I want to host a very large web site for my company. I’m looking for a good dedicated server plan. What should I ask, check and know about dedicated server?
Can you help?
I want to host a very large web site for my company. I’m looking for a good dedicated server plan. What should I ask, check and know about dedicated server?
Can you help?
Although your specific dedicated server hosting needs may be unique in a few ways, generally, one can make a decision on a dedicated web server provider by considering the following things:
Data Transfer Rates
Data transfer will need to be determined based on the amount of information that will be downloaded, as well as the type of content a site will be sharing (general text vs. high resolution graphics and multimedia).
Platforms
The two most common systems available are Windows based servers versus some flavor of UNIX (Linux and Solaris). Windows is historically more expensive, but is generally regarded as more user-friendly, especially with the ubiquitous presence of Windows-based pc’s and administrators. Linux, on the other hand, is less expensive to install, but harder to maintain, as a steeper learning curve exists for those unfamiliar with it.
First, the platform should be conducive to the coding in which the website and necessary applications are developed. Next, since administration of the dedicated server will be done by the subscriber, the necessary skill base to support the platform must be in place. Commands and administration techniques are definitely platform-specific.
Monitoring
Dedicated server monitoring works to prevent service interruptions. The web host will provide a service that can, at a pre-set frequency, check a website to see downtime.
Automation
Although dedicated web servers may require a greater degree of skill, certain dedicated server hosting companies may offer software that will automate common procedures, thus lessening the high level knowledge necessary to maintain servers and implement new services.
Data Backup
Some dedicated server providers assist the web hosting subscriber with data backups.
Scalability
Dedicated server hosting providers should be able to account for major growth.
Service Level Agreements
More dedicated server hosts are publishing their SLA’s, which thoroughly documents what they will do in exchange for what the customer is responsible for. For instance, some dedicated server hosts are offering features such as: 100% uptime guarantees, unlimited live answer technical phone-based support, free upgrades of patches, hot-fixes, etc. Try to visit this website for more information:
monthly bandwidth
connection speed
the actual hardware (the server)
where the server is, compared with where the customers will be (country, etc)
what will need to be run on the server (php, mysql, etc)
I’d say the most important thing is how much traffic do you expect and can the handle that and more. How reliable is the service (how many service interruptions have they had)? What do they provide for backup/DR? Who handles the site maintenance, what maintenance schedule do they have for their servers and what is the normal down time during the system maintenance?