The Softaculous Script auto-installer for suite for cPanel is now available on all web hosting plans.

As of the date of this post, Softaculous has over 259 scripts available for installation including the following very popular blogging and cms scripts:

WordPress, b2evolution, StatusNet, Drupal, Mambo, phpBB, SMF, AEF, Coppermine, Gallery, Jcow, OpenClassifieds, openX, WebCalendar, Shadows Rising, phpList, SquirrelMail, LimeSurvey, Piwik, SugarCRM, PHProjekt, osCommerce, Magento, phpBook, HESK, osTicket, kPlaylist, VidiScript, Gregarius, CodeIgniter, Moodle, Elgg.

What is Softaculous?

Softaculous is an auto installer for cPanel.  Unlike other auto installers Softaculous is much faster, well designed and it installs all scripts in just ONE STEP. 

If you have any questions, please open up a sales ticket and one of our reps will get back to you with more information.

This phone call will be the last step in the checkout process. An automated system will call the telephone number you provide when entering your billing information. It will read out a four (4) digit code twice. You will need to enter this code on your screen to finalize the checkout process.

If this step is not completed, your order will need to be manually reviewed and processed, which will increase the time for activation.

At the current time, we expect that this system will help to improve the overall stability and quality of our services, and help keep our overhead costs (mostly related to chargebacks and fees) to a minimum in our effort to keep our pricing at industry low levels.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at any time.

Starting December 7th 2011. We are kicking off sales of .xxx domain names at industry low pricing.

You are able to register/transfer/renew domains with the .xxx tld extension for 1-3 years at a rate of $100.00 per year.

Click here to register or transfer a new .xxx tld today.

As a result, we want to share some other methods on how to reduce incoming SPAM to your mail server and users while preserving the quick delivery so many users count on each day. After all, we live in a world where expectations in technology are consistently rising.

Using a publicly available Black List Database, also known as RBL’s or DNSBL’s (DNS Block List, or Real Time Black Hole List) will allow your mail server to connect and verify whether the sending server is known as a SPAM sender. While there are many different types of Black List’s on the Internet, and we cannot guarantee (nor can they) that they are 100% effective in blocking SPAM, we would like to share a list of the common ones that we have used and are effective.

What to look for in a DNSBL Database

What you want to look for is a well maintained project (since this will be making decisions for you in real time) and one that is well known not to have what are called “False Positives.” In all cases, what you want to avoid when implementing an automated system like this, is the rejection of legitimate email.

DNSBL’s Suggested

The DNSBL’s that we have seen to be effective include the following:

• zen.spamhaus.org
• xbl.spamhaus.org
• rbl.spamhaus.org
• b.barracudacentral.org
• bl.spamcop.net

DNSBL’s to Avoid

• blackholes.five-ten-sg.com

Five-ten-sg.com is very prone to listing entire subnets (up to /24 in some cases) rather that listing individual /32 IP addresses. As a result, using this black list is very prone to attracting false positives and it is not up to date. There are many stale records that we have encountered in this database, sometimes including domains such as Apple’s @me.com and Googles @gmail.com. Avoid this database at all costs.

Implementation

Once you have researched which database (or combination of databases) you want to use, implementing it in postfix is as simple as adding one line for each database you want to include in your main.cf file.

Find the following line in your main.cf file:

smtpd_recipient_restrictions =

Add the following to what is already there:

reject_rbl_client pbl.spamhaus.org,
reject_rbl_client zen.spamhaus.org,
reject_rbl_client xbl.spamhaus.org,

Again, you can use as many databases you like. In the case of spamhaus.org, it’s best to visit their website to see what the criteria is for getting on to the database (some are more strict than others).

Overall, using a DNSBL is effective in helping with reducing the amount of incoming SPAM on the network. It is a database that works in real time, and there are professionals out there who contribute information to these databases daily to help reduce the amount of SPAM on the public internet.

There is a one time setup fee of $19.99 to activate IPv6 addresses on the Small VPS package.

For more information on IPv6 click here

We are proud to announce, that our IPv6 network is now online. We have connectivity to the following upstream providers as of today:

• Cogent Communications (AS174)
• NeTELLIGENT Hosting Services (AS10929)
• Hurricane Electric (AS6939)

If you are a current customer looking to add IPv6 connectivity to your existing VPS, please open a support ticket.

Note: While these IP addresses do not have a monthly per-unit cost. Justifications are still required for larger amounts of IP addresses to be allocated. Please refer to the ARIN policy regarding the exact policy that we follow.

IPv6 Addresses now available

New Order Form

We’ve been getting some feedback lately with regards to simplifying the checkout process.

The result: A new simplified jQuery enabled checkout form that puts all of the information on a single page, and allows you to checkout by “Sliding” a bar to compare different plans.

You will see this new order form starting today.

Thanks for the continued feedback!

At this point, all customers should have received an email for each VPS they have with us with instructions on how to access the new panel. If you have not received an email from us please open a ticket with support.

We hope everyone enjoys the added benefits this control panel brings us.

What does this mean for existing customers?

Between now and September 2011, you will get an email with instructions on how to login to the new web control panel. The Legacy HyperVM web interface will continue to be active until all VPS accounts are fully migrated to the new system.

Will there be any downtime as a result of this upgrade?

Absolutely NOT! One of the benefits of OpenVZ virtualization technology is the the ability to “live migrate” virtual servers. Your VPS will be moved to the new nodes with the SolusVM software enabled live. Nothing will change with your configuration.

When your VPS is fully migrated, you will get an email to confirm.

Why are we migrating?

One of the benefits to this migration, is that you will be able to see all of your usage graphs (CPU, Load Average, RAM, Network) from within your ePortal (secure.media-hosts.com).

In addition, these extra features will also give us room to grow in the future:

• API Access for use with iPhone applications and other 3rd party programs.
• Simplified web interface that makes much more sense.
• Ability to add other types of virtualization (KVM, Xen PV & HVM). I know we are OpenVZ.ca but Media-Hosts.com will be offering other virtualization technologies as a result, and it’s much easier for us to manage one system instead of two.
• SSH console built into the ePortal and Web Portal.
• Tun/Tap will be user installable with one button.

If you have any questions regarding this new feature/migration please email us directly: support@media-hosts.com

We are very proud to announce that we will be migrating all of our services to the Juniper platform due to the reliability and scalability of their platforms, as well as using one OS (JUNOS) for all devices.

Over the next few weeks (step 1) we will be implementing our new EX series switches to replace all of the legacy equipment. While no downtime will be scheduled, all customers will be updated with maintenance windows as they become available.

We hope to cut power consumption, reduce latency and increase bandwidth for everyone.

Use Coupon Code GoDaddySucks at checkout for the discounts (Expires April 30 2011).

Click Here to Transfer As Many Domains As you Like

We are also offering free migration services for anyone who would like to switch to our cPanel web hosting plans with an additional 1 year of hosting added on for free (1 year and 2 year terms only). To get this promotion, place your order normally and open a ticket with us attaching your most recent Godaddy Invoice. We will then add 1 year of hosting to your account for free.

You can see the full video of Bob shooting the Elephant here: