Dedicated Servers Introduction

By D Dunlap, Editor
In the Internet business world, a Web site is only as good as the server it's hosted on. Many high-profile businesses with technologically complex Web sites use virtual servers only to find that they are cost effective, but fail to meet the needs of space, bandwidth, and customer access via hits. A Dedicated Server allows for faster access to a given Web site, provides greater flexibility in building your Web sites, allows users to add applications and databases, as well as provides greater flexibility in remote root access administration. A Dedicated Server also offers more reliability. Since your Web pages are the only sites running on the Dedicated Server system, you wont have to worry about sharing the bandwidth, disk space, and server resources (processor time, RAM, etc.) with other Web sites. However, this luxury comes at a price. Dedicated Servers are expensive compared to their virtual "cousins". Additionally, the user must have a solid working knowledge of the operating system selected and network administration, whether Windows NT, Digital UNIX, LINUX, or Solaris. Some companies, such as Superb Internet, offer affordable dedicated servers with options to add managed support services. Web Hosts that do this provide Web developers with options that lesson the drawbacks of dedicated server hosting. What is a Dedicated Server?Just like shared server systems (or virtual servers) similar to those that most Web developers use, the Dedicated Server also shares the large network components such as the T1/T3 Internet connections, routers, and other networking hardware. However, a Dedicated Server is a physical machine tied into the Internet used by only one customer. The customer controls the entire system, including the upgrades (which can range from extra RAM to more hard drive space). The customer controls the system via programs such as PC Anywhere, FTP Daemon, or Telnet. The Web Host provider provides various levels of maintenance for the Dedicated Server hardware and software components, as well as the physical data center space needed to keep the system. How will a Dedicated Server fit into your needs?In general, users matching any of the below criteria can benefit from having their own Dedicated Server:
Users that need more than 1 gigabyte of data transfer per day
Users that need more than 250 megabytes of storage
Users that need multiple IP addresses
Users installing or running applications requiring root access to the server
Users specializing in virtual hosting
Users who want more autonomy in their Web services
Users who require more bandwidth Dedicated Server StrengthsDedicated Servers bring several obvious strengths to the table. Since your Web sites are the only ones located on the server, your Web sites will not have to fight for bandwidth with competing Web sites. On average, a Dedicated Server can have over a million hits a day, whereas your average virtual Web site processes about a tenth of that. Additionally, many Dedicated Server Hosting Providers provide multiple IP addresses without any extra costs. This is ideal for those who specialize in virtual hosting. Another bonus is that you have full use of all the hard drive space on the Dedicated Server. Instead of sharing space with other developers, a Dedicated Server not only lets you use of all drive space located on the server, but you may add or upgrade hard drive space as needed. Dedicated Servers also have the option of adding RAM upgrades as well. Both give the user a healthy boost as far as increasing the scalability and overall performance of their Web site. Dedicated Server WeaknessesAlong with the obvious strengths, Dedicated Servers have some obvious weaknesses. Not every developer can jump right in with a Dedicated Server. The user must have a solid working knowledge of the server, the chosen operating system, and networking techniques. This can take many years to learn. One option is to hire an experienced and sometimes high priced, network wizard. Dedicated Servers may require much more upkeep and maintenance time by the developer. Many of the chores normally performed by the Web Hosting company may have to be performed by Webmaster. Check your server provider about this before you purchase. Purchasing a Dedicated Server comes with a high price tag. You are renting/leasing or purchasing a full-time computer for your server needs instead of just buying space and transfer from a standard Web Hosting plan. With a Dedicated Server you are not able to leverage the economies associated with sharing hardware, software, bandwidth, and maintenance costs that are found on a virtual server. Although a Dedicated Server is more versatile in use than a virtual server and has inherent strengths, the use of a Dedicated Server is specialized. Dedicated Servers should only be used when large amounts of hard drive space will be used, or large quantities of bandwidth are required. There are a few exceptions, such as running intensive applications on the server that require root access, or those who wish their site to have complete autonomy such as high security web sites. When shopping for a Dedicated Server Host, you should check the hardware the host uses, the strength of the network, the possibility for expansion (hardware upgrades, more servers, addition appliances such as firewalls and load balancers, etc.). As an example of what a Dedicated Server Host should provide, Superb Internet offers quite a few server configurations and appliances with an option for a custom-built system. They also provide managed services if needed and have a 100% uptime guarantee. In ConclusionDedicated Servers are not cheap, but do provide certain benefits for those users whose requirements exceed the capabilities of virtual servers. When weighing the viability of a Dedicated Server, price of the server is one of the main concerns. As with all things, shop around and never forget to check the prices for upgrading the server, the price of the initial setup, and the periodic maintenance costs.

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