What a DEGRADED server health status means

VICIfast tracks two completely separate things for every Managed hosting server: a billing Status (lead status) that describes the commercial lifecycle and a runtime healthStatus that describes what the box is actually doing right now. When the runtime health check reaches the server and gets a response, but that response reveals a problem, the healthStatus is set to DEGRADED. The server is still answering — it has not gone dark — but it is not fully healthy. This post explains what specifically causes DEGRADED, how it relates to other health states, and what you should do when you see it on the dashboard.

DEGRADED versus UNREACHABLE: the key distinction

Whether the server responds at all is what separates these two states. DEGRADED means the health check reached the box and got a response — but the response revealed something wrong. UNREACHABLE means the health check received no response at all. Both states indicate a problem, but they point at different causes and require different responses. DEGRADED is a warning light while the engine is still running; UNREACHABLE is the engine not starting.

This distinction matters practically. A DEGRADED server can be SSHed into, logged, and repaired while it continues operating. An UNREACHABLE server cannot be reached over the network at all, so the first step is always restoring connectivity before any diagnosis.

What triggers a DEGRADED status

Several runtime conditions can trigger DEGRADED. They all share the same property: the network path to the server is open, but something on the box is failing:

• High system load — the box is under more demand than it can comfortably serve. You may see slower response times, delayed dialing, or agents reporting lag before this becomes an outright failure. High load does not always mean too many calls; a runaway process or a slow database query can also pin load while call volume stays normal.
• A dead Keepalive process — VICIdial's keepalive scripts are the heartbeat of the auto-dialing engine. If one exits and does not restart, the dialer stops placing outbound calls even though the web admin still loads and agents can still log in. The symptom is a campaign that appears active but dials nothing.
• Disk filling up — once the disk crosses a high threshold, the OS cannot write log files or temp files reliably. Call recordings fail silently. The database can start throwing write errors. The box is still reachable over SSH but its functions are impaired.
• Asterisk or the web admin partially down — Asterisk might be running as a process but not accepting SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) registrations. The web admin might be serving HTTP 500 errors. The box is up, the network is fine, but the dialer itself is broken in a way that only a deeper check reveals.

Health state transitions

stateDiagram-v2
  [*] --> UNKNOWN : server provisioned
  UNKNOWN --> HEALTHY : checks pass
  HEALTHY --> DEGRADED : check fails (box still responds)
  DEGRADED --> HEALTHY : streak of passing checks
  DEGRADED --> UNREACHABLE : box stops responding
  UNREACHABLE --> DEGRADED : contact restored, checks still fail
  UNREACHABLE --> HEALTHY : full recovery confirmed
  HEALTHY --> UNKNOWN : check gap or no recent data

Health transitions require a streak of consecutive checks agreeing before the badge flips. A single failing check does not immediately move a HEALTHY server to DEGRADED, and a single passing check does not immediately clear DEGRADED back to HEALTHY. This prevents a momentary spike — a brief load burst during a batch export, for example — from generating a false alarm and paging someone at 2 AM for a blip that resolved on its own.

What to do when you see DEGRADED

Start with the most common causes. Log into the box via SSH and run uptime to see the system load average, then df -h to check disk percent-used. If both look normal, verify that Asterisk is running and accepting connections, and check that the VICIdial keepalive processes are alive. On VICIfast, the dashboard surfaces which specific check is failing, so you can skip the guesswork and go directly to the relevant area.

DEGRADED is a warning, not a shutdown. Agents may still be taking calls, but reliability is compromised and the path to UNREACHABLE or data loss is shorter than you want. Treat a DEGRADED status as same-hour priority during business hours. A problem that sits at DEGRADED long enough often moves to UNREACHABLE when whatever is failing cascades into something worse.

For a full explanation of how health status fits into the server lifecycle, read our server health and capacity guide. To understand what the internal process logs show when a keepalive is failing, see what internal process logs show.

On VICIfast, health checks run continuously and the dashboard flags DEGRADED with the specific failing check surfaced so you know where to look. If you would rather have a professionally managed box with built-in health monitoring than diagnose these issues yourself, see what a managed server costs.