The difference between a virtual server and a physical one. Dedicated server - physical or virtual? Physical and virtual server

Server – software or hardware?

All website owners and many ordinary Internet users have heard the word “server” more than once. And in some cases the server was spoken of as a program (“server functions”, “server with support...”), and in others - as equipment (“space on the server”, “load on the server”). What is it really - software or hardware?

Both. A server as hardware is a computer dedicated to performing certain tasks. This server may be intended for storing data and for performing any continuous functions (for example, supporting the operation of a program). It does not require additional maintenance like a regular one Personal Computer. All a specialist needs to do is do initial setup and check the server operation from time to time.

Any server must have the appropriate software. It allows you to use hardware resources and perform the required functions, i.e. carry out service. Often this software (and sometimes the services provided by its owners) is called a server.

There are many types of servers, but when applied to the Internet, the creation and promotion of websites, we can distinguish physical and virtual dedicated servers as alternatives to conventional hosting. Each variety has its own advantages and disadvantages, which can be completely eliminated when used in appropriate situations.

Types of servers.

Depending on the functions that the server performs, it can belong to one of several types:
- Web server. This is a fairly common type on the Internet, which is designed to contain and provide access to web resources.

File server. Its main purpose is data storage and distribution of access to files. The quality criteria for such a server are the amount of disk memory and the degree of data protection.

Database server. It is an auxiliary part of the database management system (DBMS). Such a server must provide the required throughput and continuity of operation.

Communication server. It can act as a proxy server, router, IP address distributor, or VPN (virtual private network) server. Provides high data protection and anonymity on the network.

Mail server. As the name suggests, it is used to work with by email– sending and receiving, processing, storing letters from users, target visitors. The larger the local network, the more users, the more important the role of this server.

Backup server. Quite an important part of the hardware and software complex in any company. To this server in automatic mode all is copied important information. In order to protect information from a physical threat (for example, fire), it may be located in another room or building.

Physical and virtual server.

The server has a lot of tasks. And one of the most common is supporting the operation of a website on the Internet.

The Internet is not some general source where you can post something. All sites and any files available on the network are hosted on physical servers. If the server fails, the site is no longer accessible to other Internet users. The same can be said about any other programs, data, content that are available within the same local network.

In order to host a website, database or program that would be accessible to all users on the network, you need to get a server at your disposal - physical or virtual.

In the Internet sphere, “physical” is a server that is located directly at the user’s site. This is a workstation or dedicated computer with the appropriate software, which has a permanent connection to the Internet or local network. Purchasing and maintaining a physical server costs a lot of money, so it is used only in some cases. For example, if it is necessary to service a large local network. Physical servers are required by hosting and Internet providers, as well as owners of large popular Internet resources (for example, Yandex).

A virtual server is a service provided by hosting providers who have a physical server at their disposal. In this case, the user rents the entire server and places his data on it, which is then available on the Internet.

Colleagues, I am pleased to inform you that a meeting of the VMware community is planned for June 26 of this year in Moscow.

In addition, we try to make this meeting convenient simply for communication - to have the opportunity to discuss what and how colleagues are doing, this can be very useful. And from a couple of hundred people who come (including those coming from other cities), it is usually possible to find a suitable interlocutor .

The meeting is free for participants, registration is required (registration form below).

Important! - we took into account the experience and feedback from last year, and now we have radically reduced the number of sponsors and sponsorship reports, which had the most complaints.

The program, as usual, is still in the process of settling down, but first there is already an understanding of who wants to talk about what:

Anton Zhbankov will definitely be there. Last year’s report “VMware ESXi 5.1 Processor Scheduler” was clearly recognized as “the most hair-raising and therefore interesting” report of the last meeting (in reality, I meet a person at work, we communicate, we get together on informal topics and then he tells me “But you know this Anton, he I also gave a hell of a report that year...").
This time, the intensity of the teeth-grinding should increase, without sacrificing usefulness.

I will add more details closer to consolidating the agreements, briefly:
-) details and experience with Virtual SAN;
-) discussion and discussion led by a person implementing “clouds” with his own hands.
-) the rest is to be determined

In this article, we will explain the main differences between a physical and virtual server from the client's point of view. We will also try to debunk some myths along the way. Hopefully this will help individuals and businesses make more informed decisions when purchasing a server.

Physical server (so-called dedicated server)

A physical server is, as the name says, a server (physical computer) that runs an operating system like Windows or Linux, like any other computer. Physical servers are almost everywhere, desktop computers, With big amount improvements that desktop PCs don't have, featuring things like redundant power supplies, RAID controllers, several network cards etc. Physical servers are larger in size with much more powerful components overall. All of them require separate space in the server rack. Most servers also have two or more physical processors, each with multiple cores.

Virtual server (VPS or otherwise virtual machine - VM)

In order for everyone to understand the concept of virtual servers, we need to explain a little about how virtualization works.

Hypervisor– Operating system or software in an operating system that simulates the computer environment in which it is created and run virtual machines.

This means that a hypervisor can either be a standalone piece of software (Type 2 hypervisor) or can act as a hypervisor for the entire operating system(type 1 hypervisor, known as “Bare Metal Hypervisor” or “Embedded Hypervisor”). Examples of Type 2 hypervisors include Oracle VirtualBox, VMware Workstation and Microsoft VirtualPC. Examples of Type 1 hypervisors include VMware ESXi (VSphere), Microsoft Hyper-V, KVM, Xen, and others. The last one is type 1 hypervisors - all of this can be installed in the same way as the operating system is installed on the server. When a hypervisor is installed on a server, its resources are evenly distributed between virtual machines Thus, one server can serve hundreds of virtual machines.

Once created, the virtual machine behaves just like any other computer, you can turn it on and boot into the operating system just like any other computer. The operating system thinks it is running on physical computer. Each virtual machine has its own so-called virtual hardware. The VM has its own processor, HDD and network interface. This means that the default virtual machine does not know that it is a virtual machine unless there is some software on it that will detect it through other means.

Physical vs virtual servers, pros and cons

Now that we understand the concept of virtual servers we can do general comparison both from the client's point of view.

Physical disadvantages of the server

• Much more expensive than virtual server(VPS)
  simply because of the resources required to run and maintain a physical server, they are much more expensive.
• Harder to manage
  Physical servers in general are much more difficult to manage. This is especially true with disaster recovery. Just like on any other machine, there will be a day when, due to a variety of reasons, the server will fail. In these cases, restoring from backups is a real nightmare because the server must be restored from scratch to another (new) server and then the data must be restored from the backups. For mission-critical production systems, this means at least 8 or more hours of downtime. To prevent this, companies create clusters of two or more servers, but of course this will only increase costs.
• Worsescalable
  It is almost impossible to update the server without additional downtime. Additionally, it is worth noting that future upgrades for the dedicated server must be taken into account when ordering the server. Otherwise, the update may result in the creation of a completely new server. Instead of leading to unplanned service migration and thus unplanned service downtime.

Physical server pros

• More powerful than a virtual server
  This is the only reason why you should order a dedicated server. So let's face it, if we have a physical server with 8 GB random access memory and a dual-core processor, and make an exact copy of a virtual machine with the same parameters, a physical server will provide much top scores. This is because the physical server will not suffer from the bottlenecks that are present in virtual machines.

Virtual servers - cons

• Lower performance compared to dedicated servers
  As explained earlier, virtual machines offer slightly less performance than physical servers due to a number of reasons. The main reason is the bottleneck that is between the VM and the hypervisor itself. In most cases this does not matter, because this disadvantage can be easily solved by preparing clusters of three or more virtual servers. Finally, SSD technology has added significant performance to virtual machines.

Virtual pro servers

• Cheaper than a dedicated server
  Virtual machines located on Physical servers can serve hundreds of virtual machines. Resources that can then be distributed between virtual machines and therefore virtual machines take up very few resources on the parent server, which significantly reduces their cost.
• Simplified management
  This is basically the biggest advantage that virtual machines have over physical servers. A virtual machine is much easier to manage than a physical server. For example, when installing a physical server, you need to perform close-up checks on the server hardware and its peripheral devices and make sure they work correctly. If something doesn't work as intended, additional drivers must be installed and configured. When a virtual machine is deployed, the virtual machine receives its drivers from the parent host, so the virtual machine is ready to run immediately. And this is just one example of many.
• Simplified backup and recovery
  Each physical server needs a manifest to make its configurations, applications and what should or should not be backed up for the virtual machines done backups from the entire virtual machine. When a failure occurs for any reason, these backups are ready to be restored immediately and the entire VM is restored instead. Obviously, in such cases, downtime is significantly reduced.
• Scalability and flexibility
  There is no downtime for executing update resources (plans) with more RAM, CPU power, disk space, etc.
• An ideal choice for any web service
  Whether it's a small blog or a big one social network with thousands of visitors per day, the VPS system can be easily adjusted to suit the load. If necessary, more VPS can quickly and easily be added to a cluster serving different aspects of the web service.

So do I need a virtual or physical server for my business?

Short answer - 99.9% of the time, VPS is the best choice.

Virtualization as a technology is getting better and better these days. Almost every company in the world has adopted virtualization to some level. If you don't need the real power of a dedicated server and you also have a large business budget, there is no other reason why you shouldn't choose a VPS. A VPS system, especially if based on an SSD, is fast, secure and easy to manage.

• Dedicated server, or physical server, is the most productive and expensive hosting service. Renting a dedicated server will be an excellent solution for owners of commercial websites, corporate resources, game servers and complex web applications.
• Unlike shared hosting and VPS, when using which you will have to share resources with other users, with Dedicated you will have at your disposal all the power provided within the service. Therefore, hosting a website on a server guarantees a high degree of security: you do not share the server with other sites that may be vulnerable to hacker attacks.
• Renting a dedicated web server and storage system (data storage system) in a data center (data processing center) is ordering a very productive desktop computer in a data center on Windows or Linux with a special set of programs for a certain period. We will provide the server with a fast Internet connection at speeds of up to 10 Gbps, a constant connection to electricity and professional technical support that will help you cope with hardware and software difficulties.
• Another reason for renting server equipment for a website is modern and secure data centers that house dedicated physical servers - the data centers are located in Moscow and are considered one of the most reliable in Russia. Data centers use sources uninterruptible power supply, fire extinguishing and air conditioning systems. This will ensure continuous operation of the servers and your projects.

Dedicated servers based on Intel Xeon processor

• On the site site you have several options for choosing the optimal server configuration:
• 1. Order already ready server. Using filters, you can choose the right car for your budget and needs.
  2. Use the configurator and independently select components for the server.
  3. Write us a request and order a unique server configuration.
• The advantages of the Dedicated server rental service include providing complete freedom in choosing the installed software, as well as control over the equipment: throughput buses, memory and disk. The monthly rental price for a dedicated server depends on its parameters and characteristics.
• You can rent a dedicated server in a data center (data center) based on Intel processors Xeon: E, E3, E5, gold, silver, W in various configurations with SSD drives, SATA or SAS, depending on how powerful the hardware you need.
• How much does it cost to rent a server for a website? The price of such a service is usually higher compared to VPS and shared hosting. Pay attention to the “Cheap Servers” section: in it you can buy (rent) dedicated Dedicated servers for a website in a data center (data center) at the lowest cost per month.
• A dedicated server for rent is a reliable, fast and secure hosting that will provide a lot of opportunities for companies whose Information Systems, sites and projects require round-the-clock uninterrupted operation, large computing resources and disk space for storing and backing up information.