Administrating a server or multiple servers can be a significant responsibility especially for any business with no previous experience of operating IT infrastructure from remote locations. There is a need to understand how to remotely access the machine and whether such methods are time and cost effective.
Choosing a suitable operating system is essential. For example, UNIX based operating systems, such as Linux, FreeBSD and OpenBSD are developed to be administered remotely while windows operating system are less so and often require a GUI. If this is the case, be ready to spend the time learning the software and also accepting the additional expense.
If you are taking the responsibility in supplying the server to your web hosting provider to colocate it is important to find out what type of equipment they can store as they often offer space in rack unit metrics. Certain colocation providers will limit the type of cases the machine to minimize space and make efficient use of its data centre spacing. Normally, low cost servers are designed to be housed in tower cases so beware when purchasing to try and get pre-built rack mountable servers that will save you money over the long term.
In regards to the purchase of the server, most colocation providers require contracts. This is can be a double edged sword since if the service is below par; it can be costly to break out of the legal binding agreement. So before signing the contract, study the contract from top to bottom several times. Look for key components such as a SLA (Service Level Agreement). SLA is legal assurance that the co-location provider must maintain services at a level which is satisfactory to all the parties involved (in particular as you are the client). Relevant issues may include a 99.9% uptime guarantee for the network and support response turnaround times of no more than 2 hours. If you are uncomfortable with the contract (or the SLA) then shop elsewhere.
Colocation does require higher overheads in the form of maintenance and maintaining a web hosting environment that is secure. For example, tasks including system administration to keep the applications up to date and system/network security are two important areas that need constant monitoring. This can also be time consuming. If done properly patches should be tested out on a non production machine before being put on the live server or system. And a degree of technical knowhow is required to ensure things run smoothly. The monthly cost of colocating a server can vary from around $79 upwards in terms of paying an uplink provider but can be a lot more in terms of time taken to ensure your system runs smoothly in complex setups. If you don't have the confidence, then outsource to someone who does or move to a managed server hosting solution.
Sam Lee is an IT consultant based in London and works closely with web hosting companies in a range of applications. To learn more about web hosting requirements for your business or website, please visit http://www.hostbyte.com |
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