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About Dedicated Web Hosting
About Dedicated Web Hosting

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Web Hosting Tips and Advice Center
Topic: About Dedicated Web Hosting

See the subtopics menu for tips and advice about dedicated web hosting solutions. For additional information about web hosting, see the topic list directly below.




Web Hosting Topics

· Web Hosting Explained
· Dedicated Web Hosting
· Web Hosting Terminology
· Shared Web Hosting
· Choose the Best Host
· Unix / Linux / Windows




About Dedicated Web Hosting - Subtopics

· About Dedicated Hosting
· Dedicated Hosting Advantages
· Dedicated Server Software
· Unnecessary Dedicated Hosting
· Virtual Dedicated Servers
· Save Money?

Web Hosting Tips and Advice - Dedicated Servers

tip Dedicated Hosting in a Nutshell
What is dedicated hosting?

Web hosting is a process in which a customer leases server space from a hosting company so that their website will be available online. Dedicated web hosting occurs when a customer leases an entire server from a company to host their website on. Normally, server space is split between many users, and thus many different websites can be hosted on the same server. Dedicated servers are servers that host only one website. These are typically more expensive to lease than normal hosting. The upsides to this cost, however, is that the owners of the websites have more space and power available to their web pages, as they are the only one who are using the server and its resources.

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tip Advantages to Dedicated Hosting
Why do I need a dedicated server?

For companies who will have a large number of people visiting their website, or they have web application that takes a lot of disk space or memory to run, a dedicated server is usually a wise hosting choice. Because the entire server is devoted only to their website, they do not need to worry about other applications interfering with their processes.

Another advantage is that with a dedicated server, you do not need to worry about the quality (or lack thereof) of the other sites hosted on the server, because there are no other sites on the server. Dedicated hosting allows you total control of your server and you do not need to worry about other sites negatively affecting your site's performance and/or reputation.

Dedicated servers can also often be more customized to meet your specific needs. Shared hosting, when multiple sites are hosted on the same server, often does not allow as much customization as dedicated hosting. With a dedicated server, you can often pick and choose features, software, etc. that best fits your needs.

Keep in mind that dedicated servers are more expensive than regular servers, because the hosting provider can't sell any more space on the server to other companies. However, the boost in performance may be worth the additional cost.

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tip Dedicated Server Software
What kind of special software is used on a dedicated server?

There is no "special" software used on a dedicated server. It looks and acts like a normal server, except that the files it contains are for only one website, instead of many websites.

The operating system is the same, as is all of the other software that is on it. One possible difference is that a dedicated server might have more software that a company requests to be put on it, but that isn't standard. Such server software might include database software, such as SQL, my SQL, and Oracle.

Other servers might include more advanced website features such as PHP, XML, or ASP, all of which can be used to display and enhance web pages written in plain HTML. Such software is considered "special" only because it does not normally go on a standard shared server, but none of it is critical to running a server. It is only used to help increase the functionality and power of the server.

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tip Unnecessary Dedicated Hosting
Why don't I need a dedicated server?

You don't need a dedicated server if:
  • You have a personal website
  • You have a small website with few users visiting
  • You do not use advanced features such as SQL, PHP, etc.
  • You do not need large amounts of storage space
  • You do not have a critical need for constant reliability of the server
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tip Virtual Dedicated Servers
How do virtual dedicated servers work?

A virtual dedicated server is a server that exists in a virtual form on a physical computer. This is achieved via specialized virtualization software, such as Microsoft's Virtual Server technology, and allows there to be many virtual servers running at the same time on one physical computer. These servers are self-contained in very large files, which the virtual server software knows how to run.

To a user, they look and act exactly like a physical server, which allows web hosts to sell dedicated server space to many users, and contain them all on one physical box. With enough RAM and processor speed, there is no performance impact, and a web host is able to sell many dedicated servers while maintaining fewer physical computers.

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tip Dedicated Servers Save Money for Businesses
Can leasing a dedicated server be a wise financial decision for a company?

Dedicated servers are expensive for hosting companies to maintain, but they can be had for relatively affordable prices. If a company wants to implement a new website but they don't want to manage the servers themselves, they might want to lease dedicated servers so that they have power, space and reliability but so that they don't have to assign staff to build, load, fix and maintain a server in-house.

Such a hosting solution makes good business sense for both the hosting company and the company who needs the website. The downsides to this arrangement are that the hosting company has control over the servers, and if there is confidential data on them, or they go out of business, the company with its website on their servers might be out of luck.

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Note: This information is for general use only. Use this information as part of a full research process. General advice does not always apply directly to individual matters. Please consult a local expert with specific and complex questions about your individual situation.



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