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Web hosting articles
What is a dedicated
server?
Many web
sites
are
hosted
on
shared
servers,
where
many
different
web
sites
share
the
hardware
resources
of one
server.
In
contrast,
having a
dedicated
server
means
that
just one
web site
is
hosted
on that
server.
This
means
that all
of the
resources
of that
server -
its
processor
power
and hard
drive
space -
are
available
for use
by that
web
site.
Dedicated
servers
are
still
owned by
the
hosting
company
though;
the user
is
paying
to rent
the
server
for a
period
of time.
There
are
several
advantages
in
having
your own
dedicated
server.
When you
are
using a
shared
host,
you are
restricted
in what
applications
may be
available
for your
site to
use –
most
hosting
companies
install
software
that
they
consider
to be
necessary
for the
many web
sites
they are
hosting.
You may
find
there
are
programs
you do
not use,
or you
may need
software
that has
not been
installed.
When you
set up a
dedicated
server,
you will
be able
to
specify
what
operating
system
the
server
will
use, and
also
only
install
the
programs
that you
will
need to
operate
your
site.
You can
also
specify,
within
certain
limits,
the
actual
hardware
you need
–
processor
speed,
size of
hard
drive
and so
on.
Upgrading
is also
a lot
easier –
if you
start to
run out
of disk
space,
then you
can
quickly
add a
new hard
drive.
Speed is
another
consideration.
A shared
server
means
that
your web
site is
competing
with
other
web
sites
for
processing
power.
If you
intend
to run a
site
that is
processor-intensive,
for
example
with a
lot of
streamed
content,
you will
find
that
opting
for a
dedicated
server
will
result
in far
better
performance
for your
site,
without
any of
the
delays
that may
happen
when
other
web
sites
are
sharing
hardware
resources.
There
are
disadvantages
to this
though.
With a
shared
hosting
plan any
server
problems
you may
have
will be
handled
by the
web
hosting
company.
If you
choose
to have
a
dedicated
server
then
many of
these
problems
will
become
your
responsibility.
Since
the
actual
server
is still
owned by
the
hosting
company
they are
responsible
for any
hardware
problems
but you
will be
responsible
for any
software
issues
that
will
arise.
You must
be
prepared
to spend
a lot
more
time on
support
issues
in order
to keep
the
server
running
at its
best.
Cost is
an issue
too.
Although
you do
not need
to buy
the
server
hardware
and only
have to
pay a
monthly
fee, a
dedicated
plan
will
probably
cost
about 10
times
that of
a shared
plan.
Don’t
forget
to
factor
in your
additional
support
costs
too –
they may
also be
significant,
especially
if you
have to
hire an
IT
support
person
if you
don’t
have the
time or
expertise
needed.
If you
feel
that
your
current
web site
is
constrained
by a
shared
host
then a
move to
a
dedicated
server
will pay
dividends.
If you
are
planning
a
high-traffic
site
that
will use
a lot of
server
resources
then
again a
dedicated
server
would be
a good
choice.
However,
this is
not for
everyone,
and you
will
need to
consider
carefully
before
taking
this
step. |