What’s New in DirectAdmin 1.669

DirectAdmin has released version 1.669, introducing advanced features, significant improvements, and some crucial removals to enhance the user and admin experience. Let’s dive into the key updates and their practical benefits for your hosting business and startups.

1. New Features

Advanced Global Search for All Layouts (Evolution Skin)

A global search bar has been integrated into all Evolution skin layouts, providing a more unified and efficient search experience. Key enhancements include:

• Easily toggle search targets (users, domains, menu entries) within the search box.
• Grouped search results for easier navigation.
• Highlighted search terms within results for better clarity.
• Page location in the menu for search results.
• Option to collapse oversaturated search target results.

2. Improvements

Updated Two-Step Authentication Page

The two-step authentication page has undergone a substantial update, now located under the User Profile page. Key improvements include:

• Mandatory correct code entry from the Authenticator app for enabling.
• Secret keys are no longer displayed once two-step authentication is enabled.
• Grouped notification settings for two-step authentication failures.
• Automatic generation of recovery codes upon enabling.

Fixed-Width Font for Server TLS Upload Page

Inputs on the server TLS upload page in the Evolution skin now utilize a fixed-width font for easier readability and consistency.

CustomBuild Config Simplification

The options.conf file in CustomBuild has been simplified by removing php[2-9]_mode options. CustomBuild no longer supports multiple PHP modes as of version 1.667, streamlining the configuration.

Default Activation of Spam Scanning

Spam scanning will now be activated by default if allowed when creating a new user with spam options enabled. This setting will propagate to additional domains created under the same user account.

More Informative Licensing Errors for Legacy Skins

Licensing error messages now always default to the Evolution skin for detailed explanations, avoiding blank pages in legacy skins.

Enhanced /CMD_LOGIN Request Handling

The improved handling of /CMD_LOGIN requests includes:

• Consistent HTML output.
• Unified request format for two-factor authentication (2FA).
• Deprecated CMD_ASK_TWOSTEP_AUTH.
• Prevention of impersonation attempts via /CMD_LOGIN.

Software Version Updates

• Composer: 2.7.9 to 2.8.1
• Dovecot-FTS-Xapian: 1.7.14 to 1.7.16
• ImageMagick: 7.1.1-38 to 7.1.1-39
• LiteSpeed: 6.3.1-1 to 6.3.1-2
• ModSecurity OWASP Rules: 4.6.0 to 4.7.0
• Nginx: 1.27.1 to 1.27.2
• PHP-YAML: 2.2.3 to 2.2.4

Logging Adjustments

Successful API access will no longer be logged in login.log, focusing instead on authentication failures.

Single Login Page for All Skins

The Evolution skin’s flexible and feature-rich login page will now serve as the default login page across all skins.

Independent PHP-FPM Configuration

Each virtual host will now have an independent PHP-FPM configuration section when using Nginx, with the default setting changed to enabled.

3. Bug Fixes

Errors with “Pipe” Forwarder Option

Resolved issues when creating or modifying forwarders with the “pipe” option.

Statistics Reports Redirection

Correct redirection and data display for domain statistics reports pages.

Terminating Long-Running Plugin Requests

Improved handling to stop subprocesses of the DirectAdmin service that ignore SIGTERM signals.

Web Terminal UTF-8 Sequence Disconnects

Fixed issues causing abrupt session disconnections due to invalid UTF-8 sequences in the web terminal.

Customized Password Change Templates

Relocated password change templates to ensure they persist through DirectAdmin updates.

Dovecot Configuration with Modern SSL Mode

Fixed empty ssl_cipher_list causing configuration errors in the Dovecot setup.

4. Removals and Changes

Removed Admin and System SSL Certificates Pages

The Admin SSL certificates page and the system_skin configuration option have been removed. The Server TLS Certificate page will now serve the same purpose.

Removed Search from Refreshed Layout Menu Grid

The quick search bar and user-level switch have been removed from the refreshed layout dashboard.

Deprecated Configuration Options

Several outdated configuration options, including session_cookie_multiplier, max_twostep_auth_attempts, block_ip_after_failed_twostep_auth, and lock_debug, have been removed to streamline DirectAdmin configurations.

Conclusion

DirectAdmin 1.669 offers advanced features and crucial improvements to simplify server management and enhance security. As a hosting business owner, updating to this version ensures you are leveraging the latest advancements and maintaining a robust hosting environment.

For more detailed information, please consult the official DirectAdmin changelog for version 1.669.