Login
Dedicated Servers Data Centers

Dedicated Servers Data Centers

Posted by in Dedicated Server

Data Centers are those portions of Computer Buildings housing mission critical computer systems, production control, forms storage, mail units, network control sections and data entries of all the information available on the internet worldwide, some shared by different service providers and some others exclusively for the use of one company as Dedicated Server Data Center.

These facility centers ensure uninterrupted connectivity, superior redundancy and usually include environmental controls for extensive protection against environmental hazards through battery backups and power supplies, on-site generators, redundant air conditioning, and fire suppression systems under high security measures, generally separated from the remainder of the Computer Building by secure doors, and located in strategic cities nationwide and abroad.

After choosing a Dedicated Server, observing the technical aspects such as operating system, hardware options, space and bandwidth directly relational to your needs, in accordance with what operations the server will perform, which types of software you may need or what you are more comfortable with, and the managed or unmanaged services associated with your server, the next consideration to keep in mind is the Data Center housing your information.

The components of the typical Dedicated Servers Data Centers include network components, such as routers and switches to transport traffic between the servers and then throughout the world, as well as VPN gateways, security elements, deployed firewalls, intrusion detection systems and so on, as well as running the applications handling the operational data and core business of the companies using their services.

Data Centers house applications composed of multiple hosts, each running a single component such as databases, application servers, file servers, and middle-ware and basically all Data Centers offers physical components, including security and access control, underfloor, raised floor system, overhead trunking system precision air-conditioning, redundant HVAC control environment , power grid source, power distribution unit (pdu), ups and backup generators, smoke detection and early warning fire with fire suppression, closed circuit TV (cctv) surveillance, on premises security officers and server operations monitoring 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year.

Managed Dedicated Servers are generally more proactively monitored and maintained on the part of the service provider offering the best Data Centers and security measures to protect the integrity of your equipment and the data stored on it as crucial aspect to guarantee the functionality of the Dedicated Servers in a secure environment. Most Data Centers are in-purpose-built buildings in secure locations, usually close to large telecommunications services.

Operating Systems for Dedicated Servers

Operating Systems for Dedicated Servers

Although, the most common and popular operating system platforms for Dedicated Servers are Windows or UNIX based, there are several operating systems and sub-operating systems to choose from when it comes to selecting your Dedicated Server configuration.

Windows Based Dedicated Servers include Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows 2003 Server environments, Mac, Solaris, Mac OS, Mac OS X, Netware, NetBSD, FreeBSD (Unix Like), and both Unix and Linux with their different distributions; DarkStar, Debian, Fedora Core, Gentoo, GoboLinux, PLD Linux Distribution, Red Flag, Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) Redhat Server, Ultima and Xandros Desktop OS

The most popular operating system for dedicated servers is normally Linux or UNIX. Some people do however use Windows because of the applications that they wish to use that are only supported on a Windows platform.

Since there are pro-Microsoft Windows and pro-Linux movements, it is hard to determine which of both related operating systems could be the best to run on your Dedicated Server, but these 2 platforms are the most popular when selecting an operating system is needed. Windows supporters claim that Linux has a higher total cost of ownership with less guaranteed support and complex to setup for anybody except experienced users, while Linux supporters say this operating system is more secure, cheaper and easy to use, as well as is virus- and spyware-free in contrast to Microsoft Windows.

Debian, a widely used distribution developed through the collaboration of volunteers from around the world. Since its inception, the released system, Debian GNU/Linux, has been based on the Linux kernel, with many basic tools of the operating system from the GNU project.

SuSE, a founding member of the Desktop Linux Consortium is a major retail Linux distribution, produced in Germany and owned by Novell, Inc.

Fedora Core is an RPM-based Linux distribution, aiming to be a complete, general-purpose operating system from open source software.

Mandriva Linux, formerly Mandrake Linux or Mandrake Linux, is a GNU/Linux distribution created by Mandriva (Mandrakesoft).

Solaris is a computer operating system, based on the open-source UNIX SunOS developed by Sun Microsystems.

Windows Server 2003 is the successor to Microsoft’s Windows 2000 Server, booting up with none of the server components turned on, to reduce the attack vectors for new install.

Difference Between Managed Dedicated Servers and Unmanaged Dedicated Servers

Difference Between Managed Dedicated Servers and Unmanaged Dedicated Servers

Once you have started you way to acquire a Dedicated Server, the next thing popping up in your mind is the selection of managed or unmanaged services associated to your server because most providers offers both plans as well as co-location services but, what is exactly the difference among managed Dedicated Servers and unmanaged Dedicated Servers?

A Managed Dedicated Server is the best option for the in-experienced webmasters moving their websites from a shared hosting service to the total control of their own Dedicated Server. Why? Because you will get always the necessary support to learn what are you doing, and even get all the procedures and installations done, as well as the upgrades and maintenance of the server, being aware of the necessary critical kernel update for the operating system.

With a managed service plan, you are worry-free to dedicate your time exclusively to the development of your website, but this is not free and costs sometimes prohibitive if you are just starting your internet business. An unmanaged Dedicated Server requires your attention and some degree of knowledge for running scripts, configuring and compiling software packages among other related administrative tasks.

You may name your own server admin to do such things, a friend with the required knowledge or someone else helping you free, but in any case, you are solely responsible for keeping track of any patch or server updates required to keep it running and safe. Sometimes unmanaged Dedicated Servers come with one or two free support tickets a month to help you out in an emergency.

Because a Dedicated Server is your remote computer, if you have a problem running or configuring the server we can say it is your problem so that way many companies will not give you any support if you do not have a managed Dedicated Server or if you do not upgrade your unmanaged server to a managed plan. This is good to save in costs because you can acquire an unmanaged Dedicated Server to “test waters” and later upgrade it hiring the complementary managed services, but make sure the chosen server provider offers this facility.

Managed services involve the attention of technical problems and many cheap Dedicated Servers, do not offer a managed dedicated server plan but in both cases, managed Dedicated Servers and unmanaged Dedicated Servers mean the rent or lease of the equipment and rarely the total purchase of the server ownership.

Pros and Cons of Dedicated Servers – Is a Dedicated Server for Me?

Pros and Cons of Dedicated Servers – Is a Dedicated Server for Me?

If you are reading this article you are probably familiar with shared hosting services either free or paid, but webmasters are usually lost when it comes to moving towards an advanced solution like having a Dedicated Server by their own because they may not have a clear idea about what they should be looking for. Definitely, a Dedicated Server can make a huge difference for any website performance.

Getting a Dedicated Server is owning the full control of a computer at your service 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. A shared hosting account is not only limiting, but also is sometimes frustrating because your website is hosted on a Dedicated Server of a given hosting company sharing space, bandwidth and other resources with dozens and even hundreds of other websites.

Shared accounts can be cheap, but with several disadvantages such as poor performance due to the heavy loads caused by other people’s big databases or exhaustive CPU processes, email delivery problems caused by complaints against other sites, or even downtime caused by denial of service attack against someone else on the same server.

The best way to find out if a Dedicated Server is for you, comes when your website starts receiving around 2000 to 3000 daily unique visitors, when you are serving downloads or streaming media, or when you simply want freedom to configure your server as you want, including hardware, software and other resources like multiple IP addresses exclusively assigned to your website or a number of websites under your control.

A Dedicated Server offers increased speed, storage space and bandwidth but among the cons, the first notorious difference is the price. Some websites may require more resources for better performance, but limited budgets may not allow the transition from a Shared Hosting Service to a Dedicated Server. However, in the middle range, Virtual Private Servers (VPS) are a transitional, less powerful solution but at an affordable price.

In fact, many webmasters opt for a Virtual Private Server Hosting before getting involved with a Dedicated Server to learn and acquire the necessary skills, because unless you have a server admin you will need to become more technically proficient to administer and make your server run smoothly, or have a managed service support and technical assistance for your Dedicated Server.

However, be careful because sometimes the support is limited to a few number of free consultations or none at all, if this service is not included in the price. also make sure to know what your backup options are, because you are free to install your own software and modify your configuration, but if you make a mistake reinstalling everything may have an additional cost and backups may or not be available depending on the terms of the Dedicated Server contract.

Dedicated Servers, Use and Abuse

Dedicated Servers, Use and Abuse

The remarkable difference of having a Dedicated is the sheer amount of overall resources and total control available for use according to everyone’s specific needs, but this freedom of choice not only the whatever software the customers desire, but to abuse sometimes.

Even when you are paying for the server, some companies may condition the use of the resources in direct relation with their policies, such as when the server providers do not want their names involved with adult content or gambling, or to limiting the run of IRC, BNC, BitchX, XiRCON scripts, torrents, eggdrops or other unauthorized shell programs, either for security, policies, terms and conditions. Etc.

Sometimes such limitations are directly proportional to the price you pay for the server. Some companies offer Dedicated Servers at affordable prices but with limited resources and support as a way to make you think twice and get another configuration or a custom-built Dedicated Server for particular use, such as Adult Dedicated Servers, Gaming Dedicated Servers, Streaming Dedicated Server, Shell Dedicated Servers, etc, that obviously cost much more.

The use of a dedicated server may improve your presence on the internet whichever be your business niche or if you want only to run a personal or family page but with optimal resources, however one of the most common forms of abuse the same in Shared Virtual Servers, Virtual Private Servers and Dedicated Servers is the illegal or blatantly offensive material, but particularly the Unsolicited Commercial Electronic Mail, best known as Spam.

Pay for your own server do not give you the right to jeopardize the name of the server provider abusing of your own resources, running forbidden or risky scripts, sending unsolicited messages or hosting specific content if there is a clause in your contract on this matter.

Most of the times a customer found not abiding the terms of a contract, may have the server leased or rental terminated without recourse and billed including penalties. If the customer has paid for the ownership of the server these activities can be grounds for termination without recourse, and in both cases further pursued to the fullest extent of the law, including but not limited to lawsuits against you as the responsible.

A Dedicated server should be used to give you total but responsible control, and if it is true that you get what you pay for, cheap prices on Dedicated Server may become a disguised Virtual Private Server approach, and their use and abuse will be directly related to both, the customer and the terms of a contract that must be understood to get the best performance without take the risk to lose the investment for abuse.