When opting for a dedicated server, you rent your own physical space, reserving it solely to host your files, applications, and websites. In practical terms, we can say that while the shared server would be like an apartment surrounded by a multitude of neighbors, the dedicated server would represent a quiet house, just for you.
Considering that the two “properties” are rented, which one would you have more privacy? The house, of course. However, in this context, the apartments would already be furnished and without the possibility of many changes. In the house, in turn, you would have to furnish it. This is the aspect we mentioned above: the customization of software and hardware.
In summary, imagine that dedicated servers which can be connected to hardware like Dell PowerEdge T440 are just like a personal computer, but on a much larger scale and made up of multiple microprocessors, RAM, hard disk, and more.
Designed to handle large amounts of information, they can work in two ways:
Managed
A managed dedicated server has a company behind it to handle the execution and maintenance tasks. You choose the settings and send your data; only that, as the rest is the contractor’s responsibility. As it is an outsourced service, you will have support and monitoring available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year. System updates, virus scans, and SPAM filtering, finally, all of that (and a little more) will be included.
Unmanaged
The unmanaged will entail you in absolutely all functions. This means that you will have full control, responsible for maintenance, operation, security, etc.
In this case, the risks and costs will be much higher, so managed hosting is considered the best alternative.
How To Set Up A Dedicated Server?
As far as the dedicated server configuration is concerned, everything will depend on the way it is provided. For example, it can be delivered with a control panel or not. As it is responsible for installing additional services, upgrades, and maintenance in non-managed plans, the organization will have to hire a trained administrator who knows how to work with command-line servers.
However, when opting for a managed plan, the control panel mentioned will come as part of the service, significantly assisting in the process. On Windows servers, Plesk usually is used. When running on Linux, the cPanel panel is usually the option.
