Dedicated Hosting Linux

When shared hosting no longer makes sense for a site or group of sites, it’s natural to start looking for a dedicated server. Dedicated machines eliminate the limits that come with sharing space with other customers – there’s no need to be super-careful with CPU and RAM usage. There is also a lot more disk space available.

Once someone has decided on how much disk space and computing power they need for their server, there is the question of which operating system to use. Windows is the most well-known, but when setting up dedicated hosting, Linux is usually a better bet. Linux offers many advantages over Windows, and is preferred by many who have been running websites for a while.

There is a common misconception that only techies can use Linux-based dedicated hosting. This is likely because it used to be that the only way to control such a server was via the “command line” – a method where the user has to enter arcane commands via a screen with a black background and green or white fonts. Fortunately, this has been supplanted by easy-to-use administration panels. Interfaces like cPanel make it so easy to do things with a server that the term “server administration” seems like an exaggeration. Most commands are reduced to simple link-clicking. Of course, the technically-inclined can still access their servers via the command line, but for the great majority of functions, this is unnecessary.

Another reason to choose Linux is security. When server viruses try to infect targets, they often are stymied when they find dedicated hosting on Linux boxes. This is because they’re made for the more famous operating system: Windows. One reason for this is that hackers are usually more familiar with the security holes in Windows systems; large businesses also often choose Windows out of habit, making the targets juicier.

When a security hole is found in dedicated hosting packages, reputable Linux distributions (commonly shortened to “distros” or “Linux distros”) will quickly come out with a patch, and some of them have automatic installation capabilities to apply it for you.

Another benefit of dedicated hosting with Linux is the fact that it doesn’t have to be defragged due to its more-efficient file system. This avoids the downtime and slowness that can be associated with other operating systems.

There are several varieties of Linux, ranging all the way from free to enterprise-level rates. The base code itself is both free and open-source, but the paid versions offer tweaks and support that may make them more stable than a free release. Often, the best choice is simply whichever one the hosting company’s techs are the most competent with. Dedicated hosting companies will usually promote that version by making it cheaper and more prominent on their sign-up pages.

Choosing dedicated hosting with Linux operating system is a great move. It allows for easy administration, lowers security risks, and offers all of the capabilities of Windows. After seeing how well it can work, users will probably stick with it forever.