Parallels Plesk Automation continues to get even better

by Ted Hu, Director of Technical Product Marketing, Parallels

Founded on Parallels Panel 11 technology, the industry’s premier multi-server hosting solution, Parallels Plesk Automation 11.1, continues to get even better. Earlier this week, Microupdate #5 (MU#5) released with more than 10 software fixes, making Parallels Plesk 11.1 more stable than ever, while also delivering additional key features that boost the day-to-day productivity of shared hosters operating Parallels Plesk Automation. One of these key features is the ability to move subscriptions between nodes. Useful for when shared hosters want to transfer web hosting from one node to another, this is relevant in two main operational scenarios:  

 

  • ·         The first is when there are a lot of domains on the node which often then perform very slowly due to excess workloads that result.
  • ·         Another is when shared hosters want to repair and upgrade server hardware without any downtime. For example, this feature helps shared hosters avoid downtime by enabling easy moving of hosting to another service node allowing for the upgrade of the original hardware server.  

 

It is now possible to move such services and subscriptions

  • ·         from an Apache node to an Apache node;
  • ·         from a MySQL node to a MySQL node;
  • ·         from an Apache + MySQL node to an Apache + MySQL node;
  • ·         from an Apache + MySQL node to a node running Apache + a node running MySQL;
  • ·         from an Apache node and a MySQL node to a single node running Apache + MySQL.

 

Another feature in MU#5 is the ability to define and customize a host’s DNS template structure. Hosters may now override a predefined DNS template encapsulating a set of DNS records which will get applied for each domain. And last but certainly not least, new service node roles are supported: Apache web server + Postfix mail server + MySQL database server; Apache web server + Postfix mail server + MySQL database server + PostgreSQL database server; IIS web server + MS SQL Server 2008 database server. For more details, view the Release Notes.

 

Couple this with the release of Microupdate #4 last week that enables support for the popular SmarterMail Exchange-level server software solution and provides for the automation, in addition to registration, of Microsoft SQL Server 2008 installations, clearly Parallels is making significant ongoing investments. These investments have grown from the momentous Parallels Plesk Panel 11 launch that continues to be energized by the feedback we are receiving from our enthusiastic customers and partners. This feedback drives our engineering path forward.

 

Because of these reasons and more, I welcome the enthusiasm Parallels Plesk Automation has received from our community of shared hosters and the genuine excitement our customers have about the new growth opportunities Parallels Plesk Automation affords their businesses. I am confident these ongoing investments in new features and platform enhancements and the upcoming waves of powerful multi-server hosting innovations to come will yield powerful capabilities which will enable Parallels customers to profit from the cloud like never before.