How Timely to Find Out That Your Server is Not Working?

It happens that the sites no longer work. The reasons may be very different: in the data center “fell down” the channel, the server is passed out, someone has something with a base or a file on the server system administrator failed to update the software or transfer accounts. Or someone forgot to pay for hosting.

In most cases, this situation is undesirable, as it should be eliminated as soon as possible. To do this as soon as possible to learn about what happened. But how? For myself and for our clients, we use the services of monitoring sites. Today and I’ll tell you about these.

How it works

The principle is simple: somewhere constantly running program that periodically calls to your server, and checks its work. If something is wrong, the program notifies you by email or by SMS.

In the simplest case, the program checks the server. But it may happen that the server is available, and instead of the main page of your online store, users see the infamous “not paid for hosting” or “account is suspended”.

Proper monitoring service track and handle such situation. They can check the pages in the presence of certain markers. Such a label may be a fragment of markup or HTML-comment.

Very advanced services even allow you to check the validity of ssl certificate.

As a result of weeks or months service may send a report. Here is something you and check your statements about the dedicated server host uptime.

Can I do such a thing myself?

Of course, it is possible and very “muddy” this script is simple. But the services have an important advantage: firstly, all the issues with the programming, testing and support have been resolved.

Secondly, if your script will be physically located on the same server, it works will depend on the performance of the server. Do specialized services such servers are dozens.

How much does it cost

Basic functions are free. For a modest fee you can receive SMS-notification

What we use?

Basicstate.com

This service will first try to check site address for DNS, then – set the HTTP-connection, sends a HTTP-request. Then analyzes the response code and try to get the page. Check – every 15 minutes.

Failures at different stages will be counted as errors of various types. Thus, we can isolate the problem. And it is very useful in situations where the subnet host “it works”.

Service allows you to “hang” on one account an unlimited number of sites.

An interesting feature is multiple notifications. For example, immediately upon detection of the problems the service can be written in the report, if the site does not work and after 15 minutes (sometimes it just rebooted the server) – will notify you by email and SMS, and if after an hour everything is bad, maybe in a support department of service provider.

Host-tracker.com

Large and rather advanced service. Notification can send and on ICQ, and Gtalk (I have not tried other messangers).

Checking for a free account after every 30 minutes. They write that they have 45 monitoring points. In the initial premium services it include checking the availability of keywords on the page. This is useful if you want to monitor some services. Write a script that will check availability and displays the word on the page to a special address, the service will periodically contact on that address and monitor the keyword.