| Web Hosting Reviews |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Types of Hosting |
| There are many types of hosting available today from Linux/Unix platforms, Windows platforms, Shared Hosting, Dedicated Server Hosting, Managed Server Hosting and Co-Location Hosting. Which hosting option you choose is simply based on how large you can envisage your website getting and how many hits or visitors you predict per month. Linux/Unix Hosting Linux/Unix based hosting purely refers to the type of operating system your server is running. From a user perspective it doesn’t really matter other than the fact that Linux is a case sensitive operating system. So if you name a file myfile.htm then you always need to make links go to myfile.htm – MyFile.htm or Myfile.htm will not work! Linux tends to be the most popular option for hosting, and as a result the cheapest, it’s also very reliable. Windows Platform This is simply web hosting built on Windows 2000 or 2003 servers. In general Windows hosting is generally more expensive than Linux. Shared Hosting Shared hosting means that your hosting account is on a server along with multiple other users and their hosting account, so you’re basically sharing the server. This is the most common type of hosting and the most cost effective. You’ll be given a bandwidth allocation (which We’ll explain shortly) and an amount of disk space you’re allowed to use. Dedicated Server Hosting As the name implies, this is where you have a whole server allocated for your use. It’s basically your server and you pay for it on a month to month basis. In general, you’re responsible for it, so if you are hacked, infected by a virus or abused by spammers, then you’re on your own for the most part. The advantage is that no one else is using the server so all the resources are yours, as is the disk space and bandwidth. Dedicated servers start at around $99 per month. Managed Hosting Similar to dedicated hosting, managed comes with a higher price tag but less responsibility. Again you have your own server to use, but you also have a team of support staff on hand maintaining the server, adding updates, patches and generally dealing with any technical issues or intruders. Co-Location Hosting Co-Location hosting is becoming less and less common these days as dedicated hosting grows in popularity. This is where you would install your own server at a datacenter and simply rent shelf space and a bandwidth allowance from the datacenter. |