Archive for October, 2011
Web hosting is the space where web pages or files are kept to make them accessible on the world wide web. After designing a website, the files of the site should be kept in a PC which is connected to the internet. This is called web hosting & the PC having this space is called the server PC.
Types of Web Hosting: Web hosting is mainly categorized based on the operating system of the server PC & performance.
Based on the OS of the server PC there are mainly two types of hosting -
1. Windows Hosting: The hosting where the server PC is run on windows. Windows hosting is a perfect choice if you want to use dotNET, ASP, access database & other Microsoft products. The main limitation of it is that it gives limited access to Telnet, SSH, CGI, Perl etc.
2. Linux Hosting: The hosting with linux run server is called linux hosting. It is more popular than windows hosting for it’s security, access to telnet, SSH, CGI, Perl etc, But if you want to work with ASP, or access database, linux hosting is not for you.
Based on performance, resource (disk space, RAM, CPU) usage & user’s access to the server, there are mainly three types of hosting -
1. Shared Hosting: This is the hosting where some accounts are hosted on the same pc. In this hosting, all accounts share the system resources like RAM, CPU, Disk Space etc together. Here you may have a specific amount of disc space & bandwidth, but there is no guaranty of systems resources. Sometimes you may get 60% of the system resources or sometimes below 30%, which actually depends, on the resource usages of other accounts on the same server at that time. In this hosting, users get the least control over the server. They can only read/write files on the server and can’t change any server settings.
2. VPS (Virtual Private Server) Hosting: VPS hosting is the hosting where several accounts are hosted on the same PC but work as independent PC. In a VPS, accounts have their own RAM, disk space, CPU etc so that the performance of one account is not affected by others. Even if the resources of an account are unused then it won’t be shared with others.
VPS gives users complete control over the server. In a VPS, users get full control so that they can change any settings on the server or can install any required software. Even they can reboot or shut down their server whenever they want.
3. Dedicated Server Hosting: In respect to the functionality, dedicated hosting is same as VPS hosting but in dedicated hosting only one account is hosted in one pc. So when someone buys a dedicated hosting, he actually rents a whole pc instead of part of it.
Dedicated hosting is the best choice for high traffic sites & sites with complex functionality like ecommerce sites or database driven big sites.
For hosting a website, it is possible to set up a server on your own pc & host sites there, but it’s a complex process & requires high performance PC with high speed & reliable internet connection. It also requires running that PC 24 hours a day to avoid downtime. This is why it’s recommended to buy hosting services from professional hosting providers.
When setting up a new web site or blog it is tempting to look for free web service hosting. Is this a good way forward or is it better to pay for hosting? If your site or blog is personal and the performance of the host is not important then free hosting may be a viable way forward. However if your site is for business purposes you should take a paid service.
Free web service hosting is available for a number of reasons. The service might be financed by advertising (which means that ads will be placed on your site), it might be provided free with some other service, it might be a very basic service offered by a hosting company (who assume that you will soon upgrade to a paid service) and it some cases it actually is free (but don’t expect a great service).
However reputable the supplier you cannot expect a free service to provide the level of service you would get from a paid supplier.
Limitations – There may be low restrictions on the amount of diskspace, bandwidth, domains, databases, email accounts and FTP accounts.
Speed – Your pages may load slowly if there is too much competition for the available resources. People have been known to misuse free services for operations such as sending spam which, as well has hogging resources, could lead to your site being associated with such activities (as you share the IP address).
Reliability – Paid hosts will guarantee 99.9% uptime so that you site can almost always be found (nobody can offer 100% uptime). The priorities of a free service may be different or they may simply not have technical support outside office hours.
Support – This is a significant cost so you may find that support is only provided by email with limited, or no, response outside office hours. With a paid host you would expect proper technical support by telephone 24/7.
If you decide to go for free web service hosting the safest option is to go with one of the hosting companies that provide a free basic package (as the last three items above should not apply to them). You can then easily upgrade to paid hosting when necessary, although you should check that their paid hosting plans are competitively priced.
As an alternative to hosting you could also consider using a free service such as WordPress.com or Blogger.com (where you can use your own domain name) or you could have your own “site” on sites like Squidoo or Wetpaint. These are reputable sites where the limitations of the service are clear.
Despite all the free options that are available I would still say that if you are serious about establishing a presence on the web you will be best served by getting a paid service at the outset.
When you are going to hire a hosting service to build your website for your small business then you need to know the basic things of web hosting. You are the best person to judge that what required features are and what about your budget.
Commonly, this choice to host your website depends upon the scripting language that is used in your website. If languages like PHP, My-SQL, or Perl are used in your website, Linux hosting is preferable. But if you are thinking for ASP Dot Net scripting language then your finest choice would the window hosting.
If you need some interactive facilities like chat or search-help database, Linux may not be the best choice. Also, a Linux-based web server is not fully acquiescent with Windows technologies. If you are using any Windows-centric technologies like Visual Basic, then Windows-based servers would be the required choice for you.
Advantages of Linux server hosting
1. Linux is an open source software product and thus it does not need the high licensing fees that other operating systems do; you can freely download and use it at no cost.
2. A Linux website can easily be converted to a Windows website without much hassle. Also, the website can easily be changed as the requirement of the user grows.
3. Linux web hosting is very economical as Linux is a free operating system. Usually, only the cost of distribution is borne by the host or owner.
4. When the scripting language like PHP, My-SQL, or Perl etc. are required for your website then Linux server hosting is the most reliable and cost effective solution for you. Unless heavy load of scripting language, this will not be traceable.
5. There are many kinds of databases that run on Linux hosting, but the most widespread most likely among web host providers are m-SQL, My-SQL and Postgre-SQL. These databases are relational by nature, and permit vastly optimized communication with your website for rapid reclamation of data.
6. By lots of circles Linux web hosting is supposed to be much securing than windows hosting, and for that reason only Linux server hosting is also the more popular choice for web designers and programmers.
Advantages of windows server hosting
1. Dot NET technologies like ASP dot net VB dot net are available on this platform. If you have a website built with Microsoft Dot NET technologies then you will have to choose a Windows server hosting plan.
2. If you need an enterprise class database there are some different features that run on a Linux platform but if you need Microsoft’s MS-SQL database, a Windows hosting plan will be your best choice.
3. Access databases are only obtainable with a windows hosting plan. Access can only run on a Microsoft windows platform and thus it is unavailable on a Linux hosting. If your site needs particularly this feature then you will have to accept windows hosting.
4. If you are using some of the “Microsoft’s Share-point” services a Windows Hosting plan is only reliable choice for you.
5. Windows plans typically much costly because of the license costs compulsory by Microsoft.
Normally, Linux hosting plans are at least 20% economical than windows hosting plans. If you need not to have any unique features for your website, like cart, search-help database etc, Linux server hosting is a finest alternative for your needs.
When you are required for specific Microsoft technologies, Windows hosting plans generally will be your favorable think. But for all small business owner needs Linux hosting plans will generally perform quite well for its cost effective features.