A simple guide to virtual private servers

For many, the holy grail of reliable and responsive hosting is the dedicated server. The combination of superior technical support, dedicated connectivity, sole use of a server, and the lack of having to share bandwidth with other clients make a dedicated server the best solution for traffic-heavy businesses who lack the staff, resources, and security to build, install, and maintain an in-house solution. A dedicated hosting account is usually cheaper than an in-house solution, and businesses can reap savings of up to 85% on a per month basis.
As attractive as these savings are however, a dedicated hosting account is still out of reach for many small businesses, as most packages cost at least $200 per month. Consequently, small businesses have been forced to "make do" with a shared account, which can mean longer load times, less available bandwidth, and less robust functionality. For years, hosting companies have received inquiries from small business clients who wish to take advantage of the power of a dedicated server, but without having to incur the higher cost.
Since there are literally thousands of small businesses that need hosting, the pressure was on for the hosting community to take advantage of this market by providing the power of a dedicated server at the cost of a shared hosting solution. The result: The Virtual Private Server.

What is a VPS?
A Virtual Private Server is a technology platform that allows a hosting provider to partition a single server into multiple "virtual" machines, all linked on an individual basis to the Internet backbone connection.
Like a shared solution, the cost of hardware and software is distributed across many clients, which enables small businesses to take advantage of dedicated functionality for about the same monthly cost as a high-end shared solution.

Virtual Hosting
With any virtual hosting solution, there are a number of unavoidable weaknesses and limitations:

- Hardware and software configuration cannot be customized, as the host has to provide a uniform environment for all clients on the server
- Clients cannot run their own applications
- Application options and configurations are controlled by the server administrators
- FTP and POP functionality is shared, the access and speed of which is determined upon moment-y-bmoment global usage
- Clients do not have root access

VPS Hosting
Unlike virtual hosting, a VPS is a separate partition on a server - not just a directory. Consequently, a VPS solution has the following advantages over virtual hosting:

- Only the hardware is controlled by the hosting company
- Software can be configured and customized by the client
- Clients can install and run their own applications
- Virtual root access is available
- FTP and POP access is not shared
- Since root access is available, secure shell and Telnet capabilities are permitted.

By signing on with a VPS solution, you can administer your web space as you would if you purchased your own server. All the major directories are available for you to customize: /dev, /usr, /bin, /sys etc.

VPS solutions are attractive for traditional hosting companies as well, as the plans can be upsold to those sites on virtual plans which may be using a large portion of server resources, but do not yet fully require a dedicated server.