What is dedicated hosting and why do I need it
Visitors to your
server, web site, or applications utilize bandwidth as the traffic moves
from your server to the Internet and vice versa. Connectivity refers
to the access providers that supply bandwidth, or data transfer rate,
through various connection points across a network or footprint to one or multiple
data centers where dedicated servers are housed. Bandwidth measurements
are defined (per telecom standards) as the following:
First-95th (measured using average bits
and speed of transfer)
Second-Unmetered (measured in speed or bits)
Third-Total Transfer (measured in bytes transferred) 95th Method: Line Speed, billed
on the 95th percentile, average or peak usage, refers to the speed in which
data flows from the server or device.
The measurement can be compared to mph
(Miles Per Hour), or how fast something travels. Line Speed is measured using
bits per second, kilobits per second, megabits per second, and gigabits per
second. Unmetered Method: The second bandwidth measurement is Unmetered service
where providers cap or control the top line speed for a server. Unmetered
bandwidth services usually incur an additional charge. Total Transfer Method:
Some providers will calculate the Total Transfer, the measurement of actual
data leaving and coming from the server, measured in bytes. Measurement between
providers varies and includes one of the following equations:
Method 1: IN TRAFFIC
+ OUT TRAFFIC = TOTAL TRANSFER
Method 2: IN TRAFFIC = TOTAL TRANSFER
Method
3: OUT TRAFFIC = TOTAL TRANSFER
Bandwidth consumption
over the last several years has shifted from a per megabit usage model
to a per gigabyte usage model. Bandwidth was traditionally measured in line
speed access that included the ability to purchase needed megabits at a given
monthly cost. As the shared hosting model developed, the trend towards gigabyte
or total bytes transferred, replaced the megabit line speed model so dedicated
server providers started offering per gigabyte. Prominent players in
the dedicated server market offer large amounts of bandwidth ranging from
500 gigabytes to 3000 gigabytes using the overselling model. It is not uncommon
for major players to provide dedicated servers with 1Terabyte (TB) of bandwidth
or higher. Usage models based on the byte level measurement usually include
a given amount of bandwidth with each server and a price per gigabyte
after a certain threshold has been reached. Expect to pay additional fees for
bandwidth overage usage. For example, if a dedicated server has been given
3000 gigabytes of bandwidth per month and the customer uses 5000 gigabytes
of bandwidth within the billing period, the additional 2000 gigabytes of bandwidth
will be invoiced as bandwidth overage. Each provider has a different model
for billing. As of yet, no industry standards have been set.
Management
To date, no industry standards have been set to clearly define the management role of dedicated server providers. What this means is that each provider will use industry standard terms, but each provider will define them differently. For some dedicated server providers, fully managed is defined as having a web based control panel while other providers define it as having dedicated system engineers readily available to handle all server and network related functions of the dedicated server provider. Server management can include some or all of the following: Operating System Updates Application Updates Server Monitoring SNMP Hardware Monitoring Application Monitoring Technical Support Firewall Services Anti-Virus Updates Security Audits Backups and Restoration Disaster Recovery DNS Hosting Load Balancing Database Administration Performance Tuning DDOS Protection and Mitigation Software Installation, Configuration Intrusion Detection User Management Programming Consultation Dedicated hosting server providers define their level of management based on the services they provide. In comparison, fully managed could equal self managed from provider to provider. Administrative maintenance of the operating system, often including upgrades, security patches, and sometimes even daemon updates are included. Differing levels of management may include adding users, domains, daemon configuration, or even custom programming. Dedicated server hosting providers may provide the following types of server managed support: Fully Managed - Includes monitoring, software updates, reboots, security patches and operating system upgrades. Customers are completely hands-off. Managed - Includes medium level of management, monitoring, updates, and a limited amount of support. Customers may perform specific tasks. Self Managed - Includes regular monitoring and some maintenance. Customers provide most operations and tasks on dedicated server. Unmanaged - Little to no involvement from service provider. Customers provide all maintenance, upgrades, patches, and security. Note: The provider will continue to maintain security on the network regardless of support level.
Security
Dedicated hosting server providers utilize extreme security measures to ensure the safety of data stored on their network of servers. Providers will often deploy various software programs for scanning systems and networks for obtrusive invaders, spammers, hackers, and other harmful problems such as Trojans, worms, and eggdrops (see "Limitations" below). Linux and Windows use different software for security protection. Below is a list of security software and services based on the operating system installed on a dedicated server: Linux Dedicated Servers Port Sentry Connect scans SYN Scans FIN Scans NULL Scans XMAS Scans FULL-XMAS Scan UDP Scan Windows Dedicated Servers Trend Micro
Software
Providers often bill for dedicated servers on a fixed monthly price to include specific software packages. Over the years, software vendors realized the significant market opportunity to bundle their software with dedicated servers. They have since started introducing pricing models that allow dedicated hosting providers the ability to purchase and resell software based on reduced monthly fees. Microsoft offers software licenses through a program called the Service Provider License Agreement. The SPLA model provides use of Microsoft products through a monthly user or processor based fee. SPLA software includes the Windows Operating System, Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Exchange Server, Microsoft SharePoint and shoutcast hosting, and many other server based products. Dedicated Server Providers usually offer the ability to select the software you want installed on a dedicated server. Depending on the overall usage of the server, this will include your choice of operating system, database, and specific applications. Servers can be customized and tailored specific to the customer's needs and requirements. Other software applications available are specialized web hosting specific programs called control panels. Control panel software is an all inclusive set of software applications, server applications, and automation tools that can be installed on a dedicated server. Control panels include integration into web servers, database applications, programming languages, application deployment, server administration tasks, and include the ability to automate tasks via a web based front end. Most dedicated servers are packaged with a control panel. Control panels are often confused with management tools, but these control panels are actually web based automation tools created to help automate the process of web site creation and server management. Control panels should not be confused with a full server management solution by a dedicated hosting provider.