The majority of people will wonder what a dedicated server is. A dedicated server isn’t that complicated a service. To put it simply, a dedicated server is just like a normal computer, only it has a server-style case and is hosted in a datacentre. 99% of hosts that provide server hosting should tick all these boxes. Having the correct setup and location is important for dedicated server web. Now lets look at what a dedicated server really is. And now, the various descriptions that make a dedicated server.

A dedicated server is 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 sits snugly on a desk. Dedicated servers utilised special cases. Approximately 3″, 1U is a special measurement used in datacentre environments. These specialised cases are made to fit in datacentre racks. Apart from allowing efficient air flow and cooling, racks allow for efficient cable management. Probably the best known server manufacturer would be 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. Granted dedicated servers are usually a lot more high powered and resilient.

Dedicated servers are hosted in datacentres

The average managed server will be in a 1U box. If you imagine a pizza box, its about the same look, although longer. And of course a dedicated server contains high powered server components, and not yummy pizza! An example of this would be Dell’s R200 rackmount server. These consume around 0.6 amps, so in a 16 amp rack you’d fit around 26 servers- often more. These servers fit in racks via rackmount rails, so they appear to be stacked on top of each other. Each dedicated server has a network and power port at the back. Each rack will have at least one switch, and a power supply, which the dedicated servers will individually and neatly hook up to. Datacentre racks are arranged into aisels. Rows of racks in aisels can be seen in datacentres. Some racks host specialist network equipment, switches and routers connected to the internet backbone. For this kind of environment, a company such as Melbourne who specialise in windows dedicated server hosting would be ideal.

Fast internet for dedicated servers

The majority of home connections run at around 10mbs. For the majority of dedicated servers, this isn’t sufficient. Most dedicated servers are sold with a 100mbit connection. Web hosting applications, video streaming sites etc will need this high powered connection to burst to. All in all, a proper server case, a good hosting environment, and a high end internet connection are essential for hosting dedicated servers.