Important facts of virtual server management

Posted on 1st February 2012 in Intermezzo

Most website owners who are looking for web hosting friendly, they have three basic options, they can choose. Is a dedicated hosting service, shared server and a virtual server (VS) are based on the server hosting. Virtual is basically a web server, and its purpose is to share resources between different virtual servers. Reason other it is called a virtual server because it does not have a dedicated server. This is a simple definition of what a virtual part of the mean. VS do not use your entire computer, or all of the resources of a computer are not specifically dedicated to running specific server software. Many companies use web hosting VS to their customers, because it is a viable solution, as the Web service benefit extremely low-cost hosting. Most acts like this is because society does not need to use the computer a server to the client.

It allows the company to arrange a number of small virtual servers on one computer, and it allows them to provide accommodation for a much lower cost.

In general, most sites do not harm the VS as the hosts on different computers. In almost all cases, the number of virtual servers has the same effect as if the sites were hosted on dedicated servers. Then do not impair the service as many sites from many different virtual servers on one computer. It is possible that the service can be interrupted, if you have too many virtual servers on the same computer. This can happen if one virtual server starts to hog a lot of resources on your computer. If this happens, it leads to a website hosted on this computer for delivery to people much more slowly.

Most people have not a clue how the virtual server hosting actually works.

In general, a single server in such a situation, it is often times can be a hundred or more users that use the same server. Each user is allocated to the designated disk space they can use that server. Here, users all have the same processor and RAM and use it basically a free game any of them. This type of situation can be a great for beginners to start using a web design sites do not receive much traffic. If users who own the sites will begin to receive large amounts of traffic to these servers, the resources of a computer system can be eaten at amazing speed. This will cause all other users using the same server is really slow loading sites. Dedicated servers are used for site owners, who will do a lot of traffic to their websites. This is the most expensive to host a web site and is the preferred method for most large companies, who receive, or expect a lot of traffic to their website.

Dedicated Servers ‘can Benefit Firms’

Posted on 15th December 2011 in Intermezzo

When devising their web strategies, firms have to think long and hard about what best suits their needs.

One of the decisions they have to make concerns web hosting and the course of action they embark on depends on a range of factors, including their budgets and what purposes their websites fulfil.

For the many businesses that need to operate complicated sites, a dedicated server may be the most appropriate course of action, it has been suggested.

Writing on TMCnet, Erin Monda claimed that in such circumstances, companies ought to get a dedicated server as this could be the “optimal solution” for them.

She added: “Dedicated servers offer greater control and better security – because it will be the only website living on the server. This equates to priority service from hosting providers.”

However, there are certain things that enterprises need to know before they invest in this type of web hosting, Ms Monda noted.

Firstly, they are more expensive than their alternatives and they require certain technical knowledge and expertise to maintain.

When organisations lack this, they may wish to consider a managed hosting alternative, where the provider takes on the responsibility of managing the site for them.

She noted: “Despite the drawbacks of cost and complexity, dedicated servers offer enormous benefits to businesses.”

The importance of selecting the right sort of server is growing all the time. These days, most firms require a presence on the web. This may simply be as a means of generating awareness of their existence or it could be a way of conducting sales.

Indeed, some enterprises exist solely as entities over the web, meaning they do not have any physical base at all that consumers can visit.

Such organisations would suffer particularly harshly if they were to experience failures of their websites and during these tough economic times, this could spell disaster.

The Difference Between a Dedicated Server and a Shared Server

Posted on 27th October 2011 in Intermezzo



What is the difference between a shared server and dedicated servers? How will dedicated servers help your business to survive in the long run? These are all questions that may be posed by a webmaster, and as a result, many hosts have found a need to offer package incentives that make the dedicated option look that much better. That being said, let’s talk a bit about the differences between shared and dedicated. Once you read the following features, you will undoubtedly be ready to make the switch so long as you truly require it.

Shared Hosting
On a shared box, you will have to share your resources as the name implies. No matter how much RAM the box has, it will always be shared with other users. Typically, a new user name is made for everyone that signs up and pays for the space and on a UNIX based machine, every user will have a few things in their directory by default:

Home Folder: /home/user

Web Folder: /home/user/www

These are two very important folders and you will see them on every type of server, shared or dedicated. You will be able to use them, though your resources will be quite limited in the end. If you are running a very basic webpage that only has a small amount of traffic, then you should not be hindered by the shared box.

Dedicated Server

If you are experiencing a high traffic load and simply cannot keep up, then a dedicated server might be your next best option. This is the option that the majority of web providers will choose, and by doing so you will have the advantage over other webmasters who tend to stick with the shared option. Here are a few of the benefits you might enjoy with a dedicated server:

-More Space: Because you are not sharing the hard drive with anyone, you can use the entire drive for your personal content.
-More Resources: You will have exclusive access to the RAM and processor, meaning your operations will go unhindered.

When you rent a dedicated box you are essentially paying for a computer that sits in a cooled environment, ensuring that it is never tampered with and that it never overheats. It might be expensive, but it is always nice to know that you have a high-powered machine sitting there, ready whenever you or your customers need it.

This is the difference between shared and dedicated server. When you are able to move up to a dedicated box, you will know that you’ve arrived. You will have the ability to serve your customers in ways that you never could have imagined, and in the end, you will believe that this is money well spent. There are plenty of hosting plans for you to take advantage of, most of which can easily be found online. If you’re ready for the big leagues, then you’re ready to get out there and find a dedicated hosting plan for your business.

Semi-Dedicated Server Is Phased Out By VPS Web Hosting

Posted on 9th October 2011 in Intermezzo



In the past, there is a need for semi-dedicated servers. But with VPS coming into the picture, semi-dedicated servers are becoming extinct.

Why the need for dedicated servers?

First, let’s explore why the market needs dedicated machines. Isn’t shared hosting enough? Even though shared hosting is highly affordable, it does has its limitations. For example, you cannot install custom modules or reboot your server. In other words, you have little control over the server settings. What if your website NEEDS these settings? Without a dedicated environment, you are stuck.

Then there is the issue of server resources. On a shared server, all resources are shared. For this reason, web hosting companies are very particular about how a website uses the server. A static website will have no problems. But for forum sites and other resource intensive sites, such accounts may get suspended without warning. Moving to a dedicated environment will solve all these issues.

From shared to dedicated hosting.

There is a big jump from shared hosting to dedicated hosting. A shared hosting account cost about $10 a month. A dedicated hosting plan costs several hundred dollars a month. It is therefore understandable why so many webmasters are unwilling to upgrade. The short term solution is to come up with semi-dedicated hosting servers. Unfortunately, this is not the ideal solution because there is no software supporting such plans. In other words, sharing resources on a semi-dedicated server is still not ideal. For this reason, many web hosting companies refrain from offering such plans. Cost for such plans also remain costly.

VPS plans taking over.

Then someone came up with the idea of having virtual private servers (VPS). Such servers behave almost like a dedicated servers, except that resources are shared. How are the CPU resources shared? Using special software, the server is “divided” into different compartments. Each compartment behave as if it’s a separate computer.

When a customer signs up for a VPS plan, he or she is actually sharing the same machine with several other customers. But each cannot affect the other. For example, one customer’s website is down for some reason. But the other virtual compartments remain unaffected. Also, the number of customers sharing the machine are also drastically reduced.

VPS customers also get to enjoy benefits that are previously exclusive to dedicated hosting customers only. A VPS customer is acts as the account’s admin and has full admin access to the machine. That means he or she can install custom scripts, make changes to the server settings, etc.

Of course, VPS plans don’t offer as much resources as dedicated plans. But for many websites, a virtual plan is more than enough. Only very large websites such as enterprise level sites need dedicated hosting.

As time goes on, VPS hosting becomes more and more popular. Semi-dedicated hosting, on the other hand, is being phased out.

Colleges Look to Green Dedicated Servers to Save Energy

Posted on 29th September 2011 in Intermezzo



Green dedicated servers help colleges save energy by using less power. Between campus environmental organizations and recycling bins, colleges are even more in tune to the green cause.

Colleges Help Decrease Earth’s Carbon Footprint
By using dedicated servers, hosting companies are offering colleges another alternative to save energy and decrease the carbon footprint. The carbon footprint is impact that consumers’ activities have on the environment.

Carbon footprints are the amount of greenhouse gases that are produced when fossil fuels are burned through electricity or heat. Green dedicated servers use far less power (which equates to less energy). This decrease in power usage also helps reduce the carbon footprint. Thus, colleges are taking a socially responsible role in helping to reduce the greenhouse effect and acid rain.

Green Dedicated Servers Use Power Efficiently and Reduce Costs
Although dedicated servers are using less energy, they still perform at fast speeds. When choosing a hosting plan, colleges look to green dedicated servers because of the many benefits they still receive: large memory and storage, and high bandwidth.

With collegiate budget cuts in a tough economy, colleges need a solution that will help them save money. Dedicated servers are offering the perfect solution for this earth-friendly dilemma. These dedicated servers use renewable energy sources such as solar, water or wind. As a result, these servers help reduce colleges’ technology expenses (by using less electricity).

Green Dedicated Servers Allow Colleges To Manage Web Sites
Green dedicated servers also make running a college’s web site less expensive and more manageable. Colleges don’t have to incur the expense of a professional IT staff member to run the site (although, some colleges may opt for this choice). Hosting companies can help academic staff pick the right server that fits their needs and can help them upgrade to extra features.

These dedicated servers give back the power to colleges, and allow them to oversee and manage the overall layout of site. They can also revise content on a regular basis (which occurs frequently due to seasonal course catalogs). Unlike shared hosting, colleges directly own their web domain which makes it far easier to manage and control during a busy academic year (which includes owning their IP address).

For colleges who don’t have web hosting expertise, web hosts can help manage dedicated green servers and the college’s web site. Hosting companies also act as a resource for colleges who have questions during the installation process.