Plesk Panel

Billed as the most complete control panel on the market, Parallels Plesk Panel is designed to provide a wide range of functions in an easy-to-understand interface. While added features mean added complexity for the end user, the Plesk system does offer a full lineup of add-ons and utilities to make their control panel even more useful and provide added customization opportunities for users. Plesk is preferred over cPanel for Windows by most professional web administrators, but DNS management and virtualized hypervisor solutions make Plesk’s control panel an outstanding choice for server management whether they run on Linux or Windows operating systems.

cPanel/WHM

With unparalleled ease of use, point-and-click convenience and an intuitive GUI, cPanel is one of the most popular VPS control panel choices in the world. Users can easily create and manage all aspects of a MySQL database, manage email accounts, incorporate an auto-responder function, set up subdomains and directories and manage password protection for those locations and even add domains to the existing website structure, all with the flexibility clients need to manage their websites effectively. For Linux systems, cPanel and WebHost Manager are considered to be the state of the art in control panels, while the Windows version of cPanel, Enkompass, is somewhat less popular and provides a solid basis for most website maintenance tasks.

DirectAdmin

The major selling point for DirectAdmin control panel software is its exceptionally low memory footprint, which allows it to run almost invisibly in a smaller VPS hosting environment. DirectAdmin is significantly less expensive than the two market leaders as well, making it a viable alternative for companies looking to save money and manage their space and memory requirements more effectively in the VPS marketplace. While lacking some of the features of the two market leaders, DirectAdmin web control panel interfaces are extremely easy to use and may be preferred by novice web administrators.

Webmin

Designed to perform in the UNIX environment, Webmin is a web-based suite of system administration applications that also includes the Virtualmin and Cloudmin modules. Users can access the administration control panel through the integrated console or remotely through the internet, making Webmin a solid choice for UNIX administrators who want added flexibility in their interface options.

Interworx

While lacking some of the versatility of the cPanel system, Interworx provides added security by installing Advanced Policy Firewall along with the base software package. This allows out-of-the-box protection and added security for the VPS; however, the interface and options may be overwhelming for some novice users.

SolusVM

Designed specifically to work within the VPS hosting environment, Solus Virtual Manager (SolusVM) provides outstanding cluster control through its easy-to-use interface. Point and click convenience allows administrators to schedule automated backups, manage security settings and create hierarchies for the entire sales and administrative team that offer real chain-of-command workflow solutions for business uses.

Parallels Pro Control Panel (Formerly Ensim Pro)

With a well-organized interface and an outstanding spam filter feature, Ensim rivals cPanel in its array of features and can be implemented in both Windows and Linux VPS environments. However, Ensim offers fewer appearance customization options for its clients than Plesk or cPanel, which may limit its appeal for some clients and end users.

First of all, a good rule of thumb is to find the best provider possible. Make sure they offer technical support 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If your website is geared toward selling products to customers in the United States and you live in the United States, then it’s probably a good idea to have the VPS hosting in the United States or North America. That’s because you’ll be able to contact the customer support team whenever you have a problem.

If your VPS location is in a country that’s in a time zone far away from yours, you may have trouble reaching customer support. For example, if you’re in the United States and your server is in Australia, it could take you an entire day to contact customer support. Of course this may not apply if your hosting provider offers 24 hour customer support, as most reputable providers do.

The VPS location can matter when it comes to your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) as well, for a couple different reasons. For example, Google now factors page speed into its search engine ranking factors. If your site is geared toward visitors from the US but is hosted in a remote location with a poor internet connection, it could impact your ranking. On the other hand, simply hosting in the same country as your visitors doesn’t guarantee that your server performance is will be better. You have to take into account the reliability of the server itself and the speed of your VPS Hosts internet connection. Also, your results could be affected by search engines geo-locating your site in the wrong country, however you can usually bypass this by indicating your primary target country within your Google Webmaster Tools account.

Another way VPS hosting is affected by geographic location is based on climate. Recently, Facebook, Google and Microsoft set up server farms in Sweden and Siberia. The rationale behind the remote location is based on the cost of maintaining the servers. In colder climates, it doesn’t cost as much to keep the servers cool and comfortable as it does in temperate or hot climates. The lower temperatures keep the electric bills lower, and those savings can be passed on to you in the form of lower fees for your VPS. Similarly, the cost of electricity may vary from country to country, often depending upon abundance of natural resources. So it may make economic sense for you to host your VPS in a country with cheaper electrical rates, as the cost savings may be passed on to you in some form.

If server speed, internet connection and customer support are equal, then the choice is yours as to where your server is hosted. It may come down to your comfort level in working with any given hosting provider, depending on business hours, supported currencies and the language they speak when they pick up the phone.

VPS servers are usually much faster than shared servers. The reason for that is because when you rent a server through VPS, you are the only one in that section of the server. With shared servers, it’s like living in a college dormitory. The people in the room next to you can stink up your room, disrupt your room with noise and be a general hindrance to you and there’s very little you can do about it. Think of VPS Hosting as like living in a country house with no neighbors for miles around you. With so much space to yourself, your life online will be much faster, more efficient and less cluttered. It’s unlikely that you’ll experience very many server malfunctions while on VPS servers.

Another reason that VPS servers are now preferred over shared servers is because you truly get what you pay for in terms of disk space. When you’re on a shared server, they tell you that you get a ton of space, which seems like it would be impossible for you to get slowed down by other sites on the same server. However, they can saturate any server, and give you five-hundred neighbors, who will all take a chunk of your speed for themselves. With a VPS Server, if they tell you you’re getting a certain amount of storage and memory, you will get exactly that amount. While it may cost a bit more to go the VPS route, it certainly pays off when you’re actually getting what you pay for.

Finally, a VPS Server is a more sought-after server because it is very customizable, as compared to a shared server. When you are renting space on a VPS Hosting plan, the space is very much yours. You’ll be given root access to the server, which means you are free to install as many different kinds of panels as you like. Shared servers, on the other hand, are far more restricted. There are also larger uptime guarantees with VPS servers and the likelihood of total server crashes are greatly diminished as compared to shared hosting plans.

A VPS Server is definitely the best choice for those who want to have more control over their web sites. Your site will run smoothly, efficiently and will be durable. You won’t have to worry much about server crashes and a lack of freedom with installing panels. Web Hosting has been improved a lot because of VPS, and it’s time for everyone to enjoy the best hosting plans the internet has to offer.

Virtual Dedicated Server (VDS)

Packaged VDS services provide a virtual discrete server that runs isolated from other servers. For practical purposes, a VDS is a stand-alone machine over which users have full control. For example, VDS services allow users to use virtualization to run different operating system (OS) software at once. VDS packages have dedicated resources, so they never slow down, even when neighboring servers perform at peak levels. Better performance and more flexibility attract many users to the VDS platform.

Although the VDS runs independently from other servers, it does share an underlying part, the Hypervisor software. This sets up and manages independent machines within a shared space. Users should not confuse a VDS hosting plan with a dedicated server hosting plan which works on standalone hardware. VDS solutions provide almost identical services as a dedicated plan, so those two plans are almost identical. Greater differences exist between VDS and VPS packages, although many people also consider them interchangeable.

Virtual Private Server (VPS)

VPS hosting gives users a virtual server that resides on the same platform with tens or hundreds of other servers. They share resources providing virtual CPUs, memory and disk space with other VPS packages. This means performance can suffer depending on what other hosting customers do. VPS servers usually run a single OS and have less flexibility and stability than VDS solutions.

Because VPS resources overlap, customers can experience service issues if another server hosted on the same machine experiences heavy demand. These variations may cause problems with mission-critical applications, and force them to buy a VDS package.

Choosing between a VDS and a VPS

Many customers will decide to buy a VPS package because of its lower cost. After all, were there no price differential, everyone would probably buy the top-of-the-line VDS package. Businesses not forced into a VPS because of price can consider other factors. For example, companies that foresee a need to expand should consider buying a VDS hosting package because their flexibility.

Companies that do not expect to experience growth may not need the flexibility of a VDS unless they have a mission-critical application that needs it. Therefore, VPS hosting will suffice for most business environments. Flexibility also comes into play at this point. Companies that can use an out-of-box Linux or Microsoft OS will usually fit in a VPS package, but those who need custom arrangements should consider a VDS plan.

Server maintenance can also help decide whether businesses buy a VPS or a VDS. Like any discrete server, a VDS requires much maintenance. A company without the labor available to operate a VDS may find ways to adapt to a VPS product where they have less responsibility for its routine operation.

This means the users have administrator access that allows them to install their preferred applications, create or delete accounts and manage all functions related to server administration. This benefit requires users to have relevant knowledge in managing their VPS hosting accounts.

Among the first things to consider include the number of virtual machines in a physical server and how its system resources are divided among the machines. The type of control panel provided also matters.

For users to have an easy time administering their virtual server hosting accounts, they should consider a good control panel. This is the administrative tool the VPS host provides its clients to maintain their accounts easily. The control panel makes server management both simple and safe.

Examples of ideal control panels are cPanel/WHM, Plesk Panel and HSPcomplete. The panels provide powerful and user-friendly tools that help in performing necessary functions easily, quickly and reliably. Their intuitive interfaces simplify complex tasks and reduce overhead, which makes account management easy.

WebHost Manager (WHM) automates the tasks related to server management for the administrators. From the WHM home screen, the administrators can manage software, accounts and IPs among others. The home screen provides access to many features, including Server Configuration, Networking Setup, Support, Service Configuration, Security Center, Resellers, Server Contacts, Cluster/Remote Access, Backup, Locales, System Reboot, Server Status, Account Functions, Account Information, IP Functions, SQL Services, DNS Functions, Email, Software, System Health and Restart Services.

Both Windows and Linux users will have several features from their Plesk control panels, including Web, Mail, DB, FTP, DNS and Stats. They also have the ability to customize their designs with extra skins.

HSPcomplete gives the opportunity to manage an entire virtual server hosting account via 1 login interface. The template-based software is lightweight and user-friendly. Although it has a number of great features, however, this control panel is not ideal for reseller accounts.

There are also various control panels designed for specific servers, including Webmin, ISPConfig and Web-CP. Control panels are especially important for users interested in hosting clients on their VPS, as the control panels will help them manage all their clients effectively. Many hosting control panels include client control panels from where clients can manage their individual accounts.

VPS hosting requires effective management to prevent hackers from gaining access to personal data and installing malicious applications. In addition to having a powerful and user-friendly control panel, users need to install protection software such as root kit hunting programs to scan their accounts automatically every day.

Other important considerations in the virtual environment include:

• Understanding of storage workloads
• Avoiding intense disk I/O and unnecessary I/O operations
• Efficient use of disk space
• Using the right storage for workloads

The virtual private server is much more flexible of a solution than dedicated server hosting, which is usually only required in the case of an enterprise level business. On the small to mid size business level, traffic is not constant, and though you want to be able to handle the spikes, there has never been a need to pay for the unused portion when traffic is low.

The way to preserve your resources without losing anything is by a downgrade to the VPS hosting solution. A virtual private server gives you the same resources as a dedicated server. If you find that the virtual private server is not the solution for you, then you can upgrade slightly to the virtual dedicated server (VDS), a slightly more physically segregated environment.

There is also another scalable solution which is also dynamic (able to be changed in real time) which is called a cloud server. A cloud server is a virtual private server which is based in the cloud and provides even more flexibility for a business. Below are the key advantages to a cloud based virtual private server:

• The server can be moved to completely different hardware
• Additional hardware can be added in real time

What this means is that there is even less of a hardware load on your computers, no need to pay for constant updates, and no maintenance to be done on the client end.

Downgrading to a virtual private server also means that you can save money on internal IT as well. With a managed virtual private server the provider will be fully responsible for repairs and maintenance to the server, keeping you from having to pay an internal IT man or department to just sit there until something goes wrong.

As for the amount of data streaming, if this is a concern, you can get an unmetered virtual private server account. Unmetered virtual private server accounts are offered with no limit on the data that is transferred on a bandwidth line that is fixed.

You can also ask for the number of clients on a particular server. The virtual private server really only begins acting differently when there are a number of clients on the server, so much that the RAM and the disk space begins to be shared between clients too much. If the number of clients are kept to a minimum you have a better chance of having the space that you need to run at full dedicated server speed.

Overall, until your business grows into enterprise level territory, your money would be better served in marketing than in paying for the unused resources of a dedicated server. You can always move back up, and with another recession looming, it is smart to save every penny.

The answer depends on your needs.

On a shared host the web server, email, DNS, and other software is all configured and maintained for you by your hosting provider. Shared hosting systems are designed as a reliable way to meet the needs of the average website.

Shared hosting systems also have one major weakness: you’re sharing a server with many (sometimes hundreds) of other users. If one user’s website begins hogging memory, disk space, or database resources, the whole server slows down. If you’ve ever called tech support and been told that the problem was being caused by “another user”, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.

A VPS, in contrast, offers a completely customizable setup. Since it’s just like having a server of your own, you’re free to customize your website and other applications to your heart’s content. Want custom scripts that run automatically? No problem. Need to really customize the way your email gets delivered? Not an issue. Need custom Perl or PHP extensions? You don’t have to spend hours convincing your shared host to install them.

VPS providers usually doesn’t require a contract, can have you set up in minutes or hours, and frequently offer you the ability to increase the size and capacity of your server quickly and easily in the future.

You can also choose between a Linux VPS and a Windows VPS, depending on your preference and the technologies your website requires. If your site is built in ASP or .NET on a shared Windows host, you’ll probably want to choose a Windows VPS. If your site is a combination of PHP and MySQL on Linux, the Linux VPS is probably the better choice.

The main down side to VPS hosting is that it really is just like having your own server. Your shared hosting setup comes with system administrators that are configuring, installing, and updating all of the relevant behind-the-scenes software that makes your website and email work. With a VPS, you typically have to provide the technical expertise yourself (unless you have a managed service agreement – ask your VPS provider for details).

Because of the administrative requirements, some VPS providers bundle “control panel” software like cPanel/Enkompass or Plesk with their VPS installations. cPanel (Linux), Enkompass (Windows) and Plesk (Windows/Linux) offer an easy, point-and-click way to manage your entire server with minimal knowledge of the underlying operating system.

As with anything, asking your VPS provider some basic questions about who’s responsible for the server configuration, maintenance, and backups will get you all the answers you need to make an informed decision.

The bottom line is that VPS hosting provides you with incredible flexibility at a reasonable price. If you’re running into problems with your shared hosting setup, and you can handle the additional administrative work (or outsource it via a control panel or managed service agreement), a VPS is probably the best, most reasonably-priced option.

Be sure to comparison shop and discuss your needs. You probably won’t have to spend much more than with your shared host!

Virtualization is not quite as new as many people assume. IBM used the concept as far back as the 1960s to lower the cost of running various computers to run necessary but simple tasks. The problem was that running the tasks on the same computer led to conflicts.

Advanced technology led to lower prices, which made people largely forget about virtualization and simply purchase additional computers. However, further advancement brought its own challenges. Many physical servers demanded more cooling systems and used more power, leading to higher costs. On the other hand, many of the servers were underused by as much as 90%. Virtualization provided the perfect solution.

Although there were other industry players, IBM played a major role in the early stages of server virtualization. It developed several virtual machine systems, with its CP-40 being meant for full virtualization. In 1965, the company developed IBM System/360-67. Five years later, IBM came up with system/370, into which virtual memory (VM) was included in 1972.

The history of server virtualization as it is known today is slightly over a decade old and it is from this that VPS Hosting emerged. VPS acts a bridge between Web hosting plans offering particular services with limited disk space, and co-location, where people own and manage their own hardware and only rent space and Internet connection. VPS Hosting is ideal for those with more demands than can be met by shared hosting but still want something cheaper than a dedicated server.

In the 1990s, PhD students from Stanford University worked on virtualization space, which led to VMware. VMware introduced its series of VMware Virtual Platform products in 1999.

Although Windows had various virtualization products earlier, it started offering the service as a major part of server offerings in 2003. The ability to run multiple operating systems on the same machine at the same time became popular with SQL Server 2000.

Presently, virtualization is even embedded in mobile phone systems and the future is brighter with cloud VPS Hosting. According to Gartner, cloud computing was the second major technology that IT users focused on in 2010.

Three of the new concepts in cloud VPS are IaaS, PaaS and SaaS

IaaS, or Infrastructure as a Service, is where data center as well as infrastructure software and hardware resources are provided over the Internet. It provides operating system, server, database, disc storage and messaging resources.

PaaS, or Platform as a Service, provides the infrastructure where software developers may extend existing applications or develop new ones without purchasing production, development or QA server infrastructure. While companies can develop custom applications, independent software vendors can also develop third-party solutions.

SaaS, or Software as a Service, is the most popular form of cloud computing. This is where service providers or software vendors distribute their applications over a network, usually the Internet.

All 3 involve outsourcing of the management and maintenance of network and server hardware as well as application and infrastructure software.

VPS customers already know that they need a little bit more than the average hosting client. They have already learned that standard Web hosting packages lack the flexibility and accessibility they need to run their applications and to service their customers. When taking the leap from a Web hosting plan to an affordable VPS hosting provider, clients normally experience a noticeable price jump. Although clients ought to expect a higher price for a more substantial product, the need to control costs often drives companies to the VPS plans that come at the lowest price. Although this may make a good choice from a cash flow perspective, it may not be the best business decision.

Hosted VPS providers often strip their packages bare in order to offer servers at a price lower than their competitors. This means they come with the bare minimum resources. These servers work and many clients can use them as-is, but others find the cheapest servers will not run their applications at all, forcing them to decide to make costly package upgrades. When this happens, clients soon realize that the VPS host with the cheapest server may not provide the cheapest solution for them.

When shopping for a VPS, you should always pay attention to what comes inside the box and compare it to the requirements of your software and your business. After all, a low price will hardly help you if you are unable to use the product you buy. You should always shop by your application’s requirements, not price. Doing this makes you consider the upgrade options offered by each service provider, allowing you to calculate the total cost of your server, not just the bare-bones price.

Sometimes considering cheap VPS hosting as a marketing tool is the best approach to shopping. Hosting providers attract business by advertising the lowest price. Once they get your attention, you realize that their best price does not have the resources needed to support you. You then must buy the extra bandwidth, memory and CPU power your application needs. Suddenly the cheapest deal may not be cheap at all.

Understanding the possibility that cheap VPS hosting services may not satisfy every need, users should shop around before they buy. To start, they will need the affordable VPS hosting package that comes closest to meeting their requirements. After selecting the best affordable package, customers should add the extra resources they need. If a cheap VPS hosting package does not offer the flexibility to add features or if it costs too much, you probably should move on to the next affordable VPS hosting company on your list.

This is a question that you might see asked these days among many IT. According to various polls, most administrators prefer VMware ESX or ESXi over the other free virtual machine managers, mainly because it is capable of hosting the most VMs on a single server. Microsoft Hyper-V (R2) and Citrix XenServer 5.5 often rank second or third among other virtualization platforms favored by administrators.

Both Hyper-V and Xen are free stand-alone virtualization platforms that are fairly similar in performance. However, Hyper-V is marginally preferred over Xen because it is integrated into Windows Server 2008 and works well with Windows and other software environments. Xen is a Linux or Unix-based hypervisor that appears to work better with other VM software environments.

Hyper-V and Xen each have impressive features, and they both have fast and free functional versions. When considering which product is best suited for an enterprise or for private use, clients should examine the capabilities of the two products, and judge according to the needs of their network(s).

Hyper-V has its drawbacks, although it is often chosen over Xen and other hypervisors. For example, Hyper-V virtual machines (VMs) use more memory and disk space than traditional dedicated servers. The computer BIOS needs to have DEP enabled to prevent data execution, and it is important to remember that some software may have not been tested with Hyper-V, which could potentially lead to issues or conflicts with its VM virtualization in the future.

Briefly, let’s compare the Hyper -V and Xen hypervisors. Hyper-V is generally preferred over Xen mostly because it does not require special hardware to operate properly. It can basically operate with any hardware that Windows software is installed on; even older Windows servers are supported. It is also, laptop friendly, which means the Hyper-V VPS (virtual private server) is portable and can be transported and used essentially anywhere. Finally, Hyper-V VPS installs intelligently with less tolerance for error and it does not need a host OS for modifications.

The Xen VPS on the other hand is similar to the Hyper-V VPS, except there are notable deficiencies in its features. The fact that the Xen require special hardware (Intel-V or AMD-VT) to function and because it has to be installed on a Linux or Unix server, poses a major disadvantage for its virtualization platform. Also, it is comparably new to the IT market, therefore some software may not have been fully tested on its platform. Xen can not be installed on laptops, meaning the server cannot be transported. And finally, the Xen hypervisor has to be contained in the guest OS in order for the server to perform maximally, is a serious disadvantage of the Xen virtualizaion network.

Despite its disadvantages, Xen virtualization platform has many advantages. Among the benefits is its unique paravirtualization technique. The Xen VPS software drivers allow a server to use less access to software devices, as opposed to excessive visualization when it is not necessary. In addition, Xen supports Linux, Unix, Solaris, and other operating systems on a single server. Today, most servers are expected to use multiple OS guests. Xen supports guest OSes with quality performance. It is reliable and secure for PC’s, enterprises, and for cloud solutions.

Overall, Hyper-V and Xen hypervisors are alike in performance. They each offer live migration, which is essential for avoiding server downtime, and they both are free products. The decision to use one over the other will depend for certain upon the size of the enterprise, the needs of the network, centered around the future potential for growth.