In an earlier post, we learned how to setup a new virtual machine in VMware Player for the purposes of testing a server implementation. In this post, we will look at some ways you can manipulate VMware Player to emulate your server environment.
Hardware
One of the first things you will want to do is [...]
In the past, creating a testbed environment for your server often involved setting aside an old machine or even using a desktop or laptop computer. In most cases, it was difficult to mimic the exact hardware configuration of your server and not as efficient. Virtualization changed all of that, and VMware Player is one free [...]
When businesses talk about virtualization, they are often concerned with the financial savings that it can bring. When IT people talk about it, they usually laud its ability to do more with less space, fewer servers, and often less effort. In addition to those technical and financial savings, virtualization can also help conserve energy in [...]
Most web hosting companies offer some form of VPS service, so it can be difficult to decide which one is right for you. A virtual private server can be almost anything that uses virtualization, so it is important to know what you are getting and if the services offered fit your needs. These are some [...]
A virtual private server (VPS) is a low-cost alternative to a full dedicated server. Using a VPS has a number of strategic advantages for small and medium sized businesses. Among those advantages are the following:
Savings – Above all else, a business that is small or just getting started will need to find ways to [...]
In a previous post, we looked at some of the ways that virtualization can help you save money. It can help you maximize space usage, reduce power consumption, and reduce the amount of time you spend on provisioning and deployment. The following are three more ways virtualization help:
Application consolidation – In the [...]
There are many ways to create virtual machines and many virtualization tools you can use. KVM is one tool that is built into most Linux distributions. Cloudmin, an optional add-on for Virtualmin and Webmin, can provide a graphical interface for creating and managing virtual machines.
To create a virtual machine in Cloudmin, do the following:
1. Click [...]
Sometimes you need a dedicated server but do not need the full hardware package. A VPS is great for small server projects that do not require the full power and memory available on the system. Moreover, many cloud companies offer VPS systems that are quick and easily to deploy, charging monthly or even hourly fees [...]
Saving money is very important in the competitive dedicated server industry, and a good system administrator will always look for ways to help the business save. Virtualization, when used correctly, is a great way to save money and still get good performance out of a server. The following are three ways to save with virtualization.
1. [...]
One of the dangers of hosting virtual private servers is what is known as virtual server sprawl. Like constructing buildings in an area, only so many virtual machines can occupy a single server. High demand for VPS accounts may quickly out pace your ability to create new machines or even deploy new servers to host [...]
When shopping for a virtual private server (VPS), one of the terms you will come across while reading technical specifications is “burstable RAM”. Usually, the specifications will list the amount of RAM available on a VPS package and then list the burstable RAM, which is always more than the allocated RAM amount, beside it.
As the [...]
Virtualization gained many fans in 2011. More system administrators than ever before are seeing the benefit of creating virtual machines for a variety of purposes, from sectioning off business operations to hosting virtual private servers for customers. The more virtual machines you have, the more difficult it can be to manage all of them. Fortunately, [...]
Virtualization can save you time and money when used efficiently. This has made it very popular for small, medium, and large sized data center operations. Whether you have a single server or a fleet of them, virtualization has its benefits.
KVM and Xen are two virtualization options for Linux servers, both with their advantages. Xen is [...]
Depending on the business you are involved in, opting for a dedicated server may make the most sense. On the other hand, there are plenty of situations where you can make a strong case for a virtual private server (VPS) to save money and make things a little easier for you.
The following are benefits of [...]
Once you’ve purchased a VPS to store your data, run your apps, or act as a testing environment, the next step is customizing your server environment so that it works best for you. This can take the form of optimizing your Linux or Windows OS, and then using the VPS control panel you have available [...]
Running a LAMP VPS means choosing a distro to go along with your server space; a choice that often comes with a number of judgments on the part of so-called “experts” in the field. Everyone has their favorite distro for their own reasons, but each one performs admirably in its own space. Choosing one comes [...]
A VPS (virtual private server) gives you the ability to host several instances of your operating system within a single dedicated server. Each virtual machine or container within your server behaves independently as though it were a server by itself. This gives users all of the benefits and administrative access of a full dedicated server [...]
Yesterday, we looked at low end boxes, inexpensive servers with less powerful hardware than your average high-quality dedicated server. Many low end boxes are actually virtual private servers (VPS), and are, therefore, technically not boxes at all. With a VPS, you share your server with other tenants, all of whom need to play fairly to [...]
Every system administrator should have a server backup of some form. For on-premise servers, it may be an external storage device, either physically connected to the server or stored within a network-attached storage (NAS) device. For remote servers, you can still use a local storage or lease a separate server for backups.
In some cases, your [...]
CentOS is one of the most popular Linux distribution for dedicated servers. This is largely because it provides the functionality and stability of Red Hat Enterprise Linux without the licensing and support fees.
OpenVZ is a free and open source virtualization solution that you can use to create virtual private servers (VPS). In OpenVZ’s [...]
It is never an easy decision to decide to purchase or lease a dedicated server. The increased cost and responsibility is more than some are willing to take on, unless they absolutely must. Virtual private servers (VPS) are a good way to have the best of both worlds: the autonomy of a dedicated [...]
OpenVZ is a free and open source virtualization tool that allows you to create virtual private servers (VPS) on your dedicated server. It gives you the ability to run virtual operating systems with “containers” and is regarded as the open source equivalent of Parallels’ Virtuozzo Containers.
WebVZ is essentially a web-based control panel for [...]
There are a plethora of virtualization software tools on the market. Some are quite affordable, even free, while others are very expensive, enterprise-level software solutions. To decide which one you need, you should first ask yourself why you need virtualization.
If you are using virtualization for testing, you probably do not need buy an [...]
Through looking at our incoming traffic, I recently noticed a large amount of visitors coming to ServerSchool.com after Googling “Mediatemple Alternatives.” Apparently one of our older posts about how bad Mediatemple’s gridserver is was ranking near the top, and also apparent was the large number of searchers who seem to be looking for an [...]
A Virtual Private Server or VPS is a way to have many of the benefits of a dedicated server without actually having one. For the customer, it means having his/her own server while still working in a managed system environment, at a fraction of the full server cost. For the owner of the [...]
We have always insisted that you go for a virtual private server (VPS) when you can no longer live with the shared server but cannot afford the dedicated server as yet. What makes virtual servers so good? Well, first, let’s understand what a virtual server is. When a physical server is partitioned into logical divisions, [...]
Before we get into the benefits of the virtual server as compared to those of the shared server, let’s understand the difference between these two servers. When a physical server is used to host several websites of different organizations, it is called a shared server. Now, when the physical server is divided into logical partitions, [...]
Several times in this blog I have mentioned that the virtual private server (VPS) is ideal for organizations looking to move away from shared hosting but cannot afford the dedicated server yet. Now, the VPS is known to be sturdy and is considered very secure. This is the reason it is also used as a [...]
No. And we never claimed it could. The virtual private server (VPS) can rescue you though when you no longer want to live with the limitations of the shared hosting. Now, a dedicated server will not only rescue you from the shared server, it will hand over a number of additional advantages. But the dedicated [...]
I have always maintained that the virtual server is the ideal stopover for organizations who want to move from shared hosting to dedicated hosting. What makes it good? Let’s find out.
The virtual server makes you the boss. You don’t have any control over things in shared hosting. Virtual hosting, on the other hand, lets you [...]
