Some 18 months ago we noticed a trend in the market that Hosting Providers that offered automated server deployments were starting to call their Dedicated Server products Bare Metal Servers. As Leaseweb has been offering automated server deployments since 2008 it was a very logical step to follow this trend. Recently we reintroduced our Dedicated Server product next to our Bare Metal offering with a clear distinction between the two.
When you order a dedicated server with us now, it is possible to adjust the RAM and HDD configuration as you might wish. A Leaseweb engineer can configure it exactly as desired. This may take a little longer than when you order a bare metal server, but it adds to your flexibility and freedom if you can build your server just the way you want it.
Once your server is running in one of our data centers, there are no differences between bare metal servers and dedicated servers. To make server management as easy as possible, Leaseweb offers all automation that we use internally to all our customers, free of charge. For these automation services, no support engineer is needed. You can use the developer API to integrate into your own systems, or the graphical user interface of the Customer Portal. These are the automation services we have in place at the moment:
- Re-installation service for all operating systems we support. This goes for all software, you can choose freely to install Linux, or Windows, or anything you want, every time again;
- Rescue mode, an emergency service to start a server from the network, so you can see whether it is possible to repair a software problem or secure data in case your own operating system is not responding;
- Power cycling to reboot a server if it is not responding;
- Complete information on all data traffic, plus e-mail alert to avoid extra costs, if desired;
- Internet access shut down through the portal by turning off the switch port;
- IP 0 route, to shut down all IP traffic to and from one address;
- IP address management by adjusting the DNS;
- Last but not least: private networking, connecting servers within a private network. Starting July, all our data centers, including those in Amsterdam and Washington, offer private networking. In the Customer Portal you can easily see which servers are compatible. Contact the Leaseweb customer service if you have any questions.
We are currently working hard on remote management, access to the management module of the server, also referred to as KVM over IP. It allows you to connect to a server and see and configure everything you wish, i.e. connecting an ISO or your DVD drive and installing your own software. All connections to this platform will be through a VPN connection.
With these automation services, we want to make sure that once we have installed your servers and have made them available to you, you can configure them exactly as you want and integrate them into your own infrastructure. Automation as automation should be: easy, flexible and timesaving.