Glossary

vServer (VPS)

A vServer, also known as Virtual Private Server or VPS, offers users access to a remote server that they may use with an operating system of their choice. The virtual aspect of a VPS is found in the fact that providers, such as netcup, rely on large data centers filled with clusters of servers. These get split into separate, smaller systems for our customers. Whilst you are sharing your system with multiple people, you retain full root access to your own VPS and may use it however you see fit.

Operating system (OS)

An Operating System, often abbreviated as OS, is a piece of software that manages your system's hardware and the services running on it. In the server space, operating systems based on the Linux kernel (see below) are very popular due to their reliability and security features. It is also possible to choose Windows Server as the operating system for the VPS, but an appropriate license is required.

Linux

Linux is the name of a popular kernel, initially developed by Linus Torvalds. The kernel, meanwhile, is the core of the operating system and generally has full control over the operating system. Especially in the server field, operating systems such as Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Debian and others are popular due to their use of the Linux kernel. The Linux kernel is regarded as a very stable, reliable, and secure base, which explains its popularity for server applications.

root

root, occasionally also called superuser or administrator, is the term used for a specific account on a system that has elevated rights and the ability to make significant changes to the system. For security reasons, it is imperative to use root rights only when they are absolutely necessary, and it is equally imperative to avoid granting such access to untrusted persons.

Image

Images are pre-packaged files that, in the case of netcup servers, include an operating system that has been fully set up for easy and fast deployment.

CPU/Processor

The CPU (Central Processing Unit), sometimes also referred to as processor, constitutes the most critical component of your server. The CPU processes all requests and handles the operating system and any software you run on your server. Servers provided by netcup are offered with so called multi-core processors that include multiple processing cores as part of one package. These cores allow the server to scale better with more complex tasks and, due to this, the number of processing cores can have a significant impact on the demands your server can handle.

RAM

RAM (random access memory), sometimes also referred to as just memory, is the main area where your server stores data before and during processing. More demanding tasks tend to have higher RAM requirements to ensure effective and reliable service. RAM requirements may also be increased if the server is being accessed by a large number of systems simultaneously to ensure consistent and timely processing of the requests.

SSH

SSH is a secure, encrypted protocol that allows network services to be operated over an otherwise untrusted connection. In the case of a VPS, SSH predominantly finds a use in allowing users a secure way to remotely access a server's terminal over the network.

Screen

Screen is a browser method for accessing a VPS. It supports both direct terminal access and accessing a server's GUI output if this has been setup.

Credentials

Credentials is a term used to describe all data one may use to securely access a system, such as one's own VPS. Login data and private SSH keys are examples of credentials and must not be shared with untrusted third parties.

Tier

Tier is a term to describe a specific performance or storage level. Your VPS tier (e.g., VPS 1000 G9) dictates the number of cores, memory, traffic, and storage you have at your disposal. Changing to a “higher tier” means increasing one or more of these specifications, whereas changing to a “lower tier” means reducing one or more of these specifications.

Snapshots

Snapshots are a way of storing a server's state at a specific point in time. This may be useful when making potentially breaking changes to the system as snapshots allow the quick and easy rollback to an earlier state. Also, snapshots may be downloaded and stored locally on a personal computer or used to transfer data between VPS.