While new features are an important part of every product, ensuring that these new features either support existing features or are compatible with them stands as an additional priority when handling a product.
These two aspects are what version 4.7 aims to achieve, and here is what it has done to facilitate them.
VPS Snapshots & Volume Shrinking
The first set of changes revolve around VPS functionality.
VPS snapshots
One of the more important changes comes with the ability to create VPS snapshots of datasets from a particular moment of a VPSs operation that can be used to roll the server back to the snapshot in case of an emergency.
While any number of snapshots can be created, and while they don’t take up a lot of space upon creation, leaving older snapshots around for too long will gradually start cutting into available storage space.
Additionally, it’s worth noting that snapshots get deleted 15 days post creation to combat said problem.
The rollback function provides a number of advantages, particularly in tasks involving maintenance, upgrades and file recovery, allowing users to safeguard their systems and perform upgrades without having to worry about their servers breaking.
IMPORTANT NOTE: VPS snapshots aren’t a replacement for existing SERVERware data backup and recovery options.
VPS volume shrinking
The second change in the VPS spectrum revolves around VPS volume sizes where we’ve implemented the ability to automatically decrease the committed size of a volume based on how much space is utilized, allowing admins to further free up and optimize resources for other operations if necessary.
It’s worth noting that this feature can only be performed when the VPS isn’t in operation.
Template Restructures
One other major change that v4.7 brings to SERVERware is our template restructure, sorting existing templates into clearer categories: official, community and third-party.
Official templates are ones created, maintained and supported by Bicom inc. whereas the third party ones are not.
The community templates are considered third party, but are still hosted on the Bicom Systems repository, chosen based on internal and external feedback. However, it’s worth noting that Bicom isn’t liable for their maintenance or continued support with future releases.
Additionally, all templates now comply with the OCI standard, making their implementation and management much easier going forward as well as improving overall system security.
Improved OCI Image Management
In regards to the management side of things, OCI deployment has been made easier with the restructure of the OCI deployment window, allowing admins to install, update, and remove templates from a single point, providing a more intuitive and less cumbersome experience.
Replication And Backup From Local Storage On Processing Hosts
The final major change that comes with SERVERware’s 4.7 version is the ability to add processing hosts from remote locations while still enjoying SERVERware’s geo-redundancy and data backup capabilities.
All of this is reflected in the “Recent replications” window where admins can get an overview of which host the replication is running from, the replication’s duration, and data transferred alongside other, potentially relevant data.
Moreover, 4.7 also provides admins with more flexible replication scheduling options, allowing them to set when they want the first server replication to start.
And More…
Alongside these major changes, we’ve also been hard at work ironing out any kinks and squashing bugs that were present prior, ensuring a smoother experience with both SERVERware and sipPROT alike.
The SERVERware team has also done a number of DNS cache improvements to minimize any issues with the VPS or potential outages.
For more detailed information regarding all the changes, you can check out the full v4.7 release notes.
We are sure to continue our efforts in developing a platform that satisfies the needs of your clients while retaining its intuitive design throughout and we are looking forward to showing you more of what we have in store, but more on that in our future releases.
Until then, we hope to have met your expectations and that both you and your clients remain satisfied.