The System section of the Server

System

The System page displays a miscellaneous collection of information covering the hardware configuration and general health status of the system.  Also on this page you can:
 
Set the DNS configuration
Edit the list of web sites to block or allow
Configure the Subnet routing tables
View and test the status of the phone line
View the system status and Activity reports
Shut down or Reboot the Server


The system page reloads every 30 seconds to keep the following tabulated information up to date:

How long the Server has been running and how busy is the CPU.

Because the Linux operating system on which the Server is based is very conservative with CPU cycles, usage figures of 1% are typical on a lightly loaded system. This information is for interest only.
What hardware options have been detected and activated
This table shows the status of optional components such as a twin Ethernet configuration and whether the main board supports Advanced Power Management.

Advanced Power Management enables the Server to automatically place itself in a low power mode if it becomes unused. e.g. it will spin down the hard disk which can significantly reduce the heat generated / power consumed and increase the life of the drive.

What hard disk is installed and how much space is in available.
The Server supports either an EIDE or a SCSI hard disk. This table shows you the available space in both Kb and as a percentage of total space.
How much memory is installed and how much is currently in use.
This table shows you what memory is available and how it is being used. The amount of memory which is currently unused is the figure in the "Free" column in the row entitled "Ignoring Disk Cache". This is because the disk cache generally takes charge of available free memory without actually using it. A good yardstick of whether a system is short of real memory is whether it is using significant amounts of "Swap Space on Disk".
System Health display, if your Server has Environmental Monitoring circuitry.
Environmental Monitoring is about checking that certain aspects of the hardware are running as expected. Typically this includes checking that various internal voltages are within appropriate limits (within 5% or 10% of nominal), checking the rotation speed of each fan is acceptable (above 70% of nominal RPM) and checking that the internal temperature of the system is within an acceptable range, typically between 5 and 40 degrees centigrade. This must be within the operating range of all the components, particularly any hard drives, which can fail prematurely if they run too hot.

If any of the monitored values goes outside its recommended range its Status will change from a tick to a cross .