Discover VirtFusion server control panel, introduced by the former developer of SolusOs. This blog post delves into its features, installation options, and user experiences. Learn about its versatile uses as a Control Server or Hypervisor. Get insights into the installation steps, SSL setup, command-line interface, and DNS configuration. Explore its user-friendly interface, quick setup, and intuitive menu, making it an excellent choice for both beginners and advanced users. VirtFusion’s focus on end-user convenience sets it apart in the realm of server panels, positioning it as a promising contender in the market.
This post is a hybrid of sorts, that is, will cover the “what” and the “how” together in this post. The “what” will cover how to install the panel, what are the minimum hardware and operating system specifications, and so on. We will refer to the installation and configuration documentation for this. In parallel, I will also include screenshots from the time I had tested this panel. This is intended to aid a subscriber to a VPS, i.e. a typical end user’s perspective.
This post is a firsthand account of my journey with Virtfusion, highlighting its features, installation requirements.
Virtfusion is a comprehensive tool and a user-friendly interface that has made my server management tasks more intuitive. It offers robust features such as server monitoring, resource allocation, and security management . Additionally, the control panel provides domain management, email services, database administration, and DNS management, all of which are useful features to have.
Summary in Hindi
ब्लॉग पोस्ट VirtFusion के बारे में है, जो एक नया सर्वर कंट्रोल पैनल है। इस पोस्ट में स्थापना प्रक्रिया, न्यूनतम हार्डवेयर और ऑपरेटिंग सिस्टम विनिर्देशों, और वर्चुअल प्राइवेट सर्वर या कंट्रोल सर्वर के रूप में VirtFusion को स्थापित करने के बीच का अंतर शामिल है। इस पोस्ट में लेखक ने सर्वर कंट्रोल पैनलों के महत्व को उजागर किया है और बताया है कि वे सर्वर प्रशासन को अधिक सुविधाजनक बनाते हैं।
A Short note on Server Management Panels
A server control or management panel is a front end interface that allows you to set up the server for your use. Using these panels, you can configure settings for ip address, accounts, email, security, content management system, server update/ upgrades, backups, and so on. Many of these tasks can be performed using the command line or terminal of course. But the panels make the administration a tad more convenient. Particularly if you are a web hosting or a service provider who manages the system, and your clients actually conduct the operations on the server. In other words, the easier and the more user friendly the interface and the features of a server panel, the more convenient it can become for the average Jay/ Jui user. And by that logic, this can result in lesser questions for customer service or support tickets to the service provider.
Selection of Operating System
I have written about the server panels a fair number of times on this blog. Many of them are “free and open source”, others are “free but propitiatory”, some are freemium while for others you have to pay from the get go. This panel falls in the last category, though they do have a 30 day free trial which we will cover later.
read my post about Server Panels :What are Free and Open Source Server Panels?
Background: How I came to know about Virtfusion
I got introduced to VirtFusion recently through a post on LowEndSpirit Forums. Phil, the developer/ creator of this panel, is a seasoned hand in this space- he was the creator of SolusOs. Some of the VPS Benchmarks in this blog are from service providers who use this panel : GreenCloudVPS, Inception Hosting, and PHP-Friends to name a few. The post by VirFusion (Phil) created some excitement on LES, and some questions and discussions about pro’s and cons limitations of the VirtFusion Panel. MikeA from ExtraVM offered some “trial” VPS’es using this server panel. I signed up, eager to take a look at this new panel.
Note that at the time of writing this post in first week of March 2022, version 2.1.x is the most current version. Two weeks ago, I had probably tested Version 1.1.5. In other words, about 3 versions released in less than a month’s time. As the numbering system and the log may indicate, many of the changes are fixes or incremental changes. But it also means one thing: if you read the log, you would notice that development is taking place rapidly. Don’t be surprised if you see that the version 2.1.x that I refer to below will be superseded by the time you read this post.
What is VirtFusion Control Panel ?
In a nutshell, you can use VirtFusion as a Control Server or Hypervisor. We will get into that in a bit. Minimum specifications or hardware requirements for installation, as per the documentation, are: Minimum 2048MB memory and 10GB disk space
Installation options
You can install as Control Server or Hypervisor (KVM). I posted a similar line in the above section. The attempt to repeat myself was deliberate. You may wonder what exactly is the difference in the two installation types? The more advanced users, or those who have the technical chops to understand: the difference between the two stated use cases will understand right away. For the rest of us, self included, let us make an attempt to highlight the difference.
Installation as Control Server
For the sake of simplicity, let us consider a standalone VPS or a Virtual Private server that you might have subscribed to one of the many fine providers that have been covered in this blog. Keeping the minimum specifications in mind, this happens to be a 2 core/ 2 GB RAM VPS with say 20 GB disk space. You want to use this server for setting up a database, installing some monitoring tools, or running some scripts. For legitimate uses of course.
A lot of the server admin work or heavy lifting can be managed via the terminal or command line. But what if you had a graphical interface to help you in the same? You know for tasks like installing the Operating System, taking backups, rebooting the system, configuring firewall and the likes? That would be rather convenient, isn’t it? With that in mind, let us take a look at VirtFusion as a Control Server.
The documentation for installation and configuration is short but rather easy to follow. If you are getting started; you can install this control panel on a VPS with Debian 11, Rocky Linux, AlmaLinux. A fresh or clean install would be highly recommended. I am speaking from personal experience with some other panels. Over the past three years while using and testing and breaking server panel installations, an important lesson I have learnt is:
Clean install of OS+ clean install of Panel = lesser chances of errors.
Installation of VirtFusion as Hypervisor
This would be a typical use case for a web hosting provider, or individuals who are adept at setting up their own Dedicated server. In order to use VirtFusion as a Hypervisor, some additional steps are required, particularly for networking, etc. Which are well covered in the installation documentation.
I did not test this option and may not be applicable or relevant to most end users.
Installation Process
I mentioned my preference for Debian earlier, so let us assume we have a shiny new (or squeaky clean) VPS with Debian 11 installed on it. If you intend to install VirtFusion on it, the command goes something like this:
curl https://install.virtfusion.net/install-control-debian-11.sh | sh -s — –verbose
The installer will install a few tools of the (server management) trade. These includes web server, redis (caching) , the front end for the control panel, database server, and other features one might expect to be offered. Setting up SSL certificate SSL setup requires additional (recommended) step. The documentation recommends using ZeroSSL to generate the certificate. After the Installation Once the installation is complete, you will see the URL for login in the terminal window.
You will also find your username and password for the administrator account. This is quite a (now) familiar method for a few other panels including aapanel, HestiaCP/VestaCP and so forth. Even the command line utilities like Webinoly. Once you login If you follow the link to the login page, and enter the administrator details correctly, you enter your license details. That should get you started.
Note: VirtFusion offer an “evaluation” license if you would like to roll up your sleeves and try it out yourself.
VirtFusion’s Command Line Interface
Most server management panels or control panels in general have a command line utility in addition to the graphical interface. The latter, is primarly intended for the ‘non-root’ or ‘non-admin’ users. The server administrators may prefer the command like utility. Gridpane has gpcli; Wordops has wo; Webinoly has site, and so on. For VirtFusion, the in order to run tasks using the command like utility , you can simply enter vfcli-ctrl vf This option offers a series of commands that can help in administration of the server, I am listing a few of the basic tasks below. You can check the documentation page for more details. To keep the system in maintenance mode, $vfcli-ctrl down To limit access of the panel to specified ip addresses: $vfcli-ctrl admin:ip-restrict addip your_ip_address and enable the IP restriction $vfcli-ctrl admin:ip-restrict enable.
Configuring DNS and Adding reverse DNS
Choosing the DNS provider for Virtfusion Management Panel is quite easy- you can opt for the defaults or select from one of the available options seen in the image below. Adding reverse DNS is pretty easy using the graphical interface, as seen in the image below (image source: VirtFusion)
End User’s Views of Virtfusion
I wrote to Phil, the developer of VirtFusion, even though I am most likely not the target customer for this product, the following are the things I liked: Interface is clean, the panel is fast to load and responsive (the other server panel with the name also starting with “V”.. take note)
Short learning curve, menu is rather intuitive. Server setup to configuration took me less than 10 minutes- including the time taken for the screenshots. Indeed, the images that you see in this post (except the ones borrowed from VirtFusion site) are taken by yours truly during the server setup.
Phil did confirm that the panel was designed with the end user in mind (that would be their customer’s customer in ~many~ most cases). Which is awesome. It had taken me nearly half an hour just to explore all the options in the other panel starting with V.
Most of the time was spent in waiting for the panel to load. My objective to state this is not out of criticism or a comparison, or a “A is better than B”. But from a first time user’s perspective, these details matter. And for that, I believe that VirtFusion is on the right track. Wishing the development team the best!
Resource Monitor on Virtfusion Server Panel
Parting Thoughts on Virtfusion Server Panel
VirtFusion shows great promise in the realm of server control panels, catering to both beginners and experienced users. With its user-friendly interface, quick setup, and intuitive menu, it stands out as a convenient option for managing servers. For those interested in exploring VirtFusion further, they can find more information on its official website.
FAQ on Virtfusion
What is Virtfusion web control panel and how does it help in server management?
Virtfusion is a virtualization control panel designed for managing KVM virtual machines, offering a suite of tools for server monitoring, resource management, and hosting services. It simplifies complex server management tasks, allowing for easy configuration, performance tracking, and issue resolution. Virtfusion is suitable for both providers and end-users, offering a clean and intuitive interface that simplifies standard server tasks.
What are the standout features of Virtfusion ?
Key features of Virtfusion include server monitoring, resource allocation, security management, domain management, email services, database administration, DNS management, and support for a wide range of operating systems. It also offers pre-built operating systems via a simple provisioning wizard and fully automated reverse DNS for ClouDNS & PowerDNS.
What are the system requirements and installation process for Virtfusion ?
The system requirements include a Linux OS (Debian, AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, or Ubuntu), at least 2GB of RAM (4GB recommended), 20GB of disk space, and a dual-core CPU. The installation process involves setting up the required Linux OS, ensuring minimum hardware requirements are met, and following the step-by-step guide provided in the Virtfusion documentation.
Can Virtfusion server control panel be integrated with third-party software?
Virtfusion offers integration capabilities with various third-party applications and services. It is designed to handle multiple servers, making it a scalable solution for growing businesses.
Is Virtfusion server control panel secure and what are the backup and recovery options?
Security is a priority for Virtfusion, with robust measures in place to protect servers and data. It includes features for data backup and recovery, ensuring that users can easily restore their systems when necessary.
How user-friendly is Virtfusion server control panel, and can it be customized?
Virtfusion is designed with a focus on user-friendliness, catering to both novice users and experienced administrators. It offers customization options to tailor the panel to specific user needs.
Is there a demo available for Virtfusion panel?
For demo availability, please check the Virtfusion website or contact their support team.
What are the essential server management tasks that can be performed using Virtfusion ?
Virtfusion allows users to perform essential server management tasks such as provisioning new servers, managing existing ones, configuring network settings, and monitoring system health
I have written reviews of other server panels including Virtfusion, Yunohost, TinyCP, as well as thoughts on acquisition of Cloudways. You can check the collection page on this topic in the future for any updates.
Note: This post titled Introduction to Virtfusion Server Control Panel has been updated on August 2023 24 Feb 2024.
