For a business with large-scale hosting demands, or a rapidly growing company that might require more storage and hardware resources in the future, dedicated server hosting provides all the power of your own server, safely located within the best environment possible. As opposed to a shared web hosting service or virtual private server solution, dedicated server web hosting
ensures outstanding performance and great reliability at all times.
But the technical specifications of a dedicated server are nothing without user control. After all, one of the most appealing features of a dedicated server hosting plan is the ability to manage your own server and run your hosting the way that you choose. Unfortunately, not every dedicated server provider offers its customers complete control and unlimited access to every feature available. Even some of the
most popular dedicated server hosting services charge additional fees for features that you would expect to be included.
What are the key features to look for when choosing a dedicated server solution? Are there certain things that you should demand to guarantee that it is you, and not your host, who is really in charge of your dedicated server? Below are the main points to consider when deciding which dedicated server plan is right for you.
Flexibility should begin before you order your dedicated server hosting plan
As you first begin to browse for a reputable and reliable dedicated server hosting provider, you will need to make some fundamental decisions about your hosting needs. As well as considering the hardware specifications of your server including the CPU, RAM, disk space, and bandwidth features of the machine, you should check which operating system you will receive with your order.
All of the major web hosts offer a range of dedicated server hosting plans, each with different specifications to suit varied business sizes. Think carefully about the kind of content you will be offering and the size of the files you will need to host. Also consider the processing implications of your web presence – will you be offering a large number of server-intensive applications?
In terms of your operating system, be sure that you are in charge of which one you receive. Although most hosts offer a choice of Windows dedicated servers or Linux dedicated servers, you can further tailor your system by choosing from a selection of Linux distributions including CentOS, Ubuntu, and Suse.
The first step to achieving complete control over your server is having it set up the way that you want it. The next stage is ensuring that you have the direct and immediate access to administer your server on a day-to-day basis.
Simple dedicated server management with a quality control panel
For most routine tasks, such as setting up mailboxes, adding new FTP accounts, or monitoring visitors, a quality and easy-to-use control panel is more than capable of handling the job. In particular, cPanel dedicated server hosting provides a vast feature set that automates and simplifies even fairly advanced server management.
In addition, cPanel dedicated server web hosting services include Web Host Manager (WHM), an advanced piece of browser-based software that enables you to divide your server into smaller sections, each of which can be controlled by their own instance of cPanel. This is an ideal solution for reseller dedicated server hosting.
A good dedicated server control panel will handle most routine tasks involved in managing your web presence. But does your hosting provider give you
the full access required for more complex changes to the server?
Control your dedicated server web hosting with full access
One of the key advantages of choosing a dedicated server hosting service for your business is that you do not share your hardware with any other users.
Since your hardware is fully dedicated to your requirements, you should be able to alter settings and reboot your server at will.
Not every dedicated server provider will offer you full and complete access to your server. To make sure you can take full charge of your dedicated server hosting plan, check that you will receive full root access with an administrator-level login. Equipped with root access, you can modify your server exactly as you wish, and even use remote desktop tools to work with your dedicated server.
On some occasions, you may need to reboot your dedicated server. Although almost every web host will facilitate a reboot, you may find yourself waiting long periods of time for somebody in the data center to manually restart the server. In some cases, you may even be charged for this process. By finding a host who allows remote reboots, you can decide when to restart your server and get the job done in an instant.
The value of multiple IP addresses in a dedicated server hosting solution
An IP address is a unique string of numbers that identifies a server when it is connected to the Internet. When somebody wants to visit your web presence, the web address or domain name that they type into their browser is automatically converted into an IP address, pointing them to the right location. Even if you wish to host multiple websites on one dedicated server, this can be achieved with a single IP address and multiple domain names.
However, some dedicated server web hosting solutions include multiple IP addresses, which can prove to be a useful asset over time. Security systems such as SSL certificates and anonymous FTP both require a dedicated IP address. If you are likely to need several SSL certificates in the future, why pay a surcharge for additional IP addresses?
Choose a dedicated server hosting plan that matches control with support
If you are looking to get started with a dedicated server solution, you need complete control and unencumbered access. Ultimately, it is the ability to control your own server that you are paying for. But this does not necessarily mean that you can go it alone, making every decision and handling every element of keeping your server online by yourself.
Although you should verify that you will be able to take charge of your dedicated server at your discretion, you should also ask what your host will do to support you. Some hosts provide proactive server monitoring, 24/7/365 technical support, automated backups, and more. The best results come from a dedicated server hosting provider that is willing to help you, but will also give you the power to use your
server exactly as you wish.
