Server OS Tips

Getting the right hardware and network setup for your server is difficult enough. Choosing the right operating system, configuring it, and then maintaining it can be overwhelming. Here are a few tips to get you through the process.

1. If you are on a limited budget, you should definitely consider a free and open source operating system like Linux, FreeBSD, or OpenSolaris.

2. You can support your own server if you have the technical knowledge. Otherwise, you should get a commercial operating system (open source or proprietary) that comes with support.

3. Make sure the OS you choose is one you can live with for a long time. It is never a good idea to change the server OS once the server is live.

4. Think long term. You want an OS that will be stable, updated, and supported for years to come.

5. If you are trying a new OS like Linux for the first time, test it using a virtual machine like Virtualbox. You can learn a lot from it before ever even installing it on your server.

6. Make sure the software and web applications you want to run will be compatible with the server operating system you choose. You do not want to find out that they are not compatible after the fact.

7. Paying more will not necessarily get you better quality. Weigh the pros and cons of features, security, and stability to make your decision.

Photo Source: Flickr

System Rescue CD for Linux

Running your own server can sometimes be a headache. For many, running a data center, even one that only has one server, can be a nightmare. When something goes wrong, all of the responsibility to fix it falls on you. The plus side of such a situation, however, is that you are in full control and have physical access to your server.

It is very difficult to make a Linux system completely unbootable, but in the even that you manage to accomplish this, you can use a system rescue CD to possibly fix whatever might have gone wrong. One in particular, called System Rescue CD is a bootable Linux distribution that can run from a CD or USB drive.

System Rescue CD comes with a host of useful tools that can help you troubleshoot your server’s problems and come to a workable solution. If nothing else, it allows you to have access to your data so that you can safely transfer it before reinstalling your OS on your machine. System Rescue CD is free and open source software and is available for free download from the project’s website.

Migration from One OS to Another

Migrating a server is never really a good idea, but in some cases, it may be just what you need for business growth or website stability and security. Depending on your needs, you may be switch from Windows to Linux, Linux to Windows, Solaris to BSD, or any number of possibilities. When you do switch, there are a few issues you should consider.

1. Find out what is compatible and what will not convert over to the new system. HTML files and other static material will. But will scripts written in PHP, ASP, Perl, etc. be lost?

2. Test any data conversion before pulling the plug on the old server. Just because your old Solaris server ran MySQL does not mean that your data will work without any glitches on the new Linux server with MySQL. They may be different versions or have different settings enabled. Test and retest.

3. Try out the new server and learn its administrative ins and outs. Do not wait until you have a security problem to realize you have no idea what to do.

4. Consider the financial ramifications. While moving from licensed software to free software is probably a good step in the long run, you still might have expenses. Make sure you take those into account.

5. Finally, make sure you have backups of everything and a backup plan if it all falls apart. Good luck!

Photo Source: Flickr

Virtual machine memory allocation

Question: How much memory will I need to run virtual machines on my server?

Answer: There is no simple answer to this question. Generally speaking, to virtualize an operating system you need at least as much RAM as is normally required to run the OS independently. Therefore, if your OS requires 512MB of RAM to run normally, it will require that in virtualization.

It is, however, not quite that simple. Depending on your application needs, server loads, and the amount of data being accessed and transferred, your needs could range from the low (512MB) to the high (4GB) or even beyond that.

Therefore, it is important to know exactly what you need and how much RAM you would normally need to run the applications you are trying to run. Some virtualization software also includes dynamic memory allocation so that you can set a base amount and allow the amount used to expand on an as-needed basis. As with anything that might tax your server’s load, use it wisely.

Photo: Flickr