Spring Server VPS

This guide will help you get started with our Spring Server℠ VPS hosting.

What is Spring Server VPS? What can I do with it?

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 set it up?

Launching a new Spring Server instance is easy: simply create an account and create a Spring Server instance. Enter your server's Hostname (e.g. mydomain.com), select the hardware allocated to your instance, and choose an operating system to deploy on the machine. (Custom DNS is free with Spring Server VPS, and the server's reverse DNS will be automatically mapped to the chosen hostname.)

Once you have purchased the service, it will take five to ten minutes for the server to deploy. You will receive a notification email with the server's new IPv4 and IPv6 addresses, as well as the randomly generated root password. 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.)

Depending on the Operating System you choose, your server will launch with only a handful of basic utilities. This allows you to choose precisely which services and applications you wish to install on your new machine. For a handy guide for setting up a new server, please see our Spring Server VPS Basics for Ubuntu/Debian article here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are there any restrictions on what I can host with my Spring Server VPS?

Customers may host anything they wish on Spring Server instances, provided that their usage of the service does not violate New Hampshire state law or United States federal law. You may view the Web Services Agreement here.

How much technical support does DynDNS.com provide for Spring Server instances?

DynDNS.com provides "power, port and ping": if you can contact the server from the Internet, we consider our work done. This provides you with unfettered access to your server and complete control over its administration; however, this also means that DynDNS.com does not provide support for specific operating systems, installation of services and applications, or system administration. If you become locked out, you can regain access with the serial console or redeploy the server and start over. At this time, DynDNS.com does not provide automated backups.

Can I host a mail server on my Spring Server instance?

The Spring Server platform offers unrestricted access to port 25, and allows customers to assign the reverse DNS for their instances via the configuration page. Naturally, DynDNS.com prohibits the use of its services for spamming purposes, and takes all spam reports seriously. If we receive spam complaints for your service, we will notify you of the report and request a response within 24 hours. If you do not respond and/or we continue to receive complaints regarding your server, we may block your services without further warning.

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.

What are the default firewall rules?

At this time, no firewall rules are automatically configured on new instances. You are free to modify this as you wish using applications such as iptables.

What happens if I exceed my monthly bandwidth limit?

Each Spring Server instance has a "soft" bandwidth cap. We do not charge overage fees or terminate connectivity if an instance's transfer limit is exceeded; instead, if the cap is exceeded for two months in a row, your service plan will be upgraded to the next highest plan that best matches your usage. If you are interested in monitoring your bandwidth usage server-side, we suggest vnstats and munin.

Troubleshooting

I'm locked out of my server. How can I regain access using the serial console?

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. To access the console, connect to springconsole.com for Chicago-based instances and frankfurt.springconsole.com for Frankfurt-based instances via SSH using your DynDNS.com login credentials. Choose your instance from the list and press Enter until your login shell appears. You may then log into your Spring Server VPS as normal.

For the security-conscious, the public key fingerprint for both Chicago (springconsole.com) and Frankfurt (frankfurt.springconsole.com) is:

A2:C6:50:F8:88:32:D8:20:F5:8D:F7:4D:2B:81:3D:40

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.