Project Overview

Internship Project Summary

During my internship under the mentorship of Slađan Ilić, I gained hands-on experience in virtualization, server administration, and network security. My main tasks included working with Proxmox VE, configuring a Linux VPS server, and managing a Cisco ASA 5505 firewall.

🔹 Proxmox Virtual Environment (VE)

  • Installed and configured Proxmox VE for virtualization management.
  • Created and managed KVM virtual machines and LXC containers.
  • Configured VM resources (CPU, RAM, storage, networking) based on project requirements.
  • Set up bridged networking to provide VMs with external access.
  • Secured VM access using Proxmox firewall rules and role-based user management.
  • Created cloud-init templates to automate VM provisioning (hostname, SSH keys, networking).
  • Performed snapshot and backup operations to ensure recoverability.
  • Managed storage backends (local storage, LVM, directory storage).
  • Used CLI tools (qm, pct) and the Proxmox API for automation and scripting.
  • Monitored VM performance (CPU, memory, disk, network) through the Proxmox dashboard.

🔹 Linux VPS Server Administration

  • Reinstalled Linux and configured hostname and domain.
  • Secured SSH access (custom port, disabled password login, enabled SSH keys).
  • Installed and configured Apache, PHP, MySQL (LAMP stack) and FTP access.
  • Created virtual hosts and directory structures for websites.
  • Configured DNS records and domain access via BIND.
  • Installed and automated Let’s Encrypt SSL certificates with HSTS.
  • Created a MySQL database with a limited-access user.
  • Technologies used: Apache, PHP, MySQL, WordPress, WireGuard, BIND, FTP, Let’s Encrypt, phpMyAdmin.

🔹 Cisco ASA 5505 Firewall

  • Configured inside and outside interfaces, VLANs, and IP addressing.
  • Defined security levels and enabled routing between interfaces.
  • Created and applied ACLs to filter inbound and outbound traffic.
  • Allowed specific services (SSH, HTTP, HTTPS, DNS) while blocking unauthorized access with logging.
  • Configured NAT rules and port forwarding to publish internal services.
  • Monitored traffic using CLI tools and analyzed rule hit counts.
  • Verified connectivity and rule enforcement with ping, traceroute, and log analysis.