Problems with Virtual Servers and How to Overcome Them

Virtual servers are convenient with cost-effective solutions for businesses hosting multiple websites, applications, and services. However, managing a virtual server can be challenging and complex, as many issues can often arise. Fortunately, there are a variety of strategies that can be employed to help mitigate the risks and problems associated with virtual servers.

Virtualization also makes it easy to move workloads between physical servers, giving IT managers more flexibility in deploying their applications.

More than 90% of enterprises already utilize server virtualization, and many more are investigating desktop, application, and storage virtualization.

While it has increased many organizations’ IT efficiency, virtualization has also become the primary target of some challenges. Unfortunately, this alone can lead to a domino effect of unexpected disasters.

By understanding the common issues and implementing the right solutions, businesses can ensure that their virtual servers are running optimally and securely.

Let’s discuss some of the vulnerabilities found within virtualized servers.

What are Virtual Servers?

Virtual servers are a subset of server farms; groups of physical servers sharing the same resources. Virtual servers use software to split a single physical server into multiple virtual servers.

Virtual servers are beneficial when you rent multiple servers from a Hosting Service Provider (HSP) but don’t want to spend the money to purchase and maintain dedicated hardware for each one. You can also use virtual servers to reduce downtime by moving a running application from one machine to another during maintenance or upgrades.

Major Problems with Virtual Server

A virtual server provides many benefits to organizations. However, it also has some disadvantages that you should consider before adopting this technology:

Repartitioning of a Virtualized System

A virtual machine can be repartitioned and resized only within its allocated resources. If the physical host has insufficient resources, it is impossible to increase or decrease the size of the virtual machine.

Backward Compatibility

Virtualization makes backward compatibility difficult. This is because while installing an operating system within a virtual environment, it is impossible to know whether it will work. Furthermore, installing more than one operating system on a single hardware platform is also next to impossible.

Reviving Outdated Environments as Virtual Machines

Another major problem with virtual servers is that they need to allow you to revive outdated environments as virtual machines. For example, suppose your company uses Windows 95 or 98, and they’re no longer supported by Microsoft (i.e., no updates). In that case, these operating systems won’t be operable once they stop getting updates from Microsoft’s website or other sources online.

Degraded Performance

When you run multiple applications on a single physical server, performance can be degraded because each application will have its dedicated resources. In a virtual environment, you share resources among all the running applications, so one application may take up more than its fair share of resources and slow down the others.

Complex Root Cause Analysis

If there’s an issue with your virtual server, it can be challenging to determine which application or process is causing the problem. This makes it hard to identify what needs to be fixed and how long it will take.

Security

Security is another primary concern with virtualization. When all your applications run on one machine, there’s no need for network segmentation or firewalls. But, once you start moving them into separate VMs and sharing resources across those VMs, you will need more controls to ensure each VM only has access to what it needs.

Licensing Compliance

In virtual environments, you can easily exceed your license limits. For example, suppose you have two physical servers with one processor each and want to migrate them into a single virtual environment.

In that case, your license will be exceeded by two processors. This is because you will have more than one processor in one host operating system but still only one license key for that OS (Operating System). As a result, you may need to upgrade your license or purchase another one from the vendor.

Magnified Physical Failures

Virtualization is designed to allow multiple operating systems on one physical machine, but if there’s a problem with one OS, it could bring down the entire system. This magnifies the impact of any physical failure in the server room or data center — from hard drives failing to power outages — which can result in downtime for your business or lost revenue due to downtime in the applications and services provided.

Changing Target Virtualization Environment

With the help of virtualization software like VMware Fusion & vSphere, users can migrate their physical servers into virtual ones without any difficulty. But you change your target virtualization environment. In that case, the entire process will become complicated because you must create a new virtual machine using another virtualization software or hardware platform. This may cause data loss and system downtime due to migration failure or incompatibility between old and new platforms.

Virtual Server Management Best Practices

The good news is that you can manage your virtual server infrastructure quickly and efficiently with the right tools and processes.

Here are some virtual server management best practices to consider:

Patch Servers Regularly: Patch your servers frequently to keep them up to date with the latest security updates and fixes.

Use vSphere High Availability (HA): Use vSphere HA to protect virtual machines from failure by restarting them on alternate hosts if a host fails. vSphere HA is essential for cloud computing environments where multiple customers share resources on a single cluster.

Monitor Your Virtual Servers Regularly: Monitor the performance of your virtual machines by collecting metrics from vSOM and other tools.

Automate Routine Tasks: Automate routine tasks such as power operations, cloning, patching, and updating templates so that you can perform these operations quickly and accurately when needed without having to spend time doing them manually every time they’re required.

Use Templates to Reduce Errors During Deployments: If you have a lot of virtual servers and want to deploy similar configurations across all of them, use templates instead of manually configuring each one individually. This will save time and reduce errors when deploying new services on new machines.

Final Words

Virtual servers are an excellent solution for setting up a new website or redesigning an existing one. But because they remove you from the picture, some problems can’t be foreseen, and many of the issues come down to the admin doing something wrong. However, with some best practices and lessons learned, your virtual server environment can serve its purpose without being a headache.

Protected Harbor is one of the most trusted companies in the US regarding virtual servers and cloud services, as recognized by Goodfirms. With years of experience, we have become a reliable source for businesses that rely on their virtual servers as the backbone of their operations. Moreover, we also offer high-quality customer support and technical assistance, often making us stand out from the competition. Furthermore, our commitment to security and privacy has made us one of the top choices for virtual servers. All in all, Protected Harbor is the ideal partner when it comes to virtual servers and cloud services.

Contact us today if you’re looking for reliable cloud computing or large-scale protection.

How Many Virtual Machines Can You Run at the Same Time?

Every company is different, that goes without saying. Some companies, regardless of size are in need of various necessities within technology. For example, maybe you’re just getting started with cloud computing and you need to know the basics like how much data usage is included in your plan. Maybe, you’re an experienced user who just wants to learn more about the different pricing options available for specific tools. Maybe you’re even just curious about how many Virtual Machines (VMs) your company can run simultaneously.

Below, we will be diving deeper into what VMs are and how many your organization can run depending on the needs and circumstances of your company.

What is a VM?

A Virtual Machine (VM) is a software emulation of a computer that operates within another computer, utilizing advanced virtualization technology. This allows you to host and run websites and applications on a remote server without needing to purchase or maintain your own hardware. VMs can serve a variety of purposes and can run multiple operating systems. You can scale the number of VMs up or down as needed, optimizing costs by only using the VMs necessary. Cloud hosting providers may limit the number of VMs you can use or allow flexibility to use as many as needed.

Incorporating a Virtual Private Network (VPN) within your virtual networking setup enhances security and privacy for your data and applications. Understanding VM limits, virtual networking capabilities, and performance optimization techniques is crucial when choosing the right provider. This ensures your infrastructure meets your business needs efficiently and securely, maximizing the benefits of virtualization technology.

Using the best virtualization software is essential for maximizing VM performance and reliability. Additionally, employing virtual machine software enables you to manage and optimize your VMs effectively. To safeguard your data, it’s vital to know how to backup virtual machines using dedicated virtual machine backup software. Regular virtual machine backups are crucial for data protection and disaster recovery, ensuring your systems remain resilient against potential failures.

Understanding VM Limits

VM limits help cloud hosting providers to maintain reliability and security. Knowing what they are before you sign up for a particular plan is helpful when deciding which provider to go with. Most providers will tell you their VM limits before you make an account. VM limits and performance optimization are different for each cloud hosting provider, although some commonalities exist. For example, most providers include CPU, RAM, and storage when calculating a VM’s capacity.

Here’s a breakdown of some of their terminology:

• CPU: This is the processor’s processing speed. The more capacity you have, the more VMs you can run at the same time. Common VM limits are 2, 4, and 8 CPU cores.
• RAM: This is how much memory a VM has to store and run processes. If a VM has insufficient RAM, it may slow down or crash.
• Storage: This is how much data the VM can store, such as website files and databases. The more storage a VM has, the more information it can hold.
• Network: This is how much data a VM can send and receive. Standard VM limits are 1, 2, and 10 Gbps network bandwidth.

Can your server handle the number of virtual machines it’s hosting?

As we delve into a critical aspect of server management: assessing whether your server can effectively handle the number of virtual machines (VMs) it hosts. Leveraging virtualization technology has become a norm in modern IT infrastructure, enabling efficient resource utilization and scalability. However, as your VM count grows, it’s paramount to evaluate server performance to prevent bottlenecks and ensure smooth operations.

Factors such as virtual private network (VPN) configurations, virtual networking setup, and performance optimization strategies play pivotal roles in maintaining server health. By implementing proactive monitoring and optimization techniques, you can mitigate risks of overload and enhance the overall efficiency of your virtualized environment. Stay tuned as we uncover essential tips and best practices to keep your server infrastructure running seamlessly amidst expanding virtualization demands.

How to run multiple virtual machines simultaneously?

To run multiple virtual machines simultaneously, use robust virtual machine software. Start by selecting the best virtualization software that supports concurrent VM operations. Ensure your hardware meets the necessary specifications for running multiple VMs. Regularly perform virtual machine backups using dedicated virtual machine backup software to safeguard your data. Learn how to backup virtual machines to prevent data loss and maintain system integrity. By managing resources efficiently and using reliable software, you can run multiple VMs smoothly and securely.

How to protect multiple virtual machines at once

Managing multiple virtual machines (VMs) on a single server requires maintaining stable performance and proactive resource management to mitigate risks effectively. Implementing robust VM backup software, such as Protected Harbor Backup, enables centralized and simultaneous backups of VMs. This solution supports scheduled backups for both VMware and Hyper-V, automating the backup process to minimize disruptions and enhance data security.

Troubleshooting common virtual machine issues is simplified with the user-friendly interface and extensive support offered by AOMEI Cyber Backup Free Edition. This software ensures efficient VM data recovery and provides secure storage options on network shares or NAS devices within the LAN. Whether performing full, incremental, or differential backups, this solution optimizes VM management and facilitates quick recovery to previous states, safeguarding against data loss and system failures.

How Many Virtual Machines Can You Run at the Same Time?

In general, you can run as many Virtual Machines at the same time as your computer can handle. The primary issue is how much RAM you have plus how much of it is available.

In any system, there must be a balance between available memory and the number of virtual machines you want to run. It is not advisable to overload your computer with too many VMs as it can cause a major slowdown to your system. This depends on your computer’s resources, but usually, you can keep an average of 3-5 VMs running simultaneously without seeing any performance degradation. Each VM uses about 500MB to a GB of RAM, so if your computer has 4GB of RAM or less, you should stay at around 2 VMs max.

Note that VMs share resources such as the same processor, RAM, and storage, so you may have trouble running multiple VMs simultaneously. If a VM is experiencing issues, it could slow down or crash other VMs held on the same computer.

Conclusion

You can save time and money by not purchasing or maintaining your hardware by just hosting and running your websites and applications on a remote server. The more capacity your RAM, CPU, and storage have, the more VMs you can run simultaneously; in other words, you can run as many VMs as your computer and plan will allow you, so long as you can handle the additional load.

We, at Protected Harbor, are an experienced partner with the knowledge and expertise to help you fulfill your goals. With managed hosting services from Protected Harbor, you don’t have to worry about the day-to-day management of your Virtual Machines or keeping up with the ever-changing technology landscape. Instead, you can focus on your business, knowing that you have a reliable partner to keep your Virtual Machines up to date and secure.

With our cutting-edge technology, you can be assured that your data is secure, your VMs are backed up, and your network is optimized to provide the best experience for all of your users. Our Virtual Machine hosting solutions come with flexible configuration options, allowing you to scale up or down as needed to accommodate any workload. Advanced tools will enable you to monitor your VMs remotely and receive detailed alerts if something goes wrong. You can also set up scheduled snapshots to keep a copy of your VMs in case of any emergency.

With our Virtual Machine hosting, you have the security and reliability of a managed service without the high costs and maintenance responsibilities.

Contact us today for a free demo and IT audit.