Hello,
I am interested in reorganizing my hosting setup. Currently, I do not use any hosting control panels since there aren't many websites, and I find it more convenient to edit configs myself.
Here's what I have:
- Two servers with 6 cores and 16GB RAM each running VMware ESXi 5
- Five 500gb hard drives (two in one server, one in another) without network storage
- A managed switchboard and two IP addresses
Currently, I have one virtual machine that hosts all databases, nginx, apache2, etc. I would like to create separate virtual machines for front-end, back-end, databases, rsync server, database replication, and php-cgi. Additionally, I am considering allocating a virtual machine for each site and proxying it.
However, there are a lot of ideas and opinions out there on how to spread virtual machines across hypervisors. I'm curious to hear your thoughts on the matter - how would you organize hosting?
The main question is what your goal is with this separation. Here are a couple of thoughts: Firstly, the rsync server should be on a separate piece of hardware, preferably in another data center. Secondly, it may not make sense to allocate a virtual machine to each site, depending on the load and desired outcome. The overhead costs may be too high if there are only occasional resource demands. It's important to understand that replication is not the same as a backup.
Currently, I use ispconfig for my personal needs, which includes around 9 sites on one server. This control panel has extensive functionality.
This service provides your customers with access to their website from anywhere in the world, the ability to manage their mail domains, and store their files on a remote server. By providing this type of hosting, you can meet most customer needs at a low cost.
To offer this type of service, you only need a dedicated server (or virtual dedicated server) that distributes resources among users. With various tariff plans, you can sell these resources and generate income.
One benefit of this type of hosting is its scalability. If server resources become limited, you can buy another server and connect it to the system without additional configuration.
Virtual hosting services are primarily compared by quantitative restrictions, such as disk space, monthly traffic, number of hosted sites, databases, mailboxes, and FTP accounts. Additionally, there are quality factors to consider, such as CPU and RAM resources that affect server performance.
Organizing your hosting setup depends on your specific requirements and preferences. Given the information you provided, here's a possible approach to reorganizing your hosting setup:
1. Separate virtual machines by functionality: Create individual virtual machines for front-end, back-end, databases, rsync server, database replication, and php-cgi. This separation allows for better resource management and makes it easier to scale or troubleshoot specific components.
2. Consider high availability and failover: Since you have two servers, consider implementing a high availability solution to ensure uptime and redundancy. You can use technologies like VMware vSphere High Availability (HA) or a load balancer to distribute workload and handle failover in case of server failure.
3. Configure dedicated virtual machines for each website: Allocating a separate virtual machine for each site and proxying them can help isolate their resources and improve security. It also allows you to scale individual sites independently.
4. Utilize network storage: Since you currently don't have network storage, consider investing in a shared storage solution like Network Attached Storage (NAS) or Storage Area Network (SAN). Network storage enables features such as live migration, shared storage resources, and centralized backup.
5. Implement a control panel or configuration management tool: While you prefer editing configurations manually, using a control panel or configuration management tool can provide convenience and automation, especially as your hosting infrastructure grows. Tools like cPanel, Plesk, or Ansible can simplify various administrative tasks and streamline the setup process.
6. Review security measures: Make sure to secure all virtual machines and network connections with appropriate firewalls, access controls, and encryption methods. Also, regularly patch and update operating systems and software to protect against vulnerabilities.
7. Regularly monitor and optimize performance: Implement monitoring tools to track resource usage, identify bottlenecks, and optimize performance. This will help you make informed decisions about resource allocation and ensure that your hosting setup is running efficiently.
few more considerations and recommendations for organizing your hosting setup:
1. Load balancing: Implementing a load balancer can distribute incoming traffic across multiple virtual machines, improving performance and availability. You can use either a hardware load balancer or software-based solutions like Nginx or HAProxy.
2. Backup and disaster recovery: Set up regular backups of your virtual machines and databases to ensure data integrity and facilitate disaster recovery. Consider using tools like Veeam, Acronis, or rsync to automate the backup process. It's also beneficial to have off-site backups or replicate data to another location for additional redundancy.
3. Network segmentation and security: Separate different network segments within your virtual environment to enhance security. For instance, you can isolate the publicly accessible front-end servers from back-end servers and databases. Use VLANs or network firewalls to enforce network segmentation and apply access controls.
4. Scalability and resource planning: If you anticipate future growth, plan your resource allocation and scalability accordingly. Ensure that your virtualization hosts have enough CPU, RAM, and storage capacity to accommodate additional virtual machines or increased workload.
5. Consider containerization: Explore containerization technologies like Docker or Kubernetes, which provide lightweight and scalable virtualization options. Containers can help streamline deployments, improve resource utilization, and simplify management.
6. Automation and orchestration: Consider adopting automation tools like Ansible, Puppet, or Chef to streamline and standardize the deployment and configuration of your virtual machines. These tools allow for consistent management and can simplify the provisioning and scaling of your infrastructure.
7. Regular maintenance and updates: Stay proactive with routine maintenance tasks such as patching, updating, and monitoring your virtual machines, hypervisors, and network infrastructure. This helps ensure the reliability, performance, and security of your hosting environment.
Create separate VMs for front-end, back-end, and databases to isolate workloads. Use one VM for rsync and another for database replication to streamline backup processes. Each site should have its own VM, proxied through Nginx for efficient traffic management.
This architecture enhances scalability and fault tolerance, allowing for easier troubleshooting and resource allocation. However, ensure your resource allocation is balanced to avoid overcommitting your 16GB RAM and 6 cores.