the Virtualmin tab, click Server Configuration and then click SSL Certificate
5. Click Let’s Encrypt
6. Did you set up your DNS according to the pre-filled list you see in the field named “Domains associated with this server”? Then you’re good to go and click Request Certificate. If not, manually enter the domain and subdomains.At this point, the request either succeeds or fails. In the latter case, click SSL Certificate again, then Let’s Encrypt and correct the wrong entry.TIP: If you have errors and try to get a certificate too many times, you get an error about that as well. If you get the following message, go play outside for a little bit or proceed with setting up email as described in the next part.

   Error requesting challenges: Error creating new authz :: too many failed authorizations recently: see https://letsencrypt.org/docs/rate-limits/

7. dfdsfsf

Setting up e-mail

1. Click the Virtualmin tab, then Edit Users
2. Click + Add a user to this server
3. Enter a mailbox name, like “info”
4. Enter a password
5. Click the Create button

Now this has been set up, you can poke your DNS settings again! Woo!

1. Click the Virtualmin tab, then Email Settings, then DomainKeys Identified Mail
2. Click Install Now and wait
3. At the bottom of the page, it should read
   installation completed successfully
4. Click Return To DKIM Form
5. Set the DKIM up as follows:Signing of outgoing mail enabled? yes
   Selector for DKIM record name: 2018
   Reject incoming email with invalid DKIM signature? yes
   Size of new DKIM key: 2048Press Save when done
6. All should be well, so click Return To DKIM Form
7. Click Return To Virtual Servers List
8. Click the Virtualmin tab, then Server Configuration, then DNS Options
9. Set this form up as follows:SPF record enabled? yes
   Allowed sender hostnames: DOMAINNAME.TLD
   DMARC record enabled? yesPress Save when done
11. Click the Virtualmin tab, then Server Configuration, then DNS Records
12. Copy the _dmarc entry over to your DNS settings at your registrar
13. Click the Virtualmin tab, then Email Settings, then DomainKeys Identified Mail
14. Set “Signing of outgoing mail enabled?” to yes
15. Click the Save button
16. Click Return to DKIM form
17. Copy part of the content of the field “DNS records for additional domains” over to your DNSExample:
    2018._domainkey IN TXT ( “v=DKIM1; k=rsa; t=s; p=MIIBIjANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQEFAAOCAQ8AMIIBCgKCAQEAq8/I4PwduFS/q”
    “U4y6pDFNFYf868Z2p+BNw+QRMphZ6YnVt1MWeVtNIXnYvhUtf6jhAX2BZ5gl8R2ILyL9NCkFe8W5cAVR”
    “/cZkZl6OIc7fdTiLePYNCS3HcVcTiE0Szb3zwDRAZE2XyAqFvNQJuVe/H5tJxlOAu1vhqv3FuZM1viv9”
    “VfiPQ77oQ9eOmQMZH59+QL/Vw4fnUnui4QhqRaH+iLb1bQdcJqIu1y3M+bgSCmrSu7v40V1G+wmUY13J”
    “fg41SIvYbuEe+CGjwMjVW0KFC15x3m5ChwM3q68b5gBv0L+JeMG27+DDQ5CSUIZSAJU0XifyeAfTIfRe”
    “5L+Bec7hQIDAQAB” )This will end in a train wreck, so remove the first part, namely:2018._domainkey IN TXT ( …. )

    Now, clean up the rest in Notepad++:

    “v=DKIM1; k=rsa; t=s; p=MIIBIjANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQEFAAOCAQ8AMIIBCgKCAQEAq8/I4PwduFS/q” “U4y6pDFNFYf868Z2p+BNw+QRMphZ6YnVt1MWeVtNIXnYvhUtf6jhAX2BZ5gl8R2ILyL9NCkFe8W5cAVR” “/cZkZl6OIc7fdTiLePYNCS3HcVcTiE0Szb3zwDRAZE2XyAqFvNQJuVe/H5tJxlOAu1vhqv3FuZM1viv9” “VfiPQ77oQ9eOmQMZH59+QL/Vw4fnUnui4QhqRaH+iLb1bQdcJqIu1y3M+bgSCmrSu7v40V1G+wmUY13J” “fg41SIvYbuEe+CGjwMjVW0KFC15x3m5ChwM3q68b5gBv0L+JeMG27+DDQ5CSUIZSAJU0XifyeAfTIfRe” “5L+Bec7hQIDAQAB”

18. Really, clean up the text before entering it into your DNS.

VALIDATE and install FAIL2BAN

(sorry, i can’t remember how to proceed this installation since the last edit was two years ago.)

Good luck.