Category Archives: Web Hosting
Running a Dedicated Server – Part I
Running dedicated servers is never easy, and you will undoubtedly have quite a few settings to sift through if you want to give your users the best experience possible. That being said, how CAN you improve the overall user experience? The first thing you will need to do when setting up any dedicated servers is take a look at the control panel and set up the necessary items. For instance, if you are planning to use this server for public webmail then you may wish to configure the webmail server on the box.
You will need to look around of course and become familiar with the different aspects of your server, and once you do, you will be ready to configure some of the more complicated items. For instance you might move on to the FTP, and the great thing about renting dedicated servers is that the hard part is already done. All you will need to do is configure your FTP password and add users if necessary.
Nameservers should also be configured whether they are being hosted remotely or on the same box. Note that running your own nameservers can actually be quite beneficial to your company as a Whois’ will make it seem as if the company is larger than it is, especially if it is using its own name servers.
Configuring backups is another very important part of your dedicated server, and the option should be sitting in the control panel. These backups will in most cases be recorded to an outside location, but in some cases the backups will actually be stored on the dedicated server in a separate partition. Either will work, but no matter what, make sure your server is performing automatic backups at least once per day. This will ensure that the site stays up and running no matter what!
There are many more aspects in running your own dedicated server of course, and they will be addressed later on. What you need to know right now is that while you have accepted a huge responsibility, it is one that may very well help your company grow into a success. A dedicated server appears more professional, mostly because it is, and it will draw more customers to your website.
You may start with a simple shared hosting plan of course, but it is the eventual goal of any company to move toward the dedicated package. Yes, a dedicated package is going to be more expensive, but there are a few distinct differences. For example a dedicated server will provide you with root access whereas a shard package would give you no such thing. The logic behind this is that you can feel free to disrupt your own experience is one thing, but disrupting the experience of others is certainly unsound. This is decent logic, and it will undoubtedly save many different user experiences whether they are on the user end of your website or on the admin end.
If you’re ready to make a difference in your bui9sness then you’re undoubtedly ready to take advantage of the dedicated server options. Dedicated hosting will open up all kinds of new possibilities for you, some of which are still very much unseen. You never know what might around the corner!
5 Questions Your Company Should Ask When Looking for a Data Center
Looking for a data center? Since business success so often relies upon the effective use of technology, whether to perform daily tasks or to create and deliver mission-critical services, a great technology partner has become a vital necessity. Typically companies ask their potential data center partners excellent questions about the facilitys power redundancy, security, and network connectivity, but with todays IT mission criticality, these features have now become the minimum bar for most data centers.
In addition to those standard questions, it is important to ask the following questions to ensure you are selecting a flexible, affordable data center solution positioned to be a foundation for your companys IT growth. By asking these five simple questions you can better understand the prospective data centers ability to host your infrastructure now but more importantly in the future. Knowing the facilitys capabilities and how they impact your environment will help keep from having to make costly and risky moves due to lack of resources and help to avoid constraint on IT deliverables.
Here are five questions that you need to ask when looking for an enterprise data center for your company.
1) How many watts/amps of usable power can I consume per cabinet?
This is important for a number of reasons, but primarily to determine if you can fully utilize your cabinet today and into the future. Its important to specify usable power because some facilities will say “60 amps per cabinet” but what they really mean is 30 primary and 30 redundant amps. You should also specify ‘consume’ as some facilities will allow you to install any circuit you want, but limit your draw to just a portion of those circuits.
2) Does the data center offer a power metered billing method or flat-rate?
A metered method of billing power allows you to pay for only what you consume rather than pre-buying the entire circuit capability and using only a portion, which drives up your real pre-amp cost. A true consumption model will allow you the flexibility to install power circuits that will meet your future power needs without a premium today. For example: If you plan in two years to consume 14 kW per cabinet then install the proper outlets that allow for that consumption today. This will reduce setup fees and the time to install resulting in a lower total cost of ownership.
3) Is the data center in a single floor, single tenant building?
Operating a data center is all about controlling risk; multi-tenant buildings make that nearly impossible. For example, if your data center is on the fifth floor, how do you ensure that a water leak on the floor above will not affect your operations?
4) What free services are included (loading dock, reboots, monitoring)?
Don’t underestimate the costs you’ll incur for extras. You may only need 3 reboots per month now and thats fine until something happens and you need 20. Its not about the first invoice; its about the total cost over the course of the relationship..
5) What are the tools the data center can offer to help with your growth? (SAN, data backup, server management, monitoring, cloud services?)
For example, if a server goes offline at 2AM, does the data center have 24/7 on-site staff with the skills needed to resolve the problem?
About the Author
Scott Palsgrove joined Net Access during its first year of operations and has over 15 years of sales and technology management experience. As Sales Manager, Scott has helped to develop flexible and innovative products and services that have resulted in accelerated sales revenue growth. Scott is responsible for sales and product strategy, marketing, and partner development.
5 Questions Your Company Should Ask When Looking for a Data Center
Looking for a data center? Since business success so often relies upon the effective use of technology, whether to perform daily tasks or to create and deliver mission-critical services, a great technology partner has become a vital necessity. Typically companies ask their potential data center partners excellent questions about the facilitys power redundancy, security, and network connectivity, but with todays IT mission criticality, these features have now become the minimum bar for most data centers.
In addition to those standard questions, it is important to ask the following questions to ensure you are selecting a flexible, affordable data center solution positioned to be a foundation for your companys IT growth. By asking these five simple questions you can better understand the prospective data centers ability to host your infrastructure now but more importantly in the future. Knowing the facilitys capabilities and how they impact your environment will help keep from having to make costly and risky moves due to lack of resources and help to avoid constraint on IT deliverables.
Here are five questions that you need to ask when looking for an enterprise data center for your company.
1) How many watts/amps of usable power can I consume per cabinet?
This is important for a number of reasons, but primarily to determine if you can fully utilize your cabinet today and into the future. Its important to specify usable power because some facilities will say “60 amps per cabinet” but what they really mean is 30 primary and 30 redundant amps. You should also specify ‘consume’ as some facilities will allow you to install any circuit you want, but limit your draw to just a portion of those circuits.
2) Does the data center offer a power metered billing method or flat-rate?
A metered method of billing power allows you to pay for only what you consume rather than pre-buying the entire circuit capability and using only a portion, which drives up your real pre-amp cost. A true consumption model will allow you the flexibility to install power circuits that will meet your future power needs without a premium today. For example: If you plan in two years to consume 14 kW per cabinet then install the proper outlets that allow for that consumption today. This will reduce setup fees and the time to install resulting in a lower total cost of ownership.
3) Is the data center in a single floor, single tenant building?
Operating a data center is all about controlling risk; multi-tenant buildings make that nearly impossible. For example, if your data center is on the fifth floor, how do you ensure that a water leak on the floor above will not affect your operations?
4) What free services are included (loading dock, reboots, monitoring)?
Don’t underestimate the costs you’ll incur for extras. You may only need 3 reboots per month now and thats fine until something happens and you need 20. Its not about the first invoice; its about the total cost over the course of the relationship..
5) What are the tools the data center can offer to help with your growth? (SAN, data backup, server management, monitoring, cloud services?)
For example, if a server goes offline at 2AM, does the data center have 24/7 on-site staff with the skills needed to resolve the problem?
About the Author
Scott Palsgrove joined Net Access during its first year of operations and has over 15 years of sales and technology management experience. As Sales Manager, Scott has helped to develop flexible and innovative products and services that have resulted in accelerated sales revenue growth. Scott is responsible for sales and product strategy, marketing, and partner development.