By Daniel D Dwase

A dedicated server is a powerful computer that is used solely as a network server; a computer reserved for network needs.

On the other hand the term "shared hosting" refers to the usage of a single web server to host multiple websites for multiple customers.

Combining the two features together therefore means that dedicated shared server hosting refers to the style of hosting more than one website on a single server which is specifically reserved for network service hosting.

Software Composition

In order to host more than one website on a single dedicated shared server, the software must provide an implementation that isolates each site's code and user privileges to ensure appropriate security, although each takes a slightly different approach.

Each of the sites hosted must have its own unique IP address to avoid conflicts arising from the serversÕ interpretation of the HTTPS/SSL communication.

The two most common web server solution softwares are Apache for Linux, and IIS for Windows. Dedicated shared server hosting typically uses a web-based control panel system, such as cpanel, direct admin, or one of many other control panel products.

Many of the large hosting companies use their own custom developed control panel.

The hosting service must include system administration since it is shared by many users; although this is a benefit for users who do not want to deal with the administration of the dedicated shared server, it might prove to be a problem for individuals with massive usage who want more control.

In general dedicated shared server hosting will be inappropriate for you if you require extensive software development outside what the hosting provider supports.

Most dedicated shared servers are based on the Linux operating system and lamp software bundle, which is driven by the low cost open source software. But some providers offer Microsoft windows-based or free BSD-based solutions.

Hardware Requirements

After taking into consideration the software aspect of the dedicated shared server hosting, the other most important thing to look out for is good steady hardware features to support applications you want to run on the server.

If you are targeting to host several heavy websites you should ensure that the server has adequate storage capacity, i.e. large enough hard disk space to hold all your data sufficiently.

The drives you choose should also be fast enough to enhance good download as well as upload speeds when accessing any of your hosted websites.

If you are operating on a minimal budget that can only accommodate ten thousand revolutions per minute disk, just go for it and buy a larger cache size to enhance its performance.

Although the 10,000 RPM disk or higher should give you better performance. Stay away from the older slow IDE 5400RPM disks; you will have very high disk I/O levels, as well as the bottle necks on your server due to their slow speeds.

The dedicated shared server must also have sufficient memory speeds. The least recommended memory size for any server should be at least 512 MB. Having good memory will improve your server's performance under heavy loads.

Changing levels are mainly influenced by the system memory. It is thus advisable to get proper system memory to avoid slow response from the server.

When you think about the central processing unit (CPU) it will be up to you to consider which one works best for you or which one you prefer between Intel and AMD but no matter which setup you choose, Dual CPUs would be the best solution for a dedicated server environment.

If you do not have the budget for a dual CPU setup, consider at least a single 2.4 GHz CPU.

Uses of Dedicated Shared Server Hosting

Dedicated shared server hosting is very useful especially for small companies that want a website but cannot afford the costs of purchasing and maintaining one server.

The server space required for one website at times may be too small that it would not be a viable idea to buy one dedicated server and spend all you energy configuring and maintaining it.

Under such circumstances, dedicated shared server hosting would be the best option as it would be very cost effective and you would not need to employ extra personnel to administer the server.

It is however important to note that shared dedicated server hosting can be implemented in two main ways thus using a name-based or IP-based virtual hosting.

In name-based virtual hosting, also called shared IP hosting, the virtual host serves multiple hostnames on a single machine using a single IP address. In this setup, when a web browser requests a resource from a web server using HTTP it includes the requested hostname as part of the request.

The server determines which site to upload based on the information provided. On the other hand, an IP-based virtual hosting, also called dedicated IP hosting, each has a different IP address.

The configuration of the server consists of numerous virtual as well as physical interfaces for network linking. The server application links to a particular site by the use of the codes received from the IP address provided by the client at signing in.

The main reason behind the dedicated IP is to differentiate between the shared and SSL certificates. This means the IP-based setup is much better than the name based in terms of internet security on a dedicated shared server hosting.

Shortcomings

The main disadvantage in using a dedicated shared server hosting is in the fact that you do not have the direct access to the system in case you want to make frequent changes, you therefore must rely on the server administrators to give support whenever the need arises.

All name-based virtual hosts using the same IP address must share the same digital certificates. This is because the SSL/TLS hand shake takes place before the hostname is sent to the server.

This categorically signifies that the server cannot determine which encryption key to use to establish a connection hence the compromise in the particular web site's security.

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