After a recent episode with my hosting company shutting down my site because it was using too much CPU resource, I decided to look into purchasing a dedicated server.
The main reasons were to ensure that my sites were always up and running as they are my livelihood and if they are down for any length of time it obviously hurts my pocket.
So if you are running websites that gets good traffic or uses high resource software like direct mailers, etc... a dedicated server is for you. This was my thinking anyway.
I was adamant I was not going to use Hostgator, as they were causing me so many problems with my current hosting. Aside from the fact that it takes them forever to respond to support requests.
So I shopped around a little and decided to use a UK company as I'm based in the UK. I was a little unsure whether to use a Linux or Windows based machine and so questioned the sales person for some time regarding the benefits of both. I have to say 2 weeks on I am totally convinced I chose the wrong option.
I decided to buy a Windows based Server. At first it seemed a great choice. The Hosting company have their own Control Panel built into the machine and it was a breeze to use when setting up domains. However, as anybody who has used a Windows based server will probably justify, they are a complete nightmare when you come to load up your websites. (Unless of course you are a Windows Server Certified Professional).
I use a lot of PHP/SQL based systems for my websites, and despite the sales person stating they are supported by Windows Server, the usual commands I am used to using, i.e. CHMOD, Redirect, etc... are not available in the standard control panel. I had to learn how to use IIS6 to make the sites work. This is not an overnight process, and resulted in many hours of frustration.
In fact it got so bad that I left my sites with the current host whilst I decide on my next course of action.
I am a total convert to Linux based systems, as it uses the Web Host Manager and Cpanel interface. If it's not already installed on the server, this can be easily achieved with the free download of this software available on the internet.
The reason I purchased the Windows based system originally was because the sales person stated that it was GUI based, which it was. But it doesn't allow you to change things like write permissions, domain forwarding, or even SQL databases easily.
My recommendation is to stick with Linux based systems, certainly for the immediate future anyway. As I believe cpanel is being released on the Windows platform in late 2008. Probably 6 months too late for me though as I'm returning to Linux.
Steve Sharpe is the CEO and Editor in Chief of http://www.articleland.co.uk He has been in internet marketing for a number of years and lives with his family in Cardiff, South Wales, UK. Article Marketing is his area of expertise and he is offering a free book entitled Article Marketing Avalanche on his website.
