Dedicated Hosting Server In USA
When looking for a dedicated hosting server in the USA, you may want to consider several aspects. A dedicated US hosting provider can be based in any US state; some states have more providers to choose from (e.g., Florida) than others (e.g., Alaska). Each host offers varying server specs and pricing. In this article, we elaborate on what you can expect from dedicated US servers, and what you may want to consider.
First, let’s define dedicated servers. A dedicated server is a type of hosting, where the client is leasing a separate server, as opposed to shared hosting. The server computers are placed in data centers with a special environment and redundant power sources. Dedicated servers are typically used for projects that can not co-exist with other projects on the same server (e.g., those that need increased resources). Leasing a dedicated server is very flexible; it allows you to have full control in the choice and customization of your hardware and software (operating system, database, applications).
The first aspect to consider is who will be administrating your server – you or the service provider. You can obtain server administration as an add-on service from your hosting company, or perform technical work on your server yourself. The four main types of server management to choose from are Fully Managed (the provider does all of the work), Managed (the provider does most of the work), Self Managed (you do most of the work), and Unmanaged (you do all of the work). Server management provided by the host can include operating system and application updates, server and application monitoring, technical support, antivirus and firewall updates, intrusion detection, backups and restoration, database administration, and software configuration.
The next aspect is your operating system. The commonly offered operating systems are Linux, BSD, and UNIX (open source), and Microsoft Windows Server (commercial). The commercial software packages often come at fixed monthly prices. The support for your operating systems may include updates, security fixes, and system vulnerability resolutions. If the host performs these updates, you won't have to carry this burden.
The next aspect is bandwidth (data transfer rate/amount), which is the amount of monthly traffic that you purchase. Bandwidth price is commonly stated per gigabyte. The most common bandwidth range is 500 to 3000 gigabytes. The major hosts can provide 1 Terabyte of bandwidth. The bandwidth overage usually incurs additional fees and the additional gigabytes will be invoiced. Most hosts offer some kind of network uptime guarantee too, such as a 99-100% uptime guarantee offered by higher quality providers.
The server provider will typically provide server security in the form of protection from invaders, spammers, hackers, Trojans, worms, and crashers (multiple connections). Most providers will also provide you with a web-based control panel. The provider may have certain limitations, such as no IRC (Internet Relay Chat), no adult content (for legality reasons or bandwidth), etc. Note that all providers have different specs, terms, and billing models, as there are no clearly defined industry standards yet.