Field notes from keeping LAMP systems healthy.
October 26, 2026 · StackPioneer
Adding a second web server to a legacy PHP app is mostly not a load-balancer problem. Sessions on local disk, uploads in the document root, cron running twice, and caches that only clear on one node — here is how to find each one and fix it without a rewrite.
Read moreOctober 19, 2026 · StackPioneer Engineering
do-release-upgrade moves your OS and your PHP, MySQL, Apache and OpenSSL versions in one step. Here is how to split that into separately reversible changes, what each hop actually ships, and when to build a new box instead.
Read moreOctober 12, 2026 · StackPioneer
Most legacy PHP apps have no usable staging environment, so upgrades get rehearsed in production. Here is a repeatable way to build one from a restored backup: scripted anonymization of the MySQL dump, neutered outbound mail and payment keys, and a refresh job that runs on a schedule.
Read moreOctober 5, 2026 · StackPioneer
The maximum TLS certificate lifetime dropped to 200 days in March 2026, 100 days follows in 2027 and 47 days in 2029. Here is how to get an older Apache server off calendar reminders and onto ACME renewal that fails loudly.
Read moreSeptember 28, 2026 · StackPioneer
Automated traffic now outnumbers humans on a lot of older PHP sites. Here is how to measure it from Apache logs, separate the crawlers you want from the ones you do not, and cut the load with rate limits, caching, and a few Apache rules — before buying a bigger server.
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