Under control: a tool for monitoring VDS server disk
We at Timeweb continue to develop virtual servers and talk about it.
In September, the VDS Evo customers were given the opportunity to monitor the employment of disk space. Now the client can get information on disk space utilization using the widget on the server page or from mail and SMS notifications.
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Probably everyone faced with a situation where the disk space came to an end. An expanded log, outdated backups or a logical error in the script led to incorrect operation of the site or the entire server.
Virtual servers are a product where the hosting provider deliberately does not plunge into client files. You select the desired OS (Ubuntu, Debian, CentOS, Windows Server, etc.), get root access and get to work. And hosting supports the performance of the entire system (virtualization, network, interfaces), without going into details of the client's project.
However, time after time, receiving applications with a claim to the site being unavailable due to the fact that the virtual server disk is full, the idea arose to supplement the panel tools with what it now seems to be in the default product - monitoring the disk.
You do not need to install additional server panels to evaluate the embedded tool. Everything is available immediately after creating your first server.
You will always know when disk space comes to an end. To do this, we made it possible to receive alerts by mail and SMS.
As your own web project grows, it inevitably begins to take up more space due to its content. Logs, backup copies are also formed, the database grows, therefore it is important to find out in a timely manner when disk space approaches the end.
Go to the "Notifications" section and indicate if you would like to receive messages around the clock if the disk is full or at a certain time. You choose whether to send such information to e-mail or SMS.
We decided to use the ready-made library libguestfs to collect the metrics, as it is good in terms of security and support for various file systems. Literally all file systems of our clients are supported, except ReFS on some VDS on Windows OS.
There were no difficulties in the implementation as such, since we planned the feature in advance and painted the implementation in great detail. But it did not save us.
At the first team meeting, when it seemed that all the subtleties were taken into account, a lot of adjustments and ideas came from the developers. In the end, this resulted in a long treatise of 13 points, which we considered and implemented afterwards.
The release of the tool was held in 2 stages. In the beginning, we rolled it out to 10% of customers, and a week later we opened it to everyone. In 1 batch, we received only 3 requests, where there were suspicions that our tool was not working, but during individual analysis we found out that there were no errors, data collection was working correctly.
Now the tool is implemented and available to all customers, along with the usual tools. We have already received the first reviews, but we plan to continue to collect feedback, which will add new features to the widget or add a completely new element for greater customer convenience.
Today we want to learn from our readers about what moments in the life of a hosting company would you like to know in future publications?
In September, the VDS Evo customers were given the opportunity to monitor the employment of disk space. Now the client can get information on disk space utilization using the widget on the server page or from mail and SMS notifications.
')
What for?
Probably everyone faced with a situation where the disk space came to an end. An expanded log, outdated backups or a logical error in the script led to incorrect operation of the site or the entire server.
Virtual servers are a product where the hosting provider deliberately does not plunge into client files. You select the desired OS (Ubuntu, Debian, CentOS, Windows Server, etc.), get root access and get to work. And hosting supports the performance of the entire system (virtualization, network, interfaces), without going into details of the client's project.
However, time after time, receiving applications with a claim to the site being unavailable due to the fact that the virtual server disk is full, the idea arose to supplement the panel tools with what it now seems to be in the default product - monitoring the disk.
You do not need to install additional server panels to evaluate the embedded tool. Everything is available immediately after creating your first server.
How it works
You will always know when disk space comes to an end. To do this, we made it possible to receive alerts by mail and SMS.
As your own web project grows, it inevitably begins to take up more space due to its content. Logs, backup copies are also formed, the database grows, therefore it is important to find out in a timely manner when disk space approaches the end.
Go to the "Notifications" section and indicate if you would like to receive messages around the clock if the disk is full or at a certain time. You choose whether to send such information to e-mail or SMS.
How was the development
We decided to use the ready-made library libguestfs to collect the metrics, as it is good in terms of security and support for various file systems. Literally all file systems of our clients are supported, except ReFS on some VDS on Windows OS.
There were no difficulties in the implementation as such, since we planned the feature in advance and painted the implementation in great detail. But it did not save us.
At the first team meeting, when it seemed that all the subtleties were taken into account, a lot of adjustments and ideas came from the developers. In the end, this resulted in a long treatise of 13 points, which we considered and implemented afterwards.
The release of the tool was held in 2 stages. In the beginning, we rolled it out to 10% of customers, and a week later we opened it to everyone. In 1 batch, we received only 3 requests, where there were suspicions that our tool was not working, but during individual analysis we found out that there were no errors, data collection was working correctly.
Summing up
Now the tool is implemented and available to all customers, along with the usual tools. We have already received the first reviews, but we plan to continue to collect feedback, which will add new features to the widget or add a completely new element for greater customer convenience.
Today we want to learn from our readers about what moments in the life of a hosting company would you like to know in future publications?
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/423743/
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