Dedicated Server

What Is A Dedicated Server?

Generally speaking, a dedicated server is an Internet connected server that you lease from a web hosting company. The web hosting company provides and supports the server hardware and you are provided exclusive access to the server. This differs from 'shared' hosting accounts where you may be sharing a single server's resources with several hundred other customers.

A dedicated server hosting account provides you sole access to the full resources of the server. This may also mean that you are responsible for maintenance of the server software, installation and maintenance of a firewall and the general security of the server.

If you have never been exposed to a server at the system admin level, this can be a daunting and somewhat scary thought. With shared hosting the security, integrity, backing up and other administrative tasks are taken care of by the hosting companies technical support personnel.

Preparing For Your First Dedicated Server

With a little preparation and research you can make the learning curve a lot easier. Let's first look at the two main types of dedicated server hosting accounts that are generally available. These are called 'managed' and 'un-managed'.


A managed dedicated server comes with additional services from the hosting company. The additional services  vary greatly, so whilst there is no strict definition of what a managed account entails, there are several basic services that are almost always included.

• Server monitoring - if your server goes offline the technical support staff will investigate.
• Technical Support - direct contact with technicians, priority helpdesk or phone support.
• Server Health Checks - regular checks to ensure your server is operating efficiently.
• Patches and Updates - regular update of operating system software, security patches.

These are some of the types of services that you would expect to receive if you leased a managed server. As you can probably tell, the main purpose of providing a managed option is to fill the system administration gap. Rather than having to learn about operating systems and server software, the hosting company will provide their own resources to carry out the various administration tasks that are usually a necessary part of maintaining an efficient and secure dedicated server.

These additional services do come at a cost though, so it is best to do some research and find an option that suits your budget and your requirements.

Un-Managed Dedicated Server

An un-managed dedicated server, in most cases,  comes with no additional support other than your hosting provider's standard technical support options. The cost is usually considerably lower and it is assumed that either you, or your staff have the technical expertise to maintain your server.

Many website owners with little or no technical knowledge lease un-managed servers. This is fine as long as the server is operating efficiently and there are no issues. It is important to note that most un-managed dedicated servers are provided with no firewall, no monitoring and no backup service, so you should, at the very least, be able to configure and maintain these services yourself or have access to a person or service that can do this for you.

Getting Started With An Un-Managed Server

Let's look at some of the concepts and 'jargon'  you may need to know if you plan on maintaining your own dedicated server. Servers come in two main 'flavours' - Windows based and Unix based. We'll be assuming that the server has a Unix based operating system such as RedHat, CentOS or Fedora as this is by far the most common scenario.

SSH - SSH, or Secure Shell is the most common method used to access the server at the command line. An SSH client is a software program that allows you to login remotely to your server over a secure, encrypted communications channel. Whilst this isn't absolutely necessary for the basic administration of the server, particularly if it has a server control panel such as WHM installed, sooner or later you may need to access your server in this way. You can download the free 'PuTTY' SSH client for Windows operating systems at the PuTTY download page.

WHM/CPanel and Plesk - WHM/CPanel and Plesk are the two most common web based server control panels. Both have their strengths and weaknesses. WHM is probably the better choice as it is more widely used by hosting providers, but both control panels provide sufficient access and features to allow you to control the most common operations such as adding and removing web hosting services, restarting services such as your web server, backing up your server files and databases and managing some of the security features of the operating system software.

Unix Commands - You should have a basic understanding of what the operating system is and does. The easiest way to do this is by reading through a basic turtorial such as this Unix Tutorial For Beginners.

Hackers And Crackers - There's an important distinction (that has been the cause of much debate) between the terms 'hacker' and 'cracker'. In the technical community, a hacker is a very experienced computer programmer and a 'cracker' is someone who attempts to obtain unauthorised access to an online server or service. In the media the term 'hacker' is more often used to describe computer criminals. Either way, you should be aware that your server will be a target and it is quite likely that there will be attempts to break into your server within hours of it going online. You should familiarise yourself with the purpose and use of firewalls and some general server security do's and dont's.

• Server Security discussion at WebHostingTalk forum
• Choosing and using strong passwords (US-CERT Cyber Security Tip).
• Securing Your Network From Hackers: Get To Know Your Enemy (Tech Republic)
  

We've touched on a few of the basic concepts and information you should know if you have or will at sometime in the future have an un-managed dedicated server. As you can probably see, dedicated servers are not a 'set and forget' appliance. They do require some maintenance and, unless you enjoy nasty surprises, the also require some monitoring. If you take the time to learn the basics that are mentioned above, you will be one step ahead of many other server owners and in a much better position to know, rather than hope that your server is secure and operating efficiently.

Other Useful Websites

Dedicated Server Forum at WebHostingTalk
Web Hosting Forums at SitePoint
Dedicated Server Doctor