Dedicated servers are an crucial aspect of any organization. Business continuity relies upon on servers going for walks all of the time, and every mistake results in expensive downtime. That’s why server protection is so essential.

Keeping a server going for walks entails extra than simply loading the modern day patches and updates. Use our server protection tick list to make sure the clean operation of your server and keep away from downtime.

Here’s is our listing of 15 server protection hints that will help you higher control your hardware and keep away from the maximum not unusualplace troubles.

Double-Check & Verify Your Backups

If you’ve ever needed to get over a catastrophic pressure failure, you know the way essential records is to the clean operation of a commercial enterprise.

With an awesome backup strategy, it’s higher to have them and now no longer want them, than want them and now no longer have them. Schedule a couple of minutes each week (or each day) to test server backups. Alternatively, replicate the server surroundings to a digital gadget withinside the cloud and check it frequently.

Check the RAID array

Many devoted servers run a RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) array. In RAID, more than one tough drives act as one garage tool withinside the occasion of a unmarried disk failure.

Some forms of RAID are designed for performance, others for redundancy. In maximum instances, current RAID arrays have superior tracking equipment. A brief look at your RAID tracking application can warn you to capability pressure screw ups. This helps you to plan pressure replacements and rebuilds in a manner that minimizes downtime.

Verify Storage Utilization

Periodically test your servers’ tough pressure utilization. Servers generate a number of log files, vintage emails, and previous software program packages.

If it’s essential to hold vintage log files, don’t forget archiving them to outside garage. Old emails also can be archived or deleted. Some software updaters don’t eliminate vintage files. Fortunately, a few bundle managers have integrated cleanup protocols that you may use. You also can locate third-celebration utilities for coping with vintage software program files.

Hard drives aren’t simply used for garage. They additionally use a change file, which acts like bodily reminiscence. If disk usage receives above 90%, it may intrude with the change file, that may critically degrade performance.

Review Server Resource Usage

In addition to reviewing disk space, it’s additionally clever to look at different server usages.

Memory and processor utilization can display how closely a server is being used. If CPU and reminiscence utilization are regularly close to 100%, it’s a signal that your server can be overtaxed. Consider decreasing the weight for your hardware via way of means of upgrading, or via way of means of including extra servers. Other alternatives consist of reassigning sure workloads to a cloud surroundings, hence imposing a hybrid cloud solution.

Update Your Control Panel

Control panel software program (including cPanel) ought to be up to date manually. When updating cPanel, best the manage panel is up to date. You nonetheless want to replace the packages that it manages, including Apache and PHP.

Update Software Applications

Depending for your server configuration, you can have many unique software program packages. Some structures have bundle managers that could mechanically replace software program. For those who don’t, create a agenda to study to be had software program updates.

This is mainly authentic for internet-primarily based totally packages, which account for the good sized majority of breaches. Keep in thoughts that a few running structures can also additionally specially require older software versions. In instances in which you ought to use older software program in a manufacturing surroundings, take care to keep away from exposing such software program to an open community.

Examine Remote Management Tools

Check faraway control equipment which includes the faraway console, faraway reboot, and rescue mode. These are mainly essential in case you run a cloud-primarily based totally digital server surroundings, or are coping with your servers remotely. Secure faraway get admission to on your personnel if faraway paintings is practiced via way of means of your organization.

Check in on those utilities frequently to make certain they may be functional. Rebooting can clear up many issues on its own. A faraway console lets in you to log in to a server with out being bodily present. Rescue mode is a Red Hat solution, however maximum server running structures have a control or “safe” mode you may remotely boot to make repairs.

Verify Network Utilization

Much like reminiscence and CPU utilization, server hundreds have a community ability. If your server is getting near the most ability of the community hardware, don’t forget putting in upgrades. In addition to the ability of the community, you may don’t forget the use of community tracking equipment. These equipment can watch your community site visitors for uncommon or tricky utilization.

Monitoring site visitors styles will let you optimize your internet site visitors. For example, you may migrate regularly-accessed assets to a quicker server. You can also additionally additionally music uncommon conduct to become aware of intrusion tries and records breaches, and control them proactively.

Verify Operating System Updates

OS updates may be a complicated area to navigate. One the only hand, patches, and updates can clear up safety troubles, amplify functionality, and enhance performance. Hackers regularly plan cybersecurity assaults around “zero-day” exploits. That is, they have a take a observe the OS patches which are released, and assault the ones weaknesses earlier than a commercial enterprise can patch the vulnerability.

On the alternative hand, custom software program can enjoy conflicts and instability with software program updates. Dedicate time frequently to study OS updates. If you’ve got got a touchy manufacturing surroundings, don’t forget growing a check surroundings to check updates earlier than rolling them out to manufacturing.

Physically Clean Server Hardware

Schedule time to bodily smooth and look into servers to save you hardware failure. This enables hold dirt and particles out of the circuit forums and fans.

Dust buildup interferes with warmth control, and warmth is the enemy of server performance. While you’re cleaning, visually look into the servers and server surroundings. Make certain the shelves have lots of airflow. Check for any uncommon wiring of connections. An sudden flash pressure is probably a safety breach. An unauthorized community cable may create a records privateness concern.

Check for Hardware Errors

Modern server running structures preserve logs of hardware mistakes.

A hardware blunders can be a SMART blunders on a failing tough pressure, a driving force blunders for a failing tool, or random mistakes that might imply a reminiscence hassle. Checking your blunders logs will let you pinpoint and clear up a hardware hassle earlier than it escalates to a gadget crash.

Review Password Security

Evaluate your password coverage frequently. If you aren’t the use of an organization password control gadget, begin now.

You have to have a gadget that automates precise password hygiene. If you don’t, this could be an awesome time to coach customers to alternate passwords manually.

Evaluate User Accounts

Most organizations have a few stage of turnover, and it’s smooth for person debts to be overlooked.

Review the person account listing periodically, and eliminate any person debts not needed. You also can test account permissions, to make certain they may be suitable for every person. While reviewing this records, you have to additionally study purchaser records and debts. You can also additionally want to manually eliminate records for former customers to keep away from criminal or safety complication

Consider Overall Server Security

Evaluate your server safety rules to make certain that they may be contemporary-day and functioning. Consider the use of a third-celebration community safety device to check your community from the outside. This can assist become aware of regions that you’ve overlooked, and assist you save you breaches earlier than they occur.

Check Server Logs Regularly

Servers preserve logs that music get admission to and mistakes at the server. These logs may be extensive, however a few equipment and strategies cause them to less complicated to control.

Review your logs frequently to live acquainted with the operation of your servers. A logged blunders may become aware of a hardware trouble that you may restore earlier than it fails. Anomalies in get admission to logs may imply unauthorized utilization via way of means of customers or unauthorized get admission to from an intruder.

Regular Server Maintenance Reduces Downtime & Failures
With this tick list, you have to have a higher information of the way to carry out habitual server protection.

Regular protection guarantees that minor server troubles don’t strengthen right into a disastrous gadget failure. Many server screw ups due to preventable conditions because of bad planning.