Dedicated servers are an integral part of the web hosting landscape. Impossible to ignore, you will often find them at the centre of discussions about hosting providers. But what is it exactly?
A dedicated server is nothing more than a computer, without a screen or keyboard. This computer server is made available to a client by a host. An operating system, usually Linux or Windows, is installed on this computer. And on this operating system, programs or applications are installed, such as a web server, a database, a mail server, etc. The type and number of applications are limitless. It is therefore perfectly possible to use a dedicated server to host a messaging application, a website, or both simultaneously.
This dedicated server is installed in racks which are large computer cabinets, themselves arranged in a datacentre (or datacenter in English), that is to say, a computer data centre, generally designed to withstand various damage (electrical failures, network outages, etc.).
Does my website need a dedicated server?
No, not necessarily. There are several types of web hosting. The most common is shared hosting. Unlike a dedicated server, shared hosting consists of renting to the client a disk space and resources which are shared with other clients.
Shared hosting is more economical and simpler because it requires no technical skills: it is the host who is responsible for administering the servers. However, due to the pooling of resources, shared hosting is generally less efficient than a dedicated server, and also less flexible. You are not free to install the applications of your choice and must use the web environment as is.
Characteristics of a dedicated server
A dedicated server is a computer. It therefore has:
• Of a processor also called CPU: it is the computer brain of the dedicated server. The more powerful the processor, the more the server will be able to perform demanding tasks. This can have a very significant impact on the loading times of a website, for example.
• From memory, also called RAM: this memory is required for the CPU can work properly. Again, the more memory, the faster your dedicated server will be.
• From a hard drive to store the data (your files, databases, emails, etc.). There are several types of hard drives, those with larger capacities tend to be slower. For applications that need intensive access to data, such as databases, we will tend to favour SSD technology which allows very fast writes and reads.
• From a network card: this is the component that connects your web server to the Internet. A network cable is connected to it, connecting the dedicated server to network equipment from your host.
• Optionally, a RAID card: if the server has several hard disks, it is possible to configure them in redundancy, so that in the event of a failure of one of the hard disks (this happens quite frequently), the data is duplicated to another hard drive, and therefore there is no data loss if necessary. The RAID card is responsible for this data logistics.
Dedicated server and bandwidth
You will find that dedicated servers are often associated with the bandwidth provided by the host. This bandwidth is the size of the pipe that connects you to the Internet. It is, therefore, the speed of your server, expressed in Mb / s (Megabits per second) or Gb / s (Gigabits per second). The more speed you have, the faster your server can send information.
In practice, a bandwidth of 100 Mb / s is largely sufficient to host one or more websites. A higher bit rate may be necessary in the case of specific uses, such as audio or video streaming.
Difference between a dedicated server and VPS
Often the dedicated server is confronted with the VPS server. What is the difference?
A VPS server is a virtual server. Imagine that your dedicated server is a cake. Or a pie instead. I like pies, especially those with rhubarb. In short, cut it into 8 slices and serve them to your guests. Everyone will have a piece of the pie: it is his, he does not share it, and it tastes the same as the others. Everyone has a virtual server.
A virtual server is, therefore, a piece of a dedicated server. It has its characteristics (CPU, RAM, disk, bandwidth), its operating system. But in reality, it is not a computer in the physical sense of the term. It is a virtual machine.
Consequence: a VPS is cheaper than a dedicated server. But it is therefore also less powerful since you only have a part of the resources of the host server. So it's a compromise.
Dedicated server administration
Fortunately, it is not necessary to be on-site to administer a dedicated server. The management of a dedicated server is done remotely, by different connection means. For this, the host assigns the dedicated server a public IP address that you can use to connect to it.
Depending on the applications installed, it is possible to control the server either by a protocol such as SSH or from the browser directly if the dedicated server has an administration panel, such as Plesk, Webmin or cPanel.
However, technical knowledge is required. It is strongly recommended to have sufficient skills or failing to call on a service provider to administer its dedicated server in Bangladesh.
Managed dedicated server
When you entrust the administration of the dedicated server to a service provider (which can sometimes be the host itself even if it offers this service), we speak of a dedicated managed server. This service provider generally takes care of its maintenance, operating system and application security updates, monitoring server availability, and relations with the host.
Any outsourcing service has a cost, either billed by the hour of intervention or more frequently in the form of a monthly package. Sometimes the cost of server outsourcing can be much higher than the cost of renting the server itself.
Dedicated server hosts
First of all, dedicated servers are rented from a host and cannot be bought. Not all web hosts offer dedicated servers. Some have chosen to focus on the shared datacenter in Bangladesh, VPS servers, or Cloud Computing, which is sometimes considered more modern and better suited to the constraints of businesses.
If you want to choose a host to rent a dedicated server, you can, for example, turn to OVH (the best known in France), Online (its challenger) or Dhaka Colo (leader in hosting in Bangladesh). Of course, these are only the most well-known hosts, but many others offer dedicated servers. Do not hesitate to compare the offers and characteristics of each server.
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