Virtual Private Servers (commonly referred to as VPS), act like dedicated servers but are instead serving multiple users. Each user can run different operating systems or hosting software.Hosting software for VPS may included a mail server, web server or File Transfer Protocol (FTP) program.
Such programs make it possible for your site to become “interactive” so-to-speak. eCommerce sites as well as blog sites rely on hosting VPS software to function accordingly. Furthermore, Virtual private servers are great for companies who need a website tailored to their needs but cannot afford a dedicated server.Which leads us to another point; VPS monitoring.
What is VPS Monitoring?
Suppose you run aneCommerce site. If you are a small business, do you really have the ability to monitor the site 24 hours a day? Most likely not, but, what if your checkout page goes down un-expectedly at 2:30 am? Chances are you won’t discover the problem until later that morning.
If and when a person goes to buy something from your website and cannot, they’ll eventually give up and leave the site. Although this is a hypothetical situation, scenarios like this happen all the time to eCommerce sites. There’s precisely where a VPS monitoring service may help. Some VPS devices may log system errors enabling you to trouble shoot the problem.
Some VPS providers include 24/7uptime policy, which basically means if your site goes down, they will be able to fix it a.s.a.p. Third party applications may send an automated text message to you phone whenever it detects server downtime. While this may not be a pleasant way to be woken up in the middle of the night, the sooner you are notified the faster you can be up and running again.
You don’t need to be a web-developer to monitor your VPS during business hours either. Third party monitoring software does exist which you can install on a VPS server. Start monitoring the following:
- Processing orders
- Un-sent email
- Files system storage
- Process status
- CPU usage
- Disk I/O
BIO: James Mulvey is a tech writer and blog editor at Colocation America. He covers a wide variety of topics within the data center industry, from tech trends to industry news.