Shared or virtual hosting is usually available on a
UNIX or Windows platform. What is the difference between
hosting on these operating systems?
Windows Servers are designed to accommodate advanced
Microsoft applications. Windows Servers therefore integrate
back office offerings such as FrontPage, Access and
MS SQL. Windows Servers also offer specific programming
environments such as Active Server Pages (ASP), Visual
Basic Scripts, and Cold Fusion, which mainly link database
applications to the Web. Windows servers usually do
not provide an interactive shell, but are accessible
through GUI-based remote administration packages such
as PCAnywhere or through a customized control panel.
Such packages allow you to log into the server's desktop
as chief administrator as long as you have full control
over your server.
Windows hosting is now an excellent option for both
shared and dedicated servers. Due to the latest technological
developments, Windows Servers can be more easily multiplexed
and managed due to .NET technology.
Windows is also an excellent operating system to
use if you intend to run your own dedicated server.
Since Windows servers provide unparalleled levels
of support, security and integration for the Microsoft
family of products, we recommend that consumers select
Windows hosting if they need to link a Microsoft-based
service to their Internet hosting requirements. Windows
hosting, however, is rather complex and labor-intensive
and should only be selected if a webmaster has extensive
experience in maintaining Windows systems remotely
and requires product/Web integration.
If a webmaster does not have experience in deployment
or development in the Windows environment, they might
opt to host on the UNIX platform.
A large number of hosting solutions are provided
on the UNIX platform. This is because the UNIX platform
is specifically designed to accommodate heavy Web
traffic and server loads. UNIX servers are robust
and are recognized for their ability to host multiple
sites and serve out gigabytes of traffic.
This platform is also preferred by most webmasters
due to their technical requirements. UNIX servers
provide a wider degree of flexibility due to their
shell environment. Shell environments are interactive,
text-based systems that allow webmasters to interact
and customize their services in real-time from any
computer system worldwide. Unlike Windows systems,
UNIX is not limited to special remote administration
programs. A typical UNIX system can be accessed from
any computer connected to the Internet without special
or expensive software.
But the most favored reason that most webmasters
choose the UNIX platform is because of its uptime.
Most UNIX systems with heavy traffic can provide 99
per cent uptime. Windows servers with heavy traffic
usually cannot make this same claim, unless specially
configured. For this reason, average webmasters should
select UNIX as their OS.
If you are a novice, you most likely will not require
Windows hosting and you should select one of many
UNIX hosting plans. The only time you would need to
use Windows hosting is when you are using the specific
Windows applications noted above. Microsoft FrontPage
may be used on both the UNIX and Windows platforms,
since most hosting firms support Microsoft FrontPage
server extensions on both. |
