Hosting & Infrastructure
An operator’s field guide to cPanel, Proxmox, backups, migrations, monitoring, data centers, incident response, and capacity planning.
Welcome to NightFox
I’m Travis. This is my hand-built personal archive for infrastructure, programming, networking, Linux, legacy web software, professional driving, and the other subjects I disappear into for unreasonable amounts of time.
The site is part technical reference, part project notebook, and part record of the independent web I grew up with. It runs on PHP without a CMS and is intentionally more personal than polished.
- Hand-built PHP
- No CMS
- Self-hosted
- Retro-modern
Featured Guide
Legacy Web Development
ColdFusion MX and CFML
A practical learning and preservation resource for Macromedia ColdFusion MX 6, 6.1, and MX 7. The guide covers period-correct CFML, application structure, database work, CFCs, administration, security, and responsible modernization.
Inside the guide
- MX-era CFML fundamentals
- Safe legacy lab setup
- Application.cfm and Application.cfc
- Queries, CFCs, sessions, and security
- Migration and preservation strategies
Explore the Site
Networking
Routing, switching, VLANs, BGP, IPv6, data centers, ISP operations, automation, and troubleshooting.
Programming
Practical PHP and MySQL development, application architecture, APIs, security, testing, and legacy systems.
Linux
Commands, distributions, system administration, troubleshooting references, and day-to-day server operations.
Homelab
Building useful labs, bringing software back on-prem, heat management, networking, and operations-focused critiques.
Tools
Domain inspection, subnetting, Cisco configuration, developer utilities, password generation, and HOS calculations.
Notes on self-hosting, mail delivery, reputation, authentication, and operating email responsibly.
Buses & Professional Driving
Professional driving, vehicle geometry, inspections, air brakes, passenger safety, bus ownership, and individual vehicle profiles.
Retro Web Design
Responsive recreations of portal sites, forums, control panels, intranets, and other early-web interfaces.
Recently Updated
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Expanded Buses and Professional Driving into a full operator's field guide covering my driving history, training, vehicle geometry, mirrors, air brakes, loading, backing, inspections, defensive driving, bus ownership, and reusable vehicle profiles.
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Added a new Hosting and Infrastructure section covering provider operations, service models, cPanel, Proxmox, backups, migrations, monitoring, data centers, incident response, capacity planning, and operator checklists.
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Rebuilt the homepage as a portal to the site's guides, projects, tools, and archives.
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Expanded the ColdFusion section into a ColdFusion MX-era learning and preservation resource.
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Overhauled the Programming section with practical PHP, MySQL, application security, deployment, and legacy-development material.
Current Projects
ColdFusion MX Archive
Documenting the language, tooling, administration, and application patterns of the Macromedia MX period without rewriting history using modern CFML syntax.
Networking Field Guide
Expanding the networking section beyond definitions into the ways enterprises, hosting providers, data centers, and ISPs actually design and operate networks.
Invision Power Board 1.3
Keeping a classic early-2000s forum usable on modern PHP while preserving the interface and behavior that made the original software recognizable.
From the Archive
The original NightFox website
NightFox first appeared during the AOL and early personal-web era. The site eventually returned to the nightfox818.com domain it used in 2007.
About Travis
I have been building websites and working with technology since the mid-2000s. My work has grown from PHP and shared hosting into Linux systems, virtualization, data-center infrastructure, networking, and small-business technology.
Outside the server room, I am also a professional bus driver and transportation-business owner. That combination means this site can jump from BGP and ColdFusion to air brakes and school-bus tail swing without warning.
Read the longer version or find me on the fediverse at @[email protected].
This site is always under construction
Some sections are complete references, while others are active notebooks. Older pages may be rewritten as my experience changes or as I recover material from earlier versions of the site.