merylvingien Posted February 14, 2010 Share Posted February 14, 2010 Just wondering if anyone uses a dedicated server rather than shared hosting? I have a handful of websites and the number seems to grow monthly I am not happy with the preformance of the shared hosting that i have at the moment. I assume that with a dedicated box i can host as many sites as i want? Having never delved into dedicated machines before, how easy are they to setup and use? Any info or pointers would be appreciated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel0 Posted February 14, 2010 Share Posted February 14, 2010 I assume that with a dedicated box i can host as many sites as i want? Yes and no. 'Yes' because there won't be anyone telling you that you're not allowed to put one more site on the machine. 'No' because the more sites you host on a single machine, the more spread thin your resources will be. Having never delved into dedicated machines before, how easy are they to setup and use? If you have no experience with server administration, not easy at all. You can opt for a managed dedicated server (so the hosting company will take care of the administration), but these are typically significantly more expensive. In between shared hosting and dedicated hosting you can also go with a VPS (Virtual Private Server). This way works by running multiple virtual machines (VM) on a single physical machine so you'll still have your own separate environment but at a lower cost than renting an entire physical machine. There are pros and cons of all three types of hosting though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merylvingien Posted February 14, 2010 Author Share Posted February 14, 2010 Thanks for the reply Daniel0 I have done some research into what i have now, and a couple of the sites that i have are on servers with around 300 other sites as well. I have about 10 sites that i want to host and one would assume that a dedicated machine with only 10 sites has to be better than 300 sites. All my sites are reasonable amount of traffic, ie nothing too serious, but they need to be fast, super fast! Is there somewhere obvious where i could study server administration? I have done some searching and will continue to do so. I suppose what i am meaning when i say is it easy! Is do you get a blank screen when you first fire the thing up, with a help topic stating echo "hello world"; LOL If i EVER see that phrase again i am going to commit suicide Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonnoTheDev Posted February 15, 2010 Share Posted February 15, 2010 I am not happy with the preformance of the shared hosting that i have at the moment. Shared hosting is generally crap, but you get what you pay for. With cheaper hosting expect lots of downtime. I would never put a complex site created for a client on a shared server. A small static site however, yes. If you are used to the interface on a shared server i.e cPanel then there is no reason not to have the same software installed on your dedicated server i.e WHM/cPanel. This may be a good choice if you are new to Linux server administration. Most hosts will offer managed servers so if something goes wrong or you need help then you get it. If you don't opt for a managed server then it is left upto you to update the software, install whatever you need, configure the server, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orionsbelter Posted February 16, 2010 Share Posted February 16, 2010 Hi there i am a newbie to web programming however i had a VPS for over a year it found it hard to first but it seems to be the same as a hosting account as long as you do not what to do anything else other than host your websites and basic manage you should be fine. I went with godaddy they are very good and offer managed servers i would choose this option (although i did not). Just change your NS and DNS info of your domains to point to your new VPS (You can find help on this from the sever provider) and then upload your files from your old hosting account and database if you need too. I would say that it is well worth spending the money on a VPS, and it is possible in my opinion to learn as you go along. Good Luck with this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merylvingien Posted February 18, 2010 Author Share Posted February 18, 2010 Went with a semi dedicated in the end, wish i hadnt bothered, nothing works! No emails work, my scripts are fecked beyond all recognition... Pretty unhappy with the whole experience actually Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel0 Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 What's a semi-dedicated? Like a VPS? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merylvingien Posted February 18, 2010 Author Share Posted February 18, 2010 Similar! Semi d only has 12 users per server and you are garanteed a 12th of the servers resources. They do seem to be helpful, but i just know that they saying "we got a right one here" Its not intuative at all. I mean does the domain name have to be actively pointing at the server before emails can be sent? I havent got a clue.. All i know is that emails arent being sent out... I am having issues with my php pages, which work perfectly on the previous server and my local server.. I am stressed LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel0 Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 I mean does the domain name have to be actively pointing at the server before emails can be sent? I havent got a clue.. All i know is that emails arent being sent out... You need to point MX records to the IP address or domain name where the MTA (Mail Transfer Agent) is. Ask your host. Edit: Wait, you're having trouble sending mails. Still, you would have to ask your host. They know exactly how their systems are setup (hopefully!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roopurt18 Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 Went with a semi dedicated in the end, wish i hadnt bothered, nothing works! No emails work, my scripts are fecked beyond all recognition... Pretty unhappy with the whole experience actually You need to make sure your installation of Apache, PHP, and MySQL are all at least the same version or higher as the server you are migrating off of. You also need to make sure Apache and PHP have enabled any modules that your software requires. For example if your PHP script uses mcrypt you'll need to enable it on the new server. You'll also want to check that certain ini directives are correctly configured. If I had seen this thread sooner my recommendation would have been to install VMWare Server, which is a free virtualization software. Once installed you could have created a guest machine running either Ubuntu or CentOS. Then I would have recommended fully configuring and installing your virtual server, performing such tasks as installing Apache, PHP, MySQL, configuring the firewall, testing each of your sites on it, creating a back-up routine, setting up e-mail, etc. Depending on how diligently you work on it, the entire process could take two to four weeks. But once finished you would be more comfortable with ordering and administering a server of your own. I know that they're helpful to novices, but software like WHM and plesk drives me nuts. They install shit you don't need and trying to find the proper check box for a setting can be a royal pain in the ass. (edit) Seeing as you've already ordered the server, I'd stay the course and get your stuff working on your new hosting. Then see how happy you are with how well things run (or don't run). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merylvingien Posted February 18, 2010 Author Share Posted February 18, 2010 This is a managed server, running whm so its pretty easy to setup new accounts etc. Its only my first day so i guess that things will work themselves out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orionsbelter Posted February 28, 2010 Share Posted February 28, 2010 I get that all the time, when i move severs stuff stops working i stress out too usually demanding the sever company to "SORT IT OUT MAN" lol i usually find i need to make a few changes in the php.ini file and change the version of php to the old severs version. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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