What is a Managed Server?
Every EliteRAX dedicated server plan can be turned into a managed server by simply adding the "management" option to your plan. All server clusters get managed support at no charge.
A managed server is a dedicated server whose physical maintenance, security and upkeep is monitored and maintained by the client's web hosting company and not by the client themselves. A managed server allows the end-user to focus on running their website or websites without having to worry about keeping the server up and running efficiently and securely.
EliteRAX provides the following services to clients who choose the "managed option" when configuring their dedicated servers. The services are provided free to all clients who purchase load balanced server cluster plans.
Note: All management services are provided directly by EliteRAX's on-site staff.
Off-Server Backup of Data
Data backup is an important tool, both to allow quick and full recovery from catastrophic server failure - and to allow recovery from mistakes made when creating and configuring a website. It also aids in recovering from security breaches and in helping to track what happened in such situations.
EliteRAX provides the following data backup services to its managed server clients:
- All site files, mail and databases are backed up daily off server.
- Backups are performed during off-peak hours to minimize impact on website performance.
- Daily backups are kept for one week
- The most recent daily backup of each week is kept for an additional three weeks.
Monitoring of Critical Services
To be able to prevent a bad situation from spiraling out of control, it is critical to monitor crucial services in order to catch potential problems early - whether they're hardware or software based, or security issues. When the monitoring system detects a problem, our staff is immediately alerted so they respond appropriately.
EliteRAX provides the following monitoring services on all managed servers.
- HTTP, MySQL and SSH services are monitored every three minutes by default
- Monitored services and check intervals can be customized to the client's specifications
- E-mail and/or SMS notifications can be configured to meet the client's needs
Security
No one knows better than us that security is a major issue for anyone running a website - and especially those who are running large, high-traffic websites.
EliteRAX provides the following security services to all managed servers.
- Routine monitoring and updates of critical software
- Initial configuration of the APF (Advanced Policy Firewall)
- Initial hardening of server - turning off unneeded services
- ClamAV antivirus scanning of email for viruses, trojans, phishing attacks, etc.
- Rootkit detection with chkrootkit and rkhunter to ensure your server has not been compromised
Software Updates/Upgrades
Managed servers are routinely updated with the latest stable versions of critical server software (PHP, MySQL, etc.) to fix any bugs and/or problems that may have been identified in previous versions. Running the latest versions of critical software ensures our customers are getting the most out of their managed server.
EliteRAX provides the following software update services on all managed servers.
- Monitoring of important server software for new stable releases
- Regular updates are made automatically
- Large updates (i.e. upgrading from PHP4 to PHP5) are only performed upon client request, to ensure compatibilty with existing web applications.
Pro-active Maintenance
All hardware will eventually fail - it's only a question of when. It's a fact of life and the best way to deal with it is to be prepared. Whether it's a component that needs to be replaced, or an entire server, we do whatever is required to ensure little, if any, downtime for our customers.
EliteRAX provides the following pro-active maintenance services to all managed servers.
- Hardware is constantly monitored for signs of failure
- Crucial hardware failures are immediately addressed
- Non-crucial hardware replacements are made during a client-specified maintenance window
- All hardware maintenance costs are included in the managed service agreement
Optimization
Web server applications are highly customizable - and what's right for one website may not be ideal for another. For example, if a customer has a very busy web forum we monitor the server's performance and adjust settings as needed to ensure peak performance.
EliteRAX provides the following software optmization services to all managed servers.
- Software optimization is performed according to the individual needs of the client
- Settings are adjusted and re-adjusted over time to continually ensure optimal performance
- We support popular PHP/CGI configurations such as mod_php, SuPHP, and FastCGI
If you are still not sure about what a managed server is, or have additional questions about managed servers, just ask us.
