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. Different dedicated server operating systems are available and the main two operating systems used are Linux and Windows.
Linux Dedicated Server Hosting
The free operating system of Linux is installed on these servers, as the name implies. Cheap linux dedicated server are typically used with an Apache web server, PHP and mySql configuration. With these servers, you will be given root access for control of aspects including domain and web site configuration and the conf file if running Apache web server. Since Linux is a free operating system, there is no overhead cost for licensing and this results in the Linux Dedicated Servers being a cheaper option.
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 reason to pick Linux or Windows for your dedicated server really will depend on the server owners 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. If you plan to develop using Microsoft .Net, you will need to select a Windows Server, and you will typically get SQL server database with it. 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.
