Comparison of entry level dedicated servers
While researching web hosting the other day I noticed that there didn’t seem to be any comparison/review sites featuring dedicated server providers, only shared hosting providers. So as part of my research I decided to create a small comparison of dedicated server providers.
After a few minutes of looking on Google I came up with a list of 4 providers. This list is by no means exhaustive, there is an endless number of server providers, these just happen to be 4 companies with a mainstream internet presence.
All of the providers listed have a range of servers, basically the more you pay, the higher the servers specification will be. For simplicity I decided to base this comparision on each companies entry level dedicated server package.
One of the first decisions you have to make when purchasing a dedicated server is the operating system, it’s usually a choice between Linux or Windows. If your experienced using Linux you’ll choose Linux and if you’re experienced using Windows you will usually go for Windows. This doesn’t have to be the case, if your a windows user and you’d like to benefit from the performance and security benefits that you get with Linux then choose Linux. Most server companies provide a control panel that will allow you to manage the server, adding websites, ftp accounts and email addresses (more advanced administration tasks may require professional assistance). I specified the windows operating system.
With most providers you can either pay monthly or annually. If you opt for the annual payment then most server providers will not charge a set-up fee (usually around the £50 mark). So I chose the annual payment method and completed most of the purchasing process just to check no extra fees or set-up costs were needed to figure out the total purchase price.
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Dedicated Server Providers
| Webfusion | Fasthosts | UK2.net | Donhost UK | |
| Cost PA | £563.88 +vat | £708 + vat | £828 + vat | £1098.96 + vat |
| CPU | Intel C 2Ghz | Intel 1.8GHz Duo | Intel 2Ghz Dual | Intel 1.8GHz Dual |
| RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB | 1 GB | 1 GB |
| Hard Disk | 40 MB | 80 GB | 80GB | 160GB |
| Bandwidth | Unlimited | Unlimited | 10000 GB Monthly | Unlimited |
| SLA | 99.9% * | 99.9% * | 99.50% ** | 100% |
| Control Panel | Yes | Yes | Webmin |
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* Eligible to claim a refund of one day’s service fee for every hour that your
server is unavailable.
** A credit calculated on the basis of your monthly service charge for the
affected Service (99.50 to 100.00% 0% :: 99.49% to 98.00% 10% :: 97.99% to 97.00%
25% :: Less than 96.99% 50%)
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Glossary of Terms
Cost PA: The total cost for the server including any set-up costs or added extras; based on an entry level, Windows server (web), cost paid annually.
CPU: The type of Central Processing Unit. The speed is specified in Giggehurtz, the higher the number the better it will be at processing instructions. Duo or Dual is like having 2 processors, so double the processing power.
RAM: Random Access Memory is high speed system memory. It makes a big difference to the overall performance of the server. The more RAM you have the faster the server will run.
Hard Disc: The disc where your servers operating system and files are located. Bigger hard drives mean more space for website files and databases. If you’re looking to house a large number of websites or host lots of media content then a large hard drive is a must.
Bandwidth: Total amount of files and data that can be transferred to and from your server in any one month. This includes email traffic, website traffic, database requests etc.
SLA: A Service Level Agreement is like a contract from the company saying they will meet a certain level of service and if they fail that level they will compensate you accordingly. This excludes acts or omissions of the Customer.
Control Panel: Most dedicated server providers provide a control panel where you can do some basic admin tasks such as restarting the server, restarting services, setting up websites, creating ftp accounts and creating email accounts.
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