Dedicated Server School

I have come across organizations who rule out virtual private server (VPS) or the virtual dedicated server (VDS) because they think it is an extension of shared hosting. While it is true that a virtual server is not a dedicated server, living with the limitations of shared hosting is not wise, especially when you realize that your needs point to getting a dedicated server. The problem with getting a dedicated server right away is that it is not cheap. Moreover, not everyone is ready to manage it.

A VPS or a VDS offer does away with most of the limitations of a shared server and offers you an experience similar to the dedicated server. And that too, at much less a cost. Let me take you through the benefits of the virtual server.

You have full control over all the servers, managing them the way you like. You get to configure the virtual servers according to your own specifications.

Also, you can host a number of websites and dedicate a virtual server to each, thereby making sure that a website does not have to share its resources with others.

The virtual server set-up is easy and fast, saving you a lot of precious time. In fact, the virtual server can be modified and upgraded easily.

With a number of virtual servers, you can use them for different applications exclusively. For example, you can dedicate some of them to e-mails, FTP, or back-ups.

Virtual servers also help save power as they have centralized hardware.

When you go for managed hosting, you want a hosting company who can take care of your server like it is theirs. You are not just looking at professional services but an understanding of what your needs are. Choosing a hosting company that meets all your needs and provides quality service is not an easy task.

When you are looking for a managed service, you want it to focus on your needs and work towards delivering you results. I like Layered Tech’s DEFCON. I am not sure if the term is an acronym for an internally-defined service. Need to ask them.

What I like about DEFCON is its layered approach to server management. It offers five levels of management:

• DEFCON 1 – Fully Managed
• DEFCON 2 – Managed
• DEFCON 3 – Semi-Managed
• DEFCON 4 – Self-Managed
• DEFCON 5 – Unmanaged

So, Layered Tech lets you pick the kind of managed hosting you want. It is important that you choose the right level of management at the onset. Though the company allows an upgrade or downgrade, you will not be able to change your choice frequently. The team at Layered Tech can help you make the right decision. Check DEFCON FAQs to get an idea of the service.

If you want to learn more about DEFCON, make sure you use both ‘Layered Tech’ and ‘DEFCON’ to search. Looking up ‘DEFCON’ may take you to the link on hackers’ convention. Do you have any idea what DEFCON stands for? Send in your guesses and we will check with Layered Tech.

If your ambitions about your web presence are increasing, you cannot live with sharing resources with hundreds of others. You have got to buy a dedicated server.

Dedicated server hosting puts you in charge of all matters related to hosting your website. You can use as much bandwidth and disk space as you need without sharing any of it with any other website.

With a dedicated server, you can be assured of greater reliability and high availability. Network problems such as downtimes, traffic bursts, server errors affect your website miserably if you have opted for shared hosting.

A dedicated server provides improved performance instantly. Since you are not sharing your resources with other websites, you can optimize the performance of yours.

Depending on what your website needs, a dedicated server makes upgrades easy. You can increase the memory or disk space at any time without a glitch. Thus, the server offers high scalability.

The dedicated server provides more security better than a shared server. In a shared environment, the security measures are not specific to your website and its needs. With dedicated servers, you can ensure a secure environment for your website.

A dedicated server can be customized. Dedicated server hosting allows you to configure the server according to your needs. You can install all the software that you need and use them conveniently.

If you are not sure which dedicated server to buy, mention your requirements in our server recommendation form and our team will get back with the right information for you.

The managed dedicated server gives you peace of mind. And that’s obvious since the management of your server does not remain your headache. A hosting company takes care of all aspects of your server’s management and lets you focus on your core business. Let’s look at how the managed dedicated server helps you.

It all begins with the set-up. Managed hosting takes care of setting up and configuring your server. A dedicated server allows you the control of configuring it as per your preferences. With managed hosting, you can delegate the customized configuration to the service provider and relax.

When you are looking for optimized server performance, you have to monitor the server. In managed hosting, the service provider monitors your server continuously and makes sure that it performs to the fullest.

Managed hosting ensures that there are no hiccups in the functioning of the server. If there is a problem, managed hosting provides quick and efficient troubleshooting.

Business continuity is the biggest USP of managed server hosting. The hosting company offers efficient and regular backups. Disaster recovery is supported very well in managed hosting.

Managed hosting ensures that the server’s operating system is updated as and when new updates are available and patches are released.

The hosting company taking care of your server takes measures to prevent possible threats and attacks on your server. It protects the server with anti-virus software and a firewall.

If you can afford it, I would suggest you go for professional management for your dedicated server.

Linux lovers will tell you that the Windows dedicated server is of no use. While a Linux server has its advantages, it may not work for you if your needs are different. There is one main reason you need a Windows server: you need to use Microsoft services. Yes, the Windows server works for you if you need the Windows platform to run Microsoft programs.

Windows dedicated server makes using MS Office services convenient. If you are looking at acquiring MS Office services on your server, you will have to go for the Windows dedicated server.

The server provides support for the following:

• MS VB, MS Access, and MS SQL – A Windows dedicated server provides support for databases built with Microsoft Access or Microsoft SQL. A Linux server will not be able to provide you with the support for such databases. A Windows-based server also provides support for Microsoft Visual Basic.
• .NET technologies – The .NET technology is a software framework developed by Microsoft. Therefore, Windows dedicated server is essential for websites that have been built with .NET technologies.
• Microsoft web development tools – Microsoft provides some easy-to-use web development tools like FrontPage and Visual Interdev. Only a Windows server can support these tools.
• Microsoft SharePoint services – For the purposes of information sharing, Microsoft has developed a service platform called SharePoint. The SharePoint services are accessible only through a server that runs the Windows operating system.

You get the idea. The Windows operating system is important for your server if you depend on Microsoft services.

The reason you go for a dedicated server is because you need more bandwidth, disk space, and control. Shared hosting offers you limited resources and no control. However, the jump from shared hosting to dedicated hosting is a big one and not many organizations can make it. Virtual Private Server (VPS) and semi-dedicated server act as a stopover in such cases.

Check out earlier posts on VPS hosting. We will talk about semi-dedicated server in today’s post. A semi-dedicated server is a server that doesn’t belong to you. It is owned by the hosting company. Technically, you own a part of the physical server. Yes, you have access and control a part of the server.

A server is divided into what are called slices. You can go for a big slice or a small one depending on what your needs are. You share the server with other websites but only with a few.

A semi-dedicated server is advantageous because of the following reasons.

• It offers better performance. With only a few accounts sharing resources on the server, you will experience performance better than that of a shared server.
• It is cost-effective when compared to a dedicated server. It works out best for those who are looking for features similar to a dedicated server but cannot go for a fully-dedicated server yet.
• It offers you more resources than a shared server. With semi-dedicated servers, you have more bandwidth and more disk space at your disposal, letting you install and run more applications.
• It is fully-managed. You don’t have to worry about the management of a semi-dedicated server as it is taken care of by the company hosting the server.

If you want to get all the benefits of a dedicated server, you have got to manage it right. And the management of the server is a big deal. Many organizations don’t buy the dedicated server because of the complexity of its management. Well, the easiest way to reap the benefits of the server is by outsourcing its management. Not sure about that? There are two reasons professional management of the server is good. One, it is professional; the service provider can optimize the server’s service. Two, it allows you to focus on your core business.

Worried that managed hosting is expensive? You’ll be surprised. The cost of the services is nothing when you compare it with the benefits you reap. The next question organizations ask is: what kind of managed hosting should we go for? Yes, there are different kinds of managed hosting, and the one you should go for depends on what you need.

While fully-managed hosting covers every aspect of hosting, partially-managed offers you selected services. There is also colocation hosting. It means that your server is located in the premises of a hosting company. In colocation hosting, what the hosting company essentially provides to you is space in its data center for your servers. It provides the necessary power for them. You will be provided with an Internet connection and IP addresses. The host takes care of your servers’ maintenance. It is responsible for the physical security of your servers.

How are you taking care of your dedicated server? Try outsourcing it and you will get much more than what you asked for.

2009 was so much about cloud computing. 2010 may well be the year that sees a lot of high-profile cloud computing. What is it that pulls businesses to cloud computing? Well, it all begins with reduction of costs. Yes, the cloud helps you cut down costs. Your operational expenses are reduced significantly. With cloud computing, you need to pay only for what you use. Costs become directly proportional to your requirements.

Cloud computing is easy to install. You don’t need to get additional hardware or software. Moreover, the implementation is done remotely. And the good thing is that its implementation doesn’t cost much.

Cloud computing is not only about cost reductions but also about time savings. Since cloud computing becomes functional faster than other systems, businesses save a lot of their precious time at the time of set-up. The cloud also ensures fast recovery. Thus, businesses do not lose unnecessary time anywhere.

Automation is one of the biggest attractions of this technology. With cloud computing, businesses do not need to set up a team to handle system updates and back-ups. Cloud computing lets you free up internal resources. Automation helps release important internal resources for other high-priority work.

Your business can become mobile with cloud computing. Employees can access work-related information from anywhere.

Now, hopefully, 2010 will be the year when security concerns surrounding the cloud will be addressed properly. Have you experienced cloud computing yet? How has your experience been like?

Come back tomorrow for some more information from the world of hosting and servers.

A virtual server is the best stopover if you are looking to move from shared hosting but cannot go for dedicated hosting yet. Both the virtual private server (VPS) and the virtual dedicated server (VDS) are referred to as virtual servers. A VPS is a bit different from a VDS though. The virtual dedicated server is considered more powerful than the virtual private server.

You can run multiple operating systems on the VDS, something you cannot do on a VPS. However, you can acquire multiple VPS and run different operating systems on them. Also, the VDS is considered more sturdy than the VPS. It offers you better performance than the VPS.

The other benefits of a VDS are the same as that of a VPS.

• You get to be in control of the virtual server. You can choose to configure your server(s) the way you like.
• The server allows you to install the applications you want.
• You can host as many websites as you want without worrying about the limitations of space and bandwidth.
• You can enjoy several additional services as offered by the host. You have the flexibility of removing and changing these services anytime.
• The virtual server offers security from the threats on other websites. It lets you employ measures to counter hackers and the like.

As the VDS or VPS offers benefits similar to the dedicated server, and that too at a cost much less, it works as the perfect stopover between shared hosting and dedicated hosting.

A good hosting company is one that meets all your hosting needs and offers you a little more. How do you choose your host? Do you perform a search on Google or do you go for one your friend recommends? Irrespective of how you go looking for the host, it is important that you choose the right host. Let me share with a few tips on choosing the right hosting company.

• Find out about the speed and availability. A good network speed and high availability of your website and applications are important. You cannot live with a low speed with high availability or a high speed with low availability.
• The host should be compatible with your website’s features and needs. If your web pages have been on a certain platform, the hosting service you choose should be able to support that platform.
• Find out if your bandwidth and disk space requirements are adequately met by the web host.
• Inquire about the e-mail accounts the host will provide. Make sure you get adequate number of accounts. Even if you don’t need these accounts in the beginning, you should have the flexibility of getting more as you need.
• Find out about the kind of support the host provides. A host with a 24×7 support is recommended. Part-time support is not good enough to ensure a high availability of your website. It is also important that the recoveries are fast.

Before you make your decision, ask existing clients of the hosting company to share their experience with you.?

The dedicated server offers you the flexibility of configuring it the way you like. You can use a dedicated server as a database server. A database server can be defined as a server dedicated to providing database services. Such a server runs the database software.

A database server can typically be seen in a client-server environment where it provides information sought by the client systems. Apart from offering the benefits of a dedicated server, a database server offers several niche advantages. Let’s have a look.

• With a database server, all the data of your organization is stored in one location.
• A database server allows you to take measures to increase the security of your data.
• A database server offers you database management services. The data is arranged in a way that speeds up searches and retrievals.
• It is easier to search and retrieve data on a database server. The client-server interactions are fast and smooth with a database server.
• Several clients can access the data stored in the database server at one time, without any confusion.

A database server is useful for organizations that have a lot of data to deal with on a regular basis. If you have a client-server architecture where the clients need process data too frequently, it is better to work with a database server. Some organizations use the file server to store and process data. A database server is much more efficient than a file server.

Come back tomorrow for some more information from the world of servers.

Every time you say you need something, do you really need it or do you just want it? I understand you won’t say you need a dedicated server just like that. You will have reasons behind it, but are those reasons enough? Getting a dedicated server is fine, but along with it comes the responsibility of managing it.

Moreover, what is the point in getting a dedicated server when you cannot make optimum use of it? I don’t mean to dissuade you from buying the server. Just make sure that you need the server and can use it optimally before you go for it. Wondering how to find out if you are ready for the server? Here are some pointers to help you find that out.

• The traffic to your website(s) is increasing by the day and you feel that the shared server cannot handle it for too long.
• You want to configure the server the way you like and take control of your website.
• You are looking for high availability of your websites and applications.
• You want to minimize downtimes as the website is critical to your business.
• You want to host many websites.
• You need high bandwidth and a lot of disk space for your website and your growing needs.
• You are looking for more security measures for your websites.

It is also important to analyze your server management capability. And if you cannot handle it in-house, you should be able to afford outsourcing of your server’s management. If money is the only thing holding you from going for a dedicated server, get a virtual private server (VPS) for the time being.

The purchase of the dedicated server brings along the responsibility of managing it. It is not only the cost that dictates if you can afford the dedicated server but also its management. It is recommended that you decide on the management of your dedicated server before you go for it. There are two ways to go about it: you can handle it in-house or get a hosting company to manage it for you. I recommend outsourcing the management of your server even if you think you can handle it on your own. Reasons? Read on.

• Managed hosting means your server is being handled by professionals.
• You can be assured of high-speed accessibility.
• The resources will be optimized to the fullest.
• Your website(s) will be available most of the time. The number of downtimes will be reduced to the minimum.
• Your server will be monitored continuously.
• Managed hosting offers effective troubleshooting help in time. It provides efficient technical support around the clock.
• You will get back-up facilities, along with disaster recovery features.
• You don’t have to hire and train people on the management of your dedicated servers.
• The hosting company will take steps to ensure the security of your server(s).
• You will enjoy several additional features, thereby giving your website(s) a more professional image.

Worried that outsourcing will cost a lot? Well, managed hosting actually brings down the overall cost of the management of a server. The benefits you reap with managed hosting far outweigh the money you invest in it.?

What is a dedicated server?

A dedicated server is one that is completely dedicated to your websites and applications. For those who are looking for a better definition, I have found one:

(Source) a server dedicated to a single customer. Dedicated servers are appropriate for users that require lots of disk space or data transfer, as well as sites that are database intensive or have specific software requirements.

What are the benefits of a dedicated server?

• It offers greater reliability and high availability.
• It gives you absolute control.
• It helps improve performance.
• It is scalable.
• It provides security.
• It can be customized.

When do you need a dedicated server?

You need a dedicated server if:

• Your website’s traffic is too much for the shared server to handle
• You want to minimize downtimes as the website is critical to your business
• You are looking at hosting several websites
• You want to configure the server and take control of your website the way you like
• You need a lot of disk space for your website and your growing needs
• You need to install applications of your liking for your website
• Your bandwidth requirements have increased
• You want to make your websites more secure

How much does a dedicated server cost?

Our partners offer server packages starting $80/mo. If you need a dedicated server, drop in your requirements in the dedicated server recommendation form and get the right advice.

How should I buy a dedicated server?

Look for the following when choosing a hosting company to buy the dedicated server from:

• Speed and availability – You cannot compromise on either of these factors.
• Security – Find out if the company’s service provides better security to your server than others.
• Support – Look for a service whose support is proactive rather than reactive. Make sure it offers round-the-clock support.

Which dedicated server should I buy?

Choosing a dedicated server can be dicey. Our team can recommend a dedicated server according to your requirements. Submit the dedicated server recommendation form describing your requirements and our team will get in touch with you.

Not everyone who acknowledges the benefits of the dedicated server can afford it. Do you find the cost of the server exceeding your budget? That does not mean you have to live with the limitations of shared hosting. There is a solution. Go for VPS hosting.

VPS stands for Virtual Private Server. It is formed when a physical server is partitioned into logical parts. The virtual server is ideal for organizations that want to move away from shared hosting but cannot afford dedicated hosting as yet. And VPS hosting is not a compromise. It offers several benefits to businesses.

Let’s look at how you can make use of VPS hosting.

You can host a number of websites and dedicate a virtual server to each, thereby making sure that a website does not have to share its resources with others. You get to configure the virtual servers according to your own specifications. You can install different operating systems on different virtual servers and enjoy their benefits. You have full control over the server. You can manage them the way you like. You can dedicate some virtual servers to specific applications such as e-mails and FTP or keep them for back-ups etc.

Setting up the virtual server is easy and fast. Modifying and upgrading it is also easy. A not-so-highlighted but significant advantage of the virtual server is that it helps save power.

Now, coming back to the question of whether VPS hosting is better than dedicated hosting. Well, VPS hosting brings in benefits similar to the dedicated hosting at a cost much less. It is definitely not better than dedicated hosting but far better than shared hosting. It is a good stopover till you can afford a dedicated server.

You already know that a dedicated server has many benefits. Does that make it extremely essential for you? Do you have to go for it just because others are? Being dedicated to dedicated servers, we believe that an organization should go for a dedicated server only when reason dictates the requirement.

It is important that you find out if you need a server dedicated to you. How? Here are some pointers.

• If you want to ensure that your website(s) and applications are always available and the downtimes are reduced to the minimum, you need a dedicated server.
• If you think that shared hosting is not able to handle the website’s traffic, you need something more effective.
• If your bandwidth and disk space needs are outgrowing what the shared server can offer, you need to go for a dedicated server.
• If you want to be in control of your server, you cannot live with the shared server. You get to configure your dedicated server the way you like.
• If you need to install certain applications for your website, the shared server may not be able to allow you applications not used by others sharing the server with you. A dedicated server puts you in charge.
• If you want to make your websites more secure, you need a bigger and better server.
• If you are looking at hosting several websites, you need a bigger server.

If the cost is what stops you from buying a dedicated server, I suggest you go for a Virtual Private Server (VPS). A VPS offers benefits similar to the dedicated server at a reasonable cost. You can later switch to a dedicated server.

‘Semi-dedication’ may appear treacherous in the real world but it makes a lot of sense in the world of servers. For the uninitiated, there is something called the semi-dedicated server. And its name has come from the fact that it is a server you don’t own. In fact, a semi-dedicated server is similar to the shared server but not quite the same. It overcomes the limitations of the shared server.

The semi-dedicated server is owned by the hosting company; you get the control of a part of the server. You share the server with other websites but not in the way you share the shared server. You share it with only 5, 10, or 20 websites.

A server is divided into what are called slices. You can go for a big ‘slice’ or small one depending on your needs. Your group of slices acts as your semi-dedicated server.

The semi-dedicated server can act as a stopover for organizations interested in switching over to dedicated hosting from shared hosting. As you share resources with very few websites, you experience better performance than what the shared server offered. The price of the semi-dedicated server is definitely attractive. You may not reap all the benefits of a dedicated server but you get to experience what it is like to break away from shared hosting. Since the management of your semi-dedicated server is taken care of by the hosting company, things become easier for you.

Some wonder if a semi-dedicated server is better than a virtual private server (VPS). Well, that depends on what you are looking for. I feel a VPS gives you a little more control than a semi-dedicated server. However, you should find out what your needs are before you go for either of these.

I haven’t talked about cloud computing in some time, have I? The hoopla over the cloud has left some people utterly confused. While there is too much information about the cloud, including its advantages as well as disadvantages, not everyone really knows how real the cloud is.

I have come up with a very simple example of the cloud, something a lot of people have experienced without actually thinking about it. I am talking about e-mails on the cloud. Some organizations use Rackspace e-mail hosting for official e-mails. Employees can access their mails from anywhere in the world. Rackspace e-mail is a cloud computing application.

Rackspace has two other useful applications on the cloud: file sharing and backup. The company offers four e-mail hosting products, two file sharing products and one server backup product.

One of the biggest advantages of the cloud is reduced expenses. Rackspace’s applications will not only save you money but also provide you the much-needed peaceful, fuss-free experience. The company claims to be serving more than 40,000 cloud customers, a feat in no small means.

With respect to the cloud, (Rackspace lives by the following values:

• We believe the cloud should be easy. And open.
• “As a service” should come with service
• We stand for developers
• Transparency matters

Now, these values make sense, don’t they? The company has a website dedicated to their commitment to the cloud. Rackspacecloud.com has all the information you need to understand the company’s work in cloud hosting.

Have you used Rackspace’s applications? Do share your experience with us.

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you are asked to go for managed hosting for your server? Most definitely, the cost. For some organizations, it is also a matter of trust. They just can’t trust another organization with their server’s management. They wonder if a service provider can understand their needs well. The truth is that since the service provider’s team consists of experts taking care of server management in a professional way, one need not worry. A service provider will be able to manage your server more efficiently than an in-house team.

Now, coming to the concern regarding the cost, while it is true that managed hosting requires you to spend a little more, the expense becomes an investment if you look at all the benefits you reap. Also, you can choose the kind of managed hosting you want. Managed hosting can be broadly classified into the following types:

• Fully-managed hosting – This means outsourcing the security, maintenance, monitoring, and even performance optimization of the server to professionals.
• Partially-managed hosting – In this type of hosting, you can pick the services you need from the suite of services provided by the hosting service provider.
• Colocation hosting – Here, you can keep your servers in the premises of the hosting company and leave the maintenance and physical security to them.

Go for the hosting type that suits your needs and budget. The reason managed hosting is recommended is because it imparts a professional image to your server and websites and gives you peace of mind to focus on your core business.

When you go for dedicated hosting, you want to make sure that you reap all the benefits that the dedicated server offers. You need to be able to manage the server well. You may be able to handle the management of your server on your own, but it always helps if you get professionals to handle it. Managed hosting is a great way to get optimum benefits of the dedicated server. 

You may think that managed hosting is extremely expensive. It will definitely require you to invest some money. But if you weigh the cost against the advantages, you will find that your cost is a small investment.

With managed hosting, you can be assured of high availability of your website(s). The number of downtimes is reduced to the minimum. Managed hosting offers a high-speed accessibility and ensures that the resources are optimized to the fullest.

Since your server is being taken care of by a professional team, you don’t need to hire and train people on the management of your dedicated servers. Also, imagine the peace of mind you get. You can focus on your business without worrying about the intricacies of server management. 

Managed hosting provides continuous monitoring of your server. It offers effective troubleshooting help in time. It provides efficient technical support around the clock.

The security of your server is taken care of by the service provider. Managed hosting also offers back-up facilities, along with disaster recovery features.

Managed hosting can give you the much needed edge over your peers. It gives your business a professional image.

When you buy the dedicated server, you want to reap the optimum benefits of it. The most important thing you need for that is efficient management. Even if you cannot manage it in-house, you need not worry. Get professionals to manage your server for you. However, there is one thing that you need, irrespective of who manages the server. You need a web server control panel. Now, how do you choose the control panel?

Ease of use is probably the first thing that will define your choice. But that is only the beginning. My favorite server control panel is cPanel. What makes the cPanel server better than others? Well, I won’t say that other control panels are inferior to cPanel but cPanel has certain benefits.

It has an intuitive and highly functional graphical interface. It has a three-tier support structure. The tiers are administrators, re-sellers, and end-users.

cPanel makes the uploading and management of web pages easy. Creating and managing e-mail accounts is easy with cPanel. cPanel can help you install various applications such as forums, blogs, and shopping carts without any hassle.

With cPanel, you can back up data easily. It provides a software called Backup Wizard for the task.

cPanel provides protection to the content and bandwidth of your website. It provides security against viruses and other malicious programs. cPanel generates comprehensive statistics about the traffic to your website. It lets you review error logs.

Migration from another control panel is easy and free of cost.

You can go for cPanel while buying your dedicated server and make your server a cPanel server.

Do you go looking for a dedicated server because everybody else is, or do you analyze your needs to make the decision? A dedicated server is important for your organization when you have business-critical applications on the server. So, make sure you understand your requirements when you buy your server.

A dedicated service puts you in charge. It gives you the much needed control. You can make all decisions related to the hosting of your website. It is, therefore, important that you choose it with care. Price should not be the only criteria when you go looking for the dedicated server.

If you are not sure what to buy and where to buy from, let us know by filling in the server recommendation form and our team of experts will be glad to help.

You may want to look for some kind of managed service when you buy the server. Some of the important factors that you should consider when choosing a hosting company are:

• Speed and availability – You cannot compromise on either of these factors.
• Security – Find out if the company’s service provides better security to your server than others.
• Support – Look for a service whose support is proactive rather than reactive. Make sure it offers round-the-clock support.

Don’t jump into buying a dedicated server just because the rest of the world says you should. Make sure you need it and are ready for it. Read one of our earlier posts on how to find out if you are ready for the dedicated server. You have to keep in mind that buying the server is not enough; you have to manage it well in order to reap benefits.

Most organizations understand that the dedicated server is important for their web presence and yet there is something that stops them from acquiring the server. Three reasons can explain this:

• They have become complacent. They have started living with the limitations of shared hosting.
• They think dedicated servers are too complicated to maintain.
• They think dedicated servers are too expensive.

Now, there is absolutely no solution to complacency. If you remain unperturbed even after understanding the benefits of the dedicated server and the limitations of the shared one, you are definitely harming your business. As far as server management is concerned, it is not as complicated as you perceive it is. And you always have the option of going for some kind of managed hosting.

Now, let’s come to the cost. Regardless of how advantageous something is, we want it to cost less. And no, it is not about a budget or the lack of it. We just have a tendency to go for the cheapest. And that’s not a bad thing. However, it is important that you don’t compromise on quality because of the price.

When it comes to the dedicated server, you would think it is expensive given what it has to offer. But it need not be. It is definitely costlier than the shared server. However, the price appears reasonable when you look at its benefits. If you are looking for a low-cost dedicated server, you can go for the ones offered by our partners. They offer server packages starting $80 per month. If you are not sure about the kind of server you should go for, put your requirements in our dedicated server recommendation form and our team of experts will get back.

The maxim, prevention is better than cure, applies not only to health care but also to the technological tools we use everyday. If, instead of reacting to problems and taking action, we could predict and prevent problems, we would be so better off. With respect to servers, managed hosting is perhaps a way to make the prevention part powerful. Unfortunately, not all service providers have a proactive plan. While some of them provide excellent troubleshooting service and round-the-clock service, the lack of preventive planning makes you look out for something else.

One of the managed hosting services that has understood and adopted proactive planning is The Planet. Its Northstar service provides proactive support unlike other services that are reactive in nature. The Planent describes the service in proud terms:

(Source) …in-depth business and technology planning sessions; systems architecture designed to fit your needs; proactive management and protection of your IT systems for maximum performance; and regular reports and reviews of system health to discover new ways to improve and leverage IT.

The Planet refers to the methodology behind Northstar as Anticipation Advantage. The methodology works in four phases: Assess, Design, Maintain, and Measure.

In the Assess phase, the business requirements are assessed. The implementation and support plans are designed in the Design phase. The Maintain phase deals with monitoring and maintenance. In the Measure phase, the performance is reviewed.

Managed hosting becomes more advantageous when you make it proactive. If you have used Northstar, do share your experience with us.

In our posts on dedicated server control panels, we have discussed cPanel and Plesk predominantly. You will come across several other control panels, both established and emerging. How do you choose your server control panel? Which one is the perfect one?

A good server control panel is supposed to make the management of your dedicated or virtual private server (VPS) easy. Your choice of the control panel will depend on two things: ease of use and availability of features.

You need to get a control panel that goes well with your server’s operating system. A control panel that works best for a Linux server may not give you satisfactory results when used for a Windows server.

cPanel/WHM is probably the best for a Linux dedicated server. Plesk 9.x for Linux is also considered good. One of the popular Linux control panels is ServerCP.

Windows Server 2003 Remote Desktop has been a popular choice with Windows users. People also go with Plesk 9.x for Windows.

If you don’t use your control panel much, you will not realize its full potential and its limitations. Every control panel will seem the same to you. You should compare different control panels before you zero in one. Here are some of the questions you should ask when looking for a control panel:

• Is its interface intuitive and easy-to-use?
• Does this control panel align with my server operating system?
• Does it allow different administration rights for different users (if multiple users need access)?

Have you found a control panel that you simply adore? Share your experience with other readers here.

You may have heard that FastServers.net has become LayeredTech. FastServers.net was acquired in 2008. What LayeredTech has achieved by bringing together the infrastructure of the companies is high quality hosting. It offers a five-tier structure of managed services.

I have always mentioned that there are different types of managed services to choose from depending on your needs and budget. LayeredTech’s DEFCON offers just that. Here’s how it describes DEFCON.

From fully managed to unmanaged solutions, the choice is yours with Layered Tech.

• DEFCON 1 – Fully Managed
  The ultimate in security, monitoring and management, with the highest level of security, full scope management, auto server updates and full monitoring
• DEFCON 2 – Managed
  High levels of security, management, auto server updates and server monitoring
• DEFCON 3 – Semi-Managed
  Medium levels of management, auto server updates and server monitoring
• DEFCON 4 – Self-Managed
  Normal management and security measures
• DEFCON 5 – Unmanaged
  Little or no involvement from the Layered Tech support team.

Getting professionals to manage your server is your best bet when you are looking for good service and support. And it takes away from your hassles of server management. With a service like DEFCON, you get to pick what you want.

Many organizations wonder if managed hosting is good. It most definitely is, if you ask me, even for the fees that the hosting company charges you. Managed hosting not only lets you focus on your core business but it also helps you reap the maximum benefits of your server.

Many of you know I’ve enjoyed our 2+ year relationship with LiquidWeb, our dedicated server hosting company. Their customer service has been the best I’ve ever experienced. Having been in the web design / internet marketing field for 12 years, I could probably list at least a dozen web hosting companies I’ve dealt with either through updating client’s websites or hosting my own sites – so that says a lot.

When I started out with LiquidWeb for my first dedicated server, I purchased an good entry level server with the following configurations:

Processor: Intel E4500 DUAL CORE
Memory: 2GB DDR SDRAM
Hd1: 160GB 7200RPM SATA / 8MB Cache
Hd2: 160GB 7200RPM SATA / 8MB Cache
RemoteBackup: 50GB Remote Backup
(+Offsite Backup)
OS: Linux – CentOS 4
ControlPanel: CPanel / Web Host Manager

The server and their support has been great so far. I can recall only one time when the server was unreachable because of a brief network issue LiquidWeb had, and we haven’t had any downtime that we could fault LiquidWeb or their hardware for.

Why upgrade?

Our traffic is growing. We host about 20 MySQL sites on ther server, one of which is a popular web forum that keeps growing, and I want to make sure that we have enough headroom for the increased server load so that all of the sites stay quick and responsive.

So here’s the new setup we’ll be moving into this weekend:

Enterprise GainstownSpecial
Processor: Dual Xeon E5504 Quad Core (Gainstown)
Memory: 12GB DDR RAM
Hd1: 4 x 73GB SCSI / Hardware Raid 10
(+Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) 15,000 RPM)
RemoteBackup: 50GB Remote FTP Backup
(+Offsite Backup)
OS: Linux – CentOS 5 (+64 Bit)
ControlPanel: CPanel / Web Host Manager

Needless to say, I’m excited about thew new headroom we’ll have and the possibility of speeding up our MySQL scripts. The best part is, LiquidWeb gave us a great deal, beating all of their competition’s pricing significantly. I feel like it’s rare these days that large companies respect the fact that you’ve been a long term customer and go the extra mile to keep you satisfied. LiquidWeb did just that. They knew we were a good customer and gave us the best price I think I could have gotten anywhere. Thanks LiquidWeb!

When will the migration occur?

We’re not wasting any time. The migration to the new server will happen over the weekend. The weekends are our lowest traffic periods, so it will impact the fewest of our visitors.

Will there be any outages?

Probably so. I wish I could say no, but moving this many websites with all of the different scripts they run has got to pose a challenge for even the most savvy migration experts. But who knows, we might get lucky.

Thanks for your support and thanks for visiting ServerSchool.com

If you are planning to get a dedicated server, you have to make sure you are ready for it. Not just in terms of whether or not you can afford it, but in terms of whether or not you can handle its management. The immediate thing that you need to take care of after you have got your own server is how to set it up.

So, how do you run a dedicated server? Where do you start? The first thing you need to make sure of is that you are buying the right server – the server that suits your needs appropriately. Check with professionals about the type of server you should go for. You can get a free server recommendation from the Dedicated Server School team.

Once you have got your server, decide on the operating system you are going to install on it. Now, I am sure, you have your favorite, but don’t go for it because of your attachment to it. Find out which operating system suits your needs the best. You can read one of our earlier posts that has a comparison of Linux and Windows, the two most popular server operating systems.

You will need a lot of applications for your server to make it functional for your websites. So once you have arranged for all the software you need, find out if your server is ready to go. Check it against all the set parameters. Once you have made sure there are no glitches, you can make use of the server the way you like. Congratulations, your server is up and running!

When your business thrives on your websites, you need to monitor your hosting server properly. How would you find out if your server has been running and providing the support your websites need? In order to ensure that your websites are always available, you have to monitor them closely and provide timely troubleshooting if you notice a problem. How do you go about doing this? You use a server monitoring tool.

Liquid Web’s Sonar Monitoring is probably one of the best monitoring tools in the market. It provides round-the-clock onsite monitoring. It offers proactive system restoration, something you need if you want your servers to operate seamlessly. What’s more is that you can go for additional services like data migration. Here’s what the company has to say about its service:

(from Liquid Web) The Sonar Monitoring team focuses on prevention of, as well as immediate response to, service interruptions, whether they be software, hardware or network-related. With the bulk of service failures being prevented before occurrence, and nearly all remaining service failures being corrected within minutes, the team operates as a persistent proactive manager of client service consistency. The Liquid Web Sonar Monitoring Team has enabled us to provide the industry’s leading 30 minute hardware replacement SLA.

Now, SLA of hardware replacement in 30 minutes suggests that Sonar monitoring offers a high-end service. With fast restorations, Liquid Web’s Sonar promises to be a good bet for server monitoring. Have you used the tool yet? Feel free to share your experience with our readers.

Dedicated, privately-owned servers bring in several benefits. However, the complexity of server management is something that often deters organizations from investing in them. If you own a bunch of servers, you want them to be organized in a way that they give you maximum benefits. This is where the data center comes in. Some organizations maintain data centers on their own but I think it is better to give the responsibility to professions.

Yes, I am talking about using the data center of a service provider. A service provider maintains a data center that houses the servers and systems of many organizations. The data center is equipped with all facilities to not only maintain your servers but also optimize their performance.

The first and foremost benefit of a data center is availability. Your applications continue to be available when one server experiences a problem. Performance optimization comes next. Scalability and business continuity are also major benefits of the data center.

If your systems are in the premises of the service provider, you will be able to focus more on your core business. You can rest assured with professionals taking care of what you would have had to handle if you went for an in-house data center. This is the reason outsourcing the management of the data center is better than doing it on your own.

Wondering about the cost of this? Well, outsourcing will actually reduce your costs. You no longer need to maintain a physical data center. Moreover, you don’t need to invest in a team for managing it. And the benefits you get from the service provider outnumber the benefits you would have reaped in-house.