Guest post by: Jonathan E.
Dedicated Server Specialist
A dedicated server provides an isolated environment for hosting accounts or other services, and gives you unparalleled configuration options that cannot be found within a Shared server. The most common indicator of a necessary upgrade is the exhaustion of CPU and RAM resources, due to a large amount of web requests.
Determining the type of hardware needed to support those requests depends on many factors, which can be analyzed by our Dedicated Server Team. Shared and Reseller accounts that are currently hosted with HostDime include cPanel, and will be migrated as a courtesy if an isolated solution is required. If a client is currently using an alternative control panel, our Transfers department will be glad to provide an ample amount of assistance to complete the move.
Will a VPS be sufficient for my needs?
We receive this question on a daily basis, from clients looking for a semi-dedicated option while attempting to cut costs as much as possible. A VPS is ideal for development purposes, such as “beta” testing a particular website. They are not meant for high traffic websites, nor as an alternative to a dedicated server.
You can think of a VPS account as a slice of the entire server, where CPU is split equally among the nodes, while memory, disk space, and bandwidth are manually set and allocated to each specific account. A user who is exhausting a powerful Shared server which is designed to handle hundreds of accounts, will most likely experience further headache if attempting to transfer to a VPS.
As a business begins to grow in popularity, owners strive for overall control of their accounts and server stability. We can configure “starter” solutions for smaller companies all the way to multi-tiered clusters for load balancing and redundancy. Regardless of the level of complexity or hardware, all of our dedicated servers paired with cPanel/WHM will be fully managed by our staff.
In addition to managed service and support, each client has full control over their dedicated server. With graphs displaying detailed bandwidth, CPU, RAM usage and more, no one is left in the dark. Complete root access is enabled, as well as a plethora of cPanel/WHM options that are not accessible from our Shared accounts.
HostDime’s Dedicated Server Team is available around the clock, and we will gladly provide a quote based on your specific needs and requirements. If you are not quite sure if an upgrade is necessary, simply contact us directly via live chat, help desk, or phone and we can discuss your current usage and possible options.
We can even be found on twitter!
Jonathan I'm currently a hostdime customer with a dedicated server. Could you expand on some of the tactics that I should use to help prevent access to my dedicated server? If someone was able to access my server, they could wreck havoc across multiple domains.
The best way to prevent unauthorized access is to give potential attackers the least information possible.
The following is a non-exclusive list of things that can be done to reduce your server's exposure to attack:
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Change the <acronym title="Secure SHell">SSH</acronym> Listen Port on the server to a port other than 22. This will prevent automated brute-force attacks from even starting to try to guess authorized user names and passwords on the server.
Use only <acronym title="Transport Layer Security">TLS</acronym>-protected interfaces for server administration. TLS encrypts all traffic between your server and your computer. This prevents attackers listening "on-the-wire" from capturing login information and/or other sensitive information that may provide the attackers information to successfully execute an attack. On cPanel servers, cPanel, WHM, Webmail, SMTP, and IMAP/POP3 all offer TLS-protected access, but it may not be used by default.
Use only trusted networks and/or computers to administer the server or perform server-administration-related tasks (such as accessing the Help Desk or checking the email mailboxes that receive server-related messages)
Ensure all systems used to administer the server or perform server-administration-related tasks are free from malware, as malware can give attackers the direct access information for your server's administrative interfaces as it is used, even if sent encrypted over the network. All systems used to administer the server or perform server-administration-related tasks should have reputable anti-malware applications that are kept up to date.
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If you have any further questions regarding this issue or would like assistance in using TLS-protected interfaces, please feel free to open a ticket in the Help Desk.