Should I Resize or Upgrade My Server?
You may be tempted to resize or upgrade your server when you’re running low on disk space, CPU, or memory. However, resizing and upgrading can be risky and you may want to explore freeing up disk space and moving sites to a new server instead.
Why You Might Consider Resizing or Upgrading Your Server
There are several common scenarios that could lead you to think about resizing or upgrading your server:
Inadequate Disk Space: The disk space you initially chose may no longer suffice as your server accumulates more data or hosts additional websites.
Backup Failures: You may have received a notification from us stating that your backups are failing, and after investigating, you discovered that this might be due to insufficient disk space on your server.
CPU or Memory Alerts: Perhaps you’ve been getting alerts more often about your server running out of CPU or memory. Maybe PHP or MySQL has even died on you recently and you’ve had to restart it.
While these situations may push you towards resizing/upgrading, it’s important to proceed with caution.
Potential Risks of Resizing or Upgrading Your Server
Before deciding to resize or upgrade your server, it’s important to understand the potential risks involved. While these actions might seem like a quick fix to address disk space issues or outdated software, they can introduce complications that may impact your server’s performance and stability. Below, we outline some of the key risks you should consider before proceeding.
Downtime
Upgrading or resizing your server can lead to significant downtime. Just as upgrading your personal computer’s operating system takes time, so does upgrading a server. During this period, all the websites hosted on that server will be offline. Even if the server in question is a staging server, downtime can still be disruptive.
Strange Issues
Upgrading an operating system—whether on a personal computer or a server—can sometimes lead to unexpected issues. You may encounter software incompatibilities, configuration problems, or other unforeseen challenges. These issues can be time-consuming to resolve and might even require you to start over with a fresh installation, negating any time saved by upgrading.
Recommended Alternatives to Resizing or Upgrading
Rather than resizing or upgrading your server, consider the following strategies:
Examine Your Disk Space Usage: If you’re running out of disk space, start by auditing your current disk space usage. Identify unnecessary files, logs, or manual backups that may be taking up valuable space, and remove them. Regularly cleaning up your server can free up space and delay the need for resizing.
Create a New Server and Move Some Sites: If your current server is running out of space but only certain websites are consuming a lot of resources, consider spinning up a new server and moving those sites over. This approach minimizes disruption, as only the sites being moved will experience downtime.
Create a New Larger Server and Move All Sites: If managing multiple servers isn’t feasible, another option is to create a new, larger server and move all your websites to it. Once the move is complete, you can decommission the old server.
If Resizing or Upgrading Is Inevitable
If you find that resizing or upgrading your server is unavoidable, it’s crucial to follow best practices to minimize risks. However, it’s important to note that we do not recommend taking this approach unless absolutely necessary. The potential for downtime, data corruption, and other unforeseen issues makes this a less-than-ideal solution.
If you must proceed, first and foremost, ensure that you backup your server before taking any further action. This step is critical—having a recent backup will be your safety net in case anything goes wrong during the resize or upgrade process.
Additionally, consider shutting down the MySQL service before resizing your server. This precaution helps prevent data corruption that can occur when the server’s storage is being modified. By taking these extra steps, you can significantly reduce the risk of encountering issues during the transition.
Most cloud providers offer detailed documentation on how to resize or upgrade your server safely. Be sure to consult these resources before proceeding: