DynDNS.com - Support -- Spring Server VPS

Spring Server VPS

What is Spring Server VPS?

The DynDNS® Spring Server platform offers virtualized private servers (VPS) with dedicated resource allocation and complete root access to the operating system. This ensures a customer's virtual server always has the resources available to host nearly any service, from dedicated gaming servers to commercial websites and corporate mail servers.

How do I get started?

Creating a Spring Server VPS is quick and easy. Follow the instructions below to build and activate your instance.

Select a VPS pacakge

Before you can purchase a Spring Server VPS instance, create a new DynDNS.com account or log into your existing account. After logging in, click on "Add a Spring Server Instance".

On the Add Spring Server page, you will need to choose a hostname for your Spring Server instance. This will be the default hostname given to your Spring Server VPS in DNS, such as server.foo.com. Next, select the desired service tier from the Hardware list (you can upgrade the instance later if you need more bandwidth, RAM or disk space). Finally, select the default operating system you wish to use (if you're not sure, we recommend Debian GNU/Linux) and a datacenter.

Checkout

When you're done, click "Create Spring Server" to add the service to your shopping cart. If you need multiple servers, you can repeat the process above to add more instances to your cart.

Remember, we provide Custom DNS for free for domain names associated with your Spring Server; for example, if you create a Spring Server VPS for server.foo.com, you'll receive Custom DNS for free for foo.com. This offer only applies if you purchase Custom DNS at the same time, so you should add Custom DNS now. (If you already have Custom DNS for a domain, we'll extend your Custom DNS service forward for no charge for as long as you have a Spring Server instance for that domain.)

Navigate to the Checkout page to begin the checkout process. Ensure you get your free Custom DNS service, if applicable, and verify your order. Enter your billing details and we'll start provisioning your new instance(s) immediately.

Await build e-mail

It will take about fifteen minutes to build your new Spring Server instance. You can check the status of your build on the Spring Server VPS page. When the build is complete, our system will e-mail you with your new IPv4 address, IPv6 address, and the randomly generated root password. You now have all the information you need to start using your Spring Server VPS. Use the IP address and a SSH utility such as PuTTY to access the server and begin using it. (We have an article on using PuTTY here.)

Log in

That's it — you now have a live server with root access. Now it's time to start setting up your own applications, web servers, blogs, VPNs, galleries, or whatever you want — the choice is yours! To help get you started, we have a knowledge base article about Spring Server VPS Basics for Ubuntu/Debian, which gives some suggestions on how to use your Spring Server VPS. (Please note that we cannot help with any server specific configuration or package installation.)

Troubleshooting

This section covers a few common questions regarding Spring Server VPS instances. Please note that DynDNS.com provides no support with software installation, troubleshooting or maintenance; we provide only "power, port and ping" (that is, we keep the server up and running). If the VPS instance itself is behaving in an unexpected manner, please contact our Support team.

I'm locked out of my server.

If your Spring Server instance becomes inaccessible (e.g. you accidentally block SSH access with iptables), you can regain access using the Spring Server serial console.

I've lost my root password.

You can view your default root password from the "root password management" link in your Spring Server instance's configuration page. If your root password has been changed, you can use the Reset Root Password button to shut down your server, generate a new root password, then restart the instance and email you the updated password.

I want to rebuild my server from scratch.

You can redeploy your server using the "request server rebuild" link in your Spring Server instance's configuration page. This will destroy and rebuild your Spring Server VPS, recreating the service as if it were brand new. This will permanently delete all data associated with your Spring Server VPS, and may even cause your instance to be assigned new IP addresses.

The redeployment will take roughly ten minutes, and you will receive an email with the new IP addresses and root password when it has completed. You may rebuild your server at any time and perform this action as often as you need.

Readme

This section covers some additional information about the service.

Dedicated Hosting Resources

The DynDNS Spring Server platform offers virtualized private servers with dedicated resources. When you purchase a Spring Server VPS instance, you receive part of the resources of a powerful server that is sufficient for nearly any application. If you grow beyond a single machine, you have the flexibility to add additional instances or expand the allocation for your existing instances. Rather than being shared among multiple users on a first-come, first-served basis, the Spring Server service utilizes the Xen® platform, which ensures resources are reserved for each instance.

Technical Support Limitations

DynDNS.com provides "power, port, and ping;" that is, if you can reach your machine from the Internet, we consider our work done. Unfortunately, we cannot provide detailed technical support for system administration or application-specific installation and configuration. We do recognize the possibility that you may become locked out of your server, leaving you unable to access your machine; to resolve this, we provide a root reset tool accessible via SSH and a way to rebuild your machine through your DynDNS.com account in the event that you are completely unable to access your instance. At this time, backups are your own responsibility.

Spring Server Restrictions

You are free to offer whatever services you wish with your Spring Server instances, with a few obvious exceptions. Of note, we prohibit customers from using the Spring Server platform for spamming and from hosting illegal content (by United States federal law or New Hampshire state law). If we find illegal material or receive a valid spam complaint, we will disable network access to your machine and notify you of the action; depending on the nature of the violation, once the issue has been resolved (e.g. malware has been removed) we re-enable network access. Repeat offenders may not be allowed to regain access to their server. Any instances permanently disabled due to policy violation will be ineligible for refund.

For a complete set of restrictions, please see the Web Services Agreement. If your Spring Server instance has been suspended, please contact our abuse team.

Spring Servers and E-mail

The Spring Server platform offers unrestricted access to port 25, and provides the ability to edit each instance's reverse DNS.

As noted above, however, we prohibit the use of Spring Server instances for spamming purposes. In brief, we define spam as unsolicited e-mail; the nature of the messages are irrelevant. The first time we receive complaints about your activities, we will send a warning to the e-mail address on file for your account. You are requested to reply to this notice within the first 24 hours so we can help you to resolve the issue. The second time that we receive complaints, depending on the nature of the violation and whether you replied to the first warning, we may terminate your Spring Server instance or your account itself without further warning or notice.

Since the IP addresses of the Spring Server instances are in a shared block, we cannot guarantee whether those addresses will be clear of any blacklists.

Default Firewall Rules

Starting August 12, 2009, new Spring Server instances are pre-configured to allow only ports 22, 80 and 443 with iptables.

Using Serial Console

Serial Console access to your Spring Server instance can be obtained by SSHing to springconsole.com (for Chicago-based servers) or frankfurt.springconsole.com (for Frankfurt-based instances). When prompted for login, use your DynDNS.com username and password, after which you will be given a menu of your available Spring Server instances. Select the server you wish to connect to by number, then press the "Enter" key a few times to get your login shell to come up. Log in and make the needed changes; to exit, just close your SSH session to springconsole.com.

For the security-conscious, the public key fingerprint for the springconsole.com and frankfurt.springconsole.com SSH servers are:

Bandwidth Transfer Limits

Each service plan has a listed "soft" bandwidth limit. If you exceed the transfer limit two months in a row, we will not cut your Internet connection, but we will upgrade your plan to the one that best matches your current usage. For server-side traffic monitoring, we suggest vnstats and munin.