Webmin Installation

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#1 Mon, 01/05/2009 - 09:07
amanda

Webmin Installation

I have installed Webmin on my Microsoft Windows XP Professional Version 2002 Service Pack 3. I used WebminInstall.exe found on the page http://www.webmin.com/windows.html But for some reason, it doesn't work out for me. When I open in my browser the page http://localhost:10000/ , I received the error message: "Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage.............." Any suggestons from you guys are appreciated ! Kindly Amanda Nguyen

Wed, 01/07/2009 - 20:31
sgrayban

was the webmin service started ?

Sun, 06/07/2009 - 07:35 (Reply to #2)
amanda

Joe

I found a file in C:\Webmin called miniserv, however it is a PL file and the code in it is something too advanced for little ol' me.

Installing VMware and/or Virtual PC could be the solution in my case, Where can I get VMware and Virtual PC ?
BTW, What do you mean by "a dedicated system" ?

I am pumped with the notion of hosting my personal web sites and that of friends and family, independent of third party hosting providers. Will I be able to make it grow beyond that ? Well that's an open question. But lets see where this journey will take me. It's very exciting regardless !

And more importantly, I would like to learn how all of this stuff works !
You stated <div class='quote'>....installing a Linux distribution or two into virtual containers in VMWare of Virtual PC would be a great way to get your feet wet....</div>
Please walk me thru a step by step instruction !

Kindly Amanda NGuyen

Thu, 01/08/2009 - 12:38
amanda

Thanks for the response, Sgrayban !

Immediatelly after the installation is finished, A browser opened up with the address http://localhost:10000/ and the error message: &quot;Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage..............&quot;

I did not see any sign that the service had initiated.
I'm not a seasoned veteran of this field so bear with me &amp; I promise I will rise to greatness !

Amanda Nguyen

Thu, 01/08/2009 - 13:07 (Reply to #5)
andreychek

Well, as Scott mentioned, my guess is that Webmin service isn't started.

I've never run Webmin on Windows, so I'm not going to be all that great a help.

But essentially, you may just need to poke around a bit and look for a way to start up Webmin.

Perhaps the installer added an icon in the Start menu for it. You can also run &quot;msconfig&quot; from the command line, and see if it's trying to start Webmin from within there. At that point, maybe you can launch it manually.

Barring that, you may need to look for where the installer put the files, and try running Webmin from there.
-Eric

Sun, 06/07/2009 - 07:35
amanda

Andreychek,

In the start menu, there are only 2 categories inside Webmin: Webmin and uninstall Wenmin.
When I click on Webmin, it opens up a browser with the address http://localhost:10000/ and the message &quot;Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage....&quot;

I saw no sign of Webmin starting within &quot;System Configuration Utility&quot; (&quot;System Configuration Utility&quot; opens up when I perform Start &gt; Run, then type in &quot;msconfig&quot; )

Perhaps there is some file inside the folder C:\Webmin\ that can initiate Webmin, if so, what is it ?

Or, perhaps Webmin does not operate on Windows !

I have a computer running Microsoftwindows XP professional with Apache installed and host a few small websites. Can I install Linux and then Webmin on it. If so, what exact version of Linux should I install ?

Kindly Amanda Nguyen

Sun, 06/07/2009 - 07:35
amanda

Andreychek,

In the start menu, there are only 2 categories inside Webmin: Webmin and uninstall Wenmin.
When I click on Webmin, it opens up a browser with the address http://localhost:10000/ and the message &quot;Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage....&quot;

I saw no sign of Webmin starting within &quot;System Configuration Utility&quot; (&quot;System Configuration Utility&quot; opens up when I perform Start &gt; Run, then type in &quot;msconfig&quot; )

Perhaps there is some file inside the folder C:\Webmin\ that can initiate Webmin, if so, what is it ?

Or, perhaps Webmin does not operate on Windows !

I have a computer running Microsoftwindows XP professional with Apache installed and host a few small websites. Can I install Linux and then Webmin on it. If so, what exact version of Linux should I install ?

Kindly Amanda Nguyen

Mon, 01/12/2009 - 12:05
Joe
Joe's picture

<div class='quote'>Or, perhaps Webmin does not operate on Windows !</div>

Obviously it does, or there wouldn't be downloads of it available on Webmin.com. ;-)

That said, Webmin on Windows is a dramatically less mature option than Webmin on UNIX or Linux...it just doesn't have the userbase that it has on UNIX systems (UNIX/Linux Webmin users can be counted in millions, while Webmin on Windows users can probably be counted in hundreds). It also doesn't do as much on Windows as it does on UNIX systems--like, for example, Virtualmin doesn't exist at all for Windows. Since you're virtual hosting using Apache, you almost certainly would enjoy Webmin+Virtualmin more than Webmin by itself.

<div class='quote'>Can I install Linux and then Webmin on it. If so, what exact version of Linux should I install ?</div>

Unless you plan to run virtualization software like VMWare or Virtual PC, you can't run Windows and Linux simultaneously on the same system.

If you were to install a Linux distribution, we generally recommend CentOS 5 for most folks, particularly newbies. The OS support page ( http://www.virtualmin.com/os-support.html ) covers all of the supported operating systems.

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Mon, 01/12/2009 - 12:10 (Reply to #9)
Joe
Joe's picture

Oh, and to your problem of connecting...I'll make some wild guesses (I've never used Webmin on Windows, and I'm an absolute idiot about Windows in general):

Try connecting to 127.0.0.1 instead of localhost. Maybe your local resolver is broken and the IP will work better.

Try connecting to https protocol instead of http. On UNIX/Linux systems, Webmin defaults to running with SSL encryption enabled. This requires the Perl Net::SSLeay module to be installed, though, so it might not be the default on Windows. But it'd be worth a try.

Make sure you don't have any security software running that would prevent Webmin from binding to port 10000, or prevent your browser from connecting to port 10000.

Finally, look in the miniserv.error log for potential errors. I don't know where this is on Windows.

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Thu, 01/15/2009 - 08:09
amanda

Hi Joe

when I connected to http://127.0.0.1/, the browser showed the homepage of my website.

I received the same error connecting to https or http protocol

I have port 10000 opened on both the computer with Webmin and the router.

You said <div class='quote'>Unless you plan to run virtualization software like VMWare or Virtual PC, you can't run Windows and Linux simultaneously on the same system.</div>
Does it mean that I should install VMWare or Virtual PC before nstall Linux on my Windows machine ?

Amanda Nguyen

Thu, 01/15/2009 - 11:45 (Reply to #11)
andreychek

The next step would be to look for miniserv.error -- Webmin's logfile -- and see what errors are in it.

Regarding VMware and Virtual PC -- both of those would allow you run to Linux on top of your existing Windows install. That's an excellent way to get started with Linux, as you can do so without requiring a dedicated system.
-Eric

Thu, 01/15/2009 - 12:14 (Reply to #12)
Joe
Joe's picture

Since you're wanting to host websites, have you considered renting a dedicated or virtual hosting system with a hosting provider?

It's not really sane to run a web server on a home PC. The kind of connectivity you can get simply isn't reliable enough, even with &quot;business class&quot; service. It's probably cheaper, and certainly better for your sanity, to have someone else deal with the setup and OS install, and then drop Virtualmin onto the system. Most hosting providers offer CentOS 5 (it's the most popular, by far, and probably 90% of hosts offer it or the commercial version Red Hat Enterprise Linux).

You can get reasonably equipped virtual &quot;dedicated&quot; systems starting at about $35 per month from several respectable providers. Slicehost, Linode, Rimuhosting, and Joyent all spring to mind. Only Joyent and Rimuhosting offers Virtualmin on their systems, by default or as an option, but Slicehost and Linode both have a large number of Virtualmin users, and the support folks at those companies have been friendly to Virtualmin users. One of these days we'll get Linode and Slice selling Virtualmin directly...but, for now, we'll all just have to be content with installing it ourselves.

Unless, of course, you're just wanting to learn how all of this stuff works, in which case installing a Linux distribution or two into virtual containers in VMWare of Virtual PC would be a great way to get your feet wet. And, playing with Webmin and Virtualmin can teach you a lot about system administration without too much pain (lots of good docs in the Webmin wiki, as well).

Maybe I should have asked earlier...but, what are you trying to accomplish? That'll probably help us help you more effectively.

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Sun, 06/07/2009 - 07:35 (Reply to #13)
amanda

Joe

I found a file in C:\Webmin called miniserv, however it is a PL file and the code in it is something too advanced for little ol' me.

Installing VMware and/or Virtual PC could be the solution in my case, Where can I get VMware and Virtual PC ?
BTW, What do you mean by &quot;a dedicated system&quot; ?

I am pumped with the notion of hosting my personal web sites and that of friends and family, independent of third party hosting providers. Will I be able to make it grow beyond that ? Well that's an open question. But lets see where this journey will take me. It's very exciting regardless !

And more importantly, I would like to learn how all of this stuff works !
You stated <div class='quote'>....installing a Linux distribution or two into virtual containers in VMWare of Virtual PC would be a great way to get your feet wet....</div>
Please walk me thru a step by step instruction !

Kindly Amanda NGuyen

Sun, 06/07/2009 - 07:35 (Reply to #14)
amanda

Joe

I found a file in C:\Webmin called miniserv, however it is a PL file and the code in it is something too advanced for little ol' me.

Installing VMware and/or Virtual PC could be the solution in my case, Where can I get VMware and Virtual PC ?
BTW, What do you mean by &quot;a dedicated system&quot; ?

I am pumped with the notion of hosting my personal web sites and that of friends and family, independent of third party hosting providers. Will I be able to make it grow beyond that ? Well that's an open question. But lets see where this journey will take me. It's very exciting regardless !

And more importantly, I would like to learn how all of this stuff works !
You stated <div class='quote'>....installing a Linux distribution or two into virtual containers in VMWare of Virtual PC would be a great way to get your feet wet....</div>
Please walk me thru a step by step instruction !

Kindly Amanda NGuyen

Sun, 06/07/2009 - 07:35
amanda

Joe
I found a file in C:\Webmin called miniserv, however it is a PL file and the code in it is something too advanced for little ol' me.

Installing VMware and/or Virtual PC could be the solution in my case, Where can I get VMware and Virtual PC ?
BTW, What do you mean by &quot;a dedicated system&quot; ?

I am pumped with the notion of hosting my personal web sites and that of friends and family, independent of third party hosting providers . Will I be able to make it grow beyond that ? Well that's an open question. But lets see where this journey will take me .
It's very exciting regardless !

And more importantly, I would like to learn how all of this stuff works !
You stated <div class='quote'>....installing a Linux distribution or two into virtual containers in VMWare of Virtual PC
would be a great way to get your feet wet....</div>
Please walk me thru a step by step instruction !

Kindly Amanda NGuyen

Sat, 01/17/2009 - 10:59
Joe
Joe's picture

<div class='quote'>BTW, What do you mean by &quot;a dedicated system&quot; ?</div>

I mean a system dedicated to service as a hosting system. When you go to a hosting provider like SoftLayer, The Planet, etc. you can rent a complete server from them for a monthly rate. And then there are &quot;virtual dedicated&quot; systems, which provide an effective illusion of being a &quot;dedicated&quot; server, in that you have root access and can install any software you want. Virtual dedicated servers use virtualization to put many users onto a single physical system. These kinds of accounts are cheaper, because more than one user fits on a system. Joyent, Slicehost, Linode, and Rimuhosting all have a good reputation and fair prices.

The most cost effective way to host websites is pretty much always to let someone else worry about the hardware. While Jamie, Eric, and I have the skills needed to build our own little data center, the cost of reliable bandwidth on a small scale is prohibitive. So, we have rented servers at a couple of hosting providers. It's also worth noting that bandwidth coming into your home or office from consumer broadband providers, aside from being pretty unreliable, is also usually higher latency, and frequently includes other hurdles that might make running hosting services more challenging than it would ordinarily be (like filters on common ports, like the mail port--so you might not be able to send or received mail without outside help).

<div class='quote'>Please walk me thru a step by step instruction !</div>

You're asking the wrong guy! I don't know anything about VMWare of Virtual PC. I don't even use Windows. You're treading in waters where I fear to tread--I've maintained a few websites running Windows 2000 Server and 2003 Server (though I was never good at it...Windows doesn't make any sense to me), but I've never even attempted to run a server on Windows XP. ;-)

So, for Linux questions, we're your guys...but Windows stuff, I dunno. That said, both VMWare and Virtual PC are <i>very</i> popular products, and should be well documented and have plenty of information on the web. I believe both are available in some sort of free version (I know VMWare has a free version for running existing images, and I'm sure CentOS 5 images already exist for free, which you could install Virtualmin on). You should be able to find all the documentation you need, including step by step guides out on the web. And once you have a working Linux environment (whether a virtual one on your home system, or one at a hosting provider that you have remote access to), we can help you with installing Virtualmin and getting started.

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Sun, 01/18/2009 - 08:37
amanda

Joe :
Got your info, much appreciated.
I'm learning a lot from that !
I cobbling together all the factuals to come up with a game plan. I will get back to the issues later but for now my philosophy is as usual &quot;Damn the torpedoes , full speed ahead !&quot;
Rear Admiral Amanda Nguyen (hehehe) .

Tue, 08/11/2009 - 22:10
soley

I know for me the url had to be https://127.0.0.1:10000

Can't forget the s to make it secure.

Thu, 11/18/2010 - 08:14
ashishpadave

Failed to create virtual server : The new virtual server was added to /Program Files/Apache Software Foundation/Apache2.2/conf/extra/httpd-vhosts.conf, but this file is not used by Apache. Check the module configuration and make sure the 'File or directory to add virtual servers to' is correct.

Any ideas whats going wrong here?

Thu, 11/18/2010 - 09:27
ashishpadave

Looks like Webmin for Windows cannot read Virtualhost config from a seperate file. If the vhosts are added to httpd.conf it works fine.

Mon, 01/03/2011 - 02:52 (Reply to #21)
Joe
Joe's picture

Looks like Webmin for Windows cannot read Virtualhost config from a seperate file. If the vhosts are added to httpd.conf it works fine.

That's not what that error looks like to me. It looks to me like you don't have Apache configured to include those other files, and Webmin is very politely warning you of that misconfiguration. Webmin supports virtual host configuration in separate files on all supported operating systems, as far as I know. But, in your case, you don't have Apache configured correctly to use those other files.

That error definitely wouldn't make me think "Webmin has a bug" it would make me think, "My Apache configuration is wrong for the way I'm trying to use Webmin, and Webmin is really clever to notice that and tell me so."

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Sat, 02/05/2011 - 18:23
ashishpadave

I am not a PERL Programmer. Took me days to figure out. This is a BUG. I've fixed in on my system and it works now.

This Bug is related to the glob function used in apache-lib.pl, function expand_apache_include.

The problem is default Apache Installation directories under Windows have whitespaces in their name e.g "Program Files/Apache Software Foundation/Apache2.2/conf/

glob() has a bug which does not return the correct values when there are whitespaces in the path, unless ofcourse they are escaped.

I've solved this by adding use File::Glob ':glob'; at the top of apache-lib.pl.

Refered from http://perldoc.perl.org/File/Glob.html

Sat, 02/05/2011 - 23:53
ashishpadave

is_apache_running:

sub is_apache_running
{
if ($gconfig{'os_type'} eq 'windows') {
# No such thing as a PID file on Windows
local ($pid) = &find_byname("Apache.exe");
return $pid;
}
else {
# Check PID file
local $pidfile = &get_pid_file();
return &check_pid_file($pidfile);
}
}

the executable is httpd.exe and not Apache.exe in 2.2 atleast. Would be better if that value is read from the config "Path to httpd executable"

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