Frequently Asked Questions

From GoGrid

Contents 1 General 2 Server Images 3 Technical Specifications 4 GoGrid Dedicated Servers 5 API 6 Cloud Storage 7 MyGSI Server Images 8 GoGrid CDN

General

• Do I have full root access to each machine I’m running?

Yes. All Linux machines have “root” access. All Windows machines have “administrator” access.

• Do I have to add new machines manually?

Yes. Currently all new machines must be added via the GoGrid web interface or via the API.

• Can I set up a rule to have my GoGrid server scale automatically with demand?

Not currently. However this is a feature that is on the product roadmap.

• Am I charged when my GoGrid server is in a stopped state and if so, how much?

Servers in a “stopped” or “shut down” state will still count against your server RAM hour allotment and will still incur charges. This is because a stopped server still occupies RAM on our grid as well as “reserves” the resources for your server should you need to restart it quickly. At this time, you can use the MyGSI Server Images feature to store a server image on Cloud Storage for a minimal cost.

• How do I use the image filter to find the server image I want to use?

The add image filter widget is an easy way to locate the server image from which you wish to instantiate an image. You can apply multiple filters at a time. Users can filter by:

• OS
• Architecture
• Price
• Search text

You can also re-order the columns and sort ascending and descending by clicking on the end of each heading and exploring the options in the drop-down menu. The images you chose will only display the available RAM options for that image. For instance, 4 and 8GB servers can only be instantiated on 64-bit operating systems. When choosing a 32-bit image, only 512MB, 1GB and 2GB RAM options will appear.

• I can't send email out from my GoGrid servers. What is going on?

GoGrid has a default policy to block outbound email, Send Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), connections from your public network. We do this to prevent SPAM, and to avoid polluting your designated IP space. To unblock SMTP connections, you must fill out a form and submit it to GoGrid. SMTP Unblock Instructions can be found on the GoGrid Wiki here.

Server Images

• Do you support Windows Server 2008?

Yes, Windows 2008 Server Images were released on August 15th, 2008.

• Can I use my own server image?

Yes. See the MyGSI feature to build out images to your liking.

• If I do set up an environment and I add another server, I would like to be able to clone my existing server as a new server. Is this possible?

While server cloning is not available, it will be available soon as this is a popular request. You can also use the MyGSI feature to enable cloning in a sense by creating a server image and deploying it to multiple servers.

• I want Windows, but I have no interest in IIS or MS SQL. I suppose I could get either server type and just turn off the services I don’t need, and install what I want (PostgreSQL, Java, etc.).

Yes, you have full Administrator access to your Windows server which means that you can enable or disable the services that you want, as well as install other Third Party applications.

Technical Specifications

• Can I have more than just 1GB of RAM per server?

GoGrid servers can be added with 512MB, 1GB, 2GB, 4GB or 8GB of RAM. Servers with more than 2GB RAM require 64-bit operating systems.

• What load balancer do you use?

F5 Networks LTM (http://www.f5.com/products/big-ip/). Our load balancers are configured in active-standby clustered pairs to prevent outages caused by hardware failures. These load balancers are included with each GoGrid account free of charge.

• Can I modify the type of load balancing or the persistence of my F5 load balancer?

Yes. We give you the option to choose one of the following two load balancing types: “round robin” or “least connection,” and also provide the following persistence options: “SSL sticky” or “source address.”

• How much CPU do I get with every server?

GoGrid is built upon a Grid of servers (nodes), managed by a hardware virtualization layer (Xen-based hypervisor) which allows several guest operating systems (virtual servers) to be executed on the same computer hardware at the same time. Our nodes are custom built multi-processor, Intel-based computers. The maximum CPU utilization per virtual server is equivalent to the amount of cores assigned to that virtual server, per the below table. The Xen CPU scheduler allows us to control CPU priorities per virtual server so that adjacent virtual servers cannot “steal” your CPU resources. The table below illustrates the current breakdown in CPU allocations and burst-ability by server-RAM configuration:

Server RAM	Core Guaranteed (P4 2.0 GHz equivalent)	Core Burst
512 MB	1/8	1
1 GB	1/4	1
2 GB*	1/2	1
4 GB	3	3
8 GB	6	6

* Note that Image Sandbox Servers have a fixed amount of storage and RAM that cannot be modified. Each Image Sandbox Server is deployed with 2GB RAM and 20GB storage.

• Can my GoGrid server support more than 1 Xeon processor if I’m running Windows OS?

With the 4GB and 8GB server options, that server will be guaranteed 3 full cores and 6 full cores respectively on both Windows and Linux servers.

• Is my RAM dedicated to my server?

Yes. The Xen hypervisor guarantees that the RAM is allocated to only your server.

• How much Storage can I have?

In GoGrid, server storage is tied to the amount of RAM in your server:

Server RAM	Storage
512 MB	30 GB
1 GB	60 GB
2 GB	120 GB
4 GB	240 GB
8 GB	480 GB

* Note that Image Sandbox Servers have a fixed amount of storage and RAM that cannot be modified. Each Image Sandbox Server is deployed with 2GB RAM and 20GB storage.

• Can I add additional Storage?

You can deploy our Cloud Storage product offering to obtain additional storage space for your GoGrid cloud.

• Why am I seeing a load above 1.0 when I do ‘top’ on my Linux server? This is happening even when my server is completely idle.

The Xen hypervisor will report the load baseline as the number of cores assigned to your GoGrid server. This means that if your system has 1 core assigned to it, ‘top’ will report a baseline load of 1.0. To ascertain your actual load, subtract the number of cores assigned to your server from the load reported by ‘top’, in order to get the actual load of your server.

• What happens if there is a failure of a physical server node?

The GoGrid resource scheduler ensures that your GoGrid servers are spread across as many different physical nodes as possible. This is to minimize the impact of an unlikely hardware failure to as few GoGrid servers as possible. Please also note that GoGrid hardware nodes are enterprise-grade machines with dual-power supplies connected to two different UPS systems, and RAID protected storage volumes. All nodes are proactively monitored by the GoGrid Network Operations Center (NOC).

GoGrid Dedicated Servers

• What operating systems are available for GoGrid Dedicated Servers?

Here is a list of available GoGrid Dedicated Server Images

• Can I customize the hardware specification of a GoGrid Dedicated Server?

GoGrid Dedicated Servers are not customizable, however we can provide customized ServePath Dedicated Servers that can be used to build a hybrid infrastructure.

Note: ServePath Dedicated Servers cannot be managed through the GoGrid portal and cannot use GoGrid's F5 load balancers or Cloud Storage. Please contact the GoGrid Sales Department at 1-800-946-4743 (Worldwide: 1-415-869-7444) or your Service Team Account Manager.

• • Can I use a MyGSI on a GoGrid Dedicated Server?

GoGrid Dedicated Servers do not currently support MyGSI, however there is a large selection of compatible operating systems available.

• After I order a GoGrid Dedicated Server through the portal, how long will it be before I can access it?

GoGrid Dedicated Servers will be deployed within two business days.

• Can I access a GoGrid Dedicated Server via the API?

No, GoGrid Dedicated Servers are not available through the API.

• How does data transfer work with GoGrid Dedicated Servers?

All inbound traffic is free. GoGrid Dedicated Servers are on the same public and private VLAN. Transfer from the internet to the dedicated server will accrue to your account and be reflected in the transfer section of the billing widget. Transfer on your private VLAN is free. Follow this link to view Transfer Plans.

• Why can't I see my GoGrid Dedicated Server in the "Grid" view of the GoGrid Customer Portal?

GoGrid Dedicated Servers are only viewable in the "List" view of the GoGrid Customer Portal at this time.

• back to GoGrid Dedicated Servers

API

• I am receiving 400 errors when I try to instantiate a server using the API. My API key and timestamp are correct and all my credentials are accurate. What's wrong?

If you are receiving this error and your credentials are accurate, there may be an issue with the name you are assigning to the server. There is a 20 character limit on the "name" parameter and any string longer than 20 characters may result in a 400 error. Non-alphanumeric characters in a name string may also result in this error.

• When I run grid.server.list after just instantiating a new server, I don't see that my new server has an ID yet. Is that intentional?

Servers gain an ID toward the end the of the instantiation process. The ID parameter will not be populated until the server goes green. This is designed intentionally so that you can determine which servers are building at any given time.

• When I run grid.server.list, any new servers that I just instantiated are returning a state parameter of "off". Is this intentional?

A server state will return as "off" until it is fully instantiated. We are working towards including more server states such as "building" and "restarting" for a future API version release.

• I get a Hibernate error when I try to perform an add operation via the API. What's going on?

You may receive an error if you exceed the name field parameter length of 20 characters. If you perform an add with a name parameter with more than 20 characters, the add will fail. This is documented on the wiki for all object name parameters.

Cloud Storage

• I've configured my private IP address to access Cloud Storage, but I am still unable to connect. What's wrong?

After configuring the private IP address, you still need to add the route between the private IP and your Cloud Storage hostname. Please see the Cloud Storage getting started guide for more information regarding your specific operating system.

• I currently only have utilized 100GB of Cloud Storage, but I need immediate access to 300GB of space. Can I just go ahead and utilize that space without exceeding my quota?

No. Cloud Storage will thin provision (scale) your quota in 100GB increments once you reach 80% utilization of your current quota. This happens on a daily basis, so if you need your quota to be increased by a very large amount in one day please submit a Support case via the Customer Portal.

• I can't seem to access my Cloud Storage allotment from my home computer. What's wrong?

Cloud Storage is only available via your private GoGrid network. There is no public access to Cloud Storage outside of the GoGrid servers on your account. Servers must be configured on the private network in order to access Cloud Storage from a GoGrid server. Please see the Cloud Storage Getting Started Guide for more information.

MyGSI Server Images

• Why am I being charged for an Image Sandbox Server?

An Image Sandbox Server is essentially a virtual server that utilizes resources on the grid. Creating a server of any type will result in charges for the allotted RAM associated with that server. Image Sandbox Servers are allocated 2GB RAM, resulting in 2 Server RAM hours being charged to your account for every hour your Image Server Sandbox is instantiated. Once your Image Server Sandbox has been saved as a MyGSI, it will be deleted and you will only be charged for the Cloud Storage utilization filled by your image file.

• Why does my password change after I create a new server from a MyGSI?

We change the system password every time a server is instantiated. This is a security precaution, though you can always change the password back. We do not change any system or user passwords other than root or administrator.

• Why does my server disappear after I save it?

This is by design. Once you have saved your Image Sandbox Server as a MyGSI, your server is deleted.

• I tried to start my server after I ran the prep script and the server didn't come up. What happened?

Once you have run your prep script, your server cannot be started or restarted. Our prep scripts run a variety of operations that make your server unbootable as we have prepared it to be converted into a MyGSI. Do not attempt to start or restart an Image Sandbox Server after running the prep scripts. This can cause unexpected results.

• My Image Sandbox Server has only 20GB of storage. Is this intentional?

Image Sandbox Servers have a fixed amount of RAM and storage. This is by design. Each Image Sandbox Server has 20GB of storage and 2GB RAM.

• All of my network configurations and drive mappings have disappeared on the server I instantiated from a MyGSI. What happened?

Our preparation scripts intentionally remove all networking from your Image Sandbox Server as it becomes a MyGSI. This means that any routes set up for accessing other servers on your grid or Cloud Storage are removed. You will have to manually set these up again for the near feature. We suggest against configuring any static networking on your Image Sandbox Server as it will be removed in the save process.

• I changed my Administrator user to another name. I noticed that this is not working on a server I instantiated from a MyGSI.

Changing the administrator log on for a Windows server is not supported at this time. We suggest that you do not change your administrator user on your Image Sandbox Server as this will not be supported when you save your server as a MyGSI.

• All of the logs and bash history I had on my Server Image Sandbox are not present on servers instantiated from my MyGSI. What happened?

Our preparation scripts remove all bash and command history as well as any logs stored on your Image Sandbox Server. Instantiating a new server from a MyGSI will have no bash history or logs saved inherited from the Image Sandbox Server.

• My application runs on files stored on Cloud Storage. Now that I have saved several MyGSI's, I keep getting I/O errors on my application. What is going on?

All MyGSI's are stored on Cloud Storage. This means that if you are rapidly approaching your quota, saving a MyGSI may put you over your limit. If you exceed your quota, writing to Cloud Storage may result in errors as you are out of storage space. Cloud Storage quotas are updated on a daily basis to ensure that you have 100GB more than 80% of your current utilization. If you are receiving these errors, immediately remove data from Cloud Storage or submit a support case to have your Cloud Storage quote increased.

• I installed several 3rd party applications on my Image Sandbox Server. When I saved a MyGSI and instantiated a new server, my applications did not work. What happened?

Our preparation scripts are customized to ensure that a wide variety of applications will continue to work after being saved as a MyGSI. If you encounter a situation in which your server generated from a MyGSI does not allow your 3rd party application to run properly, please submit a support case.

• I just completed my Image Sandbox Server and I forgot to add something, but I've already run my preparation scripts. What do I do?

Once you have elected to run the preparation scripts on your Image Sandbox Server, it is highly recommended against attempting to restart the server. If you forgot to add something to your Image Sandbox Server, continue the save process and save your Image Sandbox Server as a MyGSI. You can then re-instantiate your MyGSI as an Image Sandbox Server and configure your changes before saving the Image Sandbox Server as a MyGSI again.

• I ran the preparation script on my Linux server, but the server is still started. What do I do?

If your Linux server reboots after you have run your preparation script, log into the server and run the shutdown now command.

GoGrid CDN

• How do I use a CNAME so I can use my own domain in the URL?

There are two main steps needed to successfully use your own domain name and hide the edgecast name in the URL. The first, is that you need to set up a CNAME record with your DNS provider to point your domain to the EdgeCast domain. An example for customer AN 1234 using HTTP large would be something like: mycontent.mydomain.com -> wpc.1234.edgecastcdn.net. Secondly, the CNAME needs to be configured in the MCC, in this case under HTTP Large Object, Edge Cnames.

• Can I use content already stored on my server without uploading it to the GoGrid CDN?

Yes, this is what the "customer origin" feature is for.

• Can I use a customer origin with WMS?

No, Windows Media streaming services do not support customer origin.

• Why am I receiving a 404 error when using customer origin?

The expected behavior on a customer orgin cache miss is that the CDN will retrieve the content form the customer origin, cache it, and serve it. A 404 should not be returned and indicates a problem reaching the customer origin or possibly an incorrect CNAME DNS record.

• What is my Account Number (AN) that is used with the API?

The Account Number (AN) differs from the GoGrid customer number. It is a 4-digit hex value that is visible in all the default URLs used to access content for a given customer. For example, the URL shown in the MCC for viewing HTTP Large Object content is: http://wpc.1234.edgecastcdn.net/001234, so that customer's AN is "1234". Generally, it is not necessary to worry about the AN unless the API is being used.

• I am having problems uploading via FTP to the GoGrid CDN and am receiving a directory listing denied error.

A common cause for this is that active FTP mode is being used and a firewall is blocking connections. Use an FTP client that supports "Passive" FTP and ensure that mode is enabled.

• What is the difference between HTTP large object and HTTP small object?

A large object is roughly any file over 1 Mbyte. Typical large file delivery applications include video and audio delivery or software downloads. A small object is generally any file under 1 Mbyte. Image, java script, CSS and text files tend to fall into this category. Examples of small file delivery applications include ad serving, ecommerce sites and photo sharing applications. Besides file size, the major difference is that small objects are cached in RAM on edge servers whereas large objects are chached on disk.

• Where are the GoGrid CDN edge servers?

GoGrid CDN has strategic global locations to store and serve your content. We maintain content caching points of presence (PoPs) in San Jose, Los Angeles (2 locations), Ashburn VA, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, Seattle, London (2 locations), Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Sydney. All PoPs are located in tier one data centers strategically located near primary Internet Exchange Points, placing our GoGrid CDN servers at the center of global network peering and traffic exchange, and putting your end users just milliseconds away from your content.

• What kind of response time can I expect from requests in a given geographical region?

The best way to answer this is to ping edgecastcdn.net from the location in question. The responses will come from the nearest available PoP (edge server).

• I have just uploaded content to the GoGrid CDN. Why am I receiving a 404 not found error?

It may take a few minutes for newly uploaded content to replicate to all GoGrid CDN storage locations. Very large files will take longer to replicate than smaller files. The effect of accessing files before replication has been able to complete will be that some users may receive 404 errors until the file has completed replication.

• Why am I having problems streaming an FLV file I have uploaded?

FLV files cannot be streamed from the root of the storage location. They need to be in a directory created under the root to be able to stream them.

• What is the _definst_ folder in my GoGrid CDN storage for?

The _definst_ folder is used as a default Flash application location and it should not be deleted. Additionally, this is where media recorded from live broadcasts will be stored if that feature has been enabled.

• Does GoGrid CDN support Silverlight "Smooth Streaming"?

GoGrid CDN supports Silverlight however it does not support the "Smooth Streaming" feature on Silverlight. Smooth Streaming is a new feature of Internet Information Services (IIS) Media Services. Silverlight is supported because it's based on the same Windows servers as standard Windows streaming.

• Does GoGrid CDN support "BITS" Windows Server download service (Background Intelligent Transfer Service)?

No, not currently.

• Does GoGrid CDN support gzip?

Yes - Here's how gzip compression works on GoGrid CDN. The GoGrid CDN edge servers support on the fly file compression of any content for any browsers that requests it. There is no custom configuration needed you just need to enable the feature in your GoGrid CDN Media Control Center. If you are using your own customer orgin, you do not need to change any settings on the origin as GoGrid CDN will pick up the uncompressed file from your origin and then proceed to serve the requested file format in either unzipped or gzipped depending on the nature of the request.

• Other than the MCC web interface, what methods can be used to upload files to the CDN?

Files can be uploaded using a standard FTP client. FTP connection information can be found by clicking on the FTP link under the Media Media Manager tab in the MCC. It is also possible to upload using RSYNC and SFTP with the syntax as follows:

rsync -avp -e "ssh -p8022 -oVerifyHostKeyDNS=no -oStrictHostKeyChecking=no" <local_folder_name> <username>@rsync.edgecastcdn.net:/<destination>

sftp -oPort=8022 <username>@rsync.edgecastcdn.net

Note: There is a fee associated with RSYNC/ SFTP Services (replication) ($299.99 Setup, $299.99/month)

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