Dedicated server hosting gives you complete control of the server hosting your web site. Dedicated Servers allow you to choose what runs on the server, its security levels and any configuration settings. The two main types of dedicated servers you will find upon looking is a server running either Linux or Windows as the operating system.

Linux Dedicated Servers

The free operating system of Linux is installed on these servers, as the name implies. The main configuration setup of software on a cheap linux dedicated server is to use Apache as the web server, in addition to PHP and mySQL. On these servers, root access will be given to control all aspects including php setup configuration, operating system patches and apache add on settings. Linux servers are typically cheaper than the windows servers, as the operating system does not cost the service provider anything.

Windows Dedicated Server Hosting

Windows servers are normally running a version of the Windows Server operating system. You will normally see the newest version of Microsoft Windows Server 2008 running on these servers. Unlike the Linux server, these are typically running IIS as the web server and SQL server for the database side. The option to run Apache on the dedicated web server is available on Windows by running a WAMP (Windows, Apache, mySql, PHP) configuration setup. On average most servers running Windows do have a higher monthly cost due to the licensing fees the service provider needs to pay for the operating system.

The owner of the server will ultimately need to decide if they would like Linux or Window on their dedicated server, as it depends on their server needs. Different requirements will lead to different server selection. Those looking for a cheap dedicated server solution will want to purchase the cheaper Linux servers. Anyone running open source PHP applications will almost always want to select a Linux server as their first option. Windows server is the only way to run .Net applications that are built to use a SQL Server database. The choice ultimately depends on what you will be running on the server.

While you have chosen the operating system, you will then need to decide if you want to pick a managed or unmanaged dedicated server solutions. Managed indicates the provider will do OS patch upgrades and installations, while unmanaged means everything except the power on the server going down is your responsibility.