The Battle is on: Unmanaged vs. Managed VPS Hosting

A Virtual Private Server or VPS, refers to multiple servers simulated within a single server.  This is done by partitioning a physical server, enabling the others to be independent.  A VPS has its own operating system and resources such as bandwidth, CPU and memory.  This has become a very popular web hosting option as customers can enjoy the benefits of having their own server without all the issues that come along with sharing resources.  VPS hosting comes in many different variations but managed and unmanaged are the most popular.

What’s is Unmanaged Hosting?

Unmanaged VPS hosting is very similar to maintaining a dedicated server as you have full range of control.  You are granted remote access to the server and also have various administrative powers.  In an unmanaged VPS hosting arrangement you are generally required to have some familiarity with server hosted software, although you do have the option of turning the administrative functions over to an expert.  Because of the labor intensive aspects of the server, this type of VPS hosting is more sought after by those with a vast amount of technical knowledge.

One of the greatest advantages of unmanaged VPS hosting is the flexibility it offers as most companies allow you to make upgrades to compensate the growth of your business.  For instance, you can often increase storage space on the hard disk in addition to other critical resources.  And even though you are not receiving a managed service, you still get the benefit of server maintenance and security as the provider stores the equipment in their data facility.  So while you do have some technical challenges ahead of you, unmanaged VPS hosting is still a better alternative than attempting to host an internet business out of your office.

Who Needs Unmanaged VPS Hosting

An unmanaged VPS makes a viable hosting solution for many users but tends to benefit medium sized businesses the most, bearing they have the technical resources to sustain the operation.  This option allows them to save the money on a dedicated server yet grants a similar level of freedom.  Large businesses would be more suited for managed VPS hosting as they will save money and the time required to maintain the server.  If your business involves demanding applications and real-time systems, you stand to gain a lot from both services.

Which Solution is Right for You?

The decision of going with an unmanaged or managed VPS will obviously depend on various factors.  The status of your business in regard to profit is one factor as you will be required to pay more for the services that come along with managing the technical aspects of your operation.  The applications you plan to install will also play a large role though handling the server is undoubtedly the most important.  If you lack the manpower yet possess the knowledge of server administration, unmanaged VPS hosting certainly makes a good choice.  In any event, you should always do a bit of research on each service and find out what providers are offering.  This will make it easier to determine just which one can provide what your business needs to succeed.

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Oct 10, 2008 : Managed Hosting No responses yet

cPanel Tutorial: Creating FTP Accounts

The FTP Accounts section of cPanel is where you can set up additional FTP accounts.  This is most often performed to grant someone temporary or partial access to your hosting account.  For instance, lets say you have a third-party web developer building your site on a sub-domain.  Instead of giving them access to the entire site, setting up an additional FTP account would only grant them access to that particular directory.  Once the job is done and they no longer require access, you may then delete the account.

Getting Started

After logging into cPanel and accessing the FTP section, enter a username for the FTP account.  Keep in mind that the final name will include your domain name.  For example, if the username is “designer”, your FTP username may read something like this: designer@mydomain.com Your base domain will also be appended to the username even if its an account for one of your parked domains.

From there you need to create a password to protect the FTP account and your web content.   This should be a secure password; a good mix of letters, numbers and symbols and at least eight characters in length.

With your FTP login credentials all squared away, you then need to choose a home directory for the account.  This is how you will grant someone access to a particular section of your site.

If you want to give them access to all the content in your public (public_html) directory, enter a slash (”/public_html”) in the “Home” directory input field.  If the field is left blank, cPanel will create a folder based on the username you entered.  This comes in handy when you want to grant access to all of your web content, without the username and password that will allow them to access your control panel and account information.

Creating FTP Accounts for Sub-domains and Parked Domains

As we mentioned above, creating FTP accounts for your extra domains is an easy way to grant access to others while keeping the core of your site private.  If you want to grant someone access to the files in your parked domain, enter something like “myparkeddomain” into the “Home” directory field.  This would make the full directory path to your FTP account something like “/home/designer/public_html/myparkedomain/”.

Creating FTP Accounts for Other Directories

Setting up an account for another directory on your account is useful for allowing someone to upload and download files from the site.  Lets say you have hired a web designer to help create the site.  They can use this FTP account to upload content and show you the work they have completed.  For example, if the designer’s name is Tom, you can enter “Tom” in the “Home” directory field which would create a directory called “/tom/”.  When the designer accesses this FTP account, they will automatically be taken to that directory.

Final Notes

All of the files dedicated to FTP accounts you created are made visible simply by typing the directory into a browser.  For instance, if you have uploaded files to the “/home/designer/public_html/myparkedomain/”, type http://mydomain/myparkeddomain/ into the browser.  Keep in mind that these files will not be displayed in search engine results unless they have been linked.

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Oct 09, 2008 : cPanel Tutorials No responses yet

Popular Myths About Managed Hosting

Managed hosting has become a popular option for many businesses primarily due to the cost-efficient, hassle free service.  Just as with most services relevant to the internet, there are numerous myths circulating about managed hosting, some of which can weigh heavy on your decision.  In this article we will separate fact from fiction and set the record straight about managed hosting.

The Managed Hosting Provider Takes Care of Everything

This all depends on the package you sign up for.  A fully managed service definitely provides you with more server maintenance and support than the outright dedicated hosting plan.  However, the level of service varies tremendously among different vendors and especially pricing tiers.  Even when buying a managed hosting plan with the highest level of service, you will likely be required to provide the software, build your own site and tend to various other tasks.

Managed Hosting is More Expensive than Dedicated Hosting

Although managed hosting is initially more costly than a dedicated hosting plan, things tend to balance out over time.  As you do not have to worry about server administration or keeping the system updated with security patches, you will eventually enjoy cost savings and more time to focus on other aspects of the business.  This often results in lower costs in terms of staff and office space, making the managed solution a greater value than dedicated hosting over the long haul.  If you want to refer to shared hosting as a managed service, then it is undoubtedly cheaper than a dedicated server.

Managed Hosting is For Beginners

This is perhaps one of the biggest misconceptions.  Although managed hosting can be considered as invaluable to someone who lacks technical logic, it also preferred by companies with highly skilled IT staffs in place.  Such organizations usually choose managed hosting because it gives the benefit of having professionals to handle server maintenance and the cost savings mentioned above.

Managing Hosting is More Secure

In most cases, a managed host will provide you with solid security.  The key here is to read the fine print of the contract that binds you with the provider.  When reading it over you may find that the company is not responsible for protecting your content under every condition.  For instance, if something physically happens to their data center, servers and backups could all be destroyed, possibly leaving you out of business.  This is why its always a good idea to keep recent backups of your website data just in case a terrible disaster strikes.

Managing Hosting Assures That Your Site is Always Running

Of course the responsibility of the managed host is to make sure your website is accessible, but you should keep in mind that things do happen.  This is another instance where you need to finely comb that contract as some companies will try to elude liability in the event of situations beyond their control.  While many providers advertise an uptime guarantee of 100%, there may be some instances where your site is down from minutes to hours.  Remember that a web server no matter how powerful it may be, is still a man-made computer.

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Oct 08, 2008 : Managed Hosting No responses yet

Calculating the Cost of Colocation

Similar to the dedicated server environment, colocation is a solution for those who require more control over server administration. This service involves an offsite company that houses your server and enables it to make an internet connection. Some will offer servers for a fee or even build a custom machine just for you. This type of hosting distinguishes itself from the dedicated environment as all of the network equipment is owned by you opposed to the web hosting company.

Dedicated hosting gets costly but a colocation setup is typically more expensive. Before making upgrades to your hosting environment, you might want to consider what’s involved to determine if it’s the right move. The cost of a colocation service can be associated with two categories: connection fees and rental fees.

Connection Fees: Conventional hosts generally measure the total amount of gigabytes transferred on a monthly basis. With colocation hosting, the amount of bandwidth used per month is usually divided by the total number of seconds in that particular month to determine a figure. An increasingly used method is known as the “95 percentile”, a system in which bandwidth is measured every five minutes. At the end of each month, the user is billed at the highest remaining percent while the top 5% of bandwidth measurements are discarded.

Rental Fees: These costs are associated with the service of storing your servers and other network equipment at the provider’s data facility. Prices range from 1U’s to full racks, which describes the measurements of the servers being stored. Most servers today come in one 1U or 2U sizes. Larger servers or those with multiple hard drives range from 3U to 4U.

Along with the primary fees come all the components that make up of the cost of your base service. Some of these fees are based on the following:

The Facility - When it comes to the facility that houses your equipment, price shouldn’t be the only issue. You want to make sure the company’s data center is physically protected against theft and natural disasters with redundant systems to ensure the functionality of your business. It is also important to know where the center is located as most providers give you physical access to your equipment.

Bandwidth - This is one resource you never want to run out of. Higher bandwidth will probably cost you a little more but it could be well worth it. Different internet connections make for different types of bandwidth. You should certainly confer with the web host to determine what’s suitable for your business.

Support Options - One of the most critical aspects of any kind of web hosting, your colocation plan should come with solid support. You need to know that the individuals maintaining your equipment are both knowledgeable and supportive.

Cross-connection fees - This is a rare feature that you might encounter. Cross-connection fees are applied when you physically house your server with one provider and allow another host to provide the internet connection.

Uptime guarantees - Any reliable colocation provider should openly publish their uptime guarantee. This ensures the overall performance of your operation and is essentially something that can make or break your business.

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Oct 07, 2008 : Dedicated Servers No responses yet

Is ASP Hosting Affordable?

Ready to build a website of your own? Then you need a hosting plan to store content and serve your pages to the millions of surfers on the web. While they all provide the same general service, there are many different types of web hosting that fall under various categories. You have budget hosting, shared hosting and dedicated hosting along with Windows and Linux hosting to name a few. ASP is a variation of Windows hosting, the preferred choice for many businesses. Known for the use of its super-functional programming language, this platform is also regarded as being more expensive than other types of hosting, something that has become synonymous with the Microsoft name in general. Despite its reputation, the current state of the industry has essentially changed the face of ASP hosting.

Web hosting itself has become a hot commodity these days. Websites are being created to run everything from photo sharing space and blogs to social networking platforms and large corporations. Demand for the powerful hosting environment has raised the level of competition among ASP hosts, thus making it more obtainable to clients. In fact, these services become more affordable everyday as the effect has rippled through the industry. While ASP is moving towards the common webmaster, you will still find that several companies boost their plans because of this dynamic script.

The Benefits of ASP Hosting

To understand how you can benefit from this type of hosting, one should first know more about the technology. ASP is the abbreviation for Active Server Pages, Microsoft’s version of the server-side script. Just like other programming languages, its used to create web pages. However, ASP contains built-in objects capable of producing highly functioning interactive content and tends to be a lot easier to understand.

Overall, ASP remains generally more expensive than other forms of hosting. There are exceptions in instances where a small business initially saves money on a hosting plan but ends up spending more when third-party software comes into play. ASP hosting should be something that can be absorbed by your business. As you are sure to reap instant benefits, there is also a great chance of saving money down the road in the way of software licenses and other fees. For the determined business owner, ASP hosting is a plan that will undoubtedly pay for itself.

Most businesses endure a state of flux and financial woes every now and then. The online arena makes this even more probable. Because of this your goals should be focused on maximizing investments into ventures that will eventually deduct the total expenses of your business. ASP hosting offers such a platform.

Conclusion

Like any other, an ASP host must be thoroughly reviewed before making a decision. This might take a little time as you certainly want a solution that suits your needs. If ASP is the platform that will offer the most benefits, you want to explore different hosts and learn what they can provide specifically. This is a simple procedure that can be applied when seeking any type of web hosting.

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Oct 06, 2008 : Cheap Web Hosting No responses yet