Friday, August 5, 2011

New Advances in Web Hosting

By Gregory Trune


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.

Web Hosting Platforms - what are they?

What is known as a web hosting platform can generally be describes as an operating system whose primary task is to support the act of Web Hosting. Linux and Windows are the two types of Web Hosting platforms that are seen as the most traditional.

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.

Windows - Windows is Microsoft's answer to Web Hosting and is becoming highly popular with the Web developers with its potential ASP and ASP.NET programming environments. This operating system also integrates very well with the advanced .NET server technologies such as:

* Commerce Server 2002

* Commerce Server 2002

* BizTalk Server 2002

Previously the Web Hosting Packages came with only the basic features. Some of the features that are essential in any traditional Web Hosting Package are:

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.

FTP Access - Another common feature of all the paid hosting accounts is the FTP access. The FTP programs allow the users to upload files, edit and delete the contents on the server much more quickly than using a web-based interface.

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.

One area where the advances have brought many changes is with regards to the Linux and Windows operating systems and the features provided by the two have never been closer. There used to be key differences between the two, allowing users to make a distinct choice between the two but this is no longer the case and the differences are now minimal. It is now the case where a hosting company does not have to make a massive choice over which operating system to offer as it is not a major concern to a client. Nowadays, it is more likely a client will base their choice of web host on the range of features and price they offer as opposed to the operating system they have in their package.

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:

* Automation of account creation

* Management of 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 VOIP - Voice over Internet Protocol technology

As the Web host industry continues to go from strength to strength, there is a growing need to develop new products and technologies to ensure customers remain satisfied. The Web Hosting industry is fiercely competitive and rival firms know they have to push technology forward to be in a position to best serve their clients and win customers. One key development in recent times in the Web hosting industry revolves around Voice over Internet Protocol technology. These advances has allowed any computer user who also has access to a broadband Internet connection to be able to communicate with other people all over the world without being charged the level of fees that is normally associated with this level of communication.

The service providers have discovered that the VoIP can add a new, and often very appropriate, dimension to their services without much difficulty. The VOIP companies are coming up in great numbers in hopes of cashing in on the rather new industry.

It can be seen that the Web host genre is coming up quickly with regards to this provision and is looking to follow on. A sizeable proportion of the key Web hosts have devised plans to launch VOIPO, a telephone services that utilizes the benefits of VOIP. This is something that a Web Host provider would seek to distribute across the world

Launching the provision of the 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.

Having installed the virtual rack, the client is able to choose the servers they truly desire or need. There is also the provision for them to choose which type of network and security-based technologies they would like to have. These can range from loaded balances that are provided by server iron to the range of ASA firewalls from Cisco. If a customer ever wanted to tell their Web host exactly how they would like their web site to be configured or to demand what IP arrangements would be best for them, the Virtual Rack will allow them to do it all.

The recent advances and developments are sure to make Web Hosting more efficient and effective. They will help in serving the purpose of the consumers in a way more than expected!




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