VPS FAQ

 

What is included on my VPS? (without Plesk)

The VPS package is like a blank canvas. The only programs that come pre-installed and set up on the VPS packages are:

  • The Operating System
  • Anything included with a basic install of that Operating System
  • The webserver for that Operating System (e.g. Apache on Linux, IIS on Windows)

It does not include any extra applications such as PHP, MySQL, or MSSQL. All of these can be installed by you and configured as they need them.

Is MS SQL pre-installed on any of the VPS packages?

MS SQL does not come included in any VPS package, either with or without the Plesk control panel. You will have to download this and install it yourself on your Windows VPS if you require it. The Express Edition of MSSQL is free, however Microsoft charge a licence fee for the Standard Edition.


Is MySQL or PHP pre-install on any of the VPS packages?

These applications are only installed with the Plesk control panel. This means they are pre-installed on any VPS package that you purchase with the Plesk control panel. If you do not purchase the Plesk control panel you will have to install these applications yourself. They are both available free of charge from their vendors.

What can I install on my VPS?

A VPS is a virtual dedicated server. This means you can install pretty much any applications or add-ons that you need, and set them up exactly as you need them. You will have full administrative\root access to the VPS and so can set it up exactly as you require. You would only need to bear in mind the physical limitations (disk space, RAM, CPU) of your VPS. There are some restrictions with the VPS in relation to major Operating System changes (for example change the Operating System outright, or perform a dist-upgrade in Ubuntu).

What is the Plesk control panel?

Plesk is a user-friendly control panel that allows the easy set up of domains, websites, email accounts, databases etc. on our VPS packages. If you are not too familiar with setting up a webserver then we would recommend this control panel.

It is not available on the Starter VPS package and is only available on VPS packages with the following Operating Systems:

  • Windows Server 2003
  • CentOS 5
  • Debian 4.0

It is also not possible to easily upgrade from a non-Plesk VPS to a Plesk VPS.

Should I install a firewall or anti-virus program on my VPS?

All of our VPS packages are protected by a shared hardware firewall so you do not typically need to install an extra firewall. This allows traffic in through some of the more common ports (e.g. website, email, FTP traffic). You can see more about this in our Knowledgebase.

You can install an anti-virus program if you want to, however you might want to take into regard the physical requirements of any such program as many anti-virus programs can use up a lot of system resources (e.g. CPU and RAM). If you are installing your own anti-virus program or firewall you will also need to be careful that you do not block yourself out from the VPS, or restrict email traffic.

For example, when enabled, the default Windows firewall will block Remote Desktop traffic in and website traffic out from a VPS. This will cause you to be unable to log into the VPS or view any websites on it.

Who is in charge of updating or patching the VPS?

Most of the upgrading and patching of a VPS is the responsibility of the VPS owner. In particular for any third party applications you might install such as MSSQL, MySQL, or PHP. You will need to keep this updated and secure yourself.

If you have Plesk installed you can keep PHP and MySQL up to date within the Plesk control panel.

General Operating System updates are installed onto the physical VPS server itself and pushed out to all relevent VPS packages on that server. You do not need to install these updates manually. In particular for Windows users, please do not attempt to install Windows Updates manually on the VPS itself.

On Linux VPS packages we do not recommend you perform any major dist-upgrades without consulting us first as this could cause issues within your VPS.

Other major upgrades to any physical VPS server, such as the install of a Windows Service Pack, will be scheduled by our Engineers.







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