Although very little credit is given to cheap host solutions when it comes to the internet boom, the truth is that without affordable host solutions there was no way so many websites could have been hosted online. The price of host has been on a steady decline and new technologies like VPS (virtual private servers) have made hardware sharing an affordable reality. To better understand how VPS has impacted web host one must first understand what a virtual private server is.

A virtual private server is a method of partitioning a physical server computer into multiple servers; each virtual server has the appearance and capabilities of running as a dedicated machine. In addition, a virtual private server can have multiple instances of different operating systems running at the same time. A virtual private server boots up like any normal web server, the server then executes a virtualization software that allows a single server to host multiple virtual machines. The servers administrator decides exactly what resources are available to each virtual machine. Contrary to popular belief, a virtual private server is in no way inferior to a dedicated server and is far more cost effective.

A webmaster is usually assigned a super-user account on the virtual private server, and a webmaster can choose to install any software he wants. Unlike a dedicated server, there are very little restrictions on the type of software a webmaster can install, and everything from firewalls to anti-virus programs can be installed on a virtual private server. Although, virtual private servers with multiple operating systems are becoming popular, a virtual private server with multiple instances of the same operating system is believed to perform better.
A super-user also has access to various features like root SSH and memory management. As mentioned earlier in the article, the virtual private servers administrator has the rights to decide how much RAM is allocated to each virtual server thus ensuring that each virtual server is allocated enough space and memory and is not deprived of system resources.

Advantages of virtual private servers
Cost effective
The biggest advantage of virtual private serves is that they are cost effective. Compared to a dedicated server, a virtual private server is nearly 75% cheaper and can offer the same features as a dedicated server.

Greater flexibility
A webmaster can choose exactly how many hardware resources he wants allocated to his website. In addition, a webmaster can reboot the web server as and when he wants without having to worry about downtime for other websites. Virtual servers can be rebooted individually, and do not affect other servers that are running on the same virtual private server.

Expandable
Depending on a webmasters requirements, a virtual server can be assigned greater system resources and space. For example, an e-commerce site might require more server space as its business grows. A virtual private servers administrator can assign additional server space and system resources to a website in real time with very little or no downtime.

Unmanaged virtual private servers
A virtual private server need not be managed by the servers administrator alone. A webmaster can also be granted super-user access to the virtual server and can manage the server himself. Webmasters that require access to the root SSH (Secure Shell) can choose to manage their virtual server themselves. In addition, webmasters that want to install specialized software can also manage their virtual server themselves. However, a webmaster acting as the administrator of his own virtual server does not receive support for pre-installed software nor receive any pre-installed software updates. In addition, a webmaster is responsible for monitoring the server himself and any software problems are the webmasters responsibility and only hardware issues are managed by the service provider. In a nutshell, unmanaged virtual private servers are ideal for webmasters with technical know how.

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