It‘s not a secret that it is impossible to escape a server crash – no matter Windows VPS hosting or Linux hosting is the choice. Another fact is that any error can cause disastrous consequences for a business. What to do? The continuous monitoring of the server is one of the possible solutions. Even so, if the server is already in the stage of a shutdown, not everything is lost – first, it‘s best to take immediate actions, however, to know them, one needs to be acquainted with common errors. Let‘s take a deeper look.
What causes a VPS crash down?
There are several common situations when a VPS crashes down. These can be:
- Long-time loading WebsitePanel URL;
- WebsitePanel, SmartMail, MS SQL, MYSQL have stopped working;
- Failed apps’ connection to MS SQL database.
Also, Windows VPS hosting may face other situations as well. For instance, failed connectivity to SmartMail (when apps can’t connect to MS SQL or other web page connectivity errors occur). All the mentioned situations are likely to happen because of the necessity of large CPU amount, RAM or disk space. When a VPS is unable to feed them, a break down occurs.
Categorization of the problems
It can become much easier to solve the problem when it is divided into the categories. The categories are:
- Low system resources;
- Hardware problems;
- Software problems;
- High server workload.
The categories of Windows VPS hosting or Linux VPS errors also can be broader: system configuration problems, application or services related problems, and hardware problems. The key element in solving the crash is tracking down the source. Now, when the possible reasons for a shut down is listed in the sections above, we can talk about the methods of reviving the server.
Bringing back the Windows VPS
There are three effective ways to bring the server back to life. They are:
- Checking RAM and CPU usage with Windows task manager;
- Deleting unnecessary data;
- Using Event Viewer to expose relevant information.
By using Windows task manager, one will be able to see the overall performance of the server. The fact is that Windows VPS hosting will fail to function properly if the usage of CPU and RAM exceeds 90%. Also, the same scenario will likely repeat if the diskspace usage exceeds 95%.
The first step taken should be removing unnecessary data from a VPS. Another step would be to restart each failure separately inside a server. Finally, turning on an Event Viewer can be a big help – it will show all registered warnings, errors and provide with the background information of any problem.
When a Linux VPS crashes down
Contrary to Windows VPS hosting, Linux is often managed by command line so it is useful to know the main commands that can help in case of a crash. Use „top“ to examine all the running processes: these are CPU usage, process PID, memory and many more. When the load exceeds the indicating number 10, further investigation is necessary to determine the causes.
Also, “Emergency Console” tool can be a great help to log in to the VPS after it has crashed. Five single steps will enable to launch the emergency console:
- Login to the Clients Portal;
- Select My Services > VPS” tab at the top of the page;
- Then press “Manage” button;
- On the left, press “Emergency Console” button;
- Select the hours for how long Web Console should be active and then press “Launch Emergency Console”.
Wait for 5 minutes, refresh the console window and login with “root” user password.
If not monitored constantly, the errors of Windows VPS hosting or Linux VPS can cause serious server disfunctions. First, it is important to put the panic behind and first take reasonable and necessary actions to make the server running again.