Internet hosting services use the term “virtual private server,” or VPS as it is more commonly referred to, to describe a situation in which a virtual machine runs simultaneously with other virtual machines on a single physical computer server. By allowing many VPSs to run on a single machine, server hosts are able to offer their clients many advantages over combined servers or single-use dedicated servers.
What are some advantages of a Virtual Private Server (VPS)?
One advantage to VPS is the fact that a single client can run multiple variations of a program on the same machine, but set up as if these programs were running on different servers. For example, a single host can manage two different versions of an operating system for a client who needs to run part of a website on older software. These two operating systems can run simultaneously on the same server, but will act as if they are running on different machines. This can be very convenient in the event of a problem with one version of the software; that issue can be addressed without attacking your entire server structure.
Each VPS, even though it runs on the same machine, can be rebooted and managed independently. This is a great advantage when working out the “bugs” in a new program, and also reduces hardware and utilization expenses.
How long have Virtual Private servers been around?
Surprisingly, VPS’s have always been around, with the practice of “partitioning” servers commonly used on large mainframes. However, new software technology allows for far more individual partitioning, and often companies run several simultaneous server configurations from one central location. With the advent of “cloud” computing, VPS will continue to grow, and much attention is currently being paid to how website hosting companies will manage this new use of the old concept.
How does a Virtual Private Server work?
In order to understand how a VPS works, think of a large hotel. Each guest is allotted his or her own room. In that room are certain resources: a bed, desk, dresser, television, and so on. The guest in a particular room is not aware of any resources available in other rooms; he or she can only see what is in that particular room. In this way, VPS’s set up a large “hotel” of individually-allocated server resources. A program which is running on one section of the VPS is not aware of the resources dedicated to other sections, and does not attempt to cross over or utilize them. The umbrella under which all the sections of the server operate is called the hypervisor, a hybrid term combining “hyper” and “supervisor.” The hypervisor acts as a manager for the system, much as a hotel manager acts as supervisor for the number of rooms in his building.
Within a VPS, the “guest systems,” as they are called, can be operated differently, depending on the setup of the VPS. Some guest systems are fully virtualized; others are paravirtualized; others are hybrids of the two types of systems.
Fully virtualized systems are dependent on the host entirely to translate all requests of the system to the main hardware. This is because in a fully virtualized system, the guest system acts as if it is operating on real hardware, when in fact it is operating on commands translated from the host server. In paravirtualized systems, the guest system is coded to understand that it is operating on translated commands; in other words, the guest system is aware that it is not operating on “real” hardware. The guest system can communicate directly with the hardware in a paravirtualized system, bypassing the hypervisor. Many operating systems support this method of virtualization, such as Linux and OpenSolaris.
Some systems are hybrids of the two systems, relying on full virtualization for most processes but allowing paravirtulization through drivers for specific tasks. This is done to increase speed in networking and other processes which might lose speed from full virtualization and the time necessary to convert these commands. A kernel-based virtual machine is an example of one which uses hybrid virtualization techniques.
Who should buy a Virtual Private Server?
VPSs are intended to act as a middle ground between shared web hosting and dedicated web hosting. VPS offers many of the advantages of dedicated web servers, without the high price tag often associated with this method of web hosting. However, unlike a dedicated server, VPSs will not offer unlimited RAM space or processing speeds. A client choosing a VPS over a dedicated server will make some sacrifices regarding these features.
Like dedicated and shared servers, the client must be aware of exactly what services the VPS hoster provides in terms of maintenance and technical support. Many companies offer a full package which will manage your entire website, security, and other details, but these services come at a price. Some VPS servers will offer space without any support, and the customer must deal with all problems. Some companies also offer a blend of the two, with limited technical support and more freedom for the client.
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