Unix based hosting for websites

[Unix Man]

What would you recommend as far as Unix based hosting for websites?

Any particular vendors you would recommend -- or recommend against?

What are your thoughts about dedicated hosting, shared hosting, or jails?

[brenda003]

I'm moving to a dedicated server for my websites at the end of this month. I will be using www.cari.net, who seem really great so far, plus they are located in the same city as me.

Anyway, most hosting companies are going to be using Unix/Linux. I really have no recommendations - I've come to detest shared hosting!

[Aktiom]

Hi Unix Man,

Firstly, I should mention I run a VPS hosting service, http://www.aktiom.net . That being said...

Shared hosting is definitely the least flexible solution - no way to pick the software you need or install additional software (i.e. no control). It's cheap, but usually designed for the non-tech customers who just need a few HTML/PHP pages and maybe a database or two. Frustrating for the tech-savvy power users who need more power/control.

Dedicated hosting is better, but there are a few caveats. You get to control the entire server and can set up any software/kernel configuration you need, but unless you lease a machine with redundant components (disk, CPU, power supplies, NICs, fans) you risk having your server down for hours while the tech troubleshoots the problem and then locates and installs the spare components. Don't forget the time it takes to create a ticket to even have a tech look at your machine. In the event of a disk failure, unless you're running a fault-tolerant RAID setup, you may lose all of your data (unless you were diligent in making routine daily backups - most cheap dedicated server companies don't offer data backup solutions). If you do have backups of your data, you still have to re-install the server software and configurations and then restore your data. With a dedicated server you are left with a huge amount of responsibility for the physical machine itself, leaving you less time to focus on actually doing what you bought the service to do - run your websites.

Virtual Private Servers (known as jails on FreeBSD and 'zones' on Solaris) provide the best of shared hosting and dedicated hosting. Like shared hosting, you are not responsible for the physical machine. And like dedicated hosting, you get root on the server and can install almost any software you want. However, even VPSs have drawbacks. Depending on what virtualization software the hosting company uses, you may not be able to change your kernel or load kernel modules. You may also not have access to direct (software) access to the hardware. Most customers have no problems with these restrictions, as they are in most cases minor drawbacks that have no effect on the software they choose to run. Remember, you are sharing the physical resources of the machine with other VPSs. If the admins running the physical machine don't monitor for resource oversubscription or high loads, your VPS may become very slow (or totally unresponsive) if even a few other VPSs are using moderate resources. You really should choose a VPS provider that, at a minimum, uses machines with fully redundant components. Otherwise you are up the same creek without a paddle as you were with the dedicated hosting in the event of a hardware failure. On the other hand, a well-run VPS hosting service provides you with the ability to take advantage of a very powerful machine that will allow your VPS to operate even faster than a similarly priced dedicated server.

With VPSs, as with all hosting services, you usually pay for what you get. Beware the company that offers you everything under the sun for a pittance. Low cost providers still have to turn a profit somehow, and most likely it is by cutting corners with quality of physical machines, the network, tech support/service, and oversubscribing their resources/machines. Being in the telecom/computer industry for quite a while I can't stress enough how important it is to choose a company that will stand behind their product and is actually commited to not only satisfying, but exceeding the customer's expectations - there are companies that will take your money and leave you hanging in the wind if something breaks. Uptime and reliability are key in the telecom/computer industry and it's unlikely that you'll find those qualities at a bargain priced provider. Before you choose a service, I recommend emailing the support team and asking any and all questions/concerns you might have.

As I mentioned, I run www.aktiom.net . We compete on performance and service, not price. If you have any questions about us, please feel free to email .

David Anderson
Aktiom networks, LLC