Category: Virtual Server (EN)

No, virtualisation (Nested Virtualization) is disabled on our KVM servers. OpenVZ does not support this by default.

So there is no AMD-V or Intel-VT available. If you need a virtualised operating system, we recommend a dedicated server.

What do I need virtualisation for?

You can use virtualisation if you want to use additional operating systems on your server that act independently of the guest machine. The most commonly used technologies for this are, for example, Proxmox or Hyper-V.

Can I use Docker?

Docker does not require any virtualisation technology, as it is a containerisation. More information about Docker on vServers.

Alternatives

If you wish to host your own virtual machines, our dedicated servers are available to you. You can run virtualisation there without any restrictions.

Yes, all ports are open on our servers. You have no restrictions. The software firewall (iptables) is set to “ALLOW” by default.

So if you start a program on your Linux server that opens a port publicly, you do not need to explicitly open it. So you don’t need to perform explicit port forwarding, as you might have to do at home, for example.

It’s a bit different with Windows servers. There, you need to open the ports in the Windows firewall to be able to reach them from the outside.

My program is not accessible from the outside

If your program is not accessible from the outside, first check your firewall. Usually, however, the issue lies with the program’s listening method. If the port is open on “127.0.0.1”, you can only access the port from the machine itself. You would need to either set your own IP address as the “bind” IP or use “0.0.0.0”. This will make your program accessible from the outside.

We also have a separate article on making a MySQL Server accessible from the outside.

Activate Windows Server and store license – step-by-step guide

Our servers are shipped with a 180 day trial license from Microsoft by default. In order to use the server according to the EULA of Microsoft Windows, you must deposit a Windows license.

To activate Windows Server, it is necessary to have a license key. This must be either Windows Server 2019 Standard or Windows Server 2022 Standard. Depending on which operating system you have installed.

To be able to install the standard license, you have to convert the evaluation version to standard. So you can’t just enter the key in the ProductKey mask. A little command line is needed.

Convert evaluation to standard via CMD

Log in to your Windows server via RDP.

Open the console as administrator. Open the search, type cmd. Right click on the entry and you will get the option to open the console as administrator. Click on it.

Activate Windows with Key

dism /online /set-edition:ServerStandard /productkey:KEY /accepteula

After that, your Windows is activated. If unexpected errors occur, it is best to use an online search to find possible sources of error.

Mailcow (Dockerized) Admin Password Reset

If you have installed Mailcow (dockerized) on your server and don’t know your admin login password anymore, you don’t have to worry about your data. You can easily reset the admin password yourself.

Log in to the server via SSH

To reset the password, you must log in to the server via SSH using Putty or similar. Use the root access for this.

Change to the Mailcow directory

Now you need to change to the directory where you installed Mailcow. By default this is /opt/mailcow-dockerized.

cd /opt/mailcow-dockerized

Reset password

Next you can use the script that comes with Mailcow to reset the admin password.

./helper-scripts/mailcow-reset-admin.sh

Run the script. You will be asked if you really want to reset the password. Acknowledge the question with a “Y” or “yes” followed by [Enter].

After that you will see the new password.

root@14640-21671:/opt/mailcow-dockerized# ./helper-scripts/mailcow-reset-admin.sh
Checking MySQL service... OK
Are you sure you want to reset the mailcow administrator account? [y/N] yes

Working, please wait...

Reset credentials:
---
Username: admin
Password: T2Kj9TtM1ZhngAWD
TFA: none

The password was reset

Your password has now been changed to “T2Kj9TtM1ZhngAWD”. You can now log in to Mailcow. Please note that this only changes the administrator password and not your password for SoGo or IMAP/SMTP logins.

By default, OpenVZ virtual servers use an older kernel (version 3.10) which still receives security updates but may not offer all the features of newer kernels. Please note that in OpenVZ virtual servers, the kernel is shared with all other virtual servers on the host system, so we cannot make changes to the kernel on an individual basis.

Using KVM servers

If you need a newer kernel, you should consider switching to a KVM server. KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) is a virtualization technology that allows you to install your own kernel on your server. This gives you the opportunity to use a newer kernel that may offer better features and compatibility with specific applications. However, please note that switching to a KVM server may incur additional costs, as KVM servers are generally more expensive than OpenVZ servers.

Using an older kernel

Checking the required features

If you do not need specific features provided by a newer kernel, it may not be necessary to update the kernel. Please check the requirements of your applications and services to determine if a newer kernel is really necessary.

If you have any further questions or concerns regarding the kernel version on your virtual server, please feel free to contact our customer support. We are happy to assist you in selecting the right option for your needs.

Problem solution: Install Guest Agent on KVM server

It can happen that the Guest Agent was not installed correctly after setting up your server. This is responsible for the connection between your server and Vionity.

You can install the Guest Agent by logging into your server via SSH.

wget -qO /tmp/guest-agent.sh https://pph.sh/kvm-install.sh
/bin/bash /tmp/guest-agent.sh

Your server will now install the Guest Agent. After that you should be able to access the server via Vionity.

If you have problems, the server is not accessible via SSH or you do not feel up to the task, you can contact our support. We will take care of it for you as soon as possible.

What is the Guest Agent used for on a KVM server?

On a KVM server, the Guest Agent is used to collect data about the VMs running on the server. This data is then used to provide users with information about the status and performance of the VMs via the KVM server’s web interface.

The data that the Guest Agent collects can include information about CPU utilization, memory usage, network activity, and other important performance parameters. By making this information available through the web interface, KVM server users can monitor VM performance and detect problems early.

New installation and operating system change for virtual servers in Cloud Manager

Reinstalling your virtual server via the web interface is very simple. In the Cloud Manager you will find the option “Reinstall” under the actions. There you can reinstall the server or change the operating system. Please note that a new installation will delete all data and the server will be reset. However, it is possible to perform a new installation at any time.

How does the reinstallation of my virtual server work?

To reinstall your virtual server, navigate to the actions in the Cloud Manager and select “Reinstall”. There you can select the desired operating system or reinstall the server completely. Please note that all data will be deleted during a reinstallation, so you should make a backup beforehand.

Can I change the operating system of my virtual server?

Yes, in Cloud Manager you have the option to change the operating system of your virtual server. Simply select the “Reinstall” option and choose the desired operating system. However, please note that when you change the operating system, all data on the server will be deleted and you should perform a data backup.

Is it possible to reinstall my virtual server at any time?

Yes, reinstalling your virtual server is possible at any time. Simply navigate to the Cloud Manager and select the “Reinstall” option to reset the server or change the operating system. However, please note that a reinstallation will delete all data and you should perform a backup if you have important data on the server.

Can I play games on a Windows server under KVM?

A Windows server running KVM does not have a dedicated graphics card. For this reason, it is not possible to play or access games on the server because they require a graphics card.

Are there workarounds?

Thus, rendering complex 3D models or running graphics-intensive applications on a Windows server under KVM is also limited. While there are certain workarounds and solutions such as using remote desktop services or GPU passthrough technologies to provision graphics cards on virtual machines. However, these do not fit into our infrastructure.

An effective solution for accessing a graphics unit is to use a dedicated server. Here you have access to an integrated graphics unit in the processor, but its performance varies depending on the processor type.

KVM server unsuitable

Please note that KVM is a virtualization technology and is designed to host server-based applications and services. It is not intended to host desktop applications or games. If you need a server for games, we recommend that you use a dedicated game server or another dedicated hosting solution designed specifically for this purpose.