How to Test a Cloud Server in a Trial: Practical Checklist
A cloud server is easy to order and hard to judge from a price list. A short trial shows whether CPU, disk, network and support fit your workload, but only if you arrive with a plan. DCXV does not run a self-service free trial. A short trial, about 3 days, can be requested by writing to sales@dcxv.com. Granting it is at DCXV discretion, so nothing here promises approval; confirm length, size, location and any charges in writing first. A Windows Server evaluation image is Microsoft media, not a DCXV trial, and has no RDS user licences.
Three days gives a first verdict, not a full evaluation. Print this page, tick the boxes and write the number beside each result.
Before you start: decide what good means
- Describe the workload in one sentence.
- Pick two or three numbers you will accept or reject on: response time, query time, restore time.
- Choose the location nearest your users, Prague or Covilha; the location guide explains the trade-off.
- Ask for a size close to what you would buy. The sizing guide helps; presets on the cloud server page start from EUR 15.00/mo for 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM, 40 GB NVMe (checked 2026-10).
- Read the Acceptable Use Policy at /policy.
Day 1: deploy and verify access
- Note the time from order to a working login; the site says usually within 10 minutes.
- Log in as root over SSH (Linux) or RDP (Windows): connecting over SSH.
- Open the KVM recovery console once, before you need it.
- Run
lscpu,free -h,df -hand compare with your order. - Update the OS and check the public IPv4 answers from outside.
Day 2: CPU, memory, disk and network baselines
Set threads to your vCPU count and keep every run short.
sysbench cpu --threads=2 --time=30 run
sysbench memory --threads=2 --time=30 run
fio --name=rand4k --filename=/root/fio.tmp --size=1G --rw=randrw --bs=4k --iodepth=16 --ioengine=libaio --direct=1 --runtime=30 --time_based
mtr -rwc 100 YOUR_SERVER_IP
- Run the CPU test twice at different hours and write both results down.
- Record disk IOPS and latency, then delete /root/fio.tmp.
- Run mtr from your office toward the server; reading mtr output explains the columns.
- Download one known file and note the speed. One file, not a saturation test.
Day 3: real workload, restore, verdict
- Deploy the real application and replay normal traffic, not a flood.
- Add a snapshot, change a file, Restore and confirm the change is gone. A restore stops the server and discards its current state. Snapshots are a paid add-on: ask support whether they are billed in a trial, and Remove yours afterwards.
- Open the Backups window (date and size per backup; restore guide). Restore only throwaway data, and ask whether a first backup will exist within 3 days.
- Ask support one real question and time the first useful answer.
- Fill in the scorecard and decide.
| Area | Record | Pass if |
|---|---|---|
| CPU and memory | sysbench, two runs | Steady, enough for your peak |
| Disk | fio IOPS, latency | Nothing waits on it |
| Network | mtr loss, average | Clean for your users |
| Recovery, support | restore time, first answer | You can recover and get help |
If you get a longer evaluation
- Week 1: repeat the Day 2 tests in the morning, evening and at night.
- Week 2: run real traffic, watch memory and swap, reboot once on purpose.
- Week 2: try an upgrade; disks cannot be downgraded without formatting.
- Week 3: rehearse the migration, a full restore and the bill against the cost guide.
Safe benchmark practices
- Keep tests short and small: 30 to 60 seconds, a 1 GB file, clean up after.
- The AUP prohibits flooding, denial of service, port and IP scanners, brute force and attacks. Never run them, not even on your own server.
- Ask support before anything heavy: hours of full CPU, big transfers, many connections. Keep real customer data off a trial server.
- A short test is a sample, not a guarantee; neighbours, time of day and load change results.
Ask for your trial
Write to sales@dcxv.com with workload, size, location and length, and ask whether you are eligible. To start straight away, pick a size on the cloud server page.
