Frequently asked questions

Servers Expert provides an opportunity to quickly and conveniently search for an ideal virtual server from a huge number of offers of different hosts.

We provide information about many hosts and VPS/VDS tariffs on one platform to help users choose the most suitable configuration for their tasks. We constantly update the characteristics and availability of tariffs, regularly check and correct inaccuracies. Many hosts notify us of upcoming changes, which we promptly take into account in our catalog.

Servers Expert continues to work on improving the catalog and does everything possible to make it as user-friendly as possible.

A virtual server (VPS or Virtual Private Server) is a separate virtual environment on a physical server that provides the user with full access to the server with the ability to install and configure the operating system and applications at their discretion.

A virtual server is created by splitting a physical server into several virtual environments, each with its own set of resources, including RAM, disk space, and network traffic.

Virtual servers allow users to receive a dedicated level of control and security that is typically associated with a physical dedicated server, but at a much lower cost.

In addition, a virtual server can be customized for a variety of tasks such as websites, databases, applications or game servers. All these applications can be run on the same physical server with different access levels, resources and configurations.

Disk drives are commonly categorized into several types depending on their specifications and usage:

1. Hard Disk Drives (HDD), Solid State Drives (SSD) and disk arrays are different types of data storage, each with their own characteristics and uses.
2. HDDs are classic hard disk drives that use magnetic disks to store information. They usually have SATA or SAS interfaces and are characterized by higher capacity and lower cost compared to SSDs.
3. SAS disks (Serial Attached SCSI) are designed for use in server systems and are characterized by higher data transfer rates and reliability.
4. HDD+SSD and SAS+SSD are disk arrays that use both HDD/SAS and SSD to accelerate data reads and writes. This allows faster access to frequently used files.
5. SSDs are solid state drives that are considered one of the best choices for data storage and processing. They are characterized by high data transfer speeds, reliability and energy efficiency compared to HDDs.
6. NVMe SSDs are SSDs with the new NVMe interface for faster data transfer. They offer even faster data transfer rates and are the ideal choice for high-performance server systems and workstations where maximum performance is required.

Displays the type of disk system. Six options are highlighted, but there are more combinations of disks and interfaces.

Each disk type has its own unique characteristics and features that may differ significantly from other disk types.

HDD
Hard disk drives (HDDs) use rotating magnetic disks and read heads to read and write data. They provide high storage capacity compared to other types of disks, but are slower in reading and writing data. They are also more susceptible to mechanical damage and failure.

SSD
Solid State Drives (SSDs) use flash memory to store information and do not have spinning disks. They offer faster data read and write speeds than HDD disks, making them ideal for quick access to files and applications. They are also more reliable and less prone to mechanical damage because they have no moving parts. However, they can be more expensive than HDD disks and have a smaller storage capacity.

Combination
Combination disks combine the features of HDDs and SSDs. They have rotating magnetic disks and a small amount of flash memory that is used to cache frequently used files. This allows them to provide high storage capacity and improved performance when processing frequently used files.

NVMe SSD
NVMe SSDs utilize the NVMe protocol and connect to the system through a PCI Express port. They provide even faster read and write speeds than conventional SSD disks and can perform better when processing parallel operations. However, they can be more expensive than conventional SSD disks.

SSHDs combine the features of HDDs and SSDs. They have rotating magnetic disks and a small amount of flash memory that is used as a cache for frequently used files, resulting in increased storage capacity and better performance.

There are several types of virtualization, each with its own advantages and disadvantages.

OS-level virtualization
In this case, multiple virtual machines run on a single physical server and use a common host operating system kernel.

Provides low overhead and rapid creation of new virtual machines, but has limitations on the hardware and software that can be installed on each virtual machine.

Hardware-level virtualization
Virtual machines run on a single physical server and use virtual hardware created by software. Each virtual machine has its own operating system kernel that runs directly on the virtual hardware platform.

Provides a high degree of isolation and supports a wide range of operating systems, but has higher overhead than operating system-level virtualization.

Full virtualization
Machines can run on any physical server, regardless of its hardware and software. Each virtual machine has its own virtual hardware platform that emulates the real hardware platform. This type of virtualization provides complete isolation and supports a wide range of operating systems, but has the highest overhead.

The choice of virtualization type depends on the specific needs of the user. If you need to run multiple instances of the same operating system on the same server and do not require complete isolation of resources between them, then operating system-level virtualization may be more efficient. However, if you need to run multiple different

Unlimited traffic means that there is no limit to the amount of data that can be transferred over the network during a certain period of time. That is, if you have a plan with unlimited traffic, you can transmit as much data as you want.But in reality, even if hosts claim to provide unlimited traffic, they may actually still have some limitations, as bandwidth will be shared equally among all customers.

Hosters often offer various ways to pay for their services, but some of them may be available only through payment system aggregators.

In such cases, payment is not made directly, but through an intermediary. Sometimes it happens that the hoster does not accept some payment methods in automatic mode, for example, when paying via BitCoin.

Therefore, before paying, you should make sure that the selected payment option is available in the hoster's billing. In case of problems with payment, it is recommended to contact the hoster's support team for assistance.

When it comes to server administration, we can distinguish three levels: minimal, basic and full. Minimal administration usually includes only the installation of the operating system and basic programs. Basic administration includes program configuration and periodic system updates.

Full administration includes more detailed customization of the software to make it fit the client's needs as closely as possible. But the specific list of tasks that are included in free administration may vary from host to host.

To avoid misunderstandings, the detailed description of tariffs without administration indicates whether administration is available on a paid basis. This will help customers to choose a suitable tariff and avoid additional administration costs.

If you are looking for a virtual server with Windows Server operating system, it is important to make sure that the license for it is already included in the price of the selected tariff. This is usually indicated by the WIN icon in the relevant section.

When viewing detailed information about the tariff, you will be able to find out what version of Windows Server the hoster offers for installation from a ready-made image.

In some cases, installation of Windows Server is possible, but the license for it is not included in the price. In this case, the hoster may specify the price of the license or offer to install a trial version for 180 days, marked as "Trial". To avoid unexpected costs, it is recommended to carefully read the terms of the selected tariff.

To find offers where the control panel license is already included in the VPS/VDS price, you need to enable a special filter in the "Miscellaneous" list. If you choose tariffs that include ISPmanager installation, but without a control panel license included, the license price will be specified in the detailed information.

If your hoster does not sell ISPsystem licenses and you already have a virtual server, you can go to the "Licenses" section and select the most affordable option.

A DDoS attack is one of the most destructive types of cyberattacks, where a network resource is attacked by a large number of requests coming from different locations. Hackers use a variety of methods to accomplish this, including flooding the channel with useless information and generating requests that mimic user actions and exhaust system resources.

This type of attack usually targets sites that generate revenue, such as online stores. However, any web resource can become the target of a DDoS attack. Even a short-term interruption of a popular website can lead to significant losses and reputation damage.

To protect against DDoS attacks, large data centers use hardware and software. However, such equipment is expensive, and configuration requires an individual approach. To cope with this problem, many hosts offer protection against DDoS attacks.

It is not necessary to have a powerful server to create a VPN server - a virtual server with minimal characteristics such as 0.25 GB RAM, 5 GB free disk space and 1 core processor will be sufficient.

But to ensure minimum latency in data packet transmission, you should choose a VPS/VDS with a faster connection. The best choice will be the provider located closer to you.

If you plan to transfer a large amount of information, it is worth paying attention to the traffic limits on the selected tariff. In addition, you should check whether TUN/TAP devices are supported on the selected tariff, as on some cheap tariffs with OpenVZ virtualization they may be unavailable or require activation on request.

The latency of data transfer between the virtual server and the user depends on the country where the server is located.

The closer the server is to the end user, the less delayed the connection will be, and the more comfortable the client will be working.

Hosting providers often offer their customers the option of paying for services for a shorter period than monthly. Some of them offer the option of paying for services by debiting once a day, once an hour or even by the minute.

Clients can also delete their virtual server at any time without waiting for the end of the paid period. This is especially convenient for those who need to perform temporary or one-time tasks.

Once the server is finished, it can be deleted at no additional cost. It is important to remember that if the server is shut down but not deleted, funds will continue to be deducted from the balance.

When you look at the VPS/VDS tariffs, you will usually see significant values for connection port speeds. This speed is provided by the physical Node that hosts your virtual server, and it is shared among all clients that use that Node.

The connection speed on a virtual server depends on many factors, including the number of clients that are using the channel, as well as usage activity. Although some hosts may specify a minimum guaranteed channel speed for each virtual server, this speed may not always be achieved in reality, especially if the channel is congested with other users.

Therefore, it is important to choose a provider that ensures stability and high connection speed, as well as provides tools to monitor and optimize the channel.

Hosters have the option to install an operating system on a virtual server from an ISO image. This is very convenient if you need to use a rare operating system, a non-standard version or your own build.

Different providers have their own ways of implementing this feature. Some companies provide automatic installation and also have a template library where you can add your own images. Others offer to install the operating system upon request to the technical support service, for which you need to provide a link to download the image.

We only add to our catalog virtual servers that have at least one IPv4 address. This is satisfactory for the vast majority of users. If you need additional IP addresses, you can order them from the company for a fee.

However, some of the cheapest plans may be an exception and may not have the option to add additional IP addresses. In addition, for virtual servers that support IPv6 addressing, you can order additional IPv6 addresses or subnets for free or for a nominal fee.

One of the most important characteristics when choosing a virtual server is the quality of its operation and the responsiveness of technical support. However, it is quite difficult to check this, and the evaluation will be very subjective. We recommend paying attention to customer reviews about hosts on popular resources. It is worth considering that some reviews can be written with the purpose of obtaining a benefit from the hoster, for example, to get discounts. Therefore, we do not add a section with reviews.

A good indicator of the quality of the hoster's work is the provision of refunds or a test period for new customers. Technical support response time is also very important. We do not include in the catalog hosts that respond to tickets longer than 24 hours on weekdays. In addition, we conducted tests by writing tickets at night to make sure that the support really works around the clock.

There are a large number of Linux and BSD distributions, each of which has several supported versions.

In order not to overload the catalog with unnecessary information, we decided to leave the possibility of searching by the most popular operating systems, including CentOS, Debian, Ubuntu, FreeBSD, Windows Server and others.

If you need to install a specific operating system or your own build, we recommend using the filter "ISO-image", which leaves the rates that allow you to install the OS from the required image.

We do not list all possible payment methods, but only the most common ones, as bank cards, WebMoney, PayPal, Yandex.Money, QIWI and BitCoin are the most popular payment methods for hosting providers.

If you wish to use a different payment system, we recommend contacting the hosting provider to find out if the payment method you need is supported.

If you can't find a particular payment method listed in our catalog in billing, you can find it in one of the payment aggregators. First of all, we recommend checking Robokassa and Interkassa aggregators.

For tariffs, we specify the city of location of large countries where distance can have a significant impact on data transfer latency. In other cases, we provide country of location information, believing that this is sufficient, and more detailed information can be checked with the hoster.