Virtual or physical server. Server rental: virtual or physical? Virtual and physical server difference

14.05.2020

Those who decide to create and run their own projects on the Internet sooner or later face the issue of renting disk space. The advantages of purchasing hosting are obvious: the machine works around the clock, is connected to a high-speed Internet channel, etc. But which server to choose in this situation: virtual or physical? And what is the fundamental difference between them then? Let's figure it out.

Learning concepts

The first thing to do when comparing services is various types, is to figure out what they are:

A physical (dedicated) server is a separate machine on which files of only your resource (or resources) are located, and the owner of which receives access to it full access both at the software and hardware level.
A virtual (VDS) server is one of many emulators located on one computer. Functionally, it almost completely copies a physical server, but its owners have to share the machine with other co-tenants, whose number (depending on the power of the hardware) can be in the hundreds.

Analyzing the benefits

The next step that brings us closer to the answer to the question “what to choose” is a comparison of characteristics. After all, it will depend on them how effectively the resource will function. For clarity, let’s place the comparison results in a table:

Index	Physical server	Virtual server
Control	Has a single tenant who globally controls the entire machine and decides what software it should indicate what technical work has been carried out, etc.	It is under the control of several co-tenants, each of which has power only within its own virtual machine (in the case of VDS) or full access to its own kernel and OS of the virtual hardware (in the case of VDS).
Reliability	They wear out over time and require systematic upgrades.	They do not become obsolete and cannot break.
Price	More expensive option	Cheaper option
Mobility	In the event of a breakdown or other reason, “moving” is difficult and financially expensive. End users may not have access to it for quite some time.	“Migration” to auxiliary or other machines is done in a few clicks. Almost invisible to the end user.
Configurations	When choosing a machine to rent, you need to take into account the possible growth of the project (and the increase in resources required to maintain its operation). If the hardware capacity is not enough, it is possible to move to a more powerful machine.	You can increase or decrease the power of a virtual machine without unnecessary effort or changing equipment.

Formulating conclusions

So which server to choose in the end: physical or virtual. Even now that we know the pros and cons of both options, there is no clear answer. Everything is decided by the personal tastes and preferences of the future tenant.

Physical servers are the choice of those who feel more comfortable knowing that somewhere “out there” there is a real computer that does not need to be shared with anyone else. Also interested in them are those owners whose Internet resources require the installation of specific hardware/software on the server. Virtual machines will appeal to those who are not used to overpaying for services. Among their users, people predominate, and first of all, they evaluate the reliability of the site and the mobility of its replacement.

Now we know what the key differences between servers are various types. Which one did you ultimately choose?

Dedicated server, or physical server, is the most productive and expensive hosting service. Renting a dedicated server will be an excellent solution for owners of commercial websites, corporate resources, game servers and complex web applications.
Unlike shared hosting and VPS, when using which you have to share resources with other users, with Dedicated you will have at your disposal all the power provided within the service. Therefore, hosting a website on a server guarantees a high degree of security: you do not share the server with other sites that may be vulnerable to hacker attacks.
Renting a dedicated web server and storage system (data storage system) in a data center (data processing center) is ordering a very productive desktop computer in a data center on Windows or Linux with a special set of programs for a certain period. We will provide the server with a fast connection to the Internet at speeds of up to 10 Gbit/sec, a permanent connection to electricity and professional technical support, which will help cope with hardware and software difficulties.
Another reason to rent server equipment The site includes modern and secure data centers that house dedicated physical servers - the data centers are located in Moscow and are considered one of the most reliable in Russia. Data centers use sources uninterruptible power supply, fire extinguishing and air conditioning systems. This will ensure continuous operation of the servers and your projects.

Dedicated servers based on Intel Xeon processor

On the site site you have several options for choosing the optimal server configuration:
1. Order a ready-made server. Using filters, you can choose the right car for your budget and needs.
2. Use the configurator and independently select components for the server.
3. Write us a request and order a unique server configuration.
The advantages of the Dedicated server rental service include providing complete freedom in choosing the installed software, as well as control over the equipment: bus bandwidth, memory and disk. The monthly rental price for a dedicated server depends on its parameters and characteristics.
You can rent a dedicated server in a data center (data center) based on Intel processors Xeon: E, E3, E5, gold, silver, W in various configurations with SSD, SATA or SAS drives, depending on how powerful the hardware you need.
How much does it cost to rent a server for a website? The price of such a service is usually higher compared to VPS and shared hosting. Pay attention to the “Cheap Servers” section: in it you can buy (rent) dedicated Dedicated servers for a website in a data center (data center) at the lowest cost per month.
A dedicated server for rent is a reliable, fast and secure hosting that will provide a lot of opportunities for companies whose Information Systems, sites and projects require round-the-clock uninterrupted operation, large computing resources and disk space for storing and backing up information.

Server – software or hardware?

All website owners and many ordinary Internet users have heard the word “server” more than once. And in some cases the server was spoken of as a program (“server functions”, “server with support...”), and in others - as equipment (“space on the server”, “load on the server”). What is it really - software or hardware?

Both. A server as hardware is a computer dedicated to performing certain tasks. This server may be intended for storing data and for performing any continuous functions (for example, supporting the operation of a program). It does not require additional maintenance like a regular one Personal Computer. All that is needed from a specialist is to do the initial setup and check the server’s operation from time to time.

Any server must have the appropriate software installed. It allows you to use hardware resources and perform the required functions, i.e. carry out service. Often this software (and sometimes the services provided by its owners) is called a server.

There are many types of servers, but when applied to the Internet, the creation and promotion of websites, we can distinguish physical and virtual dedicated servers as alternatives to conventional hosting. Each variety has its own advantages and disadvantages, which can be completely eliminated when used in appropriate situations.

Types of servers.

Depending on the functions that the server performs, it can belong to one of several types:
- Web server. This is a fairly common type on the Internet, which is designed to contain and provide access to web resources.

File server. Its main purpose is data storage and distribution of access to files. The quality criteria for such a server is the volume disk memory and the degree of data protection.

Database server. It is an auxiliary part of the database management system (DBMS). Such a server must provide the required throughput and continuity of work.

Communication server. It can act as a proxy server, router, IP address distributor, or VPN (virtual private network) server. Provides high data protection and anonymity on the network.

Mail server. As the name suggests, it is used to work with by email– sending and receiving, processing, storing letters from users, target visitors. The larger the local network, the more users, the more important the role of this server.

Backup server. Quite an important part of the hardware and software complex in any company. To this server in automatic mode all is copied important information. In order to protect information from a physical threat (for example, fire), it may be located in another room or building.

Physical and virtual server.

The server has a lot of tasks. And one of the most common is supporting the operation of a website on the Internet.

The Internet is not some general source where you can post something. All sites and any files available on the network are hosted on physical servers. If the server fails, the site is no longer accessible to other Internet users. The same can be said about any other programs, data, content that are available within the same local network.

In order to host a website, database or program that would be available to all users on the network, you need to get a server at your disposal - physical or virtual.

In the Internet sphere, “physical” is a server that is located directly at the user’s site. This is a workstation or dedicated computer with the appropriate software, which has a permanent connection to the Internet or local network. Purchasing and maintaining a physical server costs a lot of money, so it is used only in some cases. For example, if it is necessary to service a large local network. Physical servers are required by hosting and Internet providers, as well as owners of large popular Internet resources (for example, Yandex).

A virtual server is a service provided by hosting providers who have a physical server at their disposal. In this case, the user rents the entire server and places his data on it, which is then available on the Internet.

In this article, we will explain the main differences between a physical and virtual server from the client's point of view. We will also try to debunk some myths along the way. Hopefully this will help individuals and businesses make more informed decisions when purchasing a server.

Physical server (so-called dedicated server)

A physical server is, as the name says, a server (physical computer) that runs an operating system like Windows or Linux, like any other computer. Physical servers are almost everywhere, desktop computers, with a lot of improvements that desktop PCs don't have, featuring things like redundant power supplies, RAID controllers, several network cards etc. Physical servers are larger in size with much more powerful components overall. All of them require separate space in the server rack. Most servers also have two or more physical processors, each with multiple cores.

Virtual server (VPS or otherwise virtual machine - VM)

In order for everyone to understand the concept of virtual servers, we need to explain a little about how virtualization works.

Hypervisor– An operating system or software in an operating system that simulates the computer environment in which virtual machines are created and run.

This means that a hypervisor can either be a standalone piece of software (Type 2 hypervisor) or can act as a hypervisor for the entire operating system(type 1 hypervisor, known as “Bare Metal Hypervisor” or “Embedded Hypervisor”). Examples of Type 2 hypervisors include Oracle VirtualBox, VMware Workstation and Microsoft VirtualPC. Examples of Type 1 hypervisors include VMware ESXi(VSphere), Microsoft Hyper-V, KVM, Xen and others. The last one is type 1 hypervisors - all of this can be installed in the same way as the operating system is installed on the server. When a hypervisor is installed on a server, its resources are evenly distributed between virtual machines Thus, one server can serve hundreds of virtual machines.

After creation, virtual machine behaves just like any other computer, you can turn it on and boot into the operating system just like any other computer. The operating system thinks it is running on physical computer. Each virtual machine has its own so-called virtual hardware. The VM has its own processor, HDD and network interface. This means that the default virtual machine does not know that it is a virtual machine unless there is some software on it that will detect it through other means.

Physical vs virtual servers, pros and cons

Now that we understand the concept of virtual servers we can make a general comparison both from the client's point of view.

Physical disadvantages of the server

Much more expensive than virtual server(VPS)
simply because of the resources required to run and maintain a physical server, they are much more expensive.
Harder to manage
Physical servers in general are much more difficult to manage. This is especially true with disaster recovery. Just like on any other machine, there will be a day when, due to a variety of reasons, the server will fail. In these cases, restoring from backups is a real nightmare because the server must be restored from scratch to another (new) server and then the data must be restored from the backups. For mission-critical production systems, this means at least 8 or more hours of downtime. To prevent this, companies create clusters of two or more servers, but of course this will only increase costs.
Worsescalable
It is almost impossible to update a server without additional downtime. Additionally, it is worth noting that future upgrades for the dedicated server must be taken into account when ordering the server. Otherwise, the update may result in the creation of a completely new server. Instead of leading to unplanned service migration and thus unplanned service downtime.

Physical server pros

More powerful than a virtual server
This is the only reason why you should order a dedicated server. So let's face it, if we have a physical server with 8 GB random access memory and a dual-core processor, and make an exact copy of a virtual machine with the same parameters, a physical server will provide much better results. This is because the physical server will not suffer from the bottlenecks that are present in virtual machines.

Virtual servers - cons

Lower performance compared to dedicated servers
As explained earlier, virtual machines offer slightly less performance than physical servers due to a number of reasons. The main reason is the bottleneck that is between the VM and the hypervisor itself. In most cases this does not matter, because this disadvantage can be easily solved by preparing clusters of three or more virtual servers. And finally, technology SSD drive added significant performance to virtual machines.

Virtual pro servers

Cheaper than a dedicated server
Virtual machines located on Physical servers can serve hundreds of virtual machines. Resources that can then be distributed between virtual machines and therefore virtual machines occupy very few resources on the parent server, which significantly reduces their cost.
Simplified management
This is basically the biggest advantage that virtual machines have over physical servers. A virtual machine is much easier to manage than a physical server. For example, when installing a physical server, you need to perform a large check plan hardware server and its peripheral devices and make sure they work correctly. If something doesn't work as intended, additional drivers must be installed and configured. When a virtual machine is deployed, the virtual machine receives its drivers from the parent host, so the virtual machine is ready to run immediately. And this is just one example of many.
Simplified backup and recovery
Each physical server needs a manifest to make its configurations, applications and what should or should not be backup for virtual machines, made backups from the entire virtual machine. When a failure occurs for any reason, these backups are ready to be restored immediately and the entire VM is restored instead. Obviously, in such cases, downtime is significantly reduced.
Scalability and flexibility
There is no downtime for executing update resources (plans) with more RAM, CPU power, disk space, etc.
An ideal choice for any web service
Whether it's a small blog or a big one social network with thousands of visitors per day, the VPS system can be easily adjusted to suit the load. If necessary, more VPS can quickly and easily be added to a cluster serving different aspects of the web service.

So do I need a virtual or physical server for my business?

Short answer - 99.9% of the time, VPS is the best choice.

Virtualization as a technology is getting better and better these days. Almost every company in the world has adopted virtualization to some level. If you don't need the real power of a dedicated server and you also have a large business budget, there is no other reason why you shouldn't choose a VPS. A VPS system, especially if based on an SSD, is fast, secure and easy to manage.

Probably every notable project or simply every large organization sooner or later is faced with a choice: buy a physical server or rent a virtual server? Let's try to figure out what is better and economically justified.

Physical server cost

First of all, you need to look for a physical server that will meet your expectations - so that you have some amount before your eyes and so that you can clearly see which option is more economically feasible in your case.

We need to decide what we consider a server. If it’s just a computer in an ordinary tower case that will gather dust in the far corner of your office, that’s one thing. In fact, you can install MS on my laptop SQL Server and make it a database server. But how quickly will such a database “fall” under a real load of even 5–10 users while working simultaneously in 1C?

If you imagine a server exactly like this - a separate computer, say, with 16 GB of RAM and one terabyte - then you don’t have to read further and don’t waste your time. It’s better to go to any online store to buy your workstation - you can’t call it a server.
In my mind, a server is a machine with a Xeon server processor, ECC registered memory, and a hardware disk array. This “computer” has the right to be called a server. The case when placed inside the office and in the absence of server racks does not matter, but with an eye to the future I would look at cases in the 1U/2U format - sooner or later you will come to the conclusion that it is better to store the server in a data center.

In Fig. 1 shows the HP ProLiant DL180 Gen9 server:

Eight-core Intel Xeon E5-2620 v4 (2.1–3 GHz)
Registered memory with ECC, 16 GB
Smart Array P440/2G 12 GB Controller
Case form factor 2U

This is what I understand as a server. But such a “device” will cost approximately 162,250 rubles according to Yandex.Market. There are cheaper versions of this server, but there or not hard drive in general, or the memory capacity is 8 GB, not 16. The configuration for 162,250 rubles includes one RDIMM module DDR memory 16 GB and two 300 GB SAS hard drives. This a good option, both in price and configuration. It's kind of average - there are more expensive options, and there are cheaper ones. You can buy a Chinese Patriot - even with a license for MS Server 2012 it will cost less. But since you have become so serious that you need your own physical server, then it is better not to look at such options.

Do you need a physical server?

Now that you have the cost of hardware, let's think about whether you need it at all? Very often a person agonizes over choosing a server, although in fact he can do just fine without it. It is better to immediately discard the arguments “the neighbor has it”, “I was advised”. When should you think about purchasing your own server?

A site with very high traffic - when regular hosting can no longer handle it and the site is often shut down for exceeding CPU time and/or traffic limits.
A large Internet project - a well-promoted online store, a social network, a game server, and the like.
A portal with a large amount of content - a photo bank like depositphotos.com, a site with a significant amount of music or video.
The need to collaborate/remotely work with some application, for example 1C.

In all these cases, a server is needed (note which one - I’m not saying yet). In others (for example, when you have a relatively small site and only one accountant on whose computer you can install 1C), it will turn out to be an unnecessary luxury. You can buy regular hosting to host your website and pay mere pennies for it - something like 240 rubles per month for 6 GB of disk space. This space is enough even for several sites. If you were thinking about purchasing for these needs own server, think again: the amount spent on hardware alone would be enough for more than 676 months (56 years!) of rent. And with such a long-term placement, they will also give you a significant discount :).

If your project falls into one of the listed categories, you definitely need a server. All that remains is to decide which one, because in most cases you can get by with either a virtual dedicated server (VDS) or a virtual private server (VPS), which is much cheaper.

VDS or VPS

VPS (Virtual Private Server - virtual private server) is software virtualization and is implemented at the operating system kernel level. All machines are created on the basis of one server core, each virtual machine (this is the VPS that you will rent) is a server with a software environment, but without the right to change the kernel and the operating system itself. The most commonly used virtualization platforms are OpenVZ and Virtuozzo.

This solution has one advantage, and it is very significant - low cost. But there are many more disadvantages:

Overselling. RAM and core resources are allocated without being tied to a specific machine. For example, you and your neighbor rent two VPS servers of the same configuration. Let each server have 2 GB of RAM. But your site consumes 500–800 MB of memory, and your neighbor’s site consumes 3 GB. It turns out that you are paying for resources that are not actually used by your site.
Dependence on neighbors. Another problem follows from the previous paragraph. Excessive load on one machine can lead to failures in the operation of neighboring VPS. For example, your neighbor’s VPS has overloaded the processor, and your website will slow down because of this. And it’s very easy to load the processor - just install some power-hungry CMS like Magento, and you’re guaranteed to constantly overuse CPU time and RAM.
Limited customization. Some VPS settings cannot be changed - the root file system and kernel are beyond your control. Of course, the kernel and root file system It is not always necessary to change, and this is not so much a disadvantage, just a feature of using VPS.

Your server is physically placed in the provider’s data center, where internet and power backup are provided, and optimal temperature is maintained.

Server hosting services are relatively inexpensive. The server placement itself will cost 2,500 rubles per month. Internet with guaranteed 10 Mbit/s or non-guaranteed 100 Mbit/s is free when renting an Ethernet switch port - 500 rubles per month. If such a channel is not enough for you, then you can either buy a guaranteed 50 Mbit/s channel (3,500 rubles per month), or take a port with a non-guaranteed 1 Gbit/s band for 5,000 rubles per month.

It turns out that the existence of a server will cost you at least 3,000 rubles per month. This moment must be taken into account when calculating the profitability of purchasing physical equipment. After all, for this money you can rent (even cheaper) a VDS with 2 GB of RAM and 32 GB of disk space!

All this means that you can safely deduct the cost of hosting a server from the cost of renting a VDS, because in the case of a physical server you would still have to pay this money.

So, if we take the tariff of 11,747 rubles per month (256 GB HDD and 8 GB of RAM) and subtract 10% (discount when paying for the year) and 3,000 rubles (hosting), then we get 7,572.3 rubles. Let's take our amount of 162,250 rubles and divide it by the resulting value. The result is almost two years (more than 21 months) of VDS rental of almost maximum configuration. If you don’t need 256 GB right now, you can choose more cheap tariff with 128 GB of space: from 7899 we subtract 10% and 3000 rubles, the amount will be very modest, as for renting a server of this configuration - 4109 rubles. With a server cost of 162,250 rubles, this amount is enough for 39 months of renting a VDS with 128 GB HDD, three cores and 8 GB RAM. Two cores with the same RAM and HDD parameters will cost even less (2950 rubles, if calculated according to our method). Do not forget that after three years the warranty ends and a physical server may require investment. Surely, within three years the hard drive will have worn out quite a bit and will need to be replaced.

Still, if you need an iron server made of boards and wires and you want it to be yours and only yours, you can rent a physical server and then buy it for 1 ruble. Of course, the monthly fee in this situation will be higher, but I waited a year and took my server home, to the office, and left it in the data center. You groom and nurture it yourself - however, just as you serve it. In other words, your virtual server can turn into a real one!

conclusions

In most cases, renting a VDS is not only easier, but also more profitable. As for physical servers, their use is advisable only if the planned load is so high that a virtual server cannot cope with it (if you plan that all eight cores of your physical processor will be used) and all the disk space is needed at once. In all other cases, it is more profitable to rent a VDS. When choosing a physical server, do not forget about the cost of hosting a server in a data center, which is comparable to the cost of renting a not-so-weak VDS.