Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Highlighting Some Of The Principal Differences To Be Seen Between Linux And Windows Managed Hosting

By Bert Sparks


In terms of a managed hosting service, Windows and Linux managed hosting are extremely popular options. In order for you to be able to select which option best fulfils your managed server requirements, some differences between hosting with Windows managed servers and Linux are listed below.

Since Linux is open source, it is cheaper to maintain and operate Linux managed hosting than Windows managed hosting. It is a common view that Linux is better than Windows at running multiple processes at the same time. Linux managed servers are therefore often more stable than Windows-based ones. People should therefore in theory receive a better user experience from their managed hosting service by utilising a Linux managed server over a Windows one. Of course, it is important to take into consideration the skill of the managed hosting administrator, who greatly influences the reliability of the managed hosting service, regardless of whether Windows or Linux is used.

Though Linux is extremely scalable it is not able to properly run all Microsoft's software, for example Access and MS SQL. However a Windows managed hosting server can run all of Microsoft's software offerings. You can utilise Perl, PHP and CGI on Linux and Windows servers, although they are more often found on Linux managed servers. You will find ASP on Windows managed servers far more often than Linux-based servers however.

FTP access is available on Linux and Windows servers. Linux also offers Telnet access and SSH, which was designed as a secure Telnet replacement which encrypts the data that is sent between computers which are networked.

In terms of security on a managed server, some are of the opinion that a Linux-based server is more secure than a Windows one due to there being more Windows users than Linux users. However Linux operating systems also have security problems since Linux is open source and therefore the public can access the source code (though some argue that since it is publicly accessible, the Linux security team can pick up on programming weaknesses quickly, thereby making it more secure). The security of a managed hosting server ultimately lies in the hands of the server host. Server security is determined by the steps the host takes in order to make the managed hosting server secure.

At the end of the day, when it comes to a managed hosting service you cannot claim that Windows is always better than Linux or vice versa. A more productive way to choose between the two is to decide what you want to run on your managed server and what you want to utilise it for and then see whether Linux or Windows fulfils your requirements. Perhaps both a Windows and a Linux managed server can fulfil your needs, in which case you should pick the one that you have a personal preference for. The server host will likely be able to demonstrate both options to you if you are having difficulty deciding.

Whether you pick Windows or Linux, it is vital to have a reliable and professional host as they will determine how smoothly your managed server operates and how secure it will be.




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