Windows Firewall Basics

Posted on by David Singer | Updated:
Category: Getting Started | Tags: , , ,

A firewall is a program installed on your computer or a piece of hardware that uses a rule set to block or allow access to a computer, server or network. It separates your internal network from the external network (the Internet).

Firewalls can permit traffic to be routed through a specific port to a program or destination while blocking other malicious traffic. A firewall can be a hardware, software, or a blending of both.

In this tutorial we'll be covering:

Continue reading “Windows Firewall Basics” →

Plesk to Plesk Migration

Posted on by Mike Sherman | Updated:
Category: Getting Started | Tags: , , , , , ,

Migrating from one Plesk installation to another is easy with the Plesk Migrator Tool! The Plesk team has done a great job creating an easy to use interface for migrating entire installations of Plesk to a new server.

If you need to move files, users, subscriptions, FTP accounts, mail and DNS servers setup through Plesk, this guide will help you successfully navigate the process and come out victorious!

We will be splitting this tutorial into three sections:
Initial Sync
Testing
Final Sync

Continue reading “Plesk to Plesk Migration” →

How to Install Python on Windows

Posted on by David Richards | Updated:
Category: Technical Support | Tags: , , , , , ,

Python is a popular programming language for developing applications. The Python design philosophy emphasizes code readability and focuses on clear programming for both small and large-scale projects. Python allows you to run modules and full applications from a large library of resources (or even applications you write yourself) on your server. Python works on a number of popular operating systems, including Windows Server OS.

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Remote Desktop Users Group

Posted on by Devin Grindle
Category: Tutorials | Tags: , , , , , , ,

The most common way to remotely manage a Windows server is through Remote Desktop Protocol. By default, Liquid Web’s Windows servers only allow the members of the administrators’ group remote desktop access. However, the Remote Desktop Users group grants its members access to securely connect to the server through RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) as well.

This article will go over the basics of the Remote Desktop Users group. By the end, you will be able to add users to the group, understand permissions, and basic user management.

 

Pre-flight

The information below covers methods to configure the Remote Desktop Users group for Windows Server 2012 through Windows Server 2016 on any Liquid Web Windows server. As a valued customer, if you do not feel comfortable performing these steps independently, please contact our support team for additional assistance. Liquid Web support is happy to walk you through the steps and answer any questions you may have.

 

Managing Local Users and Groups

Users and groups on Windows servers are managed in a number of different ways, but the most user-friendly way is through the Local Users and Groups interface. There are several ways to open the interface. However,  the easiest is to run “lusrmgr.msc”. Lusrmgr.msc can be launched by searching the start menu, command line, or through a run dialog. These methods allow you to find users and groups easily.

Note
To manage local users and groups, you will need to be logged in with a user that has the proper permissions to do so. This is most commonly a user that is already a member of the Administrators group.
Within a windows server type in lusrmgr.msc into the search bar to locate Users where you can find existing users and groups.

 

User Management

Once you open the Local Users and Groups interface, you will see two folders on the left, one for Users, and one for Groups. By selecting Users, you will see a full list of local users on the server. You can also see a variety of related tasks by right-clicking Users, Groups, a user’s name, or a blank area of the middle pane.

There are several ways to add a new user through the Local Users and Groups interface. These methods all result in the same “New User” dialog box opening where you can then configure a Username, Password, and other options. Choose one of the options below to create a new user:

  • With the Users folder selected in the left pane, click the Action menu, then select “New User…”.
  • With the Users folder selected in the left pane, click “More Actions” from the right- hand pane, then select “New User…”.
  • Right-click the Users folder, then select “New User…”.
  • With the Users folder selected in the left pane, right-click in a blank area of the middle page, then select “New User…”.

Once you have created a new user, or have identified the username of the existing user, you are ready to assign that user to a Group. Users assigned to a group are known as group members.

 

Group Management

As with user management, group management can also be performed in several ways. The options below cover several of the most common ways to assign a new member to the Remote Desktop Users group:

  • Select the Users folder from the left pane of the Local Users and Groups interface, open the Users Properties window by double-clicking the user, select the “Member Of” tab, then click “Add…”. Now type “Remote Desktop Users” in the text box and click OK.
  • Select the Groups folder from the left pane of the Local Users and Groups interface, double-click the “Remote Desktop Users” group, click “Add…”, enter the user’s name in the text box and click OK.
  • Open the system settings by right-clicking the start menu and selecting “System”, choose “Advanced system settings”, select the “Remote” tab, click the “Select Users…” button then click the “Add” button. Now enter the user’s name in the text box and click OK.
  • Open the “Server Manager”, select “Local Server” from the left pane, click the blue text next to “Computer Name”, select the “Remote” tab, click the “Select Users…” button then click the “Add” button. Now enter the user’s name in the text box and click OK.
    Note
    When selecting users or groups, it is recommended to click the “Check Names” button after typing in the user or group name. If the name is underlined after clicking the “Check Names” button, then the name was identified correctly.

You can also use the “Advanced…” button when selecting users or groups instead of typing its name. Clicking the “Advanced…” button followed by the “Find Now” button will result in a list of users to select.In a windows server, by right-clicking the User folder you can do a variety of tasks like adding a new user.

 

Notes on Permissions & Security

By default, there are no members of the Remote Desktop Users group and only members of the Administrators group are allowed to connect through RDP. Members added to the Remote Desktop Users group are considered non-Administrative users. These users will be unable to perform most management tasks such as installing software, managing IIS, or rebooting the server.

If a user requires management abilities, the user will need explicit access to that task or will need to be a member of the Administrators. Please use the best practice of “least privilege” when configuring your users, groups, and permissions.

 

Test/Verify Group Membership

When configuring new user and group memberships, you should always review group membership once complete.  Reviewing group membership is most commonly performed through the Local Users and Groups interface. In addition to verifying membership, we also recommend attempting a remote desktop connection with your newest Remote Desktop Users group member. If you are unable to connect with your user, please see our Remote Desktop Troubleshooting article.

Once you have logged in with your newest member of the Remote Desktop Users group, you can further verify that groups are set up correctly by running the command “whoami /groups” from a command line. The output of this command lists the username and its associated Group names.

 

How to Install PIP on Windows

Posted on by David Richards | Updated:
Category: Tutorials | Tags: , , , ,

One of the best tools to install and manage Python packages is called Pip. Pip has earned its fame by the number of applications using this tool. Used for its capabilities in handling binary packages over the easy_installed packaged manager, Pip enables 3rd party package installations. Though the newest versions of Python come with pip installed as a default, this tutorial will show how to install Pip, check its version, and show some basic commands for its use.

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SQL Databases Migration with Command Line

Posted on by Mike Sherman | Updated:
Category: Tutorials | Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

What if you have dozens of SQL databases and manually backing up/restoring each database is too time-consuming for your project? No problem! We can script out a method that will export and import all databases at once without needing manual intervention. For help with transferring SQL Logins and Stored Procedures & Views take a look at our MSSQL Migration with SSMS article.

1. Open SSMS (Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio) on the source server, log in to the SQL instance and open a New Query window. Run the following query:

SELECT name FROM master.sys.databases

This command will output a list of all MSSQL databases on your server. To copy this list out, click anywhere in the results and use the keyboard shortcut CTRL+A (Command + A for Mac users) to select all databases. After highlighting all the databases right click and select copy.

2. Open Notepad, paste in your results and delete all databases (in the newly copied notepad text) you do NOT wish to migrate, as well as deleting the following entries:

  • master
  • tempdb
  • model
  • msdb

These entries are the system’s databases, and copying them is not necessary. Make sure to delete everything except explicitly the databases you need to migrate.  You should now have a list of all required databases separated by a line. i.e.

  • AdventureWorks2012
  • AdventureWorks2014
  • AdventureWorks2016

3. Save this result on the computer as C:\databases.txt.

4. Create a new Notepad window, copy/paste the following into the document and save it as C:\db-backup.bat

mkdir %systemdrive%\dbbackups
for /F "tokens=*" %%a in (databases.txt) do ( sqlcmd.exe -Slocalhost -Q"BACKUP DATABASE %%a TO DISK ='%systemdrive%\dbbackups\%%a.bak' WITH STATS" )

5. Now that you’ve saved the file as C:\db-backup.bat, navigate to the Start menu and type cmd and right click on Command Prompt to select Run as Administrator.Type the following command:

cd C:\

And hit enter. Afterward, type db-backup.bat and hit enter once again.

At this point, your databases have begun exporting and you will see the percentage progress of each databases export (pictured below).

Command line shows the process of each database that is exported.

Take note of any failed databases, as you can re-run the batch file when it’s done, using only the databases that may have failed. If the databases are failing to back up, take note of the error message displayed in the command prompt, address the error by modifying the existing C:\databases.txt file to include only the failed databases and re-run db-backup.bat until all databases are successfully exported.

 

By now you have the folder C:\dbbackups\ that contains .bak files for each database you want to migrate. You will need to copy the folder and your C:\databases.txt file to the destination server. There are numerous ways to move your data to the destination server; you can use USB, Robocopy or FTP. The folder on the C drive of the destination server should be called C:\dbbackups . It’s important to accurately name the file as our script will be looking for the .bak files here. Be sure that the destination server has your C:\databases.txt file as well, as our script will be looking for the database names here.

 

1. Open a Notepad and copy/paste the following into the document and save it as C:\db-restore.bat

for /F "tokens=*" %%a in (C:\databases.txt) do (
sqlcmd.exe -E -Slocalhost -Q"RESTORE DATABASE %%a FROM DISK='%systemdrive%\dbbackups\%%a.bak' WITH RECOVERY"
)

2. Save the file as C:\db-restore.bat 

3. Navigate to the Start menu and type cmd.

4. Right click on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator. Type the following command:

cd C:\

and hit Enter. Now type db-restore.bat and hit Enter.

Your databases have now begun importing. You will see the percentage of each databases restoration and the message “RESTORE DATABASE successfully processed” for each database that has been successfully processed.

Take note of any failed databases, as you can re-run the batch file when it’s done, using only the databases that have failed. If the databases are failing to back up, take note of the error message displayed in the command prompt, address the error (you can change the batch file as necessary), modify C:\databases.txt to include only the failed databases and re-run db-restore.bat until all databases are successfully exported.

Congratulations, you have now backed up and restored all of your databases to the new server. If you have any login issues while testing the SQL connections on the destination server, refer to the Migrating Microsoft SQL Logins (anchor link) section of this article and follow the steps therein. To migrate views or stored procedures please refer to the Migrating Views and Stored Procedures section. Every SQL server will have it’s own configurations and obstacles to face but we hope this article has given you a strong foundation for your Microsoft SQL Server Migration.

 

Improving Security for your Remote Desktop Connection

Posted on by David Richards | Updated:
Category: Tutorials | Tags: , , , , , , ,

Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is the easiest and most common method for managing a Windows server. Included in all versions of Windows server and has a built-in client on all Windows desktops. There are also free applications available for Macintosh and Linux based desktops. Unfortunately, because it is so widely used, RDP is also the target of a large number of brute force attacks on the server. Malicious users will use compromised computers to attempt to connect to your server using RDP. Even if the attack is unsuccessful in guessing your administrator password, just the flood of attempted connections can cause instability and other performance issues on your server. Fortunately, there are some approaches you can use to minimize your exposure to these types of attacks.

Using a Virtual Private Network (or VPN) is one of the best ways to protect your server from malicious attacks over RDP. Using a VPN connection means that before attempting to reach your server, a connection must first be made to the secure private network. This private network is encrypted and hosted outside of your server, so the secure connection itself does not require any of your server’s resources. Once connected to the private network, your workstation is assigned a private IP address that is then used to open the RDP connection to the server. When using a VPN, the server is configured only to allow connections from the VPN address, rejecting any attempts from outside IP addresses (see Scoping Ports in Windows Firewall). The VPN not only protects the server from malicious connections, but it also protects the data transmitted between your local workstation and the server over the VPN connection. For more information, see our article What is a VPN Tunnel?

Note
All Liquid Web accounts come with one free Cloud VPN user. For a small monthly fee, you can add additional users. See our Hosting Advisors if you have any questions about our Cloud VPN service.

Like using a VPN, adding a hardware firewall to your server infrastructure further protects your server from malicious attacks. You can add a Liquid Web firewall to your account to allow only RDP connection from a trusted location. Our firewalls operate in much the same way that the software Windows firewall operates, but the functions are handled on the hardware itself, keeping your server resources free to handle legitimate requests. To learn more about adding a hardware firewall to your account, contact our Solutions team. If you already have a Liquid Web firewall in place, our Support team can verify that it is correctly configured to protect RDP connections.

Similar to using a VPN, you can use your Windows firewall to limit access to your RDP port (by default, port 3389). The process of restricting access to a port to a single IP address or group of IP addresses is known as “scoping” the port. When you scope the RDP port, your server will no longer accept connection attempts from any IP address not included in the scope. Scoping frees up server resources because the server doesn’t need to process malicious connection attempts, the rejected unauthorized user is denied at the firewall before ever reaching the RDP system. Here are the steps necessary to scope your RDP port:

  1. Log in to the server, click on the Windows icon, and type Windows Firewall into the search bar.
    Windows Firewall Search
  2. Click on Windows Firewall with Advanced Security.
  3. Click on Inbound Rules
    Inbound Firewall Rules section
  4. Scroll down to find a rule labeled RDP (or using port 3389).
  5. Double-click on the rule, then click the Scope tab.
    RDP Scope
  6. Make sure to include your current IP address in the list of allowed Remote IPs (you can find your current public IP address by going to http://ip.liquidweb.com.
  7. Click on the radio button for These IP Addresses: under Remote IP addresses.
  8. Click OK to save the changes.

While scoping the RDP port is a great way to protect your server from malicious attempts using the Remote Desktop Protocol, sometimes it is not possible to scope the port. For instance, if you or your developer must use a dynamic IP address connection, it may not be practical to limit access based on IP address. However, there are still steps you can take to improve performance and security for RDP connections.

Most brute force attacks on RDP use the default port of 3389. If there are numerous failed attempts to log in via RDP, you can change the port that RDP uses for connections.

  1. Before changing the RDP port, make sure the new port you want to use is open in the firewall to prevent being locked out of your server. The best way to do this is duplicate the current firewall rule for RDP, then update the new rule with the new port number you want to use.
  2. Login to your server and open the Registry editor by entering regedit.exe in the search bar.
  3. Once in the registry navigate to the following: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server\WinStations\RDP-Tcp
  4. Once there scroll down the list till you find “PortNumber”
  5. Double-clicking on this will bring up the editor box.
  6. Change it from HEX to DEC so it’s in numbers.
  7. Set the port number here and hit OK (you can use whatever port number you wish, but you should pick a port that already isn’t in use for another service. A list of commonly used port numbers can be found on MIT’s website.)
  8. Close the registry editor and reboot the server.
  9. Be sure to reconnect to the server with the new RDP port number.

 

Remote Desktop Troubleshooting

Posted on by David Richards
Category: Common Fixes | Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Remote Desktop Protocol (or RDP) is the most common method of gaining administrative access to a Windows server. RDP is available on all versions of Windows server and a client (called Remote Desktop Connection) is included with all versions of Windows desktop operating systems. Clients are also available for Macintosh operating systems from Microsoft in the iTunes store and for Linux desktops with applications like FreeRDP. Connecting to your server via RDP allows you full control of the server desktop environment, just as if you were sitting in front of the server’s monitor and keyboard. Depending on your permissions and settings, you can copy and delete files, change file permissions or settings, and even print documents from the server.

Pre-Flight Check

Using Remote Desktop Protocol to manage a Windows server generally requires a few basic settings and information about the server.

  • First, the Remote Desktop Service must be running on the server to which you would like to connect (RDP uses port 3389 by default).
  • Second, you need to know the IP address of the server.  
  • Third, you must have a username and password that is allowed to connect to the server remotely (often, this is the primary administrator account, but can also be a secondary account set up specifically for remote access purposes).
  • Finally, the Windows firewall (and any other hardware or software firewalls) needs to be configured to allow Remote Connections from your location.

 

Once you have all of the correct settings enabled, IP address and user account details, you can connect RDP to your server! Just launch the RDP client, enter the IP address of the server and the user credentials, and log in to the server using what looks like the standard Windows desktop environment.

Image of Remote Desktop Connection

As helpful as the Remote Desktop Protocol can be when it comes to managing your Windows server, there are also times when the connection fails, which can be very frustrating as the error message is generally not very helpful (often just the window shown below).         

RDP Connection Error Pop Up

 

The error shown above means that for some reason, your client was unable to make a connection to the Windows server via the Remote Desktop Protocol. When you are experiencing connectivity issues, there are many items that you can check to try to resolve the problem.

 

  1. Ensure you can reach the server via ICMP (or Ping). Most desktop operating systems will allow you to send small bits of information to the computer to verify connectivity and connection speeds. Generally, you just need to open a terminal window (on a Windows desktop, press the Window key, then type cmd and press enter) and enter the following command: ping IP or ping domain.tld. Normally, you’ll receive an output that is similar:Ping Results
  2. This output shows the pings were successful to the destination and took between 50 ms and 150 ms to complete. These pings indicate a successful connection to the server as desired (at least over ICMP). If the output for the command shows a failure to respond, we know there is some network interference.
  3. If the ping test fails (indicated by repeating asterisks), check your internet connectivity to guarantee that you can reach other resources on the internet. If not, you may need to contact your local service provider to restore your internet access.
  4. Reaching other internet sites but not your server indicates your server is refusing connections from your IP address (due to security software or firewall settings). You may need to contact your hosting company to verify there is not an IP address blocked by your server. You can find your current public IP address by going to http://ip.liquidweb.com.
  5. Can you ping your server, but still can’t connect over RDP? It is likely an issue with the RDP service or your firewall. You’ll need to contact your hosting company to get assistance with the service or firewall.

Firewall Issues

Best practices in configuring a firewall is to allow the least amount of access necessary for the various connections to the server. Limiting the connections to a particular service like RDP is called “scoping” the access for that service. If your configured Windows firewall scopes traffic on RDP, it’s possible that a user may not be able to connect due to their IP address not being included in the rule. Access to the server via RDP from one user but another user is not, check the firewall; their IP address may not be included in the allowed list of IPs for Remote Desktop Access.

  1. Log in to the server, click on the Windows icon, and type Windows Firewall into the search bar.Firewall Settings
  2. Click on Windows Firewall with Advanced Security.
  3. Click on Inbound Rules
  4. Scroll down to find a rule labeled RDP (or using port 3389).
  5. Double-click on the rule, then click the Scope tab.Scope Tab
  6. Make sure the user’s current IP address is included in the list of allowed Remote IPs.

If you are unable to connect to the server from your location, contact your hosting company for help in checking the firewall rule for RDP access.

User Connectivity Problems

Can you connect to RDP using the administrator account, but one or more of the other accounts cannot? There may be a problem with the user account permissions.

  1. Make certain the user is a member of the Remote Desktop Users group. Log in to the server with the administrator account, then go to the Local Users and Groups control panel (Open Administrative Tools, then open Computer Management).Local Users and Groups
  2. Navigate to the Remote Desktop Users group and verify that the user is a member of the group. If they are not a member of the group, add them as a member of the group.
    remote desktop users group
  3. Go to the username under the Users tab. Make sure that the user account is not locked out. Accounts can get locked out due to too many attempts to log in with an incorrect password (either by the user or by a brute force attack on the server).
    account lockout screen
  4. Double check the firewall for the IP address of the user and add to the scope of the RDP rule.

No Available Connections/Sessions

By default, Windows server only allows two users to connect via RDP simultaneously. If both sessions are already in use, you will receive an error indicating that no additional users are allowed to connect at this time. Too Many Users Error

To resolve this issue, you will need to wait until one of the other users logs out or you’ll require to purchase additional RDP user licenses from your hosting provider (assuming that you regularly need access for more than two users at a time).

Failed login attempts during a brute force attack can sometimes take up RDP licenses, even though the session isn’t connecting. If you are experiencing unavailable sessions even when no one is logged in to the server, it’s possibly the result of a malicious login. The best remedy for this situation is to scope the firewall rule to prevent access attempts from unauthorized IP addresses.

Data Encryption Errors

If you are using an out of date Remote Desktop Client or are connecting to an older Windows server, you may receive an error that there is a problem with the TLS settings for the connection. Generally, you can resolve this issue by updating your RDP client software on your workstation. It may also be possible to set the client to ignore these errors, but that could leave your workstation and your server vulnerable to malicious attacks.

Sudden Disconnection

If you are using RDP and suddenly lose the connection, the issue is almost always related to your internet connection. Check to make sure that you can stay connected to other services (like running a ping command in the background). If you are not losing internet connectivity, it’s possible that the server is running out of memory or the RDP service may be experiencing an active attacked in a brute force attack. If you’ve confirmed that your internet connection is stable, contact your hosting company to make sure that the server is not the cause of the lost connection.

Slow Connection Issues

If the connection between your location and your server is slow your Remote Desktop Session may not function as smoothly as you would like. However, you may be able to adjust the Desktop Environment settings of the connection before you connect to simplify and speed up the connection.

  1. Open the Remote Desktop Client application (these directions are for the Windows built-in client, but most RDP clients have similar settings available).
  2. Click on the Experience tab to see the various items you can choose to enable or disable to improve your connection speeds. Change the drop-down to select a specific connection speed or select/deselect the various items to optimize performance.Remote Desktop Connection Settings

         

Windows 10 Update Issues

Oddly enough, Microsoft updates often cause problems with RDP connectivity. As recent as April 2018, an update on both the server operating system and the Windows 10 desktop operating system caused connectivity issues for many users. Generally, the best policy is to update both the server and workstation, as connectivity issues most often arise when the two systems are not on the same update cycle. You may be able to resolve a new connectivity issue by removing a recent Windows update (either on the server or the desktop). Many users also reported that disabling the Printer option from the local resources setting resolved the most recent connectivity issue.         

Local Resources

 

While RDP is a great tool for managing your Windows server, connectivity issues can be frustrating. By working through the possible causes of the connection problem, you will generally be able to get reconnected and working again in no time!