Web Hosting Reviews & Ratings

February 25, 2009

The Essentials of Windows Hosting

Although competitors have emerged, Microsoft is still the most widely used operating system available.  The platform has become the de facto standard in most homes as well as many corporate offices.  Though home and professional users benefit from Windows XP and Vista, Microsoft unleashes some of its more powerful products for the server environment.  The Windows operating system is gaining momentum in the web hosting industry thanks to the power and functionality it offers.  This article will introduce you to some of the most essential components behind the Windows platform.

The Web Server

The driving force behind Windows hosting is IIS (Internet Information Server), Microsoft's dynamic server technology.  IIS is compromised of a group of servers which include an HTTP server and an FTP server.  This framework is specifically designed to support the capabilities of Microsoft products such as the Windows NT and Windows 2000 Server operating system.  The creation of IIS enabled Microsoft to compete in the server market with other solutions by Apache, Sun Microsystems and O'Reilly.  IIS has been integrated with sets of programs designed for creating websites, search engines and applications that access databases.  By integrating in such a seamless fashion with the Windows operating systems, IIS is able to ensure faster response times.

The Programming Technologies

Microsoft's proprietary server-side programming language ASP, (Actives Server Pages), is specifically designed to run on IIS, which is the standard platform for utilizing it.  Windows got more advanced with the release of ASP.NET, a newer programming language based on the original ASP and the .NET Framework.  IIS also supports many other technologies, allowing you to effectively develop your site with tools such as CGI, PHP and Perl.

The Databases

To no surprise, Microsoft has developed its own database systems to function in the web hosting environment.  Its most widely used databases are Microsoft Access and the SQL Server, more commonly known as MS SQL.  MS SQL databases are of a relational nature, enabling highly optimized communication between the server and your website for the quick retrieval of data.  MS Access databases are merely database files created with the Access database system, providing the web server with read and write capabilities.  While these are the two prominent databases, Windows hosting also supports MySQL, a relational database system that is similar to the SQL Server.  Each of these databases offer all the power to play the backend for your website data and applications.

The Final Word

Because Windows is so rich in Microsoft products, this type of hosting solution is best when these technologies are desired or needed.  At the same time, more webmasters and developers are finding that Windows makes a good choice for web hosting.  The technologies grow more sophisticated every year, making the platform more functional, stable and secure.  Windows is increasingly gaining additional support from software developers, allowing you to incorporate various pre-scripted programs and technologies into your hosting environment.  Competitive in terms of price, features and power, it is not hard to understand why Windows has become a preferred choice for professional web hosting.

Tags: Windows NT,  Windows hosting,  Vista,  Sun Microsystems,  O'Reilly,  Microsoft,  Windows XP,  Windows Web Hosting,  Windows operating system,  IIS,  apache