Something You Didn't Know About Managing Multiple Servers

No matter what you're doing in life, whether it's work or hobby, the aim is the same. How do you do what you're doing better and faster? How can you be more productive?



Well, when it comes to managing multiple Linux servers in shared or VPS hosting service, the goals don't change. So what's the most effective way to manage all your servers to make them more productive? You actually have a range of options you can try, and that's exactly what we'll be covering in this article.

Managing and controlling multiple Linux servers



The simplest, most straight forward way to send requests to multiple servers is to use an app. Cssh or PAC manager are good options. This solution will work as long as you have relatively few servers - two or three - that are exactly the same and perform the same function. Right away, you can see that this solution is pretty inflexible. Considering the limitations of this method, it's actually not much more productive than just managing each server individually, especially since then you won't have to maintain entire two servers for the same exact function.

Taking things to the next level, you can get configuration management software like Saltstack or Ansible. These are built specifically as remote execution apps, and can manage any range of Linux servers, and have some limited compatability with Windows servers as well. They use their own scriping language that's pretty easy to learn and use, and they offer a lot of flexibility; whether you want to conditionally execute programs and scripts, or to large scale orchestration of actions between interdependent servers. Commands are issued from .yaml formatted files, which are easy to read and execute.



Software like Puppet and Chef take the same idea of configuration management and remote execution to the next level. They can do stuff like install a software package on a CentOS and a Debian server, and the software will decide itself how to best install and configure the package for maximum compatibility. However, with these, you'll lose a level of accessibility. Commands are all written in Ruby or their own proprietary language. The barrier for entry is much higher, and getting familiar with these systems can take weeks, if not months.



Finally, we have our favorite option: online, remote server management applications. Oh hey, that's us! That's ServerSuit! Really, though, when we were looking at solutions to managing multiple Linux servers we went through the same options we listed above and found them lacking in one way or another. You either get plenty of options and flexibility, or you get ease of use and accessibility. But we couldn't ever manage to get both. So we built a solution that does both.



Anyone can use ServerSuit, whether you're a vet or a beginner. And our app covers you whether you got just one server or a hundred. We got remote management, monitoring, pre-configured software package installation, custom scripts, you name it, on lock.



And you can try it all right now! Free! For 30 days when you sign up! We think if you give us a shot, you won't want to use anything else for your remote server management.



Hope this gave you an idea of what you're getting into with server management. Follow us @serversuit and on Facebook for future articles and updates!



- ServerSuit Team

