About Virtual Server Hosting
Virtual server hosting is a way for servers to be partitioned into multiple virtual servers (VPS) with each VPS having the
same privilidges and appearing to the end user like a physical server.
VPS hosting is one of the most popular hosting options around—probably largely because it is one of the most cost effective
options available. Virtual server hosting allows a server owner to share resources with other users in an effective way.
In simple terms, the virtual server hosting company's server will allocate virtual server hosting services and bandwidth
to more than one VPS.
Virtual server hosting makes financial sense because you are not paying for a dedicated server to host just your website.
Virtual server hosting is a good solution for small-to medium-sized (and even some larger) websites which don’t have vast
amounts of traffic, and whose bandwidth needs are reasonable.
Virtual server hosting is often used in companies who provide low cost website hosting. Most web hosting service customer
websites worldwide are hosted on VPS, using virtual server hosting technology.
About Virtual Servers
Virtual servers are also known as virtual private servers or
virtual dedicated servers. Using virtual servers is a way of partitioning a physical server computer into multiple
servers, giving each the appearance and capacity to run on its own dedicated machine. Virtual servers can run their own
full-fledged operating system, and each server can be independently rebooted.
The practice of partitioning a single server so that it appears as multiple servers has long been commonplace with mainframe
computers, but has seen a resurgence lately with the development of virtualisation software and technologies for other architectures.
The way is works is that the physical server boots normally. It then runs a program that boots all the virtual servers within
a virtualisation environment. The virtual servers have no direct access to hardware and are usually booted from a disk image.
Virtual servers bridge the gap between shared web hosting services and dedicated hosting services, giving independence from
other customers of the same service in software terms but more cheaply than physical dedicated servers. Virtual servers
run their own copy of their operating systems, and customers have superuser-level access to that operating system, and can
install almost any software that runs on it.
Because of their isolated nature, private virtual servers have become common sandboxes for potentially insecure public services
or update testing. For example, a single physical server might have two private virtual servers running: one hosting the
live website, and a second housing a copy of it. When updates to crucial parts of software need to be made, they can be
tested in the second of the virtual servers, without the need for several physical servers.
RapidSwitch Virtual Server Hosting
A growing number of companies offer virtual server hosting, as an extension to their web hosting services. One such UK organisation,
based in Maidenhead, is RapidSwitch. We offer a wide range of services including virtual server hosting, and take pride
in what we offer.
At RapidSwitch, we are dedicated server specialists who celebrates a decade in business this year, host more than 4,000
servers for a broad variety of clients, employ over 20 staff, and have a multi-million pound turnover.
We announced the launch of our virtual server hosting service earlier this year, giving the flexibility of a dedicated server
for applications which do not demand all the resources of a dedicated server. For the launch, we ran a special offer allowing
clients to try our virtual servers for just £1 per month to start off with.
RapidSwitch’s virtual server hosting service allows you to enjoy the flexibility of a dedicated server, without the associated
extra cost. Your service has a privately segmented section of a physical server, so you can install all your own applications
and software. You also get full root/administrator access to your virtual private server. This is perfect if your site does
not demand all the resources of a physical dedicated server, but needs to go one level above shared hosting.
Our virtual server hosting packages are based on OpenVZ technology, include RAID 10 SAS hard drives for fast disk performance,
and can be provisioned in minutes. We also offer a choice of Linux distributions, and free reinstalls.
So, before you check out other kinds of virtual server hosting, it’s well worth checking out what RapidSwitch can do for
you.