What Properties Should a Dedicated Server Provider Have?

As a website’s popularity and visitor counts rise, the resources available on shared hosting plans may get depleted. This can have an impact on performance and user experience. At that time, you may choose to upgrade to a dedicated server.

You may be unaware that your site’s resource utilization exceeds the capabilities of a shared server. Then, one day, you get an email from your host alerting you that it’s time to relocate your website.

Whatever causes influence your decision to convert to dedicated server web hosting, there are a few things to look for in a service. Yes, the technical features of the server, and we’ll get to that in a moment. However, you should also consider if the hosting provider will satisfy your demands as a customer.

How Do I Identify Good Dedicated Server Hosting?

Discussions for dedicated servers may be found on websites such as Web Hosting Talk. The entries offer advice and solve difficulties, so you may learn a lot about the hosts being addressed.

Take Web Hosting Talk facts with a grain of salt. Be careful of anything that appears to be too enthusiastic, or of several people talking about a new or unknown firm.

I have nothing against a new firm that is just getting started and attempting to establish itself. However, the hosting industry has grown too volatile to put all of your goods in the basket of an unknown host.

Because dedicated hosting services are costly, I understand the temptation to save money by using an unknown. However, you must ensure that your host will not perish along with your website.

Of course, a well-established firm does not ensure that it will continue to exist. However, your chances are greater with a known entity.

Ask a Lot of Questions

Speaking with them is one of the finest things you can do when determining which business will give the best dedicated server hosting for your site.

You won’t be able to contact their support team unless you become a client. However, if they offer a live chat facility on their website, utilize it to ask any and all questions you have.

If there is no chat, please write an email or file a ticket. Communicate with as many different persons or departments as you possibly can. This will give you a better sense of how responsive and knowledgeable the firm is.

All of these solutions may appear to be tough and time-consuming. And I don’t think it’s essential to go to such measures to check a regular shared hosting account. When purchasing or leasing a dedicated server, the stakes are substantially larger.

After all, your website’s reputation is at stake. And you’re paying a lot of money for a high-quality service. So speak with them. What are the possibilities that a company’s assistance will be any better if it isn’t responsive in its sales channels?

Which Dedicated Server Company Is the Best if I Want to Reduce My Carbon Footprint?

If you’re concerned about how many natural resources your website consumes, you should realize that switching to a dedicated server considerably increases that consumption. There’s no getting around it: web servers consume a lot of power.

On a shared server, energy usage is distributed among hundreds of locations. However, when you upgrade to a dedicated server, the server requirements remain essentially the same. The issue is that they are all committed to promoting a single website (or a few sites).

What exactly is a Dedicated Server?

So, let’s go into the technical part of dedicated servers now.

Dedicated servers may be included with “Virtual Private Servers,” or VPS. They are not synonymous. A virtual private server (VPS) is a real piece of server hardware (a fancy way of describing a computer) that is divided into several independent “virtual” servers.

If it sounds a lot like shared hosting, that’s because it is.

You can use a VPS with a different operating system or configuration from the other VPS on the same computer. But you’re still on the same actual piece of hardware, so if another server on the box fails catastrophically, it shouldn’t affect your site. However, it is possible.

A dedicated server is a physical server that is entirely dedicated to one site or customer. You purchase, lease, or pay a monthly fee for a server, and you may do whatever you want with it in terms of setup. There are no other users on the server besides you. In most circumstances, you are in charge of server security and upkeep.

If it is not your area of expertise, you might look for a managed server hosting that is secured and updated by the host. Server administration is a premium service. As a result, the price is understandably more than that of a dedicated server managed by you.

How to Select the Best Dedicated Server for You and Your Website

First, I’d want to return to the previous topic we discussed: managed vs. unmanaged dedicated servers. An unmanaged dedicated server is generally not for you if you don’t know anything about web or database server security.

If you are up to date on the newest security procedures and have previous server administration knowledge – or a member of your team has – an unmanaged dedicated server is all you need.

I can’t emphasize this enough: awful things can happen to a server that isn’t sufficiently protected. And most of us who assume we know “enough” about server administration or rely on a lot of Googled how-may to’s be able to get by. But we’re not really competent to be in charge of server security.

When assessing your own abilities, try to be realistic and proceed appropriately.

Dedicated Server Terms and Technology

The first thing you’ll be asked to pick when looking for a pre-configured dedicated server is server specifications and technologies. The server’s processor, RAM, storage, and operating system (OS) are all unique.

The quantity of bandwidth your server may consume is another parameter over which you may have some control. That is often a provider function rather than a server feature.

Processor and Memory

They will decide how much power (and hence speed) is accessible to your website. Most dedicated server providers will provide servers that are pre-configured with specific CPUs and memory levels. The price of the server rises as the available CPU speed and memory grow.

Because it is not always feasible to modify the configuration of your server after it is in use, it is generally preferable to select a server configuration that somewhat exceeds what you believe your needs will be. This gives you room to expand before you need to upgrade to a more powerful server.

Operating System

The operating system you select will be determined by the technologies used by your website. The great majority of dedicated servers will be able to run a variety of open-source, Linux-based operating systems.

However, if your site employs.NET technology or Microsoft SQL Server, you must select one that is compatible with the Microsoft IIS operating system.

Storage

There are a few aspects to consider when it comes to hard disc storage. The first is the use of solid-state drives (SSD) as opposed to traditional disc-based hard drives (HDD). SSD outperforms traditional HDDs in terms of speed and performance. But, like with anything computer-related, the quicker, better version comes at a higher price in some circumstances. However, if site performance is crucial, the cost may be justified.

Another item to keep in mind or inquire about is the RAID disc array. You should avoid any RAID 0 array of hard discs. This is due to the configuration’s lack of data loss prevention in the case of a single drive failure. A RAID 0 arrangement on a pre-configured dedicated server is unlikely, but it’s something to be aware of.

While RAID 1 and 5 provide some redundancy and data loss prevention, they are not a replacement for backups. An external backup mechanism should be in place. That is true regardless of the type of web server your website is hosted on. Although your host may make server backups, you should not rely on such backups for disaster recovery.

Bandwidth

Unless you have past website data, estimating your bandwidth requirements might be challenging. Fortunately, even if your server has a limited quantity of bandwidth, most hosts can manage growing bandwidth requirements.

Server Backup

Remember how I stated RAID is not a substitute for backups? What I intended to say was that nothing can replace backups. Backups are the most important aspect of your server configuration that you should never have to employ.

You should consider a cloud backup service if you have the technical expertise to set up a server backup system that backs up to a different server (meaning a separate piece of hardware, not a partition or VPS on the primary server) or storage service like Amazon S3.

While any remote service running on your server might bring security risks, a trustworthy cloud backup solution can save your life in the case of a server failure.

Does It Matter Which Datacenter My Dedicated Server Is Housed In?

If you have a choice in terms of geographic location, you might want to have your server closer to your home or business. If your site has a global audience, as most do, the quality of the backbone connection provided by the datacenter or dedicated server provider is more significant.

On their websites, several dedicated server providers will tell you about their data centers and backbone connections. You can always ask them if they don’t. However, if you choose a well-known, reputable provider for your server, you’re unlikely to be stuck with a server that’s running out of someone’s garage or basement.

Should I Choose a Host on the Basis of Uptime Guarantees?

Nope.

Let me reveal a tiny secret to you. Is it only the two of us here? Is no one else paying attention? Guaranteed uptime is worthless. They’re worthless for a couple of reasons, the primary one being that failure is unpredictable on most networks. So, except from performance history, there is no way to offer any uptime data.

Second, even if your host is doing all possible to assure the finest uptime in the business, if there is a failure or outage for whatever reason, a guarantee will not put your website back online.

The basic uptime guarantee only compensates those who complain about the outage. This refund is frequently a small sum dependent on the number of minutes your site is inaccessible (check the fine print that you agreed to when opening the account).

To be clear, I’m not accusing the hosts of poor or malicious behavior. It’s simply the way most providers’ assurances operate. So an uptime guarantee should not tilt the scales in your favor when shopping for a dedicated server provider.

The only exception to what I have mentioned is a host that includes DDoS protection as part of an uptime guarantee. DDoS protection is a vital service, and if you have cause to fear your site will be DDoSed, or if you’ve been DDoSed in the past, you should include it in your configuration.

Pay Attention to the People

Customer evaluations have changed the way we buy almost everything, and dedicated servers are no exception. Sites like Web Hosting Talk, which I mentioned at the opening, are a wonderful resource for uncensored consumer evaluations and information.

There are probably more web host review sites than web hosts, but only a few of them are trustworthy and neutral. Seek for websites that have conducted their own independent testing. Independent testing of dedicated servers is tough to come by, but they do exist.

So, who is the best provider of dedicated servers?

HostingSeekers, of course. 😉

It may come as no surprise that I would say that. But I have faith in the HostingSeekers team since I know them and they care about what they do.

And there is no one else that can provide you with a managed dedicated server like HostingSeekers.

There is no one-size-fits-all answer to who is the finest dedicated server host. What works well for your site might not work for me. But, ideally, I’ve provided you with enough knowledge to make an informed selection, and your demands will be satisfied, if not surpassed.