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Armored Servers Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Corporate Information
Armored Servers company information
What is Armored Servers' financial status?
Why is Armored Servers profitable when there are lower cost competitors?
SUN Servers
Why SUN Hardware?
Predictive Self-Healing with Armored Servers
Why SUN Solaris OS?
General
What does Armored Servers provide to its clients?
What is the server turn around time from when I request a server?
Why do you not sell more optional services?
Why are there no contracts and only month-to-month payments?
How can you make money by charging so little compared to others?
Solaris Technical FAQ
Tuning Solaris for webservers
Solaris 10 Zones (aka Containers) for Server Virtualization
Solaris 10 Zones unofficial FAQ
Support
Does Armored Servers provide Live Online Support (chat)?
What is the process to handle technical support issues?
How much does Armored Servers charge for UNIX consulting and install services?
Why are Armored Servers' prices the way they are? Where does my money go?
Server Security
How do I connect securely to my Armored Servers server?
What type of OS Monitoring does Armored Servers use?
What type of security scans are run on my server?
What about Operating System patches?
What type of Firewall(s) do you have?
Are there any open-sourced VPN solutions?
Where should I purchase an SSL Certificate?
Databases
Can I access my serverÆs MySQL Database using Microsoft Access on my PC?
How to use CVS server remotely from a Windows PC?
Backups
How are the servers backed up?
How are the servers restored from backup?
Server Administration
Can I manage my server from a web-based administration menu?
Can I install a commercial application such as Oracle Database or Rational ClearCase?
X connections are slow! How can I make X windows faster over the Internet?
How can I login and keep my session running.. especially if I lose connection while running a task?
Development
Using both GCC and SUN Studio compilers
Network / Infrastructure
What type of infrastructure does Armored Servers have?
Why does Armored Servers offer only T1 lines?
How fast is the connection?
CORPORATE INFORMATION
Armored Servers Inc is a corporation based in Lawrence, MA. Armored Servers offers secure dedicated UNIX server hosting and consulting, as well as datacenter outsourcing.
We employ a main staff of
under 5 skilled people to maintain day-to-day operations with a pool of 12
skilled people available when needed (which is not often). Our company
has no long term debt.
Most Armored Servers clients use their servers for software development, Oracle
databases, web sites, configuration management, data warehousing, and data storage.
Our clients use our services for our security, data integrity, data redundancy,
SUN Hardware, and no cost value-added options. We provide a close client-provider
relationship where you are part of the 'family'. On top of all this,
we will install, configure, and setup any software for our clients.
You are not just renting a server, but renting a datacenter with your own
UNIX and Network administrators (not tech support who create a case for you
and place it in a queue).
What is Armored Servers' Financial Status?
We have no long term debt, and low overhead due to a smaller number of staff who have
a very high degree of technical knowledge and years of practical experience. All our equipment are purchased in full. We do not lease any hardware.
How is Armored Servers profitable when there are lower cost competitors in the dedicated server market?
"We focus on services where much of the value comes from the engineering of the specific solution rather than the cost of the dedicated server and network connection alone."
The ability to have highly experienced UNIX, Security administrators and consultants right at your fingertips is something you will not find anywhere else in the dedicated server market.
Our existing clients use our engineering solutions to provide a customized dedicated server and some of these examples are listed below:
Example #1
Online Patient Management system using OpenClinic and Armored Servers' customized engineering support.
OpenClinic has the following options:
Medical Records - Manage existing medical records
Patient's Administration:
Search, new, delete, edit
Social Data
Clinic History
Problem Reports
Example #2
Armored Servers' engineering solutions helped an existing client design a web-based medical records and patient management system using
FreeMED. FreeMED is a Web-based medical records (EMR) and patient management system with a printing system, patient scheduling, an HL7 interface, a billing system, XML-RPC Web services, and many other features. It has an extensible modular architecture, allowing it to be customized based on individual practices without having to rewrite core components of the system. It is HIPAA compliant.
Example #3
Another existing client had a need for a Bug Tracking database, using Mantis Bug Tracking, that can be accessed by its satelite offices around the world. Armored Servers' cost effective engineering solutions provided a customized dedicated server complete with Armored Servers' security and armoring designs.
Example #4
Companies in the Health Care Industry use Armored Servers' dedicated servers to store their sensitive data. Our clients require electronic databases that provide security, data integrity, managed support, and more security. We are part of our clients' business. We provide access to store data, provide the security of this data, and maintain and secure the underlying hardware and software infrastructure. All inclusive with our low monthly fees!
Example #5
An existing large global client had a need to use Rational Clearcase in a global environment between developers in India and the United States. Their concerns were security and the ability for Armored Servers to manage Rational Clearcase MultiSite in order to sync developer data between several sites. Armored Servers manages this entire environment and is fully integrated in this company's IT and development needs.
Example #6
Another Armored Servers client uses their servers for a BioInformatics Database that is web-enabled for remote access to the contents of the database.
Example #7
Most of Armored Servers' clients use Oracle products, where we help install, customize, and troubleshoot. Oracle Databases and Oracle Application Servers are the two most common products used by our clients at Armored Servers.
Example #8
Many customers use their SUN server running Solaris for the SUN Java Application Server, aka Glassfish.
SUN SERVERS
Why SUN Hardware?
Compare SUN hardware to the ordinary Intel-based servers from our competitors.
They may not list their faults such as they may only have 512k of CPU Cache
RAM, or 32bit CPUs. All our SUN equipment are true 64bit platforms and
have from 2mb, 4mb, or even 8mb CPU Cache RAM 'per' CPU. This means raw processing
power!
Predictive Self-Healing
SUN Hardware and the SUN Solaris Operating System provide Predictive Self-Healing. This type of fault tolerance is almost non-existant in the Intel/Linux community (or even Windows). The Solaris OS includes a set of predictive self-healing features to automatically capture, diagnose, and respond to hardware errors detected on your system. The Solaris Fault Manager automatically diagnoses failures in SUN hardware. The Solaris Fault Manager also attempts to automatically offline or isolate a faulty CPU, cache, or DRAM memory region. What does this mean for you or your company? No downtime due to hardware failures. Our competitors have SLA uptimes of almost 100%, however the fine print will often indicate that the Service Level Agreement does not include for hardware failures. A Linux system running on Intel-based hardware (32bit or 64bit) will crash if one of its CPU's or memory fails, possibly resulting in data loss or corruption. Your server will be down until it is replaced and hopefully your data has not been corrupted. Not so with Armored Servers' SUN Servers.
Why SUN Solaris OS?
Solaris is a 64bit OS with designs for multiple processor usage. Linux
does well with 1 CPU but is not as robust with multiple CPUs as compared
with Solaris. Solaris is also a stable Operating System, very reliable,
and very secure.
GENERAL
What does Armored Servers Provide to its clients?
We provide hardware, environmental data centers, connectivity, security, and UNIX administrators.
What is the server turn around time from when I request a server?
Within 48 hours depending on what level of customization is requested.
Why do you not sell more optional services?
We do not like to sell unneeded services to our clients. All our services
are included with no extra charges or hidden fees. We offer one flat
monthly rate.
Why are there no contracts and only month-to-month payments?
We try to provide the greatest flexibility to our clients by not getting
locked in to a long-term agreement. If a client wants to have a contract,
they can contact our sales department.
How can you make money by charging so little compared to others?
Most of our clients do not use just 1 server, they use 2, 3, 5, 8 or more servers.
Often a development company will setup an entire network with us, one machine
could be a test bed for development of a product or code, another system could
be the Configuration management server (CVS or Rational Clearcase), another
system could be the company's entire email server.. web-based and with Virus Scanning and
spam blocking (all customized and setup by Armored Servers for no additional charge!), another
server an Oracle database, to be used for Bug Tracking and even design storage..
as well as a web-based interface. Our client's entire company has become virtual,
letting Armored Servers take care of its digital needs for a flat monthly fee with no additional costs.
SUPPORT
Does Armored Servers provide Live Online Support (chat)?
We are sorry to say that we will never have any live online-chat.
Call us old-fashioned, but if a client has a problem or a question and it
is an emergency then they can call us and talk to someone. If it is
not an emergency then the client can still call or send an email.
What is the process to handle technical support issues?
A client can send an email to our support address and a UNIX engineer will
respond ASAP. A client can call our Toll Free Number 24 hours a day
(24/7) for any questions or emergencies. You will always talk to an
experienced UNIX engineer and problems will be resolved, or worked on, while
you are on the phone! Our response times are no longer than a few minutes
at most. We typically start working on the issue right away.
How much do you charge for UNIX consulting and install services?
No charge. This type of managed service is included with all our servers.
Where does my money go?
- Armored Servers' superior UNIX support
- Enterprise class hardware purchase cost
- 24x7 Free Phone Support
- Full T1 speeds (equiv to 1200$/month estimate)
- IP addresses
- Hardware support and replacement parts
- Firewall administration
- DNS administration (if you need our DNS server's to host your domains)
- Physical building security
- Security monitoring, scans, configuration, and administrators
Specialities..
- Oracle Database and Application server specialists
- Rational ClearCase administrators
- Electricty and HVAC (cooling)
Example1:
A SUN 220r uses 6.3 AMPS, 610 Watts, and produces 2080 BTU/hr of heat.
At the current commercial/industrial electrical rates of ~14cents/KWH.. 610
Watts yields ~60$/month in electricity. HVAC/cooling costs to cool the 2080 BTU/hr of heat also needs to be calculated. Not to mention the maintainance of generators, batteries, and HVAC.
Example2:
Our SUN E4500 servers, without RAID arrays, uses 12 AMPS, 1370 watts, and produces 4680 BTU/hr of heat. At the current commercial/industrial electrical rates at ~14cents.. 1370 watts yields ~138$/month in electricity.
HVAC cooling costs of 4680 BTU/hr also adds up requiring constant HVAC cooling.
Our competitors who do not use SUN hardware and use non-enterprise class servers.. mostly entry-level servers, for example, may use a DELL 1U rack server Model #1550. This uses 240 Watts and produces 1228 BTU/hr. This yeilds ~24$/month for electricity and much less BTU/hr than our enterprise class hardware.
Then they charge extra for more IP addresses, per GB of data transfer charges, any type of security scans or support, charge extra for the use of a firewall and DNS services, and they will most likely charge an hourly fee for standard support and consulting. We do not charge anything extra.. even for support and consulting. We are here to help our clients be successful.
SERVER SECURITY
How do I connect securely to my Armored Servers Server?
Use Secure Shell (SSH). SSH is an encrypted login session providing
an extra security layer. SSH also provides the ability for tunneling.
You are able to tunnel X sessions from your dedicated server to your own
system, and have the session encrypted.
Download the SSH client for Windows at http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/download.html
Use this link to download for MS Windows platform.
What type of OS Monitoring does Armored Servers use?
Highly customized Big Brother monitoring software. We monitor all aspects
of your server from CPU, Disk, RAID, Processes, Databases (MySQL, Oracle,
etc..), Web server, and even Host-Based Intrusion Detection.
What type of Security Scans are run on my server?
We regularly run security scans using Nessus Security Scanner and several
customized in-house tools. These ensure, to a reasonable level, that
your server is not vulnerable to any remote exploitations or attacks.
What about operating system patches?
We apply Recommended Operating System patches to your server regularly.
These help to prevent any security breaches.
What type of Firewall(s) do you have?
We use several brands of firewalls to secure access to our clients' dedicated
servers. Each client is allowed to change their firewall settings,
they can block more ports or open more ports. Some clients prefer to
have all ports open, leaving their server wide open, we do not recommend
this but the option is available.
Open Sourced VPN Solutions?
OpenVPN is a robust and highly configurable VPN (Virtual Private Network)
daemon which can be used to securely link two or more private networks using
an encrypted tunnel over the Internet. OpenVPN works well with SUN
Solaris and a Windows 2000 client.
Download OpenVPN at http://openvpn.sourceforge.net/
Where can I purchase an SSL Certificate?
Verisign offers SSL Certificates, however Geotrust offers SSL Certificates
at a more affordable price.
www.geotrust.com
DATABASES
Can I access my server's MySQL Database using Microsoft Access on my PC?
Many of our clients use their dedicated server to store their sensitive data
which will be protected and secured by Armored Servers' technology. These
clients access this data through web-enabled databases (PHP and MySQL for
example) or through client software such as MS Access. Download MyODBC Client at http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/connector/
How to use CVS server remotely from a Windows PC
Try using TortoiseCVS. TortoiseCVS lets you work with files under CVS version control directly from Windows Explorer. It's freely available under the GPL.
With TortoiseCVS you can directly check out modules, update, commit and see differences by right clicking on files and folders within Explorer. You can see the state of a file with overlays on top of the normal icons within Explorer. It even works from within the file open dialog.
BACKUPS
How are the servers backed up?
We provide Daily backups. We backup using the Operating System's ufsdump tool (or dump in Linux) remotely
to large RAID arrays on our secured backup server. The entire backup
connection is secured and encrypted using SSH/SSL. No need for expensive
commercial tools as our solution works just as well, if not better.
Some of our high-end servers are provided with dedicated Backup Hardware where
your server's backups are stored locally with the system.
How are the servers restored from backup?
We restore files the same way as we back them up. If we have to restore
the entire operating system then we boot into Single-User mode from the installation
media and restore from there onto your hard drive(s).
SERVER ADMINISTRATION
Can I manage my server from a web-based administration menu?
We provide Webmin, a server management web-based application. Please
see http://www.webmin.com for more information on this tool.
Can I install a commercial application such as Oracle Database or Rational ClearCase?
Yes, as long as you legally obtain licenses for the software where applicable. Armored
Servers can even help you install, configure, and setup any application!
X connections are slow! How can I make X windows faster over the Internet?
Use VNC. The VNC Client software connects to a VNC server running on
your dedicated server. An X Windows session will pop up on the client
just as if you were on the console of the server itself. VNC provides
X windows connectivity using less traffic and bandwidth. Another good
feature of VNC is that if you become disconnected from the server (voluntary
or involuntary) then you can just reconnect and continue your session as
it never stopped. This works great when installing an Oracle Database,
as that could take a couple of hours and requires X Windows!
VNC Also has a web-based interface. You will not need to use VNC Client software, just a JAVA capable Web-browser!
Download VNC at http://www.realvnc.com/download.html
How can I login and keep my session running.. especially if I lose connection while running a task
Use "screen". As any user, type in "screen" at a command prompt and it will open a session that will not be affected
if you were to be disconnected. If you disconnect, then log back into the server and type in "screen -ls" to list
what screen sessions are available. Then type in "screen -r " to restore that screen. You can have many
sessions open, each performing different tasks.. tailing a log file, installing an application, compiling large code, etc...
These tasks will not be interrupted when you disconnect and will continue to run even when you are not even logged in.
DEVELOPMENT
Using both GCC and SUN Studio compilers .. with gmake
Whether you prefer gcc or the Studio compilers, it's worth your time to compile and do testing with the other compiler. You may find things that you never suspected in that code you thought was working perfectly.
In gmake, it's quite trivial to set up your make file to use a different compiler. Use something such as this:
CC = cc
OBJECTS = stacks.o
CFLAGS = -g -xO3 -K pic -I. $(XCFLAGS)
LDFLAGS = -znodefs -G -o $(REALLIB) -h $(LNTARGET) -lumem
ifeq ($(CC),gcc)
CFLAGS=-g -O2 -fpic -std=c99 -pedantic -Wall
LDFLAGS=-shared -fpic -o $(REALLIB) -lumem -lc
endif
This uses Studio by default but I can say gmake CC=gcc and build with gcc.
NETWORK / INFRASTRUCTURE
What type of infrastructure does Armored Servers have?
Armored Servers has a solid core infrastructure. Our core network consists
of CISCO routers and NORTEL Ethernet switches. Our data centers provide
redundancies, monitoring systems and 24x7 support.
Why does Armored Servers offer only T1 lines?
Compare us to competitors with OC3 or faster connections. They typically
offer 30 or 40GB of traffic per month and cram 100's, if not 1000's, of customers on that link. . With us, you can use 100GB,
200GB, 300GB, even 600GB!. They restrict traffic due to the cost of their connection.
We have many T1 connections and distribute the load across them, giving all
our clients unrestricted 1.5mbits/second speeds. Plus, if for some
reason we have a T1 line outage, it only affects the few clients on that
T1 line leaving the rest of the company unaffected.
Please see our security page that details Armored Servers' Isolated and Contained network connections that utilize T1 lines instead of a large T3 connection that causes more exposure to security threats and data sniffing.
How fast is the connection?
DS1 (or T1) Speed. 1.544mbits
Most companies will not need more than 1.544mbits transfers, however we do offer dedicated connections at much faster speeds.. from 3mbit to 100mbit. We also offer more than 1 T1 connection to your server(s).. you can have 2 or more independant T1 connections directly to your server. Doing this, your server will dramatically increase in bandwidth capacity serving out 600GB, 1200GB or more uploads (and another 600GB or 1200GB for downloads). See our options page.
Bandwidth Comparison Chart
See our Bandwidth Meter to test your connection with our servers.. click here
The information presented illustrates differences in data transfer speed,
using various modem baud rates and ISDN connection types. This information
should be used only to compare different technologies and services; actual
file transfer times will be somewhat higher due to factors such as protocol
overhead and other inefficiencies.
Type
|
Speed
|
10 K
|
100 K
|
1 Meg
|
1 Gig
|
28.8k modem
|
28800
|
6 sec
|
56
sec
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9.3 min
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6.4 days
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ISDN 1B (64K)
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64000
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1.25 sec
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12.5 sec
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2.1 min
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1.45 days
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ISDN 2B (128k)
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128000
|
0.625 sec
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6.25 sec
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62.5 sec
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17.4 hours
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Frac. DS1 (384K)
|
384000
|
0.21 sec
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2.1 sec
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20.8 sec
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5.8 hours
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DS1 / T1 (1.544Meg)
|
1536000
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0.52 sec
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0.52 sec
|
5.2 sec
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1.45 hours
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