Mobile VDS server management
Hello!
We are pleased to announce the launch of the VDS Live application for iOS and Android platforms (for version 4.X +). In this post we will talk about the main features of our development and how it was created.
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A year ago, we launched the VDS service, which we talked about in Habré . Since then, we not only successfully provide this service to the market, but also actively use it for our own needs.
Transferring most of our customer services to virtual servers has allowed us to improve our services and optimize hardware costs. Now we are much less tied to the hardware, which allows us to solve a number of technical problems faster and easier. Preventive maintenance at the moment is not difficult, and adding the required capacity to the server is a matter of a few minutes.
It's time to move on to the next stage - we have made managing the VDS service more convenient and faster. Our users received a new opportunity to access the virtual infrastructure - through a mobile application. You can reboot the server, create a snapshot or add a compute node now via a smartphone running Android or iOS. All this gives ample opportunities for simple and convenient administration of a large cluster of virtual servers.
Applications for iOS and Android were developed at different times, so their functionality and the appearance of the interface are somewhat different. In this post we will focus on the story about the application for Android, as among our VDS users this platform is more popular.
From the point of view of design, we were guided by the fact that the application should look native on the platform on which it is installed. Therefore, the interface for iOS and Android was developed by us separately.
We have worked and identified three blocks of basic functions that are most often used during server administration:
In order to quickly evaluate the performance of all servers on the account, you can use the side menu. It is called with a swipe right and allows you to quickly see the current status of virtual servers, as well as their uptime. By clicking on one of the servers, you can immediately go to it.
From our point of view, server diagnostics is the most important server management function. Therefore, this option can be seen immediately after entering the application. For example, traffic information as well as CPU utilization are located on the main screen. This allows you to quickly see the current status of the server. For example, information about channel clogged or about 100% processor utilization will help to quickly take the necessary measures to solve the problem.
Server settings are also important information needed for diagnostics. Here you can see a list of IPv4 and IPv6 addresses associated with the server.
The main server operations (reboot / on / off) are placed on the main interface panel, which allows you to quickly perform the necessary operations with the server. Sometimes there are situations when the server suddenly starts to work intermittently. If you have a keyboard at hand - you can quickly figure out what's wrong. But if a problem situation suddenly arises, and you are on the road and there is no one to insure you - the ability to quickly reboot the server will make your life much easier.
We told about our first version of the mobile application for managing VDS , so we welcome your comments that will help us make it even more convenient and functional.
If you do not have an account in Timeweb, you can easily create it by registering directly from the application (at the moment the function is available only for Android). If you want to use the test period for VDS, order it through the control panel cp.timeweb.ru .
We are pleased to announce the launch of the VDS Live application for iOS and Android platforms (for version 4.X +). In this post we will talk about the main features of our development and how it was created.
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Introduction
A year ago, we launched the VDS service, which we talked about in Habré . Since then, we not only successfully provide this service to the market, but also actively use it for our own needs.
Transferring most of our customer services to virtual servers has allowed us to improve our services and optimize hardware costs. Now we are much less tied to the hardware, which allows us to solve a number of technical problems faster and easier. Preventive maintenance at the moment is not difficult, and adding the required capacity to the server is a matter of a few minutes.
It's time to move on to the next stage - we have made managing the VDS service more convenient and faster. Our users received a new opportunity to access the virtual infrastructure - through a mobile application. You can reboot the server, create a snapshot or add a compute node now via a smartphone running Android or iOS. All this gives ample opportunities for simple and convenient administration of a large cluster of virtual servers.
Applications for iOS and Android were developed at different times, so their functionality and the appearance of the interface are somewhat different. In this post we will focus on the story about the application for Android, as among our VDS users this platform is more popular.
From the point of view of design, we were guided by the fact that the application should look native on the platform on which it is installed. Therefore, the interface for iOS and Android was developed by us separately.
Functional
We have worked and identified three blocks of basic functions that are most often used during server administration:
- Diagnosis and quick action.
- Settings and snapshots.
- Account Actions.
Diagnostics and quick actions
In order to quickly evaluate the performance of all servers on the account, you can use the side menu. It is called with a swipe right and allows you to quickly see the current status of virtual servers, as well as their uptime. By clicking on one of the servers, you can immediately go to it.
From our point of view, server diagnostics is the most important server management function. Therefore, this option can be seen immediately after entering the application. For example, traffic information as well as CPU utilization are located on the main screen. This allows you to quickly see the current status of the server. For example, information about channel clogged or about 100% processor utilization will help to quickly take the necessary measures to solve the problem.
Server settings are also important information needed for diagnostics. Here you can see a list of IPv4 and IPv6 addresses associated with the server.
The main server operations (reboot / on / off) are placed on the main interface panel, which allows you to quickly perform the necessary operations with the server. Sometimes there are situations when the server suddenly starts to work intermittently. If you have a keyboard at hand - you can quickly figure out what's wrong. But if a problem situation suddenly arises, and you are on the road and there is no one to insure you - the ability to quickly reboot the server will make your life much easier.
Server Tuning
- If server performance is not enough for work, now you can immediately add necessary resources from the application or free up unnecessary ones. To do this, the application has a settings block that allows you to:
- Change the number of processor cores.
- Change the size of RAM.
- Perform the necessary operations with disks (add / remove / resize).
- Increase the channel width.
- Change server name.
- Remove server.
- We have built in the application functionality reinstalling the operating system. If our user has changed the purpose of using the server, the current operating system was inconvenient or malfunctions began to appear (yes, our VDS also work on Windows =)) - it will not be difficult to reinstall it.
- Information received in time can significantly save time and money. Therefore, we inform our users about what is happening with their accounts via SMS and Push-notifications in the application. To begin, we added the following basic notifications:
- Blocking VDS.
- Admission payment.
- Deadline for domain delegation.
We collect feedback on what other notifications would be useful to users and add them in the next release.
- Talking about the benefits of snapshots on Habré does not make sense. Make a quick copy of the server before the next release, or save a copy before a big system update - all these actions save you a lot of work in the future. Therefore, we consider it necessary to transfer the backup function to the mobile application. After performing a risky operation, the user can immediately remove the snapshot, or leave it until the stability of the system does not cause concern.
Account Actions
- Sometimes in the course of work the user may have certain questions or problems. Now you can get advice directly through the mobile application. It is possible to add a screenshot if something is not done or the information is not clear.
- When a VDS user runs out of money, he can quickly replenish an account using a mobile application.
Conclusion
We told about our first version of the mobile application for managing VDS , so we welcome your comments that will help us make it even more convenient and functional.
If you do not have an account in Timeweb, you can easily create it by registering directly from the application (at the moment the function is available only for Android). If you want to use the test period for VDS, order it through the control panel cp.timeweb.ru .
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/206464/
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