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Dedicated Servers -
Do You Need
One?
By: Steve Leggett
Do I need a dedicated server?
This is one of those questions that is always present in the back of a
webmaster's mind. As a website grows, the demands placed on the server
grow right along with it, slowing performance for every site that is
hosted on it.
The typical small site can get along just fine on a shared server, but
dedicated servers are a must for larger, busier sites.
Is it time for
a dedicated server?
Here are a few things to consider if you're wondering if you need to
move to a dedicated server:
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* How large is your
site? The more pages it has, the more traffic it will have (in
general). Higher traffic sites perform better on dedicated servers.
* Do your pages
use a lot of server side scripting and/or databases? If you use
server side includes to place several pieces of content on your pages,
it can really affect the performance of a shared server.
Large, heavily used CGI scripts and SQL
databases are also resource intensive. If you use any of these
capabilities on your site (especially if you use more than one), you
would probably be better off with a dedicated server.
* Have you noticed
a severe decrease in your website's response time? You may have
two or more of these factors working together to place a heavy strain
on the server. If so, it's probably time to make the move to a
dedicated server.
Conclusion
Dedicated servers aren't cheap to operate and maintain. They usually
cost several times more than shared hosting. And dedicated servers
typically don't come with the management that you're probably used to
with shared servers. Even simply having your dedicated server rebooted
occasionally may cost you extra!
You'll have to either learn how to manage your dedicated server
yourself, hire someone else to do it for you, or pay extra for a
managed dedicated server.
But if your website's size, traffic, and design make a dedicated server
a necessity, you'll be better off making the move now instead of
waiting for your current server to come to an abrupt halt.
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About The Author
Steve Leggett is the owner of WebHostGear.com and many other
upcoming
Internet properties. Steve runs Tower Host which specializes in
Reseller Hosting and Cpanel Hosting services.
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