iWeb Blog

At iWeb, we help manage your IT infrastructure so you can focus on growing your business. And that's why we publish articles here that we think will be of interest to founders, executives, IT professionals...and anyone interested in building successful businesses.

How Does a Dedicated Server Work?

October 29, 2018

Dedicated web hosting is what happens when a hosting service provider leases you a dedicated server. The server is custom-configured to your application, which could be a website, a private cloud, a database, streaming, VOIP, gaming, web hosting, or some other business need. Even though the hosting provider leases you the server, it is yours to manage.

And it doesn’t have to be just one: Multiple dedicated servers can be pooled together for even higher performance, availability and scalability. For larger businesses with more intensive workloads and applications – such as AI, gaming, VFX, and AdTech – this can be particularly appealing.

We’ve written a bit previously about the business considerations respecting dedicated servers and managed servers. Here, we’re going to discuss how dedicated servers work.

First, Choose Your Hardware

One of the big advantages of a dedicated server is customizability, and that begins at the hardware level. What kind of processor do you need? A single processor with up to six cores or a dual processor with up to twenty-four cores?

Then you’ll need to consider memory. If you have a single processor you can get up to 64 GB DDR4 of RAM. But if you spring for the dual processor, you can manage up to 256 GB DDR4 of RAM.

In terms of local storage, you can build your server with SATA, SAS, and SSD drives of various sizes. And of course, you can organize those drives into a RAID set.

Finally, you can further customize your server by adding NAS or SAN block storage, a dedicated load balancer, or a firewall.

Second, Choose Your Software

Customizability doesn’t stop with hardware. When you have a dedicated server, you also have a lot of options in terms of what software you install. Beginning with your operating system, you can typically choose from various editions of Windows Server, CentOS, Debian, and Ubuntu.

If you’ll be running a virtual server (or servers) on your dedicated server, you’ll need virtualization software like Hyper-V, VMware ESXi, or Xen Hypervisor.

You may also want control options for your server. These include cPanel, WHM, or Plesk.

Of course, even more software can be installed on your server, depending on the hardware configuration. Additional software may include CMS software, mail software, FTP software, and much, much more.

Third, Choose Your Additional Services

As we previously discussed, leasing a dedicated server means that you manage said server. Typically, the hosting service will provide support for hardware problems, but that’s it. However, other services may be offered for an additional charge. Examples of these services include server migration, cloud backup, various security services, DDoS protection, firewalls, and rapid-response monitoring.

The Takeaway

Maybe you have a big list of wants and needs for your server. As you can see, the endless customizability offered by a dedicated server can handle the most demanding criteria.

To learn more, visit https://iweb.com/dedicated-server and contact us today.