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What is the difference between dedicated hosting and managed dedicated servers?

Also, which is better? Thanks.

Public Comments

1. a dedicated server is when you have a whole server to yourself. Only very high traffic (or bandwidth) sites have dedicated servers dedicated hosting is where you have a space on a server with some other websites so its cheaper.
2. Many people have this question where they need to understand the concept of dedicated hosting and managed dedicated hosting. A dedicated server is a server that is leased or purchased by a client. Unlike shared hosting, it will be only the owner of that server who will host websites on that server. That is, that server wont be shared with any other clients, except the websites hosted by the owner of that server. Most web hosting companies offer 100% root / Administrator access to the dedicated server, i.e the owner of the server will be able to access the dedicated server with root privilages. Now, its upto the client that they purchase managed services while trying to signup with web hosting company or manage the server on their own. Managing the server includes various tasks such as initial server setup, server security including firewall and anti-bruteforce application installation, OS optimization, application optimization, service monitoring, 3rd party application installations etc. If the client himself has good technical knowldge of managing a server, he can just purchase the server without managed services. Such a server is called UNMANAGED dedicated server. If the client is not sure about technical issues related to server or does not have enough time to manage his/her own server, he can either purchase managed services from his web hosting provider OR hire a 3rd party server management company who specialize in server management support. There are various companies that offer managed and unmanaged servers such as http://www.webhost.uk.net, http://www.infrenion.com etc. Going with a managed server is sometimes feasible instead of managing the server on your own as in such case the web hosting company techs are more acquainted with managing the server more efficiently than a third party entity. Most web hosting companies offer only basic server support under their MANAGED server segments, however there are few companies such as http://www.webhost.uk.net that take complete care of the server incluing server monitoring and reboot requests. Hope this helps..
3. "Dedicated hosting" means almost nothing. The word dedicated is used when referring to server resources. So dedicated hosting sounds like a marketing gimmick and nothing else. A managed server is an improvement over a simple dedicated server. That's because a managed dedicated server is a well cared for server. It's well maintained, secured, and any issues that might crop up get taken care of. On the other hand, a simple dedicated is not looked after at all! Should something go wrong (other than hardware issues), you are effectively on your own1 So think of managed services as a good insurance! But there are various degrees of management. Some providers offer proactive support others take care of the basics. So ask your managed provider before you sign up. Fully managed dedicated server on the other hand include the whole management spectrum. It's the equivalent of "first class" airplane seats. You get complimentary champagne, comfy seats, all the TLC you could ever need. Managed dedicated servers are definitely better. Regards