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Virtual Private Servers - what are they?
Virtual Private Servers are a hot topic these days for good reason.
They combine the control and security advantages of a dedicated server
environment with the lower cost of a shared server environment. Virtual
Private Servers should not, however, be confused with Virtual Hosting,
which is a completely different type of shared-server environment.
With Virtual Hosting, you are sharing the physical server and you are
also sharing a single set of software applications, which is configured and
controlled by the server’s administrators – not you. Unlike Virtual Hosting,
a Virtual Private Server is a single physical server that is “partitioned”
at the root into multiple virtual
dedicated servers. This allows you to
share the cost of hardware, network connectivity, and system maintenance
with other hosting customers while still enjoying the flexibility and
freedom of a dedicated server.
The popular analogy you often hear is
that of a condominium complex. The entire condo building itself represents
the hardware of the physical server while each individual condo represents
the “virtual” dedicated servers partitioned within it. Each tenant maintains
control over access and what goes on inside their own unit, while everyone
in the complex shares the cost of building maintenance and common services.
In the Virtual Private Server environment, only the hardware is
controlled by the server administrators while the software is controlled by
you. Because you have root access to the server, you pretty much have
complete control over the function of your Virtual Private Server. You
usually get individual Web, FTP, POP, IMAP servers and SMTP gateway. You
also have access to the “virtual” root, Telnet and your web server
configuration files. Plus you’ll have full CGI-BIN access, complete log
files and access to your password and aliases file and sendmail.cf. In other
words, all the comforts of a dedicated server at a fraction of the
cost.
For these reasons, a Virtual Private Server can be an
excellent solution for small- to medium-sized businesses that have
increasingly complex needs for their Web sites but also need to stretch
their budget.
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