Hosting - server performance statistics
By Joe on Thursday 2 April 2009, 15:12 - Gandi - Permalink
The best way to see if your server is doing well and check that you have optimized its power is to have server statistics!
We finally have some nice graphs that let you see your server's CPU usage, network traffic, and your disk's read-write usage. These graphs will give you precious information on how your server is used, and when various usage peaks or low-points occur, so that you can optimize your services - with our VPS hosting service you can add and remove shares without taking your service off-line and use our 'flex' shares to plan for peaks.
Below is an example of a server that is "active". You can see that the processor is only using on average 16% to 18% of its power (over a 24-hour period), with a peak at 40%. The server is running on 2 shares, and is therefore the hosting is clearly too powerful for its current needs:
We finally have some nice graphs that let you see your server's CPU usage, network traffic, and your disk's read-write usage. These graphs will give you precious information on how your server is used, and when various usage peaks or low-points occur, so that you can optimize your services - with our VPS hosting service you can add and remove shares without taking your service off-line and use our 'flex' shares to plan for peaks.
Below is an example of a server that is "active". You can see that the processor is only using on average 16% to 18% of its power (over a 24-hour period), with a peak at 40%. The server is running on 2 shares, and is therefore the hosting is clearly too powerful for its current needs:
The following example shows the contrary. This server is in serious need of additional shares:
In the image below, you can see that the data disk /xvdb/ performs far more writing (light orange) than reading (dark orange):
Finally, the Network usage graph shows that there is more outgoing traffic than incoming. The server is using about 0.5Mbits, and so here too, you can see that it is too powerful for its real needs:
As a conclusion, your server statistics give you:
- help in establishing the right size server for your needs. Imagine, that you run a website on a server with two shares, observing your statistics over a week, you see that your CPU usage is 20% to 25%, and that you are using less than 1Mbits. You may then remove a share and monitor your statistics for the next few days. With Gandi hosting your service will remain online and undisturbed while you make these changes. At the same time you save money and make an eco-friendly gesture by not wasting resources.
- the ability to create a real "Flex" strategy. If your statistics show a steady wave, or if your peaks occur at distinct times, you can schedule your Flex shares to be added to your server for these periods - at only 3 cents (Euros) per hour, you will again save time and money.
Comments
I'd just like to thank the Gandi staff for this excellent new feature! It makes it much easier to see what sites need to be spread out to separate servers.
Thanks, Daniel glad it's of use.
Dear Gandi staff,
Thank you. This is much appreciated.
Many blessings.
Thank you to the team for this excellent work. The graphs are great and we can now have a good idea of the real work of the system. It is very useful because our statistics are made from the JAVA application itself and can not give a complete set of data.
These graphs are a key for choosing your virtualization offer.
you should make more details
Hi,
Excellent tool to check hosting server activity. Thanks for sharing.
Useful tool for checking Server Traffic and all
Wow Genius efforts and i like the server statistics which you have given in the post