Options with Dedicated Servers
by Guest Author on December 17, 2009
in General
Dedicated server hosting gives you complete control of the server hosting your web site. You choose what runs on the server and how secure it is. The two main types of dedicated servers you will find upon looking is a server running either Linux or Windows as the operating system.
Linux Dedicated Servers
These servers come with the free Operating System Linux installed on them. Cheap linux dedicated server are typically used with an Apache web server, PHP and mySql configuration. With these servers, root access will be given for control of aspects including php setup configuration, operating system patches and apache add on settings. Linux servers are typically cheaper than the windows servers, as the operating system does not cost the service provider anything.
Windows Dedicated Servers
Windows servers are normally running a version of the Windows Server operating system. You will normally see the newest version of Microsoft Windows Server 2008 running on these servers. Unlike the Linux server, these are typically running IIS as the web server and SQL server for the database side. A Windows dedicated web server is able to run a WAMP (Windows, Apache, mySql, PHP) configuration. Windows servers do typically cost more because windows is not a free operating system, like the Linux OS is.
The reason to pick Linux or Windows for your dedicated server really will depend on the server owners needs. With different needs comes different choices. From a price standpoint Linux dedicated server plans will be more inexpensive than a Windows server. Linux servers will also be the first choice for those running PHP applications requiring a mySql database. Windows server is the only way to run .Net applications that are built to use a SQL Server database. In the end, the choice of what server you pick will be based on your own web site hosting requirements.
While you have chosen the operating system, you will then need to decide if you want to pick a managed or unmanaged dedicated server solutions. Managed indicates the provider will do OS patch upgrades and installations, while unmanaged means everything except the power on the server going down is your responsibility.
