Web Hosting Reviews & Ratings

February 25, 2011

What Are Dedicated Server Configurations and How Do They Affect Hosting Performance?

Dedicated web hosting is generally known as the pinnacle of the hosting industry, providing access to a practically unlimited amount of essential server resources such as bandwidth and disk space. Unlike other popular types of hosting like shared hosting, dedicated web servers are completely devoted to a single webmaster, and can be 20 to 100 times more powerful than a single shared server partition. The benefits of having access to a dedicated server are obvious – less server downtime, faster loading pages, the ability to accommodate more traffic at one point in time, and the ability to continuously expand a network of websites seemingly without restriction.

Unfortunately, not all dedicated server configurations are the same, and this is why the price of a dedicated hosting plan can vary widely from $150-$400. The following paragraphs thoroughly explain dedicated server configurations and how they affect web hosting performance.

What Is a Dedicated Server Configuration?

A dedicated server configuration is the overall software and hardware setup and specifications of the dedicated server included with a dedicated web hosting plan, such as the pre-installed operating system, processor speed, the amount of random access memory, and other features of the physical Web server. Unlike shared hosting plans, dedicated web hosting plans give you the freedom and ability to change the server configuration by installing your own software applications or operating systems. The only other type of web hosting plan that allows you to do this is a VPS (Virtual Private Server), which is a more affordable alternative for novice to intermediate webmasters with fewer web server needs.

What Are the Most Important Aspects of a Dedicated Server Configuration?

It is important to note that dedicated web servers are simply extremely powerful computers that are continuously networking with the Internet to transmit and receive data related to websites and web applications. Thus, it is best to begin comparing each dedicated server configuration by determining the hardware specifications of the server. Generally, dedicated servers with dual core processing units (CPUs) are more desirable, as they are capable of handling more tasks at once. It is also best to utilize a dedicated web server with more gigabytes of RAM, preferably 6 to 8 GB minimum. After determining the hardware specifications of the server, it's ideal to begin comparing operating systems in order to establish whether a Windows or Linux dedicated server would be more suitable for your online operations.

How to Choose a Dedicated Server Configuration?

While every webmaster's ultimate goal is to build a massive network of profitable sites and have access to the most powerful web hosting plans, more often than not, a basic dedicated hosting plan will suffice. Thus, although choosing an optimal server configuration based on the aforementioned attributes would be ideal, it may be an unnecessary investment for the majority of webmasters. In general, only web developers, programmers, and enterprise class online business owners need access to such powerful web servers, in order to run custom server-side automation software and robust business web applications.

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