What is Dedicated Managed Hosting?
There are two main varieties of dedicated hosting available on the Internet today---managed and unmanaged. With either of these types of dedicated hosting, your Website will receive an adequate supply of bandwidth and security, as well as the private use of a dedicated server through a professional dedicated server provider. Although both types rely on use of the same basic hardware, costs and support services of these two plan options vary significantly.
With dedicated unmanaged hosting, the less expensive choice, a bare minimum of background and support services for ongoing server issues is offered. In most cases, technical support is available to your site, but only if you pay extra fees. You, as Website owner, are responsible for general server maintenance and any problems concerning security and bandwidth. However, since these extra fees are often less than the monthly charges associated with managed hosting, this plan is suitable for site owners with strong tech support staff members. Also, for new Websites in the startup or early stages with limited traffic, functionality and needs, unmanaged hosting can be quite adequate. An upgrade to managed hosting can come later, when the importance of updates and more sophisticated support and maintenance are necessary for site success.
With use of a managed dedicated server, your site will benefit from quality services such as constant hardware and software maintenance, timely updates, and sometimes additional new feature and product installation. Enhanced security functions, professional database management and comprehensive backup services are also provided. Full-time system administrators and well informed, experienced technical service staff are always available to solve any problems or questions which arise related to use of your managed dedicated server. In general, managed hosting is most popular with well established and successful Websites and with newcomers to the Internet who have yet to attain the skill levels needed to adequately maintain a professional site.
After fully evaluating the parameters and needs of your current Website and exploring the services available through managed and unmanaged Web hosting providers, you can best decide on the option suitable for your online enterprise. Cost, demand and growth factors are all valuable to the success of your Website. For this reason, a good site to visit before choosing your own site’s dedicated server provider is http://www.webhostingsearch.com. Here, you will find full information about such highly rated and popular providers as InMotion, DedicatedNow, and Hostingsource.
Various factors influence which operating systems (OS) are available on dedicated servers, such as current popularity, price, and server provider preferences. Various open source Linux and Unix OS models are often offered by dedicated server providers at no charge to the customer. Popular commercial OS models offered include Microsoft Windows Server, available through the program Microsoft SPLA. Available as a commercial version of Linux, Red Hat Enterprise can be leased on a monthly basis. Other operating systems obtainable from the open source community are Centos, Fedora Core, Debian, and NetBSD.
What Kind of Server do I Need?
For Dedicated Managed Web Hosting, you will need fully managed servers, such as those available in a variety of Windows and Linux operating systems. These servers come with 100% guaranteed uptime; continuous fully managed hosting; 24/7 proactive monitoring and support; full system security lockdown; free 50GB offsite backup; KVM (full control) over IP; SSL VPN (secure remote system access); redundant HSRP (hot standby router protocol); and dotDefender Web application firewall protection.
Two highly recommended models of fully managed dedicated servers are:
(1) Intel Xeon X 5650 (6GB) – 6CPU Cores, upgradable to 12 (with HT @ 2.66 Ghz. [Leased starting at $335 per month]; and
(2) Intel Xeon 5620 (6GB) – 4CPU Cores, upgradable to 8 (with HT @ 2.40 Ghz. [Leased starting at $290 per month].
What does 100mbps switch port mean (i.e., how is switch port speed important)?
MBPS means Megabits per seconds. It is a measurement which indicates the transfer speed of the service, but is not relevant to service latency. A sustained transfer rate of 1 Megabit per second over a period of one month would total approximately 300GB (Gigabytes) of total content transfer. Since they are not constant or stable, transfer rates are averaged. So, if the transfer rate is 0.5 MBPS for half the month and 1.5 for the other half, the average rate of content (and the total) is still 1 MBPS.
Good switch port speed helps move content over the server quickly, thus relieving any server slow-downs or congestion. It provides you with exceptional performance, ease of use and versatility for expanding business networks with fiber connections. Many managed dedicated server providers offer 100 MBPS switch port as an upgrade, at as low a cost as $10 to $15 per month.
Do I Need a Firewall?
A comprehensive up-to-date firewall application or program is always a must for secure computer network and Internet use. While allowing authorized communications, a good firewall blocks unauthorized or potentially harmful access to your computer system. It operates as a device or set of mechanisms configured to allow or deny network transmissions according to a set of rules and other criteria.
On a firewall secured intranet, all messages entering or exiting the net pass thru the firewall, which evaluates each message, blocking any not meeting security requirements. Packet filter firewall techniques inspect each packet traveling through the network, while Application Gateway firewall applies certain security devices to specific applications.
Telnet, a network protocol, is used on local networks as well as the Web to protect with a bidirectional, interactive, text-intelligent communications security technique using a virtual terminal connection. And, the currently popular Virtual Firewall (VF) operates as a network service (software or appliance) running completely within a virtualized environment. It actually offers packet filtering plus sophisticated monitoring of a physical network firewall. A professional, high quality firewall is essential when you are involved with the transference of important and confidential data and information—whether for personal, business, social group or organizational purposes.
Through use of dedicated managed Web hosting, you will reap many benefits from fast and accurate transference of data and content to enhance your business, your private concerns and leisure pursuits, and your overall prosperity and enjoyment of life.
