How to Reboot the Server
Standard reboot via SSH:
sudo reboot
The server will be unavailable for 30–60 seconds. If the server is frozen and unresponsive via SSH, use the reboot button in the VDSok control panel. A forced reboot (equivalent to pulling the power plug) is a last resort — use it only if the server is completely unresponsive. After rebooting, verify that all services started:
systemctl list-units --failed
This will show any units that failed to start.
How to Change the Password
The root password is changed with the command:
passwd
The system will ask you to enter the new password twice. Use a strong password of 16+ characters with letters, numbers, and special characters. Even better — disable password login entirely and use SSH keys. If you've lost your password and can't log in, use the password reset feature in the VDSok panel or reinstall the OS.
How to Reinstall the OS
Reinstallation is available in the VDSok control panel. Select the desired image (Ubuntu, Debian, CentOS, etc.) and click "Reinstall". The process takes 2–5 minutes. All data on the server will be deleted — make sure to back up important files before reinstalling. After reinstallation, you'll receive a new root password. We recommend choosing Ubuntu 22.04 LTS or 24.04 LTS — they have the largest community and the best package support.
How to Check Resource Usage
Install
htop for real-time monitoring:sudo apt install htop
Then run:
htop
You'll see the load on each CPU core, RAM usage, and swap. To check disk space:
df -h
This will show used and free space on partitions. RAM and swap information in a readable format:
free -h
For disk I/O monitoring (from the
sysstat package):iostat -x 1
To find what's taking up disk space:
du -sh /* | sort -rh | head -10
Which Ports Are Open by Default
On a freshly installed VDSok server, port 22 (SSH) is open. Web ports 80 (HTTP) and 443 (HTTPS) are open, but since no web server is installed yet, nothing is listening on them. All other ports are effectively closed due to the absence of services. We recommend enabling UFW after initial setup and explicitly defining the list of allowed ports. To check which ports services are listening on:
sudo ss -tlnp
This will show all open TCP ports and their corresponding processes.
Where to Get Help
VDSok technical support is available via Telegram — a link to the chat is in the control panel and on the website. Average response time is up to 15 minutes during business hours. When reaching out, include: the server IP, a description of the problem, steps you've already taken, and logs (if available). For common questions, check the knowledge base on the website — most situations are already covered with step-by-step solutions.