Web Server Build - Wapiti Labs

📌 Overview

This web server runs Debian 12 with nginx, hosting static content, documentation, and lab status pages. Originally running on VirtualBox, it was migrated to a Proxmox VM on dedicated hardware.

OS: Debian 12 (Bookworm)
Web Server: nginx
RAM: 2GB
Storage: 20GB

🚧 Migration Issues Faced

Issue #1: SSH Access Blocked

kex_exchange_identification: read: Connection reset by peer
Connection reset by [CLIENT_IP] port 22

Cause: SSH was hardened to only accept connections from specific clients, blocking management access.

✅ Fix: Used Proxmox console directly instead of SSH for local access.

Issue #2: Web Server Not Visible Externally

curl: (7) Failed to connect to [DOMAIN] port 80: Connection refused

Cause: nginx was pointing to the wrong directory and had duplicate root lines in its configuration.

✅ Fix: Cleaned up nginx config and pointed to correct root:

                sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/default

                # Set root to web directory

                sudo nginx -t

                sudo systemctl reload nginx

Issue #3: Blank Homepage

<body>
</body>

Cause: The index.html file had no content between the body tags.

✅ Fix: Added proper HTML content with site branding.

Issue #4: Projects Link Returning 403 Forbidden

403 Forbidden

Cause: No index.html file in the /projects/ directory.

✅ Fix: Created a projects index page or linked directly to projects.html.

Issue #5: Multiple nginx Root Directories

root /path/to/first;
root /path/to/second;
root /path/to/third;

Cause: Duplicate root lines in nginx config — nginx used the last one, which pointed to a non-existent directory.

✅ Fix: Removed extra root lines, kept only the correct one.

✅ Successful Migration Steps

Unlike other VMs, the Debian migration was smooth using the IDE-first method:

            # Convert VDI to RAW (preserves partition table)

            qemu-img convert -f vdi -O raw debian-web.vdi debian-web.raw

            # Create VM with IDE controller (CRITICAL)

            qm create [VMID] --name "debian-web" --memory 2048 --cores 2 --net0 virtio,bridge=vmbr0

            qm importdisk [VMID] debian-web.raw local-lvm

            qm set [VMID] --ide0 local-lvm:vm-[VMID]-disk-0

            qm set [VMID] --boot order=ide0

            qm start [VMID]

✓ Booted first try! Later upgraded to VirtIO for performance.

Why it worked: Debian expects /dev/sda. IDE presents as sda, while SCSI would present as vda and break GRUB.

📊 Current Status

✅ nginx serving static content
✅ Security agent installed and reporting
✅ Internal access configured
✅ Projects documented with migration details

📝 Key Lessons

⚠️ IDE first, VirtIO later: Match the controller type the OS expects initially.
⚠️ Check nginx configs: Duplicate root lines cause unpredictable behavior.
⚠️ Remember your own hardening: Security rules can block management access.
⚠️ Always have console access: Hypervisor console is a reliable backup when network access fails.

🌐 Web Server Build