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Frequently Asked Questions

Virtual Hosting Questions

Xen-specific questions

Jail-specific questions

Virtual Hosting

What is a virtual private server (VPS)?

A virtual private server is a logical instance of a server that is running on the same physical hardware as other logical servers. From a software perspective, a virtual private server behaves very much like a standalone server in that there is an operating system, and programs run inside the operating system. However, by pooling multiple virtual servers on the same physical hardware, we can offer significant cost savings compared to a full physical server.

What virtualization technology do you use?

We currently offer virtualized servers using FreeBSD Jail virtualization as well as Xen virtualization. Each types of virtualization have their own benefits and limitations. Please see the separate FAQ sections for detailed Xen- and Jail-specific information.

What are the limitations of a VPS?

In most ways, a VPS behaves just like a standalone server. As a VPS customer, you have root access to your system. You can install applications and daemons to run advanced Internet servers. The virtualization technologies we use do have some limitations in them. These limitations are mainly related to advanced networking features as well as kernel customization. Please see the Xen- and Jail-specific sections of this FAQ for further information.

Overall, a VPS offers almost all of the functionality of having your own dedicated server but with a much more economical pricing structure for users who do not need all of the resources of a full server.

How many websites can I host on a VPS?

Since each VPS has its own complete operating system and application environment, there are no hard limits on the number of databases, email addresses or websites hosted. The only limits come into play when the resources are heavily used and start to use up most of the memory or hard disk space provisioned in a VPS. When that happens, we can rapidly upgrade your VPS to a higher package with almost no downtime or interruption.

Do I have root access on my VPS?

Yes, all virtual servers do come with full root access. This allows you to configure any setting on the server, add extra software and even compile your own software.

How safe is a VPS?

Unlike traditional shared web hosting, a VPS operates under a much different security model. In a shared hosting environment, all users are hosted on the same filesystem and in the same operating system which can potentially allow users to read each others data and adversely affect the performance of other users. In a VPS, each user is setup with their own separate filesystem and operating environment. This ensures a safe layer of protection between each VPS.

Do you offer IPv6 service?

Currently we do not offer native IPv6 service. However, if you have a Xen-based VPS, you can setup a 6to4 tunnel through various tunnel brokers (such as HE or SixXS) to connect to the IPv6 Internet. We do plan to offer native IPv6 service in the future, but no expected date has been set.

What software is available on a VPS?

Each VPS comes with a base installation of FreeBSD. This includes standard Unix utilities and commands as well as the full FreeBSD ports collection. The ports collection easily allows users and administrators to install over 17,000 different free software packages that have been specifically customized for the FreeBSD environment. Practically every software package needed to run a robust web, mail and database server environment is available in the ports collection. RootBSD technicians are also available to assist you with installing software from the ports tree.

What about a control panel for administering a VPS?

All RootBSD virtual servers include a basic web-based administration tool called RootCP. RootCP allows you to start, stop and reboot your VPS as well as troubleshoot standard operating issues.

How long does it take to setup a new VPS?

All VPS orders are manually verified in order to prevent fraudulent orders. New VPSs are setup within 24 hours, although usually it only takes a few hours for this process.

Xen-specific Questions

What are the benefits of a Xen VPS?

Xen virtualization offers a more complete standalone guest operating system compared to OS-level virtualization such as FreeBSD Jails. Xen virtualization makes use of Intel's Virtualization Technology to present a virtualized physical computer to the FreeBSD guest operating system. This allows some features that are not available in a FreeBSD Jail, since the Xen VPS has its own separate kernel.

The main benefits available in a Xen VPS are advanced networking features such as firewalling, tunnelling and additional IP addresses. You can also modify and build your own kernel in a Xen VPS.

What limitations are there in a Xen VPS?

Because of the hardware virtualization used in Xen, users may see lower performance compared to a FreeBSD Jail. The diskspace on a Xen VPS cannot be easily upgraded, since partitions cannot be extended in the virtual disk.

Can FreeBSD be upgraded?

Yes, the FreeBSD OS can be upgraded in-place in a Xen VPS. These systems may be upgraded just like a dedicated system, as outlined in the FreeBSD Handbook.

Can my Xen VPS package be upgraded?

Yes, a Xen VPS can be upgraded. The upgrade in RAM will require a reboot of your VPS. The bandwidth upgrade can take effect immediately. Unfortunately, the hard disk size cannot be upgraded in-place, but an additional disk can be setup for you to mount in your VPS.

Is it possible to put the NIC in promiscuous mode?

Yes, you can use promiscouos mode on the network card in order to view Ethernet frames. This can be used for network security tools such as snort to analyze your network traffic. The NIC of a VPS will not see traffic of any other VPSs, due to the network restrictions we have in place.

Can I setup a firewall?

Unlike Jail-based VPS, there are no restrictions in firewall options that you can setup in your FreeBSD VPS. The FreeBSD guest operating system treats the network interface just as a normal physical NIC. You can setup a firewall such as ipfw to protect your VPS.

How do I get additional IP addresses?

You may request additional IP addresses for your Xen VPS by opening a support ticket. Additional IP addresses are billed $1/mo per address. Additional IP requests are subject to manual review and must meet the justification requirements of ARIN.

Jail-specific Questions

What are the benefits of a Jail VPS?

The Jail VPS uses OS-level virtualization technology built into FreeBSD. This results in higher overall performance due to minimalized overhead. These systems are ideal for new or beginner users. A Jail VPS can also be upgraded or downgraded in a seamless process. RAM and disk space can be upgraded or downgraded instantly on a live system. The Jail VPS also offers a firewall service managed by RootBSD, so you do not have to configure complex firewall rules.

What limitations are there in a Jail VPS?

Generally, users will not notice any limitations in the system when installing or working with applications and software. However, some advanced features are not available in a Jail VPS such as user-maintained firewalls, tunnelling, network modifications, kernel tweaking and disk partitioning. Common web server setups such as Apache, MySQL, PHP can be setup easily without issue.

Can FreeBSD be upgraded?

The FreeBSD environment offered in a Jail cannot be upgraded in-place by the user. Each Jail runs under a common kernel that is maintained by RootBSD. Any critical security problems in the kernel will be remedied by a system-wide kernel update performed by the RootBSD team. Users who want to move to a newer FreeBSD release will be given that option once we have deployed it.

Can a Jail VPS package be upgraded?

Yes, the parameters of a Jail VPS package such as RAM, disk space and bandwidth can be changed dynamically while the Jail system is running. This allows for seamless upgrades and downgrades as needed, without downtime.

Can I setup a firewall?

We do offer the option of firewalls in a Jail VPS. However, the firewall rules are maintained on the host system by the RootBSD team, and are not accessible by the user. Any new firewall setups or change requests can be handled by opening a support ticket. There is no extra fee for this service.