This Virtual Private Server (VPS) thing is a whole new concept to wrap your head around if you're used to working with other types of dedicated servers. Virtuozzo is able to split the servers resources to house dozens of individual VPS's. You can think of each VPS as its own dedicated server unto itself using its own operating system and webserver software. It's a great product!

For those that missed the Houston training or are lost somewhere along the way. Here's a quck walkthrough of creating your first VPS. Virtuozzo experts, please feel free to comment or correct if anything looks out of place. This is what's working for me.

You should have already downloaded and installed the Virtuozzo Management Console software. When you register your Hardware node (your Virtuozzo server), give it a friendly name (mine's called Houston) and specify the IP address that EV1 told you is used by the Virtuozzo software.

You can now connect to your server and create new VPS's on it. Create a new VPS running Plesk:

1. Click the friendly name of your machine on the left, then click "Create Virtual Environment" on the right under Wizards.

2. Pick the 'vps.plesk7.es3' or 'vps.plesk7.rh9' sample configuration (I'm using es3). Specify a hostname -- this will be the name of your new VPS server. (ie: server1.mydomain.com) Give it a root password as well. Click next.

3. Enter an IP address manually. Pick one of the 8 additional IP addresses EV1 gave you. Enter two DNS servers manually (207.218.192.39 + 207.218.192.38 work). Leave 'Search Domains' blank. Click next.

4. Choose an OS template. I'm using redhat-es3 (latest). Click next.

5. Select application templates to install. Make sure you scroll down to get them all. I'm clicking everything but ColdFusion here. Click next.

6. Don't override the paths. Click next.

7. You can specify how much of the server's resources you'll allow this VPS to use. Make sure you pick "unlimited" (not "light") and specify how much disk space to give the VPS. I think the default is 1 GIG, but it lets you bump it up. Click next.

8. Traffic shaping. Click next.

9. 'Start on hardware boot mode' should be checked. Click next.

10. Review your settings and click Finish.

Now it takes a few minutes to create the VPS on your server. Once it finishes, you now have a VPS that acts as its own dedicated server running Plesk.

Login via SSH using root and the root password you created.

You can access the Plesk admin panel by going to
https://:8443

Default login is 'admin' with password 'setup'. First time login will have you do a couple of one-time tasks like enter your company info and create a new admin password.

From there you can create hosting accounts, setup nameservers, and all the other stuff you're used to doing with a dedicated server. Look at the Plesk forums or FAQs to learn all that if you're new to Plesk.

Until the Plesk license is added, Plesk will only support one domain. Submit a support ticket to EV1 to request a Plesk license for your new VPS. They'll need the individual VPS's IP address and root password.

The Virtuozzo Management Console software is used to view and manage all the VPS on your physical server. You can monitor the server load and processes in real time and reboot those that need it.

Have fun with your server!

-RJ-

Until we get a how-to forum, can a mod sticky this?

-RJ-

Nice job, thank you for doing this! I was at the training session in Houston, but forgot 99% of what I heard, which wasn't much.

Stuck

btw, if you use only VMC to access to your server you only need your keys. No need the root password to access to it.

Guys I am having trouble with the step by step above. I followed the steps outlined above exactly and when I set up a VE I can NOT access it at all. Even the IP will not ping. However, the VMC tells me the VE was created successfully.

I submitted a Trouble Ticket with Support and they said I needed a restore. Got the restore and still same problem.

Unable to access plesask using https://:8443

In fact unable to even ping the Virtual Server Ip I created.

I am out of things to do, is there a step not listed above that is taken for granted that I should know/do?

I am totally out of things to try. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.

As a follow up to the problem I was having it turned out EV1 issued me one set of IP's and sent/set server up with a wrong set of IP's. The IP issue was corrected and the above instructions work great.

I've been looking around the site and I can't even figure out where to order the actual server, just a VPS.

you need to email custom.order@ev1servers.net or email aaron@ev1servers.net

What are the prices?

Given Ensim's recent lack of direction with WP I'm seriously considering moving at least my resellers into Plesk/VPS, but I'd need to know if it's cost-effective.....

Chris @ optima here long time no speak - remember the core upgrade! I too am looking at the Plesk/VPS route. Pricing I am not sure about but get the data centre to hang it all off HSPcomplete and a single front end / admin module should control multiple Plesk/VPS boxes. http://www.sw-soft.com/en/products/hspcomp...plete/overview/

To date I dont know of any data centre offering it. sw-soft could not tell me of any using it themselves let alone as a reseller offering.

Maybe once the rough edges have been knocked off there might be some merit in looking at the all pwerful front end concept talking to Plesk and VPSs.

HSphere have a similar concept. I am not in the data centre market and I could not find a UK based data centre offering a viable reseller HSphere either.

One feature was that HPshere could manage Windows boxes as well as *nix.

Cheers Chris