Dedicated Servers Brief Explanation For Noobs
Thursday, July 29th, 2010The majority of people will wonder what a dedicated server is. In all honesty, a dedicated server isn’t that complicated a product. In simple terms, a dedicated server is a normal computer that’s hosted in a secure datacentre with a fast internet connection. The large majority of server hosting providers are experts in this. Having the correct setup and location is essential for dedicated hosting server. Now lets look at what a dedicated server really is. And now, the various descriptions that make a dedicated server.
A server is just like a computer
The difference between your home computer and a dedicated server is that your computer (or laptop) will be hosted in a case, which can be homed on a desk. Dedicated servers have specialised cases. ‘U’ is a measurement of space, and 1U is about 3″. Rackmounted servers are specialised to fit into racks in datacentres. Racks are hosted in datacentres, meant to maximise space available, as well as ensure the efficient distribution of networking cables and air flow. One of the best know dedicated server manufacturers, is Dell. Dell you will know sell laptops and home computers to individuals. So the main difference between a dedicated server and a home computer, is the case the components are housed in. Dedicated servers are though, generally more high specced and reliable.
Datacentres host dedicated servers
The normal dedicated web server will be in a 1U case. If you imagine a pizza box, its about the same look, although longer. Although I’m afraid to tell you won’t find any pizza in a dedicated server! An example of this would be Dell’s R200 rackmount server. 26 servers can be fitted into a 16 amp rack on averaged, based on a power draw of 0.6 – 0.4 amps. These servers are fitted to rackmount rails, that fit into the rack, one on top of the other. At the back of each dedicated server, you’ll find a network and power port. The servers connect to a power supply unit and switch in each rack. Datacentre racks are arranged into aisels. Rows of racks in aisels can be seen in datacentres. Some racks will host high powered routers, and switches, which jump off onto the main internet backbone. For this sort of setup, a provider such as Melbourne who specialise in dedicated servers would be ideal.
High powered connections for server hosting
The majority of home connections run at around 10mbs. For the majority of dedicated servers, this isn’t sufficient. Most dedicated servers these days will use the internet backbone in a datacentre to take a 100mbit connection. Services such as streaming require this speed. All in all, a proper server case, a good hosting environment, and a high end internet connection are essential for hosting dedicated servers.