Source: How To Select A Dedicated Server Provider
I'm currently evaluating the possibility to switch providers. The dedicated server that ghacks is currently running on is totally self managed which can be a real burden if it happens to go down at 4 in the morning. There are basically two types of dedicated servers for customers with lots of subtypes in between. Managed dedicated servers are largely maintained by the hosting company. The minimum that they usually do on their own are security updates, regular backups, server monitoring and hardware replacements. The system administrator is responsible for most of this on a self managed server which are usually cheaper than managed ones.
The first step in finding a good dedicated server provider is to make a list. What exactly do you need? Do you want to run a Windows or Linux dedicated server? How much hard drive space and computer memory should the server have? What about the processor, how much bandwidth should be included, what networking interface should the server use? A few factors cannot be fully answered at this time but some can. If you plan to migrate a website you know the requirements of that website. You also know if it is a high traffic site or uses lots of system resources like computer memory, hard drive or processor at the old site.
Dedicated servers are usually a good choice if the current hosting situation, may it be a VPS or shared hosting account, limits the growth of the site or the user experience. Requirements like computer memory or cpu are harder to judge. High traffic sites benefit from lots of computer memory and a fast cpu but there is also chance for an overkill. Running a blog with 100 visitors a day does not justify a high end dedicated server with 16 Gigabytes of RAM and Intel Dual Harpertown processors. A very populated forum on the other hand would benefit highly from that setup.
I'm currently evaluating the possibility to switch providers. The dedicated server that ghacks is currently running on is totally self managed which can be a real burden if it happens to go down at 4 in the morning. There are basically two types of dedicated servers for customers with lots of subtypes in between. Managed dedicated servers are largely maintained by the hosting company. The minimum that they usually do on their own are security updates, regular backups, server monitoring and hardware replacements. The system administrator is responsible for most of this on a self managed server which are usually cheaper than managed ones.
The first step in finding a good dedicated server provider is to make a list. What exactly do you need? Do you want to run a Windows or Linux dedicated server? How much hard drive space and computer memory should the server have? What about the processor, how much bandwidth should be included, what networking interface should the server use? A few factors cannot be fully answered at this time but some can. If you plan to migrate a website you know the requirements of that website. You also know if it is a high traffic site or uses lots of system resources like computer memory, hard drive or processor at the old site.
Dedicated servers are usually a good choice if the current hosting situation, may it be a VPS or shared hosting account, limits the growth of the site or the user experience. Requirements like computer memory or cpu are harder to judge. High traffic sites benefit from lots of computer memory and a fast cpu but there is also chance for an overkill. Running a blog with 100 visitors a day does not justify a high end dedicated server with 16 Gigabytes of RAM and Intel Dual Harpertown processors. A very populated forum on the other hand would benefit highly from that setup.
