Under Disks, you can see an overview of the available storage space. You can also change the storage driver for your server’s hard drive.

Here, you can permanently and irreversibly erase all contents from the main hard drive used by your server. Your server must be stopped for this. Then, click Format Disk and OK to confirm that you understand the full implications of this step. If you do not use the Simple Password option, the SCP password must also be entered.

Upon clicking OK, the SCP immediately erases the contents of your server’s hard drive and creates a new, completely empty image. After that, you can install a new operating system.

In this section, you can manually trigger an optimization of your server’s hard drive. This is not necessary during normal operation, but it can resolve certain issues you might encounter during use.

To trigger optimization, click Start Server Optimization. This will shut down your server, optimize the disk, and then restart your server. If you don't want your server to start automatically after optimization, activate the Leave the Server stopped slider before starting the optimization process.

Depending on your server, this process may take up to 30 minutes. The process can take even longer, especially for servers with SAS hard disks. During this entire time, the server is not accessible.

It is not necessary to leave your browser window open during the optimization process.

Under Images, you can find a wide selection of premade images, but you also have the option to manually provide your own image.

Images are one of two options for installing an operating system (other option: DVD Drive). In the Server Control Panel (SCP) you can directly select which time zone and language settings you want to use and can directly import SSH keys that are stored with us. As soon as the installation is complete, you will receive an email and can connect directly via SSH.

Note that when installing a new operating system, the contents are removed from your server’s hard drive.

Going forward, we will only offer images with UEFI boot. You can still boot a server with BIOS, but you will have to perform the installation manually. To install a server with BIOS boot, go to the server settings and disable UEFI Boot. Then insert the DVD and start the installation process.

This section provides you with a selection of popular server-focused operating systems that can be installed on your server.

Select the desired operating system by clicking its name. Continue by clicking Minimal.

Having made your selection, you will be asked to choose between two possible partition layouts. Choosing a large partition with OS as root partition will give the operating system full access to the entire storage that is available on your server’s hard drive. This option is recommended. Small partition layout for individual use will only create a partition of sufficient size to install the desired operating system. This option is for users who intend to partition the remaining hard disk space on their own.

After selecting the desired partition layout, click Install and you will be prompted to provide your SCP login password. Remember that this step will delete all data on your server. You can activate the Send e-mail to me slider if you wish to receive an email when the SCP has finished installing the new image.

Once the installation process has finished, the SCP will provide you with your server’s new root password.

You can upload images directly via the Server Control Panel (SCP). To do so, go to Custom image upload and upload your image.

Once you have uploaded an image, you can select it in this section and import it to your server’s hard disk.

Under Snapshots, you can create new snapshots of your server’s current state. You can also revert your server to a previous state or export the snapshots locally.

There are two types of snapshots:

1. Enter a name and a description for the new snapshot.
2. Select the snapshot type Online or Offline from the drop-down menu and click Create.
3. Click Export.
4. The Download button appears.
5. Download the snapshot either directly via a web browser or copy the link and paste it into a download manager and download the snapshot from there.

The Revert and OK buttons reset your server to the selected snapshot. If you click on Delete and OK, the selected snapshot will be deleted. This process cannot be undone.

Snapshots are compressed by default. To be able to use them again, they must be decompressed before uploading.

To decompress a snapshot:

1. Unzip the snapshot with the following command: zstd -d snapshot.raw.zst -o snapshot.raw
2. Alternatively, you can unzip the snapshot directly when downloading by using this command: curl --progress-bar -L <presigned_download_url> | zstd -do snapshot.raw.

Under DVD Drive, you can find a wide selection of .iso images, but you also have the option to manually provide your own image. Please note that BIOS compatibility may depend on the respective operating system. Installation via the DVD drive is one of two ways of installing an operating system (other option: Images). Our DVD images are the original images of the various operating systems. These allow you a more individual and flexible installation of operating systems. The installation is carried out directly via the screen in the Server Control Panel (SCP).

Note that when installing a new operating system, the contents are removed from your server’s hard drive and that manual installation via an .iso file tends to be more complex compared to using images.

This section provides you with a selection of popular server-focused operating systems that can be installed on your server.

Select the desired operating system by clicking on its name. Then, activate the Boot from CD-ROM slider so your server can boot from the desired DVD. Type in your SCP login password and click attach DVD.

Next, you will have to fully power off and power on the server under Control.

Now, your server will boot from the desired DVD image, and you can install the new operating system. This process tends to differ between operating systems.

Under Custom ISO upload, you can upload an .iso image and then select it under Custom ISOs and insert it into the server’s DVD drive.

The Rescue System can be a resource for addressing issues, troubleshooting and fixing bugs. It offers you a compact Linux distribution with a multitude of tools that can help you fixing issues, such as problems at booting.