Dedicated Server Hosting Tips

DedicatedServer Hosting Tips

Dedicated Server is basically renting a whole server solelyfor your use (dedicated). It is muchlike having your own server but the biggest difference is you do notneed a large initial investment to set it up.

This means you own the machine but have a hosting company maintainthe server for you. Dedicated Servers give a company the flexibilityof having a dedicated machine for their website(s).

Last Updated - 15th October 2005

Who Needs Dedicated Servers?

If you have sensitive or proprietary material on yourwebsite and want an intranet or secure site, you should consider usingdedicated servers.

Dedicated servers are ideal for hosting resellers,web developers, site flexibility, better reliability, security, fasterspeeds and more. Dedicated servers also work well for online gaming,streaming media, chat applications and sites which need the full capacityof the server to function at peak performance.

Companies who have inexperienced server administratorsshould consider a dedicated server hosting service who will provideall of the maintenance and repair necessary for your server.

Web Hosting Benefits Of A DedicatedServer

You can manage to avoid most of the variables affectingthe reliability and stability of a server, commonly experienced byshared hosting accounts; variables such as: overload, bad codes andscripts from other users (especially beginners); and, too many applicationsand components uploaded, and so on.

On a dedicated server you will install only softwareand applications you want to use, while on a shared hosting serveryou will find a host of other software and applications installedfor other users.

By the very nature of the account, a dedicated server:reduces your dependency on the web host; and bypasses time delaysand possible expenses incurred from these. With dedicated server hostingyou can provide instant support to your own clients whenever required,which is not possible if you are on a shared server. A reliable andfast support service is vital for your own business growth just likethe stability and reliability you wish for your own website. In business,reliability is reflected through word-of-mouth as one of the mosteffective promotional activities.

For people with clients, such as Graphic Designersand Web Designers a dedicated server is invaluable. A dedicated serverwill bring extra income into the studio, not just as a hosting facility,but, as a designer knows only too well, for the extra 'bread and butter'income value. If you have 24 hours access to your own dedicated serverthen you can adjust, correct or update a clients website in minutes,allowing you to keep the dollar back in your studio and not in someoneelse's. Ready availability results in reduced labor costs for theclient, but higher studio-income frequency for the designer. Henceyou will see the return of all your regular off-line clients, bringingtheir web work with them.

For a business, a website that is quickly downloadableand up all the time gives the visitor encouragement that your serviceis just as reliable, hence you will be more likely to make a sale.It will also enhance the company's image and encourage existing customersto refer your service to others. This will result in more sales forless promotion.

When choosing a dedicated server,there are several things to consider:

Operating System
Data Backup & Monitoring Service
Hardware options
Space
Bandwidth
Technical Support.

Operating System

The Operating System of a server is similar to that on your own personalcomputer; once installed, the operating system enables one to performtasks more simply. There are a bevy of server operating systems availabletoday including Linux-based and Windows-based software.

The operating system you choose should be directly relational to whatoperations your server will be performing, which types of software you'llneed to install and also, what you're more comfortable with. Some commonoperating systems used for hosting at present are Red Hat EnterpriseLinux (RHEL), FreeBSD, Fedora (previously known as Red Hat Linux), Debian,and many other flavors of linux.

Data Backup, Monitoring and Automation

If you run a site, which is constantly being updated, you will needto back it up frequently. This can be a hassle. Many dedicated hostingproviders will provide a back up service for you - usually for an addedfee, but the convenience may be worth it. Your server will need to bemonitored constantly to prevent service interruptions.

Check to see that your host can provide such monitoring, and how frequentlyit is done (e.g. every 5 min.), and what measures they use to deal withproblems, which are detected.

Running a dedicated server does usually require a greater level oftechnical knowledge than shared hosting. However, those who lack technicalexpertise may still be able to operate a dedicated server --- if thehost offers some form of web-based automation to simplify the processof managing a server. Check to see if your host can offer such automation(if you think you may need it).

Hardware Options

Hardware Options are also something to consider when choosing a dedicatedserver. You'll need to pick a processor that's up to the task. Regardingthe amount of memory you wish installed, firewall options, and the sizeof the hard drive.

Celerons in general do not perform well when you start hosting severallarge powerful applications or web sites, Pentium 4's (P4's), performmuch better as they also have a larger cache, Xeons on the other handcan perform much better, especially Dual Xeon processors. One shouldalso take into consideration the AMD option, Dual (and single Options)have been shown to outperform Dual (or single) Xeons by a margin of30% or more in some cases. These are quite often cheaper to purchase,so therefore a more suitable solution.

When looking at hard disks, you should remember that all hard disksfail at some point or other so it is a necessity in a server environmentto have off-site backups or onsite backups of some sort. Having a secondmirrored (RAID-1) is a great solution. If you require fast access andhigh reliability and are willing to pay more it is a very good ideato go for SCSI as they have much lower access time and much lower failurerate.

Bandwidth

A certain amount of bandwidth is generally included when renting orleasing a dedicated server. Once you have ascertained how much bandwidthyou will require, you can adjust that limit with your service provider.The space you'll be given is generally directly relational to the sizeof your hard drive. Some hosts also give clients the choice of uplinkport speed (usually 10Mbps/100Mbps but can go up to 1000Mbps). Bandwidthcan be provided using the 95th percentile rule, or simply the via analloted bandwidth (which is quite often around 1000GB/month).

Technical Support

Are you a novice or an expert? This is a question that you need toseriously think about. For the novice, a managed provider with 24/7support is for you. You most definitely do not want to find an unmanagedprovider that does nothing but point you in the directions of the "FAQor Documentation Pages" when you need help. Not only will it upsetyou, it will cost you money that should have never been spent in thefirst place as you have no business being with an unmanaged provider.

When your monitors suggest a fault or possible fault occurring, youwill need highly skilled and qualified resource to deal with the problem.The minimum number of support staff required to deliver a robust 24x 365 support is 8.