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A user's guide to hosting dedicated servers in India - Windows & Linux dedicated server hosts. Dedicated Servers A dedicated hosting service, dedicated server, or managed hosting service is a type of Internet hosting where the client leases an entire server not shared with anyone. This is more flexible than shared hosting, as organizations have full control over the server(s), including choice of operating system (Red hat, Linux, Windows, Unix etc), hardware (Intel, AMD etc), etc. Server administration can usually be provided by the hosting company as an add-on service. In the Web hosting business, a dedicated server is typically a rented service. The user rents the server, software and an Internet connection from the Web host.
Benefits of Dedicated Server Hosting Hosting your web sites on your own dedicated server may seem a bit expensive in comparison to shared web hosting, but the end result is more advantageous. Shared web hosting, no matter how well managed, cannot be 100% reliable and stable. However if you have your own dedicated server you can manage to avoid most of the variables affecting the reliability and stability of a server, commonly experienced by shared hosting accounts; variables such as: overload, bad codes and scripts from other users (especially beginners); and, too many applications and components uploaded, and so on. A dedicated server is itself, the physical piece of hardware that your hosting provider rents to you. Your website and its associated software will be hosted exclusively on this dedicated server’s hard drives. Dedicated servers allow you to install and run almost any program. This has made dedicated servers very popular amongst internet gamers. Dedicated gaming servers offer all the same features of regular dedicated hosting servers but they are intended for less serious pursuits. By the very nature of the account, a dedicated server: reduces your dependency on the web host; and bypasses time delays and possible expenses incurred from these. With dedicated server hosting you can provide instant support to your own clients whenever required, which is not possible if you are on a shared server. For a business, a website that is quickly downloadable and up all the time gives the visitor encouragement that your service is just as reliable, hence you will be more likely to make a sale. It will also enhance the company’s image and encourage existing customers to refer your service to others. This will result in more sales for less promotion. Most dedicated server hosting plans allow you to fully customize or build your own dedicated server. You often will get your choice of operating system software (Windows Server Edition & Linux Redhat being the most popular options). Your choice of such software should be informed by considering which system your web applications will run best on. A major selling point with dedicated hosting plans is also which control panel to use. Plesk and Cpanel control panels are the most popular choices. Some other benefits of dedicated server hosting are: Performance: You are not sharing the system resources such as processor power, memory and disk space with other sites on the same server. Greater Reliability: You do not run the risk of the server being slowed down, swamped with traffic, or crashed by another site on a shared server. Security: As nobody else has access to the server you can be sure of having a much greater degree of security. Custom Configuration: If you need to install special software or configure the server to your own particular needs then often a dedicated server is the solution. Custom Firewall: Run your own custom firewall to enforce your own access control policy. Your own IP address: Most shared hosting sites share a single IP address, with site traffic directed by the server examining `host headers'. In contrast your dedicated server has its own unique IP address. Upgrade Path: More memory, disk space or extra processors can be added as the need arises. Linux Dedicated Servers Cost is a major factor for anyone considering dedicated web server hosting. Most Linux dedicated server distributions are free, an obvious benefit over a Windows Dedicated Server that would require separate licenses for every piece of Microsoft software that you use. This way you can put your budget into the hardware that is the bedrock of your project. Reliability and security are both well documented attributes of Linux. Linux dedicated hosting servers have been known to run for months or even a year without requiring a reboot. In comparison, often times Windows machines require a reboot after an OS update, sometimes even after simple software installation. For the average user at home on their desktop, the occasional crash or reboot is seldom a big deal, but for an e-commerce site, a crash equals lost revenues. Obviously, that administrator wants a reliable dedicate web hosting solution solution. The same goes for problems caused by viruses and malware. Such software can crash servers, corrupt data, or even transmit sensitive information from the server. Windows is considerde more prone tp viruses and malware. Functionality is also a major factor when choosing a platform for your dedicated server. The HTTP server, the development language, and the database management system represent the building blocks of a web server. Apache, PHP, and mySQL fill these requirements and, while by far not the only options, they are the most common combination (known as LAMP) and they all run natively in a Linux web hosting server environment. The end result is reliable stability and performance. In addition to the operating system itself, Linux dedicated web server administrators have access to a plethora of free and open source web applications and scripts for use on their servers. Windows Dedeicated Servers Windows™ Server 2003, developed by Microsoft Corp., was introduced in 2003 as the successor to Windows 2000 Server. Windows Dedicated Server 2003 offers a more scalable solution, and better performance than Windows Server 2000 making it a great option for Windows Dedicated Server Hosting for individuals or small businesses with web hosting needs. Windows Dedicated Servers carry a number of features, which include: 1. Ability to have multiple simultaneous remote graphical logins. 2. Internet Information Services (IIS 6.0), which has improved in performance and scalability in Windows Server 2003 3. Active Directory, which has also improved over it's successor, Windows Server 2000 4. Compability with Plesk, developed by SW-Soft Windows 2003 dedicated servers offer the following: 1. Creating Application Pools 2. Hosting ASP Applications 3. Utilizing MS SQL Server 4. Hosting Microsoft Exchange 5. Hosting Sharedpoint Windows Dedicated Server Hosting can be added on to any un-managed dedicated server or managed dedicated server. Dedicated Server Hosting in India India has been a leader in the global software industry and with more and more businesses becoming e-enabled, wide availability of broadband and increasing internet traffic, many enterprises, and commercial websites and portals in India have felt the need for moving on dedicated server hosting from shared hosting. Initially costs used to be a hinderance but with hardware costs plumeting in the last few years and increasing availability of cheap linux servers, dedicated server hosting in India has started to pick up. It is estimated that Windows and Linux dedicated server hosting industry will show a two digit growth rate in the years ahead. The demand for cheap servers, especially cheap linux servers is also going to grow in India. Compare Shared Hosting, Semi-dedicated and Dedicated Hosting
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