Node in the Whole

A 360 degree guide to the concept of nodes…

Derived from the Latin word for a knot, a node is one of those curiously abstract concepts that crop up in computing circles. It’s been a part of IT lingo for decades, but the advent of cloud computing has helped introduce it to the public consciousness for the first time.

In essence, a node is a building block of resources on the Internet – one of the pillars supporting the bridge between your personal device and a host server. A home computer is often referred to as an end node, while cloud servers at the opposite end operate as hubs as they send and receive information.

At VPS.NET, we also use the term ‘node’ to define the amount of compute resources contained within a cloud server. To make a more powerful cloud server, you simply need to select more nodes. Each node is made up of the following elements and every one of these plays an important role in data transfer…

CPU

We can think of a CPU as a brain. Some brains are very powerful and can do loads of things really effectively, while others get bogged down with the minutiae of one job and have no capacity left for multitasking. Each VPS.NET node contains one virtual CPU, which has 2.4 gigahertz of processing power. A powerful CPU is essential for quick processing, but it relies heavily on another component…

Memory

Different people or companies will have varying requirements for how much random access memory (or RAM) they require. RAM determines how quickly the CPU’s various requests can be processed – it’s basically the thinking speed of the computer’s brain. It’s measured in gigabytes. Each VPS.NET node contains 0.5 gigabytes of RAM.

Storage

Like RAM, storage is measured in gigabytes of data nowadays, whereas the computers of yesteryear often had hard disc drives of mere megabytes. Unlike the high-speed frontal lobe activity of RAM, disc storage is the equivalent of the hippocampus – safely squirreling information away until it’s called upon. Every VPS.NET node comes with 10 gigabytes of storage. However, you can also specify storage separately.

Bandwidth

At this point, the brain analogy rather falls apart – bandwidth simply determines how quickly information can be channelled back and forth. Any delay while you wait for a webpage to load is usually due to slow bandwidth preventing data being received quickly enough. At VPS.NET, as is common in the hosting industry, bandwidth refers to the amount of data you are able to transfer within a given month. Each VPS.NET node comes with up to three terabytes of monthly data transfer, depending on the location.

Location

Because they require physical hardware, nodes are typically located in secure warehouse-style facilities around the world. People wanting to set up cloud hosting can often choose where these data centres are located. VPS has nodes in 18 cities spanning five continents, so you can locate your server near to your users.

As specialists in all things node-related, VPS.net is a useful resource for anyone wanting to establish cloud hosting for websites, databases and other applications. VPS is a leading cloud services provider, configuring and optimizing servers for each individual customer. We have launched over 200,000 cloud servers to date, reflecting the endlessly scalable volume of nodes and storage space in the cloud. It’s also worth noting that round-the-clock technical support is provided as standard.