Before you think of embarking on server colocation services, it is important to configure your server to work well on local networks after colocation. Make sure that all the required services begin after you have booted the server. In addition, have security updates for your operating system in place. Disable all the services not necessary during the configuration process of the internet-connected computer.
Serial console will provide access to your server's serial port through a terminal server and this is advantageous to the server after colocation. Make sure that the serial console is configured well to work well. During server colocation, make sure that the two important components in your server are protected. The important components are the fans and the hard disks, which can fail anytime. To ensure that the disk does not fail, set up monitoring system to notify you on time incase the disk fails. In this case, the best software to use here for monitoring and making sure there is nod disk fail is RAID.
There are rare cases of failing fans in computers. This should not worry you so much as they can just run at a low speed but not fail. After server colocation, you must notice that the server is hanging most of the times and this is always due to overloading. If the fan is running at a very low speed, it will cause the server to hang. To avoid this problem, as it is annoying, you ought to monitor the temperature and the speed of the fans. You can monitor the hard disks using the SMART disk as they can be used on any server. You can also use Im-sensors to monitor the temperature and the speed of the fans. Although the process of installation is difficult and tiresome, it is worth it if you want to protect your server.
Installation of the necessary disks is one of the many server colocation services that should not be avoided at any cost. Make sure that after installation, your machine boots automatically without the help of the keyboard. Go through important steps of changing the IP address to complete the configuration process successfully. Changing of an IP address on your local network will enable it to perform well. After you have changed the IP address and have requested for the routine information for the server, reconfigure the server to accept the address then shut it down.
For you to be sure that you have done a decent collocation, you should make sure that there is excellent connectivity. You should also have instant power cycles and serial console, as they are very important. You should also make sure that you have all the collocation packages to make the process successful. If the power cost increases, collocation will be very expensive unless you opt for low power/energy smart server.