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by: MattHedges
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One of the things that happened after the dot com boom was there was a massive need for companies of all shapes and sizes to have an online presence. This has also been seen with regards to tech people who want to share their wisdom and ideas with the world on the internet. This has meant that Web Hosting has grown at a dramatic rate as all users, organizations and individuals have been looking to interact. This has meant sharing ideas, information, footage, selling and marketing services and products and all of this has been made possible by operating systems which have supported the platforms of web hosting. In recent times there have been numerous advances in hosting web sites and these providers are always looking to provide customers with the most up to date technologies.

Web Hosting Platforms - what are they?

What is known as a web hosting platform can generally be describes as an operating system whose primary task is to support the act of Web Hosting. Linux and Windows are the two types of Web Hosting platforms that are seen as the most traditional.

The first is Linux - Linux is definitely viewed as the Web Hosting Platform that the term traditional can be bestowed upon. Linux is commonly seen as the platform that is highly reliable and provides an efficient return of memory and disk space. Over 70% of web servers around the globe are users of Linux and Unix and this is because of the phenomenal power the platform is able to offer clients. Its popularity is also due to the low cost of the platform.

Windows is the response of Microsoft to provide to web hosting and is rising in popularity all the time with many web developers. This is because it utilizes ASP and ASP.NET. It is also true that the Window operating system works very well with other .NET sever systems like:

* SQL Server 2000

* SQL Server 2000

* BizTalk Server 2002

In days gone by, there may have only been basic functions for web host packages but there are more now and some of the most commonly found and essential ones are:

* Disk Space - Each web hosting account is equipped with a limited number of disk space that a customer can utilize to save their files on the size of the disk space varies from company to company and package to package. Disk space that is saved on a shared web host space will be less than one on customized space.

* Email Accounts - The price of the package can have an impact on how many email accounts are made available. These accounts are a feature provided by many hoists and sought after by many clients and some hosts allow their clients to have full control over their mail settings. Of course, some web hosts will do all of this for their client. How each client sets u their email accounts is down to their preference but there are a number of options including POP3, auto-responders, aliases and forwarders.

* FTP Access - A provision of FTP access is a feature that is found in many modern bought hosting accounts. Having access to FTP enables the user to load files, amend or erase content on the server at a faster rate than they could if they used an interface based on the web.

Progression in modern Web Hosting:

As technology surges onwards and more companies find a presence online, the needs and wants of individuals and companies are evolving rapidly. This means that Web Hosts also have to progress to be able to deliver the most modern technologies to their clients.

The technology up gradation of the Windows Server technology and the release of the Windows 2003 Server provides what is now arguably known as the highest performance server environment. It provides outstanding support for the web developers and has a single vendor (Microsoft) committed to its ongoing development.

These improvements have meant that Windows and Linux are closer and there are instances of inter-operability between the two. Previously, each system has distinct advantages over the other but now there is not the same distinction between the two. This means that which system is offered by a host is not as important to a client as it once was. The majority of clients today are able to base their web his decision of features and factors if the company itself as opposed to the operating system they use.

Web hosting software

The entire web hosting industry has greatly benefited from advances in the development of software for Web Hosting. This new level of software has created a far greater level of effectiveness and efficiency for a huge number of sites. These positive changes have been able to benefit their clients in a number of ways:

* Enabling account setup to be done automatically

* Allowing users a better quality of management with regards their dedicated servers

* Ensuring that monotonous tasks can be automated saving the time of system administrators

The company is aided by the software in a number of ways. Automation can reduce the time it takes to provide control and services from hours to minutes and the whole process becomes easier to control.

The Windows dedicated server software are Plesk for Windows, Helm for Windows, Easy Admin Exchange Control Panel, Cold Fusion MX, Anti Virus & Security Software to name a few.

Linux also offers a number of dedicated server software packages including,the Linux dedicated server software are centOS Linux, Fantastico De Luxe, cPanel / Web Host Manager, Red Hat Enterprise, Plesk for Linux and Anti Virus Software and Security Software.

> Web Hosting and VOIP - Voice over Internet Protocol technology

The Web Hosting industry is ever growing and coming up with new technologies to serve their customers better. The Web Hosts in the market compete with each other in providing the most up to date and latest technology to the clients. There has been a recent advancement in Voice over Internet Protocol technology in Web Hosting field. The new advancement has enabled anyone with a computer and a broadband Internet connection to communicate worldwide without paying the usual long distance fees.

The service providers have discovered that the VoIP can add a new, and often very appropriate, dimension to their services without much difficulty. The VOIP companies are coming up in great numbers in hopes of cashing in on the rather new industry.

The Web hosting industry is not far behind and is beginning to follow suit. Many of the top rated Web Hosts have come up with the plan to launch VOIPo, a VOIP telephone service. The hosting provider hopes to extend this offer to all over the world.

The Launch of Virtual Rack:

The "virtual rack solution" was created by one popular web host and it offers the benefits of rack solutions to customers who may have as little as two servers running. The chief goal of this product is to enable customers to have 100% customization on their own web hosting.

Once the customers are in a private rack, they can pick the servers they want. They can also pick which advanced network and security technologies they prefer, whether it's advanced firewall from the line of Cisco ASA firewalls or load balancers from server iron. With Virtual Rack, the customers can tell the Web Hosts how they would like their configuration to be, and exactly what IP arrangement they want.

The recent advances and developments are sure to make Web Hosting more efficient and effective. They will help in serving the purpose of the consumers in a way more than expected!

About the Author

About the author: Matt Hedges is lead writer for http://www.webhostingmadness.com, a web hosting review site, which helps users find the best hosting companies on the Internet.

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