FAQs About Dedicated Servers

Many small business owners have good computer and internet skills, but they still lack knowledge about some important aspects of computer network management. Although many have heard of a dedicated server, they do not fully understand it.

1. What are dedicated servers? These are computers used as servers for specific networks. A computer may be used as a server for a corporate computer network. They are generally rented from a web host. Renting servers incur monthly fees. Companies renting servers pay for usage of infrastructure, bandwidth, and support.

2. Are there different kinds of dedicated servers? Basically, there are two types of these servers-managed and unmanaged servers. Managed servers are those that include continual support services of the provider. Such services may include doing backups, updates of the operating system, and software patches. The provider may raise the cost of renting servers that include these services. On the other hand, there are the so-called semi-managed servers. In the case of these servers, the provider does initial operating system updates. The support team shall monitor updates. As the name implies, semi-managed servers shall be monitored, updated, and configured by either the provider or the leasing company. In unmanaged servers, all the aforementioned tasks are the responsibility of the lessee.

3. What is the purpose of dedicated servers? This type of server is used for web hosting. Hence, it is provided by a web hosting company. There are several reasons why companies need servers. One is when they have put up many websites. When there are many websites, web hosting becomes expensive. An economical way to do it would be to host a multitude of websites on a dedicated network server. These servers offer advantages that shared hosting cannot.

4. What is the advantage of dedicated servers over shared hosting? The major advantage of the former is getting root access. What does that mean? It means you get complete access to the server. That means you have full control in installing software and configuring firewalls. It is much like managing your own PC at home. In shared hosting, you are not given the same privilege. Your rights to the servers are limited depending on the extent of control the provider gives you. Furthermore, the server’s performance is limited by the other people sharing it. Another question might be about functional differences between dedicated and cloud server. Both can bestow similar performances. In many cases, dedicated servers may perform better than cloud servers.

5. Can people just run servers at home? Yes, they can if they have reliable bandwidth, power systems, monitoring, and support. Chances are most people do not have the capability to keep servers at home or office. First of all, you need multiple fiber optic cables. Can you imagine how much that would cost you? Then you also need power generators to back up your power in case an outage occurs. You also need 24/7 monitoring so you are around to fix problems that may spontaneously arise. Most probably, you do not have all day. Should you be worrying about your servers when you have your business plans, meetings, and brand development to deal with?