what is dedicated, and is it a must for serious biz?

[realestate]

What is a dedicated host? One domain per server?

Is it possible to switch from shared to dedicated (with one click), without any problems & pain?

How much does it cost?

Let's say we expect 10.000 unique visitors a day, and host a million ads to be searched from database. (php mysql)
We still want to make sure site works fast, never collapses, and is secure.

Should we go dedicated?
Divide everything by 10 above. Should we go dedicated, or is shared server enough?

(don't click my sigs, they are screwed for a while)

[fishfreek]

Yes a dedicated server by definition is a server that has only 1 site on it OR is dedicated to a specific purpose (ie a database server only).

Is it a must? Well depending on the level of traffic the site gets and the level of control you want over the server a dedicated box may be benifital. For example on a shared server you will have any number of other sites all on the same box using the same resources your site uses. For a low traffic site this isnt a big deal but as your business grows in importance and its web existance becomes more critical the desire to have a greater control over the server and its resouces is higher. On a shared server any transgretions by any other domain could affect your site. IE a reboot, security compromise, or in the worse case a total shutdown of the server.

It is usually not possible to switch with a simple click. Switching would be just as involved with a dedicated server as it would be going to another shared server. You would need to download all your files and your databases and upload them to the new server and then make the approprate DNS changes and wait for that DNS change to propogate.

The number of visitors isnt the real driving factor for a dedicated server. its the overall server load by your site and the desire to have full control over the server speed (another site wont sap resouces from you) and a dedicated server would put the responsiblity of security on your sholders (unless you went with a managed ded server).

The cost of the server will vary greatly. I have seen dedicated servers for as low as $50/month or as high as $500+/month. The cost will partially depend on physical configuration. Does it have a celeron processor, pentium 4, dual pentium 4's or even quad processor. Does it have 512, 1gb, 2gb or 4gb of memory. Do you get unmeatered bandwidth or do you have a fixed limit and what the limit level is set at can affect the price. Is the service managed or unmanaged? An unmanaged service puts the responsiblity of daily server upkeep on you. A managed server puts the responsiblity on someone else. Managed services always cost more.

[realestate]

Thanks a lot. More questions.

Is managed dedicated host better than usual dedicated host?
If I order a host, I don't see where it is , how it works etc; so is it possible that
the server is not dedicated or dedicated but not managed as claimed.
Same question can be asked other things, like memory etc.

Can a shared hosting provider prevent bad effects of other sites on the server by putiing a limit on my site?

What would be the cost for managing a dedicated server? Do people need physical access to dedicated server to manage it?

So, is ordering a dedicated host essentially nothing more than renting a server?

quote<Does it have a celeron processor, pentium 4, dual pentium 4's or even quad processor.>

Are these good things?
I guess there is also pentium 5 on market.

[fishfreek]

I guess there is also pentium 5 on market.

Um.... NO. There are pentium xeons but they are not 5th generation pentiums.

A managed host is best for someone whom knows nothing or little about what is involved with managing the server on a day to day basis.

Alot of it comes down to trust but when you order a dedcated server and its unmanaged you get FULL access and FULL control of the server so it would be fairly clear if you was not getting what you paid for. You are basicly renting a server. Unless you chose to purchase your own server and have it hosted in a datacenter.

The costs depend on the managment company and what is included in their managment service. On a day to day basis there is no need for someone to physically visit the server. But on the rare occasion you cant remotly connect to the server someone may need to visit the physical machine to reboot it.

[Atom]

Happy New Year!

[docquesting]

Happy New Years.