Thursday, February 17, 2011

Feature: The ABCs of virtual private servers, Part 1: Why go virtual?

Why own server hardware? I've asked myself that question repeatedly in the last 15 years every time a machine failed or I needed an upgrade for various Web, mail, and database servers. I could have chosen to lease dedicated hardware at co-location facilities, or use a shared host. But my needs required resources that cost far more than my amortized expenses if leased, and would outstrip shared needs. I was resigned to owning, maintaining, and replacing my own gear.

That is, until last fall, when I put my toes in the water with Virtual Private Servers (VPSes): virtualized servers with root access running on high-end hardware, and dedicated to your exclusive purposes. While you've been able to rent a VPS from various companies for several years, options flowered in 2010. The software has matured, robust services are available, and cost is now at a significant advantage relative to performance for the sort of routine Web and database tasks that the vast majority of websites carry out.

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