Premium Private Cloud servers are virtual machines which share a large host server with other virtual machines used by other LuxSci customers. The hardware is dedicated to LuxSci and we manage it; however, it is not dedicated to a specific customer (unless you buy enough Private Cloud servers to have your own hypervisor with us).

Servers to be used is situations requiring HIPAA compliance require that both LuxSci and the Dedicated Server Provider comply with the HIPAA Security and Privacy Rules with respect to the electronic protected health information (ePHI) that may be present on the server. This level of security and privacy is not available with all dedicated server providers / environments.

Some kinds of servers, like web servers and email filtering servers, lend themselves well to load balancing to handle high loads. Simple "round robin" load balancing is always possible using multiple servers and DNS. However "fail over load balancing", where a server that fails is taken out of the rotation automatically, can only be quickly and reliably accomplished using a hardware load balancing device.

Use of Hardware Load Balancing requires two or more servers.

LuxSci's Premium Cloud Servers employ "VMWare vMotion" to ensure that virtual machines will remain up and running in the event of the failure of underlying hardware components in the hypervisor (e.g. failed CPU, power supply, RAM, motherboard, etc). Additionally, network connections, hardware firewalls, and connections to central storage arrays are all redundant.

If the hardware fails -- we'll know and we'll fix it, but no one else will be the wiser.

LuxSci manages the administration of all types of dedicated servers that it provides. This includes, but may not be limited to:

• Updating server operating system software, as needed
• Updating application and server software, as needed
• Installing updates to LuxSci proprietary software, as available
• Scheduling and performing upgrades and hardware maintenance
• Replacement of any failed hardware. Rebuilding the system from backup in the case of complete failure. Rebuilding RAID arrays in the case of disk failure.
• Configuration of firewall and load balancer rules

LuxSci uses proprietary software to monitor its dedicated servers to ensure their uptime and proper function. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Port checking to monitor server and application uptime and to alert on any issues
• Automated server health monitoring to alert on and auto-remedy many common problems that may arise on a server, such as a denial of service attack, perceived abuse, etc.

LuxSci provides support for the server and services running on the server to the users and/or administrators of the server.

For all dedicated servers, this support includes:

• Server, firewall, and software configuration refinements to accommodate your particular needs and usage patterns as they evolve
• Troubleshooting issues with LuxSci, application, or operating system software
• Remediating server issues identified by LuxSci's monitoring systems
• FTP, MySQL, DNS, and Apache Troubleshooting
• 24/7 support for emergency issues.
• Restores from backup as they fall under your contract
• Installation and configuration of new IP addresses, SSL certificates, and reverse DNS entries
• Configuration of "sudo" access for shell users as needed.
• Import and Export of MySQL databases
• Providing historical reports of bandwidth usage and server load.
• Installation of processes in CRON
• Installation of PHP and Perl libraries
• Installation of other approved 3rd party software available via RPM.
• Re-compilation of the web server software to include different modules (as long as this is not a frequent event).

For email servers, this further includes:

• Email flow troubleshooting
• POP, IMAP, SMTP Troubleshooting
• SecureLine and WebAides Troubleshooting
• Help with all of LuxSci's Software Infrastructure

Premium Support for dedicated servers either included in the cost as a per-user fee for unlimited flat-rate all-user or administrator-only support, or is pay-as-you-go via Support Tokens. For more details, see Technical Support.

Premium Server Providers include full managed support as part of their server price. For these kinds of servers, you have both LuxSci's staff and the full staff of the Server Provider ready to assist with any server issues.

A server that includes Server Provider support gives you a larger effective support team with a larger depth and breadth of knowledge than you get with just LuxSci's support team. You can't contact the Server Provider's support team directly, but LuxSci will work with them as needed on your behalf to resolve any server issues as quickly as possible.

Premium Server Providers include various types of server monitoring as part of the server package. Such monitoring includes checking server ports for server and application uptime and proactively logging into a server to diagnose and remediate problems should they be detected. It also includes notifying LuxSci's support team of any problems.With "Server Provider Proactive Server Monitoring" and "LuxSci Proactive Server Monitoring", you have two independent monitoring systems and teams of people both constantly working to ensure the uptime of your server and to remedy any issue that may arise. The combination of these two monitoring systems helps ensure that, should any issue arise, it is detected and resolved of as quickly as possible.

Servers that support bulk mailing can be used for High Volume outbound email services. Cloud servers have an acceptable use policy that expressly forbids their use for any kind of bulk emailing.

For high performance applications, like busy email servers, high performance Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) disk drives in RAID arrays are highly recommended. Premium servers come Near-Line SAS or SAS disk arrays. Basic servers contain only SATA drives. Cloud servers share fast SAS RAID arrays with the other virtual servers on the same host.

If your account grows too large for your Dedicated Server, you have several options:

• Premium Private Cloud Servers: We can grow your Private Cloud Server by adding more RAM, CPU and/or disk space with little down time.

• Basic Dedicated Servers: If a simple upgrade, such as the addition of RAM or a second processor is possible on your server, this is a quick and easy upgrade that will result in a little downtime, a larger monthly fee, and possibly and upgrade charge. However, if you outgrow your current server and need a new one (i.e. one with a larger or faster disk array or with more "horse power"), this would require a server migration. Server migrations require:
  • Signing a new contract for a new server
  • A new setup fee for the new server
  • A migration fee for moving your account to the new server ($300)
  • A maintenance window of a few hours to perform the migration
  • A change in the IP addresses used by your server to new ones.

While upgrades and migrations happen all of the time, they are quickest and easiest on Cloud Servers. So, if you plan on upgrading "as needed", Cloud Servers might be for you.