Defined Terms

"VPS" or "Virtual Private Server" or "vLite VPS" means the client-accessible virtual server located on a single VPS Node

"Hypervisor" means the software layer that allows for communication between the physical server hardware and your VPS

“VPS Node” means the physical server hardware

Scope of service

  1. VPS Infrastructure

    WHUK are responsible for managing and pro-actively monitoring the following:
    1. Data centre facility including power and cooling
    2. Network infrastructure and connectivity insofar as under the control of WHUK
    3. VPS Hypervisor including overall resource usage
    4. Physical serve the VPS is located upon (also known as a Node)

  2. VPS management

    All VPS include management which consists of the following:
    1. Pro-active monitoring of the running status of the VPS operating system

      WHUK will monitor the running status of the VPS operating system. In the event the operating system is in a stopped state, pro-active action will then take place to return the VPS to an active state.

    2. Pro-active monitoring of the network connectivity to the VPS

      WHUK will monitor the connectivity of the VPS in the form of regular pings (ICMP packets) In the event of 100% packet loss, an WHUK engineer will be assigned to pro-actively investigate.

      You may at your own discretion block ICMP packets; however it is your duty to inform WHUK technical support that this action has been taken. Upon blocking ICMP packets it is understood that WHUK will no longer provide pro-active network monitoring of the VPS.
    3. Reactive 24x7x365 technical support for all pre-installed software

      WHUK shall provide reactive 24/7/356 technical support for all pre-installed software when configured under an WHUK approved configuration.

    4. Software installation and software upgrade/downgrade service.

      You may request installation of additional software, alternative versions of pre-installed software or upgrades/downgrades to existing software.

      Some software may cause compatibility issues, instability issues, pose a security risk or have a significantly increased management requirement. Therefore, it is at WHUK’s sole discretion as to whether to accept an installation request or not.
    5. Critical software patches

      For OS and pre-installed software, WHUK will enable automatic installation of critical patches where possible; and where automatic patching is not possible WHUK will provide pro-active patching performed by an WHUK engineer.

      It is at the sole discretion of WHUK as to what is considered a critical patch.

      Windows based servers will be provided with Windows Update turned on and configured to download and install critical updates. You may at your own discretion modify the time of day updates are installed; however if you choose to turn off windows updates then the server will be considered self-managed by WHUK and no longer be subject to server management.

      Servers installed with a control panel will have the control panel configured to install security updates by default; you may at your own discretion choose to turn updates off. By turning updates off, the VPS will be considered self-managed by WHUK and no longer be subject to server management.

      For SLA purposes, a VPS that requires rebooting due to patching will be considered to be down due to maintenance and this will not considered as an outage.
    6. VPS software optimisation

      So as to get the best performance out of your VPS you may request optimisation of your pre-installed software for any given application to be performed by an WHUK engineer.

      This includes, but is not limited to, PHP (including OP Cache), MySQL (including supported variants), MSSQL, Apache, Nginx, Memcache and Redis optimisation.
  3. Outside of scope services
    1. Function, security, optimisation and debugging of your own applications
    2. Patching of your own applications
    3. Management of your own databases
  4. Backups

    You have the option to purchase backup services from WHUK for your VPS. If this service is declined, WHUK will NOT backup any of your data and it will be your responsibility to take your own backups.

    While all VPS nodes use enterprise-class hardware with RAID, data loss can still occur for various reasons including but not limited to hardware failure, data corruption, virus infection, malware, hacking or human error.

    WHUK offers a free backup consultancy service that can be requested through technical support.

  5. Root/Administrator access

    All VPS are provided with root level access on Linux and Administrator level access on Windows. This provides unrestricted access to the VPS and as a result performing tasks as the root or administrator user may have severe implications in regards to the VPS security and stability.

    WHUK strongly recommends where possible you use the provided control panel or make use of WHUK management service for VPS administration.

    By logging on with root or administrator privileges you accept the following conditions:
    1. WHUK are not responsible for any loss of data, damage, outages or instability resulting from changes made while logged in.
    2. Changes made while logged in may not be supported under the WHUK management agreement and any configuration changes that cannot be supported will render the server self -managed.
    3. WHUK advise that you consult technical support if you have any doubts whether a change will be supported under the management agreement.
    4. It is your responsibility to ensure the password is kept secure and is not shared with untrusted parties.
    5. You are responsible for any changes made by any employees or third parties you have given access to the server.
  6. Self-management

    You may wish to opt-out of management or in some case may not be eligible for management due to the software configuration.
    1. You may at any time opt-out of VPS management by raising a support ticket confirming your wish to do so, WHUK will disable server management within 24 hours of receipt of the ticket.
    2. Upon deactivation of management, WHUK will no longer provide any support for the VPS and will not pro-actively monitor the server and network status. You may still request technical support on a per incident basis chargeable at a rate £100 plus VAT per hour.
    3. In some instances you may install new software or reconfigure existing software that for various reasons cannot be supported by WHUK; in these instances the VPS will be regarded as self-managed.
    4. WHUK strongly advise that you make use of our technical support for all software installations (excluding your own applications); this guarantees that the server configuration continues to be covered by management and that you are notified beforehand if installation of any given software will affect the management agreement.
    5. WHUK will continue to manage the infrastructure, hypervisor and VPS node as detailed under clause 1.
    6. You may at any time request to opt back in to management. This request must be made in the form of a support ticket and is subject to an audit of the VPS to ensure the configuration can be supported, and it is at the sole discretion of WHUK whether to allow a self-managed VPS to become managed.
    7. In the event a self-managed server is not suitable for management, the option to rebuild the server back to factory setting will be provided; this will then allow the VPS to be managed.

  7. WHUK reserves the right to modify these terms and conditions at any time.