Serv-U 15.5 system requirements
Release date: October 16, 2024
SolarWinds strongly recommends that you install Serv-U File Server on a server that is protected from unauthorized access by the public. If your use of Serv-U File Server does not need to be public or internet-facing, install it on a server that is neither public, nor internet-facing. To learn about best practices for configuring your Serv-U File Server installation securely, see Best practices to secure SolarWinds Products.
This topic contains:
- Software requirements for deployment
- Hardware requirements for deployment
- Ports that need to be open in your deployment
Review your product Administrator Guides and release notes for the exact product requirements beyond these minimums.
Software requirements
The following table lists software requirements and recommendations for a Serv-U installation.
| Software requirements | ||
|---|---|---|
| OS |
Windows:
|
Linux:
See limitations to using these operating systems, along with workarounds SolarWinds recommends using to make your experience seamless. |
| IP Address versions |
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|
| Web console browser |
The following major browsers are supported with the basic web client, for file management and for web administration purposes:
Internet Explorer is not supported by Serv-U 15.5. To be able to use Web Client Pro and FTP Voyager JV, Java must be installed and enabled in the browser. Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 7 and 8 are supported for Web Client Pro and FTP Voyager JV. Web Client Pro does not work on Linux in Google Chrome version later than 35 due to an incompatibility between Chrome and the Java browser plug-in. Apple users must have at least Mac OS X 10.6 installed. |
|
| Database server (optional) |
ODBC-compliant databases such as MS SQL and MySQL |
|
| LDAP server (optional) |
|
|
Hardware requirements
Use the minimum hardware configuration if you are evaluating the product or do not anticipate heavy usage.
SolarWinds strongly suggests using the recommended hardware configuration to avoid potential performance issues caused by a heavy load or custom configurations. This section contains the minimum hardware requirements that must be met so that a given number of simultaneous transfers can be handled through the different protocols.
This data refers to single-instance installations. For example, a single-instance installation can handle 500 simultaneous transfers through FTP with the given hardware. If you expect to have 1,000 simultaneous transfers, it is recommended that you install two Serv-U instances, each of them meeting the requirements needed to handle 500 simultaneous transfers.
If the load is higher than expected for a given configuration, Serv-U remains functional, but the transfer rates will be diminished, and the user interface becomes less responsive.
| Number of simultaneous transfers per protocol | FTP (uncompressed **), HTTP | Encrypted (HTTPS, SFTP) |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | 512 MB RAM 7200 RPM HDD 2 core CPU * | 1 GB RAM 7200 RPM HDD 4 core CPU * |
| 25 | 1 GB RAM 7200 RPM HDD 2 core CPU * | 2 GB RAM 7200 RPM HDD 4 core CPU * |
| 50 | 2 GB RAM 10000 RPM HDD 4 core CPU * | 4 GB RAM 10000 RPM HDD 4+ core CPU * |
| 100 | 4 GB RAM 2x 10000 RPM HDD (RAID) 4 core CPU * | Multiple instances of Serv-U (2x) |
| 200 | 4+ GB RAM SSD HDD or 2x 10000 RPM HDD 4+ core CPU * | Multiple instances of Serv-U (4x) |
| 500 | 8+ GB RAM SSD HDD or 2x 15000 HDD (RAID) 8+ core CPU * | Please contact SolarWinds to define the requirements for your environment. |
| 1000 | Multiple instances of Serv-U (2x) | Please contact SolarWinds to define the requirements for your environment. |
* Using CPU with higher performance per core has significantly better impact on performance than increasing the number of CPU cores, therefore it is recommended that you use CPUs with higher clock rates.
** These recommendations are valid for FTP transfers with data compression disabled. If data compression is enabled, CPU requirements are notably higher. For best results, it is recommended to use CPU with as high performance per core as possible.
| Minimum requirements |
Modest traffic |
High traffic (up to 10,000 configured users and 250 simultaneous transfers) |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | 1 GHz | 2 GHz+ multi-core | Multiple 3.2 GHz+ multi-core |
| Memory | 256 Mb | 2 GB+ | 4 GB+ |
| Network | 10/100 Mbps NIC | 10/100 Mbps NIC | 10/100 Mbps NIC |
| Hard drive space | 30 MB | 120MB | 120 MB |
| Video | 128 MB Video RAM | 128 MB Video RAM | 128 MB Video RAM |
Scalability tips and best practices
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One Serv-U Gateway should be capable of gracefully handling at least two Serv-U server instances.
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Opening a list of users in the Serv-U Management Console is a highly CPU intensive operation. For better performance, it is recommended that you divide users into collections, and avoid managing users' lists during heavy loads.
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It is also recommended that during heavy loads, you avoid opening and navigating in the Serv-U Management Console, especially on pages that display logs that are refreshed at short intervals.
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For best performance, use an HDD or SSD with a high IOPS rate. A high IOPS rate increases the performance in the case of 50+ simultaneous transfers.
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The recommended network speed is 1,000+ Mbit/s for all types of file transfers.
Port requirements
| Port | Protocol | Service/Process | Direction | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | TCP | FTP and explicit SSL/TLS | Bidirectional | FTP is the traditional protocol for transferring files over the Internet. Traditionally, FTP is handled in plain text. However, SSL connections are explicitly supported using the AUTH command. |
| 22 | TCP | SFTP Using SSH2 | Bidirectional | SFTP is a secure method of transferring files through a secure shell session. It performs all protocol communications and data transfers over the same port eliminating the need to open multiple ports in firewalls (as is commonly required when using FTP). SFTP sessions are always encrypted. |
| 80 | TCP | HTTP | Bidirectional | HTTP is the protocol used to browse websites. It is also a simple method for downloading and transferring files. One benefit to adding an HTTP listener to a domain is the availability of the Web Client, which allows users to transfer files to and from your file server without the need for a standalone client. |
| 443 | TCP | HTTPS (SSL encrypted HTTP) | Bidirectional | HTTPS is identical to HTTP except all communications are secured using SSL. Like FTPS, a secure connection is implied when connecting to a listener running the HTTPS protocol. |
| 990 | TCP | Implicit FTPS (SSL/TLS) | Bidirectional | FTPS is identical to FTP, although connecting to a listener configured for FTPS means an SSL connection is required before any protocol communication is performed. This is commonly referred to as Implicit FTPS. |
These are defaults. You can use any port between 1 and 65535. However, when using a non-standard port, clients must know the proper port in advance when they attempt to connect to the domain. If using a non-standard port, it is recommended you use a value above 1024 to prevent potential conflicts.