Financial Future

It’s safe to say most people wonder what a dedicated server actually is. In all honesty, a dedicated server isn’t that complicated a product. A dedicated server in very simple words, is a computer, in a server case, hosted in a datacentre on a high powered internet connection. 99% of hosts that provide server hosting should tick all these boxes. Having the correct setup and environment is essential for dedicated server web. Let’s go over those descriptions for a dedicated server.

Dedicated servers are just like home computers

A computer is housed in a big case, that’s suitable to sit on a desk or dining room table (which is where I’m writing from on my Macbook at present!). A server on the other hand, will be hosted in a special case, that can be anywhere from 1U or 4U. ‘U’ is a measurement of space, and 1U is about 3″. Rackmounted servers are specialised to fit into racks in datacentres. Apart from allowing efficient air flow and cooling, racks allow for efficient cable management. One of the best know dedicated server manufacturers, is Dell. Who as you will know also provide laptops and home PC’s. So perhaps the main difference is the case a server or home computer uses. Granted dedicated servers are usually a lot more high powered and resilient.

Datacentres host dedicated servers

The average managed server will be in a 1U case. If you think of a pizza box, the height is about the same as 1U! Although, you won’t find pizza in a server case. A good example is the R200 server by Dell. Generally, these consume between 0.4 and 0.6 amps. In a 16 amp you could house around 26 servers. Using rackmount rails, these servers are stacked on top of each other, with air flow in between each server. Each dedicated server has a network and power port at the back. Each rack will have power supply units and at least one switch for the server to connect to. Datacentre racks are arranged into aisels. Rows of racks in aisels can be seen in datacentres. Some racks will host high powered routers, and switches, which jump off onto the main internet backbone. For this kind of environment, a company such as Melbourne who specialise in server hosting would be ideal.

Fast internet for dedicated servers

The majority of home connections run at around 10mbs. Dedicated servers need more. A 100mbit connection is expected for dedicated servers. Website such as video sites require this high connection. So in conclusion, the right hardware, a good datacentre and fast connection are needed for server hosting.

Having a popular website is a great thing, especially if that website is related to your business. However, you’ve probably never thought popularity could cost you money.

If you use a shared web service, you’re allotted a certain amount of bandwidth every month. Each host has a different way of dealing with the situation if you go over that amount of traffic.

Some will suddenly shut your site down, which means your visitors will see only a page telling them you’ve exceeded your allotment. Others will allow your page to keep running, and will charge you for the extra bandwidth.

If your site gets popular quickly, you could find yourself facing hundreds or thousands of dollars of extra charges for that usage.

This is why it’s vital to keep an eye on your bandwidth usage and the traffic that goes through your site every day. If it begins to look like you’ll exceed your bandwidth allotment, it might be time to look into getting a dedicated server.

It might be tempting to use one of the shared hosting servers that claims to offer “unlimited” bandwidth. However, in the end, you’ll probably find that there are limits written into the fine print.

Shared hosts also have a lot more down time than a dedicated server. By upgrading, you’ll be increasing the amount of time your site is available to its visitors, and eventually attract even more.

Upgrading to a server of your own will improve reliability and performance, as well as giving you total control over your website.

You’ll never have to deal with unexplained downtime, bandwidth limits, or restrictions on what scripts you can run. You can also run more sites on one server – as much as a few hundred. However, be sure that you plan for the extra cost.

In the end, having a dedicated server will bring in enough traffic to pay for itself, but you could be surprised by the initial cost.

There’s a setup fee, and a dedicated server can cost as much as $200/month. However, if you stop and think about it, you’ll realize that that amount per month in exchange for reliability is a good deal, versus poor reliability and occasionally being charged several hundred dollars for bandwidth overage.

Put an end to the nightmare of shared hosting look into your options for a dedicated server. You won’t have to deal with problems from scripts other users are running, downtime, or extra charges just because you’ve become popular.

If you’re happy with your existing provider, ask about their options for dedicated servers. If you’ve had to deal with bad customer service and other problems, however, you might be better off shopping around.

If your site is growing in popularity, keep an eye on the bandwidth your visitors are using. If you don’t pay very close attention, your site’s popularity could end up costing you a lot of money.