A dedicated hosting service, dedicated server, or managed hosting service is a kind of Internet hosting in which the client leases an entire server not collective with anyone. This is more flexible than shared hosting, as organizations have full control over the server(s), including choice of operating system, hardware, etc. Server administration can more often than not be provided by the hosting company as an add-on service. In some cases a dedicated server can offer less overhead and a larger return on investment. Dedicated servers are most frequently housed in data centers, similar to colocation facilities, providing redundant power sources and HVAC systems. In difference to colocation, the server hardware is owned by the provider and in some cases they will provide support for your operating system or applications.
Operating system support
Availability, price and employee familiarity often determines which operating systems are offered on dedicated servers. Variations of Linux (open source operating systems) are frequently included at no charge to the customer. Commercial operating systems include Microsoft Windows Server, provided through a particular program called Microsoft SPLA. Red Hat Enterprise is a commercial version of Linux offered to hosting providers on a monthly fee basis. The monthly fee provides OS updates through the Red Hat Network using an application called yum. Other operating systems are available from the open source community at no charge. These include CentOS, Fedora Core, Debian, and many other Linux distributions or BSD systems FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD.
Support for any of these operating systems characteristically depends on the level of management offered with a particular dedicated server plan.
Operating system support may include updates to the core system in order to obtain the latest security fixes, patches, and system-wide vulnerability resolutions. Updates to core operating systems include kernel upgrades, service packs, application updates, and security patches that keep server secure and safe. Operating system updates and support relieves the load of server management from the dedicated server owner.
Bandwidth refers to the data transfer rate or the amount of data that can be passed from one point to another in a given time period (usually a second) and is often represented in bits (of data) per second (bit/s). For instance, visitors to your server, web site, or applications utilize bandwidth as the traffic moves from your server to the Internet and vice versa. Connectivity refers to the “access providers” that supply bandwidth, or data transfer rate, through a variety of connection points across a network or footprint to one or multiple data centers where dedicated servers are housed.
Bandwidth measurements are defined (per telecom standards) as the following:
• First – 95th (measured using average bits and speed of transfer)
• Second – Unmetered (measured in speed or bits)
• Third – Total Transfer (measured in bytes transferred)
95th Method: line speed, billed on the 95th percentile, average or peak usage, refers to the speed in which data flows from the server or device. Line speed is calculated in bits per second (or kilobits per second, megabits per second or gigabits per second).
Unmetered Method: The second bandwidth dimension is unmetered service where providers cap or control the “top line” speed for a server. Top line speed in unmetered bandwidth is the total Mbit/s allocated to the server and configured on the switch level. For example, if you purchase 10 Mbit/s unmetered bandwidth, the top line speed would be 10 Mbit/s. 10 Mbit/s would result in the provider controlling the speed transfers take place while providing the aptitude for the dedicated server owner to not be charged with bandwidth overages. Unmetered bandwidth services usually incur an additional charge.
Total Transfer Method: Some providers will calculate the Total Transfer, the dimension of actual data leaving and arriving, measured in bytes. dimension between providers varies, though it is either the total traffic in, the total traffic out, whichever is the superior or the sum of the two.
One of the reasons for choosing to outsource dedicated servers is the availability of high powered networks from numerous providers. As dedicated server providers utilize massive amounts of bandwidth, they are able to secure lower volume based pricing to include a multi-provider blend of bandwidth. To attain the same type of network without a multi-provider blend of bandwidth, a large investment in core routers, long term contracts, and expensive monthly bills would need to be in place. The expenses needed to develop a network without a multi-provider blend of bandwidth does not make sense economically for hosting providers.
Many dedicated server providers consist of a service level agreement based on network uptime. Some dedicated server hosting providers offer a 100% uptime guarantee on their network. By securing multiple vendors for connectivity and using redundant hardware, providers are able to guarantee higher uptimes; usually between 99-100% uptime if they are a higher quality provider. One aspect of higher superiority providers is they are most likely to be multi-homed across multiple quality uplink providers, which in turn, provides significant redundancy in the event one goes down in addition to potentially improved routes to destinations.
Bandwidth consumption over the last several years has shifted from a per megabit usage model to a per gigabyte usage model. Bandwidth was traditionally calculated in line speed access that included the ability to purchase needed megabits at a given monthly cost. As the shared hosting model developed, the trend towards gigabyte or total bytes transferred, replaced the megabit line speed model so dedicated server providers started offering per gigabyte.
Prominent players in the dedicated server market offer large amounts of bandwidth ranging from 500 gigabytes to 3000 gigabytes using the “overselling” model. It is not unusual for major players to provide dedicated servers with 1Terabyte (TB) of bandwidth or higher. Usage models based on the byte level measurement usually include a given amount of bandwidth with every server and a price per gigabyte after a certain threshold has been reached. Expect to pay additional fees for bandwidth overage usage. For instance, if a dedicated server has been given 3000 gigabytes of bandwidth per month and the customer uses 5000 gigabytes of bandwidth within the billing period, the additional 2000 gigabytes of bandwidth will be invoiced as bandwidth overage. Each provider has a dissimilar model for billing. As of yet, no industry standards have been set.
Management
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To date, no business standards have been set to evidently characterize the management role of dedicated server providers. What this means is that every provider will use industry standard terms, but each provider will classify them differently. For some dedicated server providers, fully managed is defined as having a web based control panel while other providers classify it as having dedicated system engineers readily available to handle all server and network related functions of the dedicated server provider.
Server management can include some or all of the following:
• Operating system updates
• Application updates
• Server monitoring
• SNMP hardware monitoring
• Application monitoring
• Application management
• Technical support
• Firewall services
• Antivirus updates
• Security audits
• Duos protection and mitigation
• Intrusion detection
• Backups and restoration
• Disaster recovery
• DNS hosting service
• Load balancing
• Database administration
• Performance tuning
• Software installation and configuration
• User management
• Programming consultation
Dedicated hosting server providers classify their level of management based on the services they offer. In contrast, fully managed could equal self managed from provider to provider.
Administrative preservation of the operating system, often including upgrades, security patches, and sometimes even daemon updates are included. conflicting levels of management may include adding users, domains, daemon configuration, or even custom programming.
Dedicated server hosting providers may provide the following types of server managed support:
• Fully Managed - Includes monitoring, software updates, reboots, security patches and operating system upgrades. Customers are entirely hands-off.
• Managed - Includes medium level of management, monitoring, updates, and a restricted amount of support. Customers may perform specific tasks.
• Self Managed - Includes regular monitoring and some maintenance. Customers provide most operations and tasks on dedicated server.
• Unmanaged - Little to no involvement from service provider. Customers provide all maintenance, upgrades, patches, and security.
Note: The provider will continue to uphold security on the network regardless of support level.
Dedicated hosting server providers utilize intense security measures to ensure the safety of data stored on their network of servers. Providers will often organize various software programs for scanning systems and networks for obtrusive invaders, spammers, hackers, and other harmful problems such as Trojans, worms, eggdrops and crashers (Sending multiple connections). Linux and Windows use special software for security protection.
Providers often bill for dedicated servers on a set monthly price to include specific software packages. Over the years, software vendors realized the important market opportunity to bundle their software with dedicated servers. They have since started introducing pricing models that allow dedicated hosting providers the capacity to purchase and resell software based on reduced monthly fees.
Microsoft offers software licenses through a program called the Service Provider License Agreement. The SPLA model provides use of Microsoft products through a monthly user or processor based fee. SPLA software includes the Windows Operating System, Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Exchange Server, Microsoft SharePoint and shoutcast hosting, and many other server based products.
Dedicated Server Providers usually offer the ability to select the software you want installed on a dedicated server. Depending on the overall usage of the server, this will contain your choice of operating system, database, and specific applications. Servers can be customized and tailored precise to the customer’s needs and necessities.
Other software applications obtainable are specialized web hosting specific programs called control panels. Control panel software is an all general set of software applications, server applications, and automation tools that can be installed on a dedicated server. Control panels include integration into web servers, database applications, programming languages, application deployment, server administration tasks, and include the ability to automate tasks via a web based front end.
Most dedicated servers are packaged with a control panel. Control panels are often confused with management tools, but these control panels are in fact web based automation tools created to help automate the process of web site creation and server management. Control panels should not be confused with a full server management resolution by a dedicated hosting provider.
Many providers do not allow IRC (bots, clients or daemons). This is due to rogue IRC users triggering DDoS attacks against the provider, which may overwhelm their networks, lowering service value for all customers.
• Adult content is disallowed by many providers as it may either be of questionable legality or devour large amounts of bandwidth.
• Copyright violation Hosting copyrighted material of which you do not own the copyright to is almost always against the terms of service of all hosting companies
Dedicated Web Hosting Companies lists:-
ICC-Intellectual Communication Center Web Hosting Provider
Aeon Flux Enterprises, Inc. Web Hosting Provider
Atlantic Internet Technologies Inc. Web Hosting Provider
New York Connect.Net Web Hosting Provider
CeraNet, Inc. Web Hosting Provider
SVS Internet Services Web Hosting Provider
SurfXpress LLC Web Hosting Provider
Eagle's Lair & Web Services, Inc. Web Hosting Provider
WarpLink Internet & Communications Web Hosting Provider
Water Valley Interchange Web Hosting Provider
camalott communications Web Hosting Provider
Front Range Internet Web Hosting Provider
Internet Light and Power Inc. Web Hosting Provider
Central Ky Internet Web Hosting Provider
CEGI Services Web Hosting Provider
ActionWeb Services Web Hosting Provider
ActionWeb Services Web Hosting Provider
CaliforniaCom Web Hosting Provider
Zen Internet Ltd Web Hosting Provider
NetSoft SRL Web Hosting Provider
Star~NET Online Systems Web Hosting Provider
Daac Systems Web Hosting Provider
Minnesota WaveTech Web Hosting Provider
NDH IT Service AG Web Hosting Provider
NDH IT Service AG Web Hosting Provider
Albania Online Web Hosting Provider