Advantages Of Dedicated Server

A dedicated server web hosting is a type of hosting where a user or an organization leases a server for its use. This server is not shared by any other user so it is solely dedicated to the user or an organization’s sites leasing it.

A dedicated server is itself, the physical piece of hardware that your web hosting provider rents to you. It comes with its own processor, hard drives(s), Random Access Memory (RAM) and bandwidth capability. You can have hard drive(s) or disk space, bandwidth as per your requirements. Unlike shared hosting plans, dedicated servers are customizable. So you have freedom of selecting the Operating System (Linux/Windows with different versions), Control Panel, Dedicated IP’s along with the storage capacity and the traffic unit.

While in shared hosting you are restricted to the use of bandwidth, you can even get unlimited bandwidth with dedicated servers. So you are no more concerned of any down time or slow speed even if your site is getting a huge traffic.

In shared hosting where you are allocated a few MB or GB of memory you can never be able to install any programs as it consumes much space. Even a hosting provider won’t allow installing the programs. However with dedicated servers you have freedom to install any applications or programs on it. Your website and its associated software will be hosted exclusively on this dedicated server’s hard drives.

In shared hosting only one Dedicated IP is allocated to you. Whereas dedicated servers come with few number of Dedicated IP’s (number may differ with hosting providers). In addition to this, you are free to purchase the whole IP Subnet as far as you are able to give proper justification for each IP you purchase extra.

Although the dedicated servers are much cost effective as compared to shared hosting, however, it is the features and the services offered with dedicated servers which worth the cost. If you are running a business site or a site that might need secret data to be shared then you must consider the dedicated server only.

Dedicated Servers allow you to get Full Root SSH (Secure Shell) on Linux and Complete Administrative RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) Access on Windows. The remote access to the server permits you to view the usage of the resources available and manage them accordingly. Using this Remote access to the dedicated server, you can install and run almost any program. They additionally allow other users, whom you have given access, the ability to connect to your dedicated hosting server and use those same programs at the same time you do. For example as it is done in case of Game Servers.

If you are using MSSQL Databases then you are not be able to use the versions that you need with the shared hosting as they are preinstalled. However dedicated servers let you install any version you need and also there is no restriction on the file size for each database.

As far as security is concerned, it is possible that an account on the shared hosting gets hacked and may affect all the other accounts as well. However with dedicated servers, monitored 24*7, you have Firewall to be installed to be more secure.

We can summarize all as the advantages of Dedicated Servers:-

• No need to purchase own hardware
• Leased or solely dedicated to you (not shared)
• Can get hardware and bandwidth as required
• Can be customized as required
• Complete Remote Access to the server
• Freedom to choose OS
• Selection of MSSQL Databases version (with Windows)
• Right to purchase IP Subnet (justification required)
• Security

Indeed, if you are planning for a server which shall satisfy all your needs and requirements and let you feel comfort, you must consider Dedicated Server to enjoy uninterrupted and high level services.

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Windows Dedicated Server Vs. Linux Dedicated Server

We have briefly discussed both Windows Dedicated Server and Linux Dedicated Server briefly. We have already seen advantages of both the Operating Systems. We have also compared both the Operating Systems. Thus, we know that both the Operating Systems have advantages and disadvantages ranging from costs to application requirements. Let us try to conclude the difference between them and when shall one select either of them or in what situation.

Programming Technologies and Database Servers

Here lies the main difference between Windows and Linux. If you wish to host MSSQL or ASP or ASP.net web pages then the Windows Dedicated Server is a solution for you. We know that ASP and MSSQL being Microsoft Products, it is possible to host ASP scripts only on IIS web Server and likewise MSSQL Server runs only on MS Windows Server. There are many versions of MSSQL Server. Also, Windows is capable of using many tools that are Linux compatible or which run on Linux platform.

While, if you intend to run software packages such as PHP, Perl and MySQL on your server, Linux would make the best option, being open-source OS.

Technical Expertise

Here it goes. When we decide to consider the web hosting platform, technical challenge is the major factor that is taken into consideration. For those who are starting with the Dedicated server, Windows is the best solution for them. To answer, why, its similarity to Windows Desktop and easiness to use is the main reason to consider Windows. Linux being more complex and it’s commands being hard to remember, it is mainly recommended for those who are technically inclined and gain good technical knowledge. Yes, it is accepted that cPanel, the contol panel, has made things easier for Linux users, however, there are still many things that can discourage a newbie.

Conclusion

To conclude, we can say Windows is easier to use, however, it is not only cost effective and can enforce one to get frustrated of just “clicking”. Whereas, Linux being open source, is freely available, however, its complexity and uneasiness to remember number of commands makes users to not to consider Linux. Thus, it can be said that if you want to host personal site, Windows is the solution while for a business site, Linux is the best to opt for.

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Unmanaged Dedicated Servers

Unmanaged Dedicated Server is a type of dedicated server where the owner is responsible for every aspect of maintaining the server, from installing softwares, updates and patches upto ensuring server uptime. Low prices and more resources are the beneficial side of unmanaged dedicated servers.

It gives you flexibility for customization. With unmanaged dedicated server you get Complete RDP or Full Root SSH Access. Using the remote access you are responsible to install the applications, monitor uptime etc. You may add any softwares and control panels that you prefer if required. You have rights to reboot the server whenever you wish. The web hosting provider may also set you up fully configured OS, including Apache web server, Exim mail server, PHP, CGI etc. on your unmanaged dedicated servers for an additional cost.

If you are good in technical part of the servers then you can go with unmanaged dedicated servers. However, a situation may come when you are not aware of what you need to do as a system administrator. You might think of getting any kind of technical assistance from the hosting provider, however, in this case you may need to spend a good amount to get the support what you want. None of the hosting providers are responsible to pro-actively monitor or restart the services and ensure uptime. Yes they can, however, need a request ticket from you. Many hosting providers who provide unmanaged dedicated servers do offer paid ticket support 24*7 for which you are charged on an hourly basis. Also it is obvious that unmanaged dedicated servers may take a lot of time to administer and you get less time to develop and design your site, resulting in low quality content and features of your site. So it is always recommended that you consider only managed dedicated servers though they are expensive.

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Linux Dedicated Servers

Most of the internet’s users know that the basic Operating Systems used for dedicated servers are Windows and Linux. Linux Dedicated Hosting is basically a dedicated servers hosting that use Linux as an Operating program. Linux being free, open-source operating system based on UNIX, is the cheapest form of dedicated servers. You do not have to pay the License fees to install Linux Operating System, unlike Windows Dedicated Servers where you pay the Windows OS License Fee.

Linux Dedicated Servers are most popular and are offered by many web hosting providers. There are different servers available with Linux OS. So depending upon the requirement you can select the suitable server specification. Also if you need or you are looking for customized dedicated servers then you can opt for that. There are many hosting providers offering customized dedicated servers where you can select the hardware specifications as per your requirement. If you get a dedicated server and needs to upgrade any specific hardware, for example, say RAM then you can just ask the hosting provider and they will help you to upgrade RAM. This not possible with shared, VPS or any other plans however it can be considered as an advantage of Dedicated Hosting.

Linux Dedicated Servers are more secure than Windows Dedicated Servers. The chances of servers being hacked are more on Windows than Linux. The possibilities of Viruses attacking your site are very less as compared to Windows. And suppose if a virus takes hold of your Linux System still it becomes difficult for the virus to damage or destroy the system. Unlike Windows, also, if any virus succeeds to affect or hold the Linux based system, it becomes difficult for it to spread to other Linux machines and repeat the same with other systems. I agree that it is completely safe however it more resistant as compared to Windows.

It is best solution for those who host MySQL databases or PHP based applications to opt for Linux. However if you need to host MSSQL, ASP.net or ASP or simply any other Microsoft product then you must opt for Windows Server.

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Windows Dedicated Servers

Basically a dedicated server comes with two different Operating Systems, Linux and Windows. If you wish to host a business site, Windows Dedicated Server is the best platform for you. Most of the Windows Servers come with Microsoft Windows Server 2003. Windows Server is the Microsoft’s latest OS irrespective of its edition. Windows Server 2003 can be used for many things; making it the perfect server operating system. Windows Dedicated Server comes with Windows Server 2003 installed. Unlike, VPS web hosting or Semi-dedicated Server, you get freedom to customize the server specification and configure the OS you need.

If you wish to host MSSQL or ASP or ASP.net web pages then the Windows Dedicated Server is a solution for you. We know that ASP and MSSQL being Microsoft Products, it is possible to host ASP scripts only on IIS web Server and likewise MSSQL Server runs only on MS Windows Server. There are many versions of MSSQL Server.

There are many advantages of Windows Server. The Windows server can be used as a web server using IIS Web Server. IIS Web Server is an application that is included with Microsoft Windows Server installation. Also you can host it as a media server using Windows Media Server application. Apart from these unique features, Windows Dedicated Server also support PHP scripting engine along with the MySQL database server. Both are capable enough to be hosted on Windows although they work better on Linux.

Windows Dedicated Server are dedicated only to you and aren’t shared with any user so that increases the security of your server and the websites too. The non-shareable environment of Windows Dedicated Servers makes allows it to run faster than any of the VPS with similar specification. Also CPU responses to the requests quickly as it is not split between many VPS. Also unlike any other plans like shared hosting or VPS, you have privilege to add more resources whenever needed.

Hence if you are looking to host ASP.net web pages, MSSQL databases and any complex website then Windows Dedicated Server Hosting is the best way to go for.

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Managed Dedicated Servers

Managed Dedicated Servers are completely opposite of Unmanaged servers. Unlike unmanaged dedicated servers, Managed Dedicated Server is a type of dedicated server where the provider is responsible for most aspects of maintaining the server, from installing software, updates and patches up to ensuring server uptime.

The providers employ System Administrators who are responsible to maintain the dedicated servers. They will take care of every thing you require on your server, from installation to configuration. They will also monitor the server for you and will also login into the server in case the services get crashed. Most probably providers of Fully Managed Servers do not provide direct root access or Administrator access to their client to keep the servers safe or to make sure that the client does break them all the time.

If you are looking for full access your search ends here. Serving the clients as far as possible, providing them high level of support without any additional costs is the key to success in web hosting business. All of your requirements are being entertained by the provider however if it comes to a 3rd party product or a s/w they are not responsible. They can help you with installing and configuring the 3rd party product if you are aware of how it works. However they do take responsibility of any product that is a part of your OS, like Redhat or Microsoft products, unless it has been severely damaged by some one at your end.

Hence it is the best solution to consider a managed dedicated server if you are new to the World of Dedicated Servers!

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Types of Dedicated Servers

Now when we are familiar with what the dedicated servers are, lets see what are the types of dedicated servers and try to understand them briefly. Dedicated servers can be mainly categorized in 2 types. They are:-

• Unmanaged Dedicated Servers
• Managed Dedicated Servers

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Cold Fusion Hosting

In layman’s terms, Cold Fusion is a language. Cold Fusion is based on Standard HTML Language. It is used to create dynamic WebPages that can be linked to any databases.

Cold Fusion is an application server and software language used for Internet application development such as for dynamically-generated web sites. Cold Fusion being a programming language can be similar product to Microsoft Active Server Pages, Java Server Pages or PHP. Amongst all the technologies available, Cold Fusion was the first that provided developer the capability to create dynamic WebPages. The first version of Cold Fusion (then called Cold Fusion) was released on July 10, 1995, written almost entirely by one person, JJ Allaire. Primitive by modern standards, early versions of Cold Fusion did little more than database access.

Cold Fusion is simply a collection of pages like static websites. Cold Fusion is similar to HTML in syntax. Along with HTML, the main distinguishing feature of Cold Fusion is its associated scripting language, server-side Cold Fusion Markup Language (CFML) which can be compared with JSP, ASP or PHP indeed. In addition to CFML, Cold Fusion scripts can also be written in a language resembling Java Scripts which is known as CFScript.

Cold Fusion allows us creating applications as easier as creating a static website. However, it provides the fabulous range of functionality that is not available with either static web pages or general client/server applications.

Cold Fusion Application Server automatically pre-processes a page in a Cold Fusion application once requested by a browser. Based on the CFML in the webpage, the Application Server executes the application logic, interacts with other server technologies, and then dynamically generates an HTML page which is returned to the browser. In other words, it is a technology that includes integrating an incredible range of server technologies, controlling the behavior of applications and dynamically generating the content that is returned to the Web Browser.

Nowadays, Coldfusion Hosting seems to be much popular amongst Web Hosting companies as well as those who use hosting services.

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Cold Fusion Installation On Linux Server

After we are familiar with what Cold Fusion is, let us see how to install Cold Fusion on Linux Servers.

It is possible to install ColdFusion on VPS or Semi Dedicated Server however it is recommended to consider Dedicated Servers for better performance.

System Requirements:-

http://www.adobe.com/products/coldfusion/systemreqs/

We can check thesystem requirements for Cold Fusion via above link.

Installing ColdFusion on Linux Dedicated Servers:-

Download the coldfusion-801-lin.bin file on your server
Grant Execute permission to the coldfusion-801-lin.bin binary file

root@root [~]# chmod +x coldfusion-801-lin.bin

Step 1
root@root [~]# ./coldfusion-801-lin.bin

Step 2
Choose Locale…
—————-

->1- English

CHOOSE LOCALE BY NUMBER:
From the available option, select option 1.

Step 3
PRESS <ENTER> TO CONTINUE:
Here, continue pressing “Enter” tab for 28 times.

Step 4
DO YOU ACCEPT THE TERMS OF THIS LICENSE AGREEMENT? (Y/N):
Press “Y” to continue

Step 5
Install Type
————

If you do not have a serial number, select either 30-day trial or Developer
Edition.

->1- Install new version of Adobe ColdFusion 8 with a serial number
2- 30-day trial
3- Developer Edition
If you have Authorized Product Key, select option 1, else you can select option 2 for 30 days trial.

Step 6
Serial Number:
Here, you need to enter the Serial Number or Product Key.

Step 7
Installer Configuration
———————–

What kind of installation do you want?

->1- Server configuration
2- Multiserver configuration
3- J2EE configuration (EAR file)
4- J2EE configuration (WAR file)
Select “Server Configuration” which is option 1 to proceed.

Step 8
Is Adobe ColdFusion 8 (Server Configuration) Installed?
——————————————————-

You cannot install the server configuration of Adobe ColdFusion 8 if it is already installed on this computer.

Is there already a server configuration of Adobe ColdFusion 8 installed?

1- Yes
->2- No

ENTER THE NUMBER FOR YOUR CHOICE, OR PRESS <ENTER> TO ACCEPT THE DEFAULT:
Continue with “No”, so you will select option 2.

Step 9
Subcomponent installation
————————-

The following options are available for installation.

An option marked with “[X]” in front will be installed and an option with “[ ]”
will not. Choosing an option will toggle it on or off

1) ColdFusion 8 Documentation
2) Adobe LiveCycle Data Services ES
3) ColdFusion 8 Search Services
4) Start ColdFusion on system init
5) Continue with installation
Select option 5 to Continue Installation

Step 10
Choose Install Folder
———————

Select the directory where you want to install Adobe ColdFusion 8.

Directory:

Default Install Folder: /opt/coldfusion8

ENTER AN ABSOLUTE PATH, OR PRESS <ENTER> TO ACCEPT THE DEFAULT
If you have any absolute path or you want to install it to any specific directory, you can enter it here. For eg., the path can be /usr/local/src
Else, you can directly hit “Enter” tab to install it to the default directory.

Step 11
INSTALL FOLDER IS: /opt/coldfusion8
IS THIS CORRECT? (Y/N):
If the folder path is correct then just press “Y”, else you can press “N” to correct the path.

Step 12
License Agreement
—————–

Installation and Use of Adobe LiveCycle Data Services ES Requires Acceptance of
the Following License Agreement:

ADOBE SYSTEMS INCORPORATED
ADOBE LIVECYCLE DATA SERVICES SOFTWARE
Software License Agreement

PRESS <ENTER> TO CONTINUE:
To go through the License Agreement details, here, you will need to press “Enter” tab for 30 times.

Step 13
DO YOU ACCEPT THE TERMS OF THIS LICENSE AGREEMENT? (Y/N):
Accept the agreement by pressing “Y” to proceed further with the installation.

Step 14
If you do not have an Adobe LiveCycle Data Services ES serial number, leave the
serial number field blank to install a 120-day trial.

After the trial period expires, LCDS becomes Express edition until registered.
The Express edition is a free, non-expiring commercial use product for
application deployed on a single machine with not more than one CPU.

Enter your serial number for Adobe LiveCycle Data Services ES.
Example (you can omit the dashes if you prefer):
XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX

Serial Number::
Again, enter the Serial Number, i.e., Product Key

Step 15
Earlier Versions of Adobe ColdFusion installed?
———————————————–

If you installed an earlier version of ColdFusion on this computer, you can migrate your settings to Adobe ColdFusion 8.

Is there an earlier version of ColdFusion installed on this computer (for example, ColdFusion 6 or ColdFusion MX 7)?

1- Yes
->2- No

ENTER THE NUMBER FOR YOUR CHOICE, OR PRESS <ENTER> TO ACCEPT THE DEFAULT:
Being it the first time for installing ColdFusion, select option 2 to continue.

Step 16
Configure Web Servers
———————

Please configure your web server(s). If you do not configure a web server the
built-in web server will be used on port 8500 or the next available port.

1- Add Web Server Configuration
->2- Continue with installation
You will here, configure the Web Server, so simply select option 1 and continue with configuration of Web Server.

Step 17
->1- Apache
2- Sun ONE Web Server (iPlanet)
3- Cancel

What kind of web server are you configuring:
Select option 1 which will configure Apache as a Web Server

Step 18
What directory contains your Apache configuration file (httpd.conf)? (For
example, on Red Hat Linux it could be located in the /etc/httpd/conf
directory if you installed from an rpm, or for SuSe Linux, it could be in
/etc/apache2)
You may keep it as /etc/httpd/conf or if it’s a specific path say /usr/local/apache/conf

Step 19
Where is the Apache program binary file? (For example, on Red Hat Linux it
could be /usr/sbin/httpd if you installed from an rpm, or for SuSE Linux it
could be located at /usr/sbin/httpd2) If you have more than one instance of
Apache on your computer, enter the binary file location for the Apache web
server that will use ColdFusion. (Note: this is not the Apache start and
stop script.)

File (DEFAULT: /etc/httpd/bin/httpd):
You run the command “which httpd” on server. The output will be your File where Apache program binary file is located. Do not forget to use other terminal to run this command.
Suppose the output is /usr/sbin/httpd, so you can enter /usr/sbin/httpd and proceed. By default, it will consider the location as /etc/httpd/bin/httpd

Step 20
Where is the control file that you use to start and stop the Apache web
server? (For example, this could be /etc/init.d/httpd on Red Hat Linux if
you installed from an rpm, /usr/sbin/apache2ctl on SuSe Linux, or it could
be /usr/local/apache/bin/apachectl on hand-compiled versions.)

File (DEFAULT: /etc/httpd/bin/apachectl):
Enter /etc/init.d/httpd

Step 21
Please configure your web server(s). If you do not configure a web server the
built-in web server will be used on port 8500 or the next available port.

1- Add Web Server Configuration
2- Remove Web Server Configuration
3- Edit:Apache : /usr/local/apache/conf
->4- Continue with installation

Choice:
If you think, there is some or the other information you need to change or update then you can select options between 1 to 3, otherwise, simply continue with the installation by selecting option 4.

Step 22
Choose Adobe ColdFusion 8 Administrator Location
————————————————

Select the location of the web root for Adobe ColdFusion 8. This is where the installer places the Adobe ColdFusion 8 Administrator.

This directory must be the web root for one of the websites to be configured for use with Adobe ColdFusion 8.
Directory: (DEFAULT: /usr/local/apache/htdocs):
It is recommended to continue with the default diretcory “/usr/local/apache/htdocs”.

Step 23
Runtime User
————

Enter the name of the runtime user. This user must already exist on the system.

User Name: (DEFAULT: nobody):
Proceed with “nobody”, the default user

Step 24
Administrator Password
———————-

Enter the password that you will use to restrict access to the ColdFusion
Administrator.

This field is required.

Password: The one you want.
Confirm password: Same password as above.
Keeping the record of password is always helpful.

Step 25
Enable RDS
———-

The ColdFusion Remote Development Service (RDS) lets developers using Adobe
tools remotely connect to this server for development purposes. RDS is required
for Line Debugging, Report Builder, and DreamWeaver Extensions.

If this is a production server, Adobe recommends that you disable RDS.
Note, however, that disabling RDS also disables debugging, the directory
browsing applets in the ColdFusion Administrator and some of the functionality
in the Report Builder.

Enable RDS (Y/N):
Press “Y” to enable RDS.
Password: The one you want.
Confirm password: Same password as above.

Step 26
Installation Confirmation
————————-

Installation Type:
Server configuration

Licensing:
Enterprise edition
Serial Number: XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX

Installation Directories:
Product: /opt/coldfusion8
Web root: /usr/local/apache/htdocs

Server Information:
Web Server: Apache (/usr/local/apache/conf)
Port:
Search Services: installed
Adobe LiveCycle Data Services ES: installed
Documentation: installed
RDS: enabled

Disk Space Information (for Installation Target):
Required: 923,564,250 bytes
Available: 205,550,153,728 bytes

You will get the overview/summary of the details you have entered for installation

PRESS <ENTER> TO CONTINUE:
Press the “Enter” tab to continue

Step 27
Installation Complete
———————

You have successfully completed the first step in installing Adobe ColdFusion
8.

To continue with your installation, go to /opt/coldfusion8/bin and type
“./coldfusion start” to start your server.

Once the server, is started log in to the Configuration Wizard at

http://[machinename]/CFIDE/administrator/index.cfm

Press Enter to exit the installer:
Press the “Enter” tab. You are exiting the installe, you are done with the installation.

You are done ! Congratulations !!

To start/stop coldfusion on the server you can follow the steps below

root@root# cd /opt/coldfusion8/bin

root@root[/opt/coldfusion8/bin]# ./coldfusion start

root@root[/opt/coldfusion8/bin]# ./coldfusion stop

To access the admin control panel please browse the URL http://[machinename]/CFIDE/administrator
Enter the password used while the installation and proceed further.

Note :: Make sure you have libstdc++.so.5 installed on your server. If you have already installed it ignore the below step

To Install:-

root@root [~]# yum install libstdc++.so.5

Note :: Here, machine name is the server hostname OR the server IP. Make sure you use the licensed copy of the software and the product key from the vendor.

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