The
platform you choose depends on the skills of your technical team
matched against the purpose of your site -- what kind of
applications you must run and so forth.
The first option you must select, when choosing a host, is what
server operating system you want to use. The most common are UNIX
(and all variations), Linux and Windows NT/2000. In addition to the
operating system, the server requires a special software for
rendering web pages on the Internet known as web server software.
Most common web server software are Internet Information Services (IIS)
for Windows and Apache for all platforms (Windows, Linux and Unix).
In a virtual hosting plan, there is little interaction with the
operating system. W hen it comes to shared web hosting, the
differences between Linux and Unix clones are not anything you
should worry about. But there are major differences between Windows
and Linux/Unix servers. Not only in available technologies, but also
in price, performance and security.
Key factors to consider while opting for a particular Web Server
platform are:
Choose an OS - Web server combination that best suits your company's
skills. No matter which Web server platform you choose, be sure you
are comfortable with its administrative handling and the underlying
operating system. It will save you time, money and headaches in the
long run.
Another factor to consider is the ability to add functionality and
features to the core Web server. Apache uses modules, whereas IIS
uses plug-ins. Most Apache modules are free, and if you have a
specific need such as load balancing or MP3 streaming, you'll
probably find a module that meets it. IIS also accommodates
third-party plug-ins from Port80 Software and other suppliers, but
you'll have to pay for the additional functionality.
Windows
Windows is recommended for most novice users because of the
simplicity of the configurations and help available either from
Windows or on the Internet. If you use Asp.NET, MS SQL or Access
databases you need Windows hosting because those technologies are
not available on other platforms. The support for traditional ASP is
better on Windows and ColdFusion hosting is most common on Windows
servers, even though ColdFusion runs just as nice on Linux.
Cons: Windows server are more exposed to viruses and hacker attacks.
Windows hosting is also more expensive, and takes more server
resources than Linux, resulting on fewer hosting accounts on each
server and higher prices. Windows servers tend to crash a bit more
often. Portability of the applications to other platforms is a
problem if using Windows.
Unix
It is a mature platform and there are a large number of applications
and development tools available. Because of its stability and
reliability Unix is ideal for high-traffic functions, such as
database servers, high-traffic Web servers and mission-critical
servers. The servers can run for years without restart and memory
leaks. Less vulnerable to security flaws and hacker attacks. It is
used in almost all large and complex computer systems. The hardware
that is best suited for Unix are provided by the hardware vendors
such as IBM, HP and Sun Microsystems. The servers from these vendors
cost a lot of money. However, a free version of Unix, known as
FreeBSD, is now available for small-scale web hosting needs on
cheaper server hardware provided by Intel.
Cons: Cost can be a factor for larger implementations of Unix
servers. Server configuration and maintenance requires special
knowledge and skills.
Lynux
With Linux, you get a stable server platform with high security and
no threatening viruses. Linux is free, and does not take as much
server resources as Windows, so Linux hosting is cheaper. With
ssupport for the most popular free and open source technologies such
as PHP, MySQL etc , Linux hosting is the best choice for most
self-taught webmasters and businesses too. Due to increasing
popularity, a lot of support is available on the Internet.
Cons: Server configuration and maintenance requires special
knowledge and skills. Available software for this platform is not as
common as it is for Windows.
In the end, the choice depends largely on your budget and what you
want to do with your site.
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