Sunday, August 17, 2008

New Advances in Web Hosting

By Matt Hedges


It is obvious that there is a need for every company to have an online presence and the same can be said for those who like to impart information or have technical skills. The growth of web hosting can be seen because of internet savvy people who like to impart knowledge and market themselves whilst offering music, videos and pictures. The ability to do all of this is created by operating systems, the Web Hosting platforms. There have been recent breakthroughs in Web Hosting and the hosts are always looking to improve their services and provide cutting edge technology to clients.

Getting to grips with Web Hosting Platforms.

The two main types of web hosting platforms are the Windows and Linux systems and these are the operating systems that are used to support the hosting of websites.

Linux can be seen as the older and standard type of web hosting platform. Linux is seen as very reliable and is able to utilize its disk space and memory effectively. It is said that in excess of 70% of web servers use the Linux / Unix system because it is cheap and has fantastic power and can be relied upon.

The other platform is Windows - Window is what Microsoft has offered to the world as a response to web hosting and its popularity is on the increase. Part of the reason for this surge in popularity is due to the programming aspects contained within it which offers developers the chance to use ASP and ASP.NET programming environments. Another string reason for using this platform is due to the way it integrates with other .NET server technologies, including:

* SQL Server 2000

* SQL Server 2000

* SQL Server 2000

Web Hosting packages used to be bundled with only the minimum features but many of these features are vital to the package and they include:

Disk Space - All the Web Hosting accounts come with a certain amount of disk space that the customer can use to store all his/her files. The space differs from package to package. A shared Web Hosting has less disk space than the customized one.

Email Accounts - The Web Hosting package allows a certain number of email accounts depending upon the price of the package. The email accounts are a common feature of hosting, particularly while hosting a domain. There are some Web hosts that let their customers have control over their mail settings. Other hosts will do all the set up for the clients. The configuration of the email accounts is a matter of personal preference but however there are basically four main types of mail accounts - POP3, forwarding, aliases and auto responders.

* Uploading files via FTP access - Another feature that appears in a great number of hosting accounts is the ability to have FTP access. If the user wishes to load files to their site or edit or erase content held on the server, the simplest way to do it is via FTP access, which is far quicker than utilizing a web=based interface to do the same task.

Modern breakthroughs in Web Hosting:

With the advancement of technology and companies going global, the requirements of the companies as well as the individuals have changed. The Web Hosts are also committed to deliver the latest and up to date technologies to their customers.

The technology up gradation of the Windows Server technology and the release of the Windows 2003 Server provides what is now arguably known as the highest performance server environment. It provides outstanding support for the web developers and has a single vendor (Microsoft) committed to its ongoing development.

These improvements have meant that Windows and Linux are closer and there are instances of inter-operability between the two. Previously, each system has distinct advantages over the other but now there is not the same distinction between the two. This means that which system is offered by a host is not as important to a client as it once was. The majority of clients today are able to base their web his decision of features and factors if the company itself as opposed to the operating system they use.

Web hosting software

The development of the new Web hosting software is the recent advancement in the Web Hosting field. This software makes Web Hosting more efficient and effective. They are available to assist in the functioning of Web Hosting in the following ways:

* Allowing users to benefit from the automation facility of creating accounts

* Allowing users a better quality of management with regards their dedicated servers

* Making many tasks able to be automated allowing administrators increased time to work on other issues.

The company is aided by the software in a number of ways. Automation can reduce the time it takes to provide control and services from hours to minutes and the whole process becomes easier to control.

The Windows dedicated server software are Plesk for Windows, Helm for Windows, Easy Admin Exchange Control Panel, Cold Fusion MX, Anti Virus & Security Software to name a few.

Linux also offers a number of dedicated server software packages including,the Linux dedicated server software are centOS Linux, Fantastico De Luxe, cPanel / Web Host Manager, Red Hat Enterprise, Plesk for Linux and Anti Virus Software and Security Software.

> Web Hosting and Voice over Internet Protocol technology

The Web Hosting industry is ever growing and coming up with new technologies to serve their customers better. The Web Hosts in the market compete with each other in providing the most up to date and latest technology to the clients. There has been a recent advancement in Voice over Internet Protocol technology in Web Hosting field. The new advancement has enabled anyone with a computer and a broadband Internet connection to communicate worldwide without paying the usual long distance fees.

The beauty of VOIP is that it adds an increased level of service without any difficulty which makes it attractive to firms. This means there is a large number of firms offering the service in an attempt to cash in on it.

Of course, the web hosting industry is always seeking ways to gain an advantage and they are developing an interest in VOIP. A number of the highest ranked hosts have looked into launching VOIP, a telephone service that utilizes VOIP technology and aim to offer this service across the globe.

The Launch of Virtual Rack:

The "virtual rack solution" was created by one popular web host and it offers the benefits of rack solutions to customers who may have as little as two servers running. The chief goal of this product is to enable customers to have 100% customization on their own web hosting.

Once the customers are in a private rack, they can pick the servers they want. They can also pick which advanced network and security technologies they prefer, whether it's advanced firewall from the line of Cisco ASA firewalls or load balancers from server iron. With Virtual Rack, the customers can tell the Web Hosts how they would like their configuration to be, and exactly what IP arrangement they want.

There is no doubt that the advances and improvements in Web Hosting have greatly increased the efficiency and effectiveness of the industry. All of these steps have played a part in fulfilling customer needs and serving the consumer purposes in a far better manner and one which may have exceeded expectations.

About the Author:

No comments: