Web Hosting Geeks' Blog » Windows Server 2008 http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog Web Hosting Industry News, Latest Trends, and Analyses. Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:48:19 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Tips for Improving Performance of Your Windows Server 2008 Dedicated Machinehttp://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2011/10/06/improving-performance-of-windows-server-2008-dedicated-machine/ http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2011/10/06/improving-performance-of-windows-server-2008-dedicated-machine/#comments Thu, 06 Oct 2011 12:29:07 +0000 Art http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/?p=2646 It’s common in the web hosting world to compare the relative benefits of operating systems.  This masks an important fact, though: in all cases, they are what you make of them.  While there are naturally limits to this (no one is running Commodore 64 web hosting), the little improvements you can make to a machine can add up quickly.

This means that whatever drawbacks there are to hosting a dedicated Windows machine (and some say there aren’t as many these days), they can easily be negated with the right adjustments.  Here are some of the most common suggestions for improving performance of Windows Server 2008 on your dedicated server.

Put the pagefile on a separate drive

The “pagefile” is a memory file that Windows treats as virtual memory (does that make it virtual virtual?  Oh, never mind).  This file is accessed frequently, and so you’re going to want to make sure that it is able to respond quickly.  The best way to do this is to have it setup on its own separate hard drive.  This will keep it freed up in case your machine gets bogged down by some memory hog script or complicated request.

One thing that makes this easy is that you probably won’t need a large drive for this at all.  Web hosts usually have a cache of old hard drives that no one wants because their small size makes them effectively deprecated.  They might sell you these for cheap or even just give them to you for free.

Disable unused services

We already suggested this as a way to increase security on your machine.  It’s also a good way to increase efficiency.  Each one of these services uses up system resources.

Which ones you’ll want to disable will depend on exactly what you’re trying to do, but there are a lot that are likely candidates for downgrading to “Manual” or outright deletion.  One example is “Block Level Backup Engine Service”, which backups data on the block level for restoration.  A good web host should have backup procedures already in place, if your web host doesn’t provide it automatically.

As you go through these, take care not to disable anything that you are going to actually need.  There’s lots of information online for each of them to help you double-check.

Perform the obvious

If your machine even has a sound card, disable it, if not remove it outright.  Turn off the screen saver if you can, or set it to “blank” if you can’t.  Turn off machine hibernation (not like it’ll probably ever get that far, but constantly checking for it is one more thing your machine doesn’t need to busy itself with).

Also if you can either spare the downtime or can arrange your data in such a way that you can keep your site up while doing so, see if you can defrag your disk now and then.  Your web host might be able to suggest a clean way to do that.  If it’s not possible, then at least defrag it once before going live.  The less spread out your data is, the faster your machine will be able to access it.

None of these things by themselves may sound like much.  No one of them is.  Taken together, they can make a world of difference in how well your Windows 2008 Server machine runs.

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]]> http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2011/10/06/improving-performance-of-windows-server-2008-dedicated-machine/feed/ 0 The Pros and Cons of Windows VPS Hostinghttp://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2009/06/30/the-pros-and-cons-of-windows-vps-hosting/ http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2009/06/30/the-pros-and-cons-of-windows-vps-hosting/#comments Tue, 30 Jun 2009 17:40:43 +0000 Art http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/?p=398 Short for virtual private server, VPS represents an increasingly popular type of web hosting that is established by partitioning a single physical server into multiple virtual servers.  Each server has its own private environment and is capable of running independently from its counterparts.  A VPS has its own fully developed operating system and can also be rebooted independent of the other virtual servers on the machine.  A VPS offers much greater performance than a shared server and while it still lacks in comparison to a dedicated server, it does share many of the same qualities.  A virtual private server provides you with a great deal of freedom and has garnered the reputation of being notably more affordable than a single physical server.

Microsoft’s Contribution

VPS hosting in enabled by a certain type of software that has the ability to control the multiple servers.  With the introduction of Windows Server 2008 and Hyper-V, hosting providers have access to a more secure and reliable platform to deliver VPS solutions.  Windows VPS hosting received its big start with Windows Virtual Server 2007,  a platform that while serviceable, could not complete with offerings on the market by vendors such as VMWare.  Thanks to Microsoft’s recent innovations, Windows VPS hosting customers are now ensured a dramatically improved performance that can be enhanced through integration with VMWare and other virtualization software packages.

The Advantages of Windows VPS

A Windows VPS platform offers an environment most administrators and developers really appreciate.  The familiar Windows desktop interface makes setting up an account a seamless and easy process.  Because of this, most users can easily adapt to and thrive in this environment.  A Windows VPS server is ideal for individuals and businesses that have a need to run high-traffic websites, complex web applications, or custom services that simply aren’t recommended for a shared server.   With the array of new security features implemented into the Windows Server 2008 operating system, the Windows platform has become one of the most secure VPS hosting solutions available.

The Disadvantages of Windows VPS

There is one major drawback to a Windows VPS and that is the significant amount of resources it demands from the server.  The good thing is that this problem can addressed by running the Windows 2008 Core installation.  This gives you a scaled down version of the platform with select features and services.  If you have a need to run a large number of applications, you might be better suited for a dedicated server as it will give you the best possible performance.

When comparing it to the open-source Linux operating system, another knock on Windows VPS hosting could be the cost factor.  Linux and its core components are released under a license that allows them to be freely distributed and this is often reflected in the cost of service.  Windows on the other hand, comes attached with costly licenses that can send the price soaring.

Minor drawbacks aside, Windows is an excellent choice for running a virtual private server. With the backing of reliable hardware, the superb performance, flexibility and security it offers makes it a VPS solution you definitely want to consider.

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