What is server administration?
Hosting server administration involves continuous care by a team Systems Operations (SysOps) to ensure the stable and trouble-free operation of physical or virtual machines running the application code provided by developers.
This involves using experience and a range of tools, including for monitoring infrastructure status, combined with carefully designed Disaster Recovery and Incident Response processes
What does the work of a SysOps team look like?
Systems Operations teams often perform overnight maintenance or handle unexpected infrastructure failures while others are peacefully asleep — the work of EVILFORK’s SysOps teams is carried out 24/7, 365 days a year.
On the SysOps team’s Kanban board, we can find tasks in the areas of:
- Installation and configuration of software supporting application operations (e.g., OS, RabbitMQ, ElasticSearch, databases, Redis)
- Tuning configurations to improve system performance
- Telemetry analysis and planning the expansion of server environments
- Supporting developers in their daily work with the application
- Maintaining backups for whole environment
- Network and user permissions management
- Updating services and applying security patches
What exactly do SysOps teams manage?
Physical servers
Physical devices
Physical servers are tangible devices that, along with their components, allow application code to run. Servers, such as RACK-type servers, are installed in dedicated server racks located in places called Data Centers.
Besides the platform itself (the server), the following components installed in the server are essential for proper operation:
- Processor (CPU)
- HDD/SSD/NVMe discs (storage)
- Random Access Memory (RAM)
- Controllers and cooling system
- Network interfaces
virtual machines
Virtual devices
Virtual servers are independent virtual units running on a physical server, allocated from a portion of its resources. They allow multiple environments to run on a single physical server, which is more efficient in terms of cost, flexibility, and service management.
This is a common solution among major cloud service providers (AWS, GCP, Azure) as well as VPS (Virtual Private Server) providers.
Differences between physical and virtual servers
The key difference lies in the physical presence of the server: physical servers require management of the hardware, whereas virtual servers exist only as software—a layer of abstraction provided to the client.
It doesn’t matter whether you use a local Data Center, ready-to-use pre-configured VPS virtual servers, or cloud services (AWS, GCP, Azure).
At the very beginning, there is always a physical server.
The golden triad in server management
Continuous server monitoring allows administrators to detect issues early, before they become critical. Monitoring tools track performance, resource usage, and potential threats, enabling quick intervention.
Protecting end customers is a priority. Advanced firewalls, data encryption, and regular security updates should be implemented to prevent external attacks. Equally important is controlling access to servers and managing user permissions.
Regularne tworzenie kopii zapasowych It is crucial to ensure the ability to quickly restore systems after a failure. Backups should be stored in secure locations, preferably geographically separate. It is very important to ensure proper Disaster Recovery Plan (post-incident action plan).
The Role of SysOps and DevOps
What is the difference between SysOps and DevOps?
SysOps (Systems Operations) and DevOps (Development Operations) play different roles in managing servers, although both aim to ensure the smooth operation of IT infrastructure. SysOps focuses on server management, while DevOps concentrates on integrating and automating processes between development and operations teams.
DevOps: Process automation
DevOps introduces automation into deployment, monitoring, and application maintenance processes. Thanks to CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment) tools, companies can respond more quickly to changes in the application environment, ensuring greater agility and efficiency.
SysOps practices in daily work
SysOps manage the day-to-day operations of servers, such as monitoring resources, optimizing performance, and managing user accounts. They are also responsible for maintaining security and performing regular software updates.