By Daniel D Dwase

ColdFusion is a dedicated rapid application development platform that was invented back in 1995. The server was originally designed to make connection of a Hyper Text Markup Language, or HTML page, to a database easier.

By the time it became version 2.0, cold fusion dedicated server had become a full rapid application development platform that included an IDE and a full scripting language.

The current version of ColdFusion is sold by Adobe Systems who acquired if from Macromedia, and it comes with advanced features for enterprise integration and the development of rich internet applications.

The main competitors of ColdFusion are PHP and ASP. All versions before version 6.0 were written in Visual C++, meaning ColdFusion could only run on Microsoft Windows.

After the sale to Macromedia, ColdFusion MX 6.0 was released Ð this had an engine that was coded in Java and which supported its own runtime environment.

Features of ColdFusion Server

The most distinguishing feature of a cold fusion dedicated server is the CFML, or the ColdFusion Markup Language.

As far as scripting components, the features and the purpose are concerned, CFML is similar to JSP, PHP, and ASP.

However, the syntax of ColdFusion Markup Language is more closely related to HTML. It is important to note that although ColdFusion is most often used synonymously with the ColdFusion Markup Language, there are other ColdFusion Markup Language application servers other than ColdFusion.

Other additional features that are meant to make it easier for end users to use a cold fusion dedicated server are database access that has been simplified, cache management of client and server, code generation by the client for validation and form widgets, conversion from Hyper Text Markup Language to FlashPaper and/or PDF, ability to retrieve data from enterprise systems such as HTTP, FTP, Microsoft Exchange Server, Active Directory, and data formats such as Atom and RSS, ability to index files, GUI administration, task scheduling, server clustering, etc.

Application of ColdFusion

You are most likely to find a cold fusion dedicated server being used for websites and intranets that are data-driven since the main purpose of ColdFusion is the connection of HTML to database.

However, ColdFusion is also used extensively to generate remote services such as Flash remoting and SOAP web services.

ColdFusion is also used for asynchronous events such as Short Message Service or SMS and Instant Messaging or IM Ð this happens via ColdFusion's gateway interface which is only available in the edition, ColdFusion MX 7 Enterprise.

Advantages of ColdFusion

Web developers will tell you that a cold fusion dedicated server needs less learning time and fewer code lines compared to the competitors such as PHP, ASP and JSP.

There are several tools available for local application development such as ColdFusion Studio and you only need to go to the real server when you are done with coding.

A major advantage of ColdFusion is the impressive capabilities. ColdFusion hosting encompasses shopping cart-enabled web store, building a global network for a company, Instant Messaging, Short Messaging Service, back-end support for interactive Flash applications, etc.

The cold fusion dedicated server process ColdFusion Markup Language or CFML. This language is an extension of XML and HTML.

This means anyone who is familiar with these languages can learn CFML quickly. This is a big plus because you get more dynamic websites with CFML as opposed to XML and HTML.

Since ColdFusion is processed on a web server and not the end user's browser, you will have maximum exposure to the website and minimal disruptions.

With a cold fusion dedicated server, you get good technical support. ColdFusion is used by many people and they can all confirm that the service offered is world-class.

Disadvantages of ColdFusion

The cost of setting up a cold fusion dedicated server and engine is high and so the price of the corresponding hosting is more expensive than normal Windows and UNIX hosting. However, the price is offset by the advanced features the server provides.

Another disadvantage is the high administration costs since you need personnel to maintain it. With virtual or shared hosting, administrative costs are shared between many users.

Features for Successful Web Hosting with ColdFusion

A cold fusion dedicated server has all the features necessary for successful web hosting. You get ample databases because the main function of ColdFusion is to connect a HTML page, to a database.

A big database is important for the support and expansion of a website. It is important to use a dedicated server for this because most shared hosting packages only offer 1 to 5 databases, thereby limiting your ability to expand. This is not a problem with a ColdFusion dedicated server.

You can have multiple sites with a ColdFusion dedicated server. This is because the server is dedicated, meaning the resources of the server are not shared between different domains.

You therefore have a lot of disk space, bandwidth and database for your websites. Although this comes at an extra cost, it is especially important for people who need high quality server services.

Another important feature for successful website hosting with ColdFusion is developer support. This is an important feature for success in web hosting - a lot can go wrong with the server and the websites you have hosted.

In most cases, people using ColdFusion start with simple websites and they add other functions and features as time goes on.

You also get customer support - this is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, all year round. The same cannot be said of smaller companies which have limited resources.

Customer support is important because system problems can mean massive losses for a company. With ColdFusion, you get support via e-mail and via telephone.

Finally, an important feature for successful web hosting is server uptime. A cold fusion dedicated server has a high server uptime - the only time the server is down is when there are real world problems.

The server runs day and night, all year round. The server is on even when there is nobody using it, meaning you do not need to worry about your connection and your clients being inconvenienced.

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