One of the major challenges facing system administrators on cPanel web hosting platforms is proper management of system resources in a manner that prevents one user from jeopardising the efficiency of the entire setup. Cloud Linux has presented them with a practical solution to this challenge. What were the limitations of past system management setups?
cPanel hosting limitations
“Resource hogging was a major problem on typical cPanel hosting” says Brendan at Umbrellar. “There was really no way to prevent a single user from over stretching resources and causing a less than stellar web hosting experience for everyone else on a particular server. This also meant that is was very hard to prevent cybercriminals from attacking other websites on a particular server by simply pinpointing vulnerability on just one website. Cloud Linux offers a solution against this problem”
How does Cloud Linux work?
Cloud Linux works by assigning individual websites a virtual shell or ceiling which allows administrators to assign hard limits on server resources based on what the individual paid for. Since no website can exceed the virtual limit, other users on a server can enjoy a service that is representative of what they paid for, regardless of what is happening on other websites within the specific server. Disk IOPS and usable CPU power are the two main variables that can be set to eliminate resource hogging. This couldn’t be achieved in the past with standard cPanel installations where administrators were limited to specific features such as MYSQL databases and FTP accounts.
The ability of the virtual shell to allow a pre-determined hard limit ensures system admins can now make pinpoint predictions regarding server load.
The virtual shell also limits the possibility of attacks as a result of a singular vulnerability on a specific website. This is because in the event of an attack, only a specific website will be compromised because the virtual ceiling prohibits access to any other constituents on a particular server.
Cloud Linux also solves a customer relationship problem for web hosts. Customers can easily see that website optimisation options are no longer yielding results and will be more open to explore a higher cadre of hosting when they reach the roof of their virtual ceiling and performances dip. In the past, the problems associated with the exhaustion of allocated resources will be borne by everyone on the server, leaving web hosting companies to contact the user on the grounds of signing up for a new hosting package. This was to nip the negative impact felt by other users on the server, in the bud.
Summary
Cloud Linux is a victory for equitable distribution of resources for web hosting companies. Servers will no longer shut down following the exceeding of limits by a few websites on it. It allows more definitive planning for server load which is vital to the increase of account density and reduces the overall cost of customer service for the web hosting companies.
