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Hosting
Plans
Types
of Web Hosting Plans
Now it
is time to determine what type of hosting plan is best suited for
your site. There are
many types of hosting plans and options available. The types we
will cover are: Free
Hosting, Virtual Hosting, Dedicated Hosting and Colocation Hosting.
We will only explore
Virtual, Dedicated and Colocation plans in depth. Free Hosting is
not recommended for
anything other than a site about the family dog. Once we determine
which type of plan
is for you, we will explain all the important options available
for that specific type.
Now, let us
look at the different plan types:
- Free
Hosting:
Free sites are for people who's sites are small and do not expect
much traffic. Personal sites about your family or hobbies are
perfect for free web
site hosts. I do not recommend this if you are a business, promoting
or selling a
product, or expect a lot of traffic.
You cannot use a domain name for your site. You must use a domain
and site path
provided by the company. Your site URL could look something like
this: http://www.geocities/siliconvalley/community123/~yoursite.htm.
This is not
very professional looking and hard to remember. If you decide
to use a domain
name and go with a virtual hosting option down the road, you will
have to change
all your letterhead, business cards, etc. This can become very
expensive quickly.
|
+Pros
|
-Cons |
| It's
Free |
No
usage of domain names |
| Great
for small, non-business sites |
Limited
technical support |
- Virtual
Hosting:
This is the most popular, and cost effective, form of hosting.
Your
site is place on a server along with other sites. A typical server
houses 100-300 sites.
Your site can utilize your domain name (virtual hosting is sometimes
called domain
hosting), yourcompany.com, or if you do not have a domain name
you can use a sub
domain of the companies domain, hostingcompany.com/yoursite -
yoursite.hostingcompany.com.
My recommendation is to purchase a domain name for your site.
As I stated above,
switching to a domain name can end up costing you more money than
necessary
|
+Pros
|
-Cons |
| Low
cost |
Multiple
sites on a server |
| Great
for the average business sites |
Limited
security due to the large number of sites on 1 server |
| Use
your own domain name |
|
| Good
tech support |
|
- Dedicated
Hosting:
With a dedicated plan, you have your very own web server.
This plan is perfect for the web developer who maintains several
site, large web sites,
web sites that use special software, or if you are the type of
person who does not like
to share your toys.
It
is also a more secure form of hosting due to the fact that your
site will be the only one
on the server. The hosting company provides you a server, rack
space for the server,
back-up power, Internet connectivity and other options. I would
only recommend this
type of hosting if you are comfortable with networking and have
a good knowledge of
the operating software used.
|
+Pros
|
-Cons |
| Your
Very Own Server |
Must
Have Technical Skills |
| Great
for Larger Business Sites |
Can
be Expensive |
| Better
Security and Reliability |
Can
get Complicated |
| Total
Control |
|
| You
Can Run Any Software |
|
- Colocation
Hosting:
Colocation hosting offers the same benefits as dedicated hosting,
except you provide the server. I only recommend this plan if you
can gain physical access
to the server, or have special server requirements. If you are
located in Dublin and the
server is in Canada, it would be difficult, and expensive, for
you to replace a hard drive.
You can have the hosting provider repair problems, but at a premium
cost. Usually
£100.00 - £300.00/hr with a couple hour minimum.
|
+Pros
|
-Cons |
| Same
as Dedicated |
Same
as Dedicated |
| Your
own equipment- can have any hardware you like. |
Your
own equipment - If something fails, you must fix it. |
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