Renting an entire physical server for your hosting purposes is practically the highest-tier service you can take advantage of. Your opportunities are endless, and you have full freedom to decide the type of project you will be running on the machine.
In this guide, we will learn more about this type of hosting and how we can split our dedicated server into VPS instances.
What is a Dedicated Server?
When you rent a dedicated server, your provider sets up an entire machine for your business needs alone. We are talking about loads of processing power, operating memory, and disk space to host any website or app.
You have complete control within the dedicated server environment – how to secure it, what to install, and how to best maintain its smooth operation. This makes the service quite desirable to enterprises with more complex setup or specific security needs.
Dedicated solutions can be Managed and Unmanaged. The former option sees your host take care of the initial setup and “give you the keys,” while the latter includes extra support services like server administration and maintenance.
Dedicated Server Advantages
Owning an entire server that caters to your personal needs brings plenty of sweet benefits:
- Maximized performance – when concerned about speed or handling high traffic – a dedicated server is your ultimate solution. It provides all the needed system resources to power any project, regardless of its size and scope. In a virtual world where every millisecond of load time matters, you can harness all your server power into the fast and smooth operation of your website.
- Ultimate flexibility – there are no restraints on a dedicated hosting plan. Be it the type of website you’re hosting or the amount of resources you are utilizing – the provider gives you full freedom. This is ideal for popular and quickly growing projects that consume way more CPU and RAM than the average website.
- Tailored security – even if you’re not a military or government organization, your project should always have impenetrable security as a top priority. Given your endless freedoms on a dedicated machine, you can utilize all kinds of tools and measures to prevent any hacker attack. Depending on your business needs, that might include anti-malware and anti-spam solutions, security modules, multi-factor authentication, and many more.
- Hardware customization – expanding your online project is limited if you don’t have control over your hardware resources. Starting from the server product line and going through all kinds of CPU, RAM, and disk space configurations – you can build one monster of a machine.
Can any Dedicated Server be Split into VPS?
Managing a VPS (virtual private server) and a dedicated server is similar in many aspects. Even though there are multiple VPS clients on a physical machine, their accounts sit in complete isolation, which allows each user to freely customize their instance.
But can a dedicated server be split into different virtual ones?
The answer is a resounding Yes, and that’s actually exactly how VPS hosting works. The providers employ a process called virtualization to create completely independent caged accounts within the physical machine. They then allocate a certain amount of system resources and tailor their plans to different types of customers.
How to Split a Dedicated Server into VPS?
There are several ways you can go about when you want to create virtual instances on a dedicated server:
Split a Dedicated Server into VPS in WHM
When configuring a new VPS instance, we are basically migrating one or more cPanel accounts in a new, virtual environment.
First, we need to create the VPS. If everything is ok with its compatibility, the only thing you need to do is install a hypervisor (like Xen, KVM, or OpenVZ) to take care of the virtualization.
After that, you can go ahead with the migration.
- Log into WHM as root administrator.
- Go to Transfers and select the Transfers Tool option.
- On the next screen, input your server credentials, and you will get a list of your Packages and Accounts.
- Select the account(s) you wish to migrate to the VPS
- Click on the blue Copy button.
Wait for the process to complete. Time may vary depending on the size of selected accounts.
Split a Dedicated Server into VPS with ScalaHosting
Dividing a physical server into several virtual ones does not really differ from a standard account migration – you generate a backup from the old host and upload it to the new one. Sure, there is the added step of installing and utilizing a hypervisor, but that’s nothing a professional can’t handle.
This is why ScalaHosting eliminates all manual operations involved in splitting a dedicated server into VPSs. Our support team will gladly undertake this task after a ticket request, and we will ensure the new virtual environment functions properly after the process is completed.
Applications Installation
You can utilize your hypervisor for practically any kind of application installs on the virtual server. Just a few things to keep in mind, though:
- When choosing a hypervisor, many solutions have different versions and payment plans. Make sure the chosen package supports all the features you need.
- Consider if you need resource scalability. Not all hypervisors support that option.
- Unless you plan to offer bare-metal VPS solutions to users, it’s best to install a control panel for easy operation.
Check out our SPanel vs cPanel comparison to get more insights about two of the top hosting management options on the market.
