Option comparison · Root Server

Dedicated or CloudVM, Standard or Performance: your choice

Both variants give you full root access and complete administrative control. This page compares the options in detail, so you can find the right configuration for your budget and project.

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Full root access Dedicated or CloudVM In Switzerland

Which One When? Server Type CloudVM Sizes Dedicated Server FAQ

Which one when?

Two server types, both with full root access

Root Dedicated Server

“We need consistently high performance on our own hardware.”

Physical hardware, provisioned exclusively for you
Fixed monthly price
We install the operating system, everything else is your responsibility
Root Dedicated Server →

Root CloudVM

“Our needs fluctuate, we want to stay flexible.”

Virtual server that you create yourself in Cockpit
Billed to the exact minute based on actual usage
vCPU, RAM and block storage adjustable at any time
Root CloudVM →

Server type

Dedicated Server or CloudVM: which server type fits?

Both server types give you full root access. The difference lies in virtualisation, billing and scalability, not in the level of access.

	Root Dedicated Server	Root CloudVM
Target audience	Teams with system administration experience and consistently high resource needs	Teams with system administration experience and flexible, fluctuating needs
Virtualisation	Physical hardware, provisioned exclusively for you	Fully virtualised on a hyperconverged cluster
Billing	Fixed monthly price	To the exact minute based on actual usage
Provisioning	We install the operating system, everything else is your responsibility	Created and managed yourself in Cockpit
CPU	16 cores (Standard) or 24 cores (Performance)	1 to 8 vCPU in the predefined machine types, custom machine type with up to 24 vCPU
RAM	32 GB (Standard) or 64 GB (Performance), max. 1 TB each	2 GiB to 32 GiB in the predefined machine types, custom machine type with up to 64 GiB
Operating system	Ubuntu LTS by default, other operating systems can be self-installed via the temporary IP-KVM service	Ubuntu LTS, Debian or Rocky Linux, chosen at creation
Starting price	CHF 233.– per month, one-time setup fee CHF 250.–	CHF 20.70 per month (nine-small-1)

Prices excluding VAT and additional resources (see tables below).

Root CloudVM

Which CloudVM size fits your project?

All standard sizes come with 10 GiB block storage and 1 Gbps fair-use bandwidth. You can adjust vCPU, RAM or block storage at any time in Cockpit.

	nine-small-1	nine-standard-1	nine-standard-2	nine-standard-4
vCPU	1	1	2	4
RAM	2 GiB	4 GiB	8 GiB	16 GiB
Block storage	10 GiB	10 GiB	10 GiB	10 GiB
Price per month	CHF 20.70	CHF 31.70	CHF 60.20	CHF 117.20

Prices excluding VAT, billed to the exact minute. Predefined CPU or RAM optimised machine types are available too, or you define a custom machine type that matches your resource needs. All machine types on the Root CloudVM page.

Root Dedicated Server

Standard or Performance: which base fits?

Both variants run on physical hardware, provisioned exclusively for you. For AI and ML workloads, GPU variants are available as well, see Root GPU Server.

	Root Dedicated Server Standard	Root Dedicated Server Performance
Processor	AMD EPYC 7313P	AMD EPYC 7443P
CPU cores	16	24
RAM	32 GB (max. 1 TB)	64 GB (max. 1 TB)
Storage	2x 960 GB SSD included (max. 2x NVMe, 2x NVMe/SATA hybrid, 6x SATA)	2x 960 GB SSD included (max. 2x NVMe, 2x NVMe/SATA hybrid, 6x SATA)
RAID	Software RAID-1	Hardware RAID-1
Price per month	CHF 233.–	CHF 354.50
One-time setup fee	CHF 250.–	CHF 400.–

Prices excluding VAT. All current prices including RAM and storage options in the Price Calculator.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions about the Root Server options

Do I get full root access?

Yes. With both variants, we only install the operating system, setting up and managing services is entirely up to you. Root Servers are aimed at teams with system administration experience. If you’d rather not take that on yourself, a Managed Server is the better fit.

What’s the difference between Root Dedicated Server and Root CloudVM?

A Root Dedicated Server is physical hardware available exclusively to you, at a fixed monthly price. A Root CloudVM is a virtual server that you create and manage yourself in Cockpit, billed to the exact minute based on actual usage.

Can I add more resources?

Yes. With Root CloudVM, you adjust vCPU, RAM and block storage at any time in Cockpit or define a custom machine type. Block storage can be increased but not reduced. For Root Dedicated Server, additional RAM as well as SSD and NVMe packages are available. Added drives cannot be removed again.

What does an additional IPv4 address or CO2 compensation cost?

An additional IPv4 address for your Root Dedicated Server costs CHF 5.– per month. With ClimateCare (CHF 4.– per month), you can additionally offset the CO2 emissions of your Root Dedicated Server.

What does the temporary IP-KVM service cost?

The temporary IP-KVM service (6 hours) costs a one-time CHF 90.–. An additional port for internal networking costs CHF 20.– per month plus a CHF 90.– setup fee.

Is a backup included automatically?

No. Unlike a Managed Server, Root Server does not include automatic backups. Our Object Storage gives you S3-compatible backup storage, setting it up, for example with duplicity, is your responsibility.

Which operating system can I choose?

Root Dedicated Server ships with Ubuntu LTS by default, but you can install another operating system yourself via the temporary IP-KVM service. With Root CloudVM, you choose between Ubuntu LTS, Debian and Rocky Linux at creation, Windows is not available there.

Am I protected against brute-force attacks on SSH/FTP?

The automatic protection that blocks access after several failed attempts applies to Managed Servers. For Root Servers, we publish the resulting hosts.deny list, you integrate it yourself via a cron job.

Are Root Servers available with GPU?

Yes, as Root GPU Server with GPU Standard or GPU Advanced. You’ll find the details on the Root GPU Server page.

Technical details in our documentation.

From the docs

Go deeper on docs.nine.ch

All Root Server docs

Root Server →Root Dedicated Server and Root CloudVM with prices. Offered operating systems →Which operating systems you can choose. Back up a Root Server →How to set up your own backups. Hardware defect procedure →What happens when hardware fails.

One provider

One provider, from rack to app.

From colocation to Root and Managed Products, platforms and services: all with us, in our Swiss data centres. Grow from one layer to the next without switching providers.

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Platform Products

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Managed Products

Managed Dedicated Server Managed Virtual Server Managed GPU Server Managed Kubernetes

Root Products

Root Dedicated Server Root CloudVM Root GPU Server

Storage & Backup

Object Storage

Colocation & Housing