The Server Is The Beating Heart Of Enterprise Networks And Plays A Key Role In Hosting Web-Based Applications. 

For this reason, server management is essential for business operations to continue and for users to get things done faster.

However, server management is complex and requires high technical knowledge. Both hardware and server-side software should be well configured, and their performance should be carefully checked so that users can use the services smoothly and without problems.

The approach of companies in this field is different from each other. Some will hire network professionals to handle this task, while others will outsource the process to a third-party service provider. In this article, we will examine how to manage the server properly.

What is server management?

Server management refers to maintaining servers to achieve optimal performance. You must ensure that the servers are safe and sound. This includes performing a wide range of tasks, including server monitoring and optimization of hardware and software components. Typically, this task is assigned to systems administrators or network technicians. Among the essential duties of these people, the following should be mentioned:

•  User management and access control
• Server  configuration
•  Installing and updating the software on the server side
•  Monitor CPU, main memory, and network performance
•  Make backup copies of files for quick recovery
•  Configuring security settings such as firewalls to deal with cyber attacks

Server maintenance ensures that in-house web-based applications run smoothly. When it comes to server maintenance, the system administrator is responsible for protecting the infrastructure, data, and internal systems connected to the server. When a business gets bigger and bigger, it needs new servers. For this reason, network administrators are forced to add additional servers to the current network architecture and make configuration changes to maintain operational flexibility and network scalability. Your duty in this field is to ensure this issue; That is, you need to ensure that the newly added servers meet the needs of the business.

Hardware components

When it comes to server administration, the responsible person is responsible for handling the following components:

Central processor

The central processor is called the brain of the server, which receives all the processes sent by the clients, processes them, and sends the response to them. For this reason, careful monitoring of CPU utilization is one of the essential tasks of server maintenance. System administrators can use specialized tools to analyze the speed at which the CPU processes applications.

In addition, the amount of clients’ use of this component should be carefully checked. If a user uses too much processing power of the processor, it will slow down the process of running programs for other users and decrease the performance of the server. For this reason, the processor should be available to users in the same way.

Another essential thing to pay attention to in the central processor is its temperature. If the temperature of this component is not managed correctly, the server can heat up quickly. This issue is especially important when the server hosts virtual machines. Advanced cooling fans are needed to ensure that the physical servers in the data center do not overheat.

Main memory

Random access memory (RAM), also known as short-term server memory, is responsible for short-term information storage. For a server to perform stably and run applications in a short time, it needs enough memory. The amount of main memory that should be installed on the server depends on the needs of the business. For example, if the server is to be used for operations such as big data analytics and processing, a lot of memory is needed so that the server can host data clusters without memory problems.

The system administrator should pay attention to this issue and monitor the amount of memory that applications or Windows services are using behind the scenes. If you ignore this issue, programs like web browsers, which always have many tabs open on them, quickly consume memory.

hard disk

The hard disk is the primary data storage mechanism in the server. Regarding the maintenance of the server hard disk, there are various issues. First, you should carefully monitor the hard disks to know when they are close to their maximum storage capacity, and second, you should check their useful life to replace them before you face the problem of hard disk failure.

Another critical issue that you should pay attention to is the temperature of hard disks. Typically, servers are placed in racks that, if they lack a proper cooling mechanism, the hardware components inside them heat up quickly. For this reason, the temperature of hard disks should be checked, especially in the year’s hot season. Typically, most servers, such as HP’s ProLiant servers, allow system administrators to monitor this component.

Network/Port

Network ports act as connection points to servers. Servers are connected to storage through network cables and network ports to exchange information. For this reason, you should check that the connecting wires are not a problem, and if you see that the speed has decreased, use external network cards that can be installed on the expansion slots of the server so that you can take advantage of the 10 or 40 Gb networks and Benefit higher.

Application services

In addition to the physical components that require maintenance, the software, services, and security solutions installed on the server also require maintenance. Among the essential features that you should pay attention to are the following:

WAF

Web application firewalls (WAF) protect applications installed on the server against malicious attacks. These attacks can lead to infrastructure intrusion, data loss, or hardware failure. A WAF firewall blocks malicious traffic coming from the Internet to the server. And in this way, they protect web-based applications. For this reason, system administrators must properly configure and manage firewall settings to deal with attack vectors and formulate detailed policies for server access.

Load balancing

A load balancer is vital in distributing incoming traffic to the network among several servers. Load balancers ensure high availability and reliability. More precisely, it improves the performance of applications by distributing the workload among different servers. For this reason, system administrators must have complete knowledge of different types of load balancers to use the right solution on the server.

Server-side software components

Network administrators must have complete information about the software that is going to be installed on the server. More precisely, they must properly understand the infrastructure’s software dependencies to manage it properly.

In this section, the essential principle that you should pay attention to is to keep the software up-to-date and identify the programs that reduce the server’s performance. Standard software components installed on most servers include the PHP programming language, MySQL database, server operating system, NGINX web server, and Redis/Varnish, all needing to be addressed. This issue should be considered in both functional and security aspects.

Server infrastructure components

In addition to the things we mentioned, organizations install some key features and components of operating systems on servers, the most important of which are the following:

Domain Name System (DNS)

The domain name system translates domain names into machine-readable IP addresses. With millions of domain names, the domain name system’s directory can proliferate. That is why this directory is stored on different servers in a distributed manner. If the DNS server is not configured correctly, users cannot access websites. To manage DNS, you can use DNS server software or a DNS service provider.

Database

If you use the MySQL database management system, database management is usually done with PHPMyAdmin. You can create and manage database servers using the above software. Every day database management tasks include making changes, improving security, and backing up, and restoring data. MySQL is an open-source relational database management system (RDBMS).

You can use MySQL commands to import or retrieve the database. The duties of system administrators in this area are to enable or stop MySQL services, remove or add user accounts, update MySQL, etc.

PHP programming language management

PHP is a popular server-side programming language used for web development. So PHP codes on the web server are processed by a PHP interpreter and interpreted only on the server where PHP is installed.

Many hosting servers have pre-installed versions of PHP. For this reason, one of the tasks of system administrators is to install a compatible and secure version of PHP to meet users’ needs. Depending on the script that the web-based programs are written based on, the compatible version of this programming language should be used.

Manage SSH/FTP users.

SSH secure shell protocol called Secure Shell is a protocol that enables secure communication with the network. This protocol provides a strong encryption and authentication process for data integrity. File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is used to share computer files between a client and a server on a computer network. One of the tasks of system administrators is to create user accounts and manage users to use the mentioned protocols. It is necessary to explain that if you use the server control panel, there is no need to access the server through the terminal.

Services

Sometimes, new applications are installed on or removed from the server, causing changes to Windows services. In this case, it is the responsibility of the system administrator to restart the services.

Using the server control panel, you can start or stop the services in a short time. MySQL, Elasticsearch, PHP, NGINX, Redis, Varnish, etc., are among the services that are activated and deactivated continuously.

Server security components

Hackers are constantly finding new ways to break into corporate servers and networks. It only takes one of the server’s ports being misconfigured, open, or an unpatched breach for hackers to enter the corporate network easily.

To prevent any attack on the organizational network, you should check the infrastructure properly and strengthen it if necessary. Among the server-side security components that need to be addressed, the following should be mentioned:

Web application firewall

• Properly set up and maintained firewalls prevent unauthorized people from easily accessing sensitive data. As we mentioned, the firewall monitors internal and external network traffic and applies strict monitoring. However, system administrators are also responsible for handling network traffic, blocking suspicious entries, allowlisting IPs, etc..

Intrusion and threat detection

• Using intrusion detection systems, you can detect malicious and unusual traffic. These systems scan files being transferred over the network and can monitor patterns to identify suspicious ones.

Restrict access to resources.

• Systems administrators must properly set access privileges to networks, files, directories, and other server elements so that people appropriate to their job titles can access information.

Password security

• Network administrators should set password policies and require users to follow them. Minimum password length, complexity, and password expiration policies are essential things to consider.

Web server configuration

Web servers play an essential role in the continuity of the business activities of the organization and the customers that the organization serves, so system administrators must properly configure the settings related to the web servers. The web servers include an operating system, web service, database, and programming language, all of which must be properly configured. Today, the LAMP stack is one of the most popular solutions used by software development teams and installed on most servers.

The importance of effective server management

Server management reduces downtime and data breaches and prevents premature server failures. If the server is notmanaged correctlyd, hackers can easily exploit the vulnerabilities and attack the servers.

Today, hackers can bypass authentication mechanisms to gain access to sensitive organizational data or even erase the information entirely. For this reason, the server must be regularly managed to provide a stable environment for employees to perform activities. As a result of notcorrectlyyworkingg the server, it will havea  negative performance on business activities and willsignificantlyy damage the reputation of a brand.