Everyone has heard the word “server” at least once in their lifetime. Because nowadays, in a hi-tech era, it’s impossible not to hear about it - the Internet is everywhere we go and servers are a vital part of it. But most of the people know little to nothing about what the server is and how it works.
Web-server, in a nutshell, is the basis of every web-project or web-resource. Because the server, basically, is a hardware instance where everything is stored. To have access to this stored data or modify it, Internet users send their requests to get a response back. So, every server system is the core of the Internet infrastructure, because without those systems there will be nothing to interact with.
Servers themselves are a hardware, in a broad sense of the term, so server monitoring and maintenance are vital. Because if left without proper monitoring, every server is bound to become shut down in a matter of time due to a wide variety of issues. Therefore if you use the server for your needs, you should opt in for its monitoring to check server uptime and other metrics. Or your website will not work properly or even could become inaccessible at some point in time.
Web server monitoring importance
Server metrics monitoring is an important part of its maintenance, or any web server will malfunction sooner or later. Therefore it is vital that the performance monitoring server is done properly. For an instant, it is important to monitor Apache server request and response sequences to ensure that server software works fine. Also monitoring should include server uptime monitor, speed, accessibility, database and so on.
Properly chosen monitoring platform will allow you to handle all that and even more, with the ability to respond quickly for occurring issues and check the log to find long-term problems. But there are various solutions for monitoring server resources all over the Internet. Therefore you need to choose wisely if you want to monitor your server and website properly.
What is server monitoring tools and how they work
Basically, server monitoring tools are software instances for web server performance monitoring, varying in monitored metrics. Those server performance monitoring tools can check and test server accessibility, stability, software functionality, network integrity and so on. Most of those server monitoring tools could be executed by the webmaster by using a simple software or web-based application.
In general, every server performance monitoring tool observes various web server metrics using various methods and logs the results of that observation. Most of those tools work externally and monitor servers by sending various types of requests, depending on the metric they monitor. For example, the basic reachability monitoring tool, ping, sends an ICMP echo request to check if the web server responds with an appropriate ICMP echo response or not.
The web server monitoring service is, in a nutshell, a set of such tools to monitor server performance, accessibility, stability and all other metrics in complex. Due to overall complexity, monitoring services provide more in-depth diagnostics than separated tools. Usually server monitoring services can also conduct all checks and tests automatically, And the most useful among such services can notify the webmaster responsible for server maintenance in case of errors or any other issues.
What types of servers can be monitored
Actually, there are no particular restrictions in terms of server types that can be monitored by various tools. Although not all metrics can be monitored, every webmaster still can check the performance of any server, whether it is database, software, SaaS, mobile or any other server. The same is true if you separate servers by resource allocation for web projects - shared, virtual, dedicated and so on. If it has an IP and is accessible from the network - you can monitor it.
What are the server monitoring tools
Monitoring servers is vital for maintaining them in accessible and working condition. Whether it’s a hardware server or cloud server, monitoring its performance is a must. Otherwise everything on the server won’t be working as it should. And server performance monitoring software is literally meant to help webmasters in response management in case of various issues.
To get the maximum out of web server monitoring, there are various services packed with appropriate software to check everything that might affect server performance or accessibility. And depending on a server type, the webmaster might need to use a different service with a different approach.
Simply put, for application server performance monitoring there will be a service to monitor application servers, and for mobile server performance monitoring there will be a service to monitor mobile servers. Those services will have somewhat different specifics and different priorities in terms of monitoring various server metrics.
Software server monitoring
The software server is a hardware that’s running a specific software to support other servers or computers connected to the same network. Web hosting and mail servers are one of the examples of such servers. To monitor those the webmaster can use all of the basic tools without any specifics. Therefore, to check on the status and various metrics of such servers, the webmaster can use almost any service that can provide overall server monitoring.
SaaS server monitoring
SaaS server, or Software as a Service server, is basically a variant of cloud server technology developed with a single purpose - to provide easy access to an application from anywhere in the network. Therefore monitoring SaaS servers is almost the same as monitoring cloud servers. There are literally no specific monitoring routines that could be completely different from cloud monitoring, so every service that is capable of monitoring cloud servers will work just fine.
Mobile server monitoring
Mobile servers, in a nutshell, are servers hosted on smartphones with the help of the specifically designed software. But those are using a classic hardware server as a gateway. But the server itself is deployed on the mobile device. Therefore usual methods won’t work. And this means that the webmaster can only monitor mobile servers using the in-built monitoring plugins or specific services that can work only with mobile servers. Although, the latter are really rare.
How to do server monitoring
Speaking of how to monitoring server in general terms, the first thing you need to do is to find the most suitable service that will have every single check and test you need. There are lots of various services all over the Internet, but you should find the most suitable one for your needs. For example, you can use one of the most complex and powerful ones - the HostTracker monitoring service, packed with a lot of useful features to monitor the server.
HostTracker has a lot of checks and tests for monitoring server performance, and to start using its systems and monitor the server all the webmaster needs to do is to register and start a free trial. After that the webmaster can set up every monitoring routine needed - from performance and network to server uptime monitoring. In addition, you can configure automated monitoring intervals, notifications schedule and all other QoS settings available.
The best server performance monitoring service
One of the best server performance monitoring services available nowadays is HostTracker. It’s on top of the others because it has a lot of useful features in addition to monitoring routines. First is its aforementioned free trial subscription. It allows every user to test the service's capabilities in real-time without the need to pay. And only after it ends, HostTracker will ask for credentials, providing high security measures for user data protection.
Another useful feature is its instant alerts designed to notify the webmaster responsible for server maintenance at the time of the issues occurring. This feature also allows specifying users that will be notified. All that comes with round-the-clock support service and makes HostTracker the ideal solution for business among other services for server monitoring.
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