How To Identify Server Performance Bottlenecks Caused By Hardware Deficiencies

By Dawson Gao

If you are running mission-critical web applications then you understand how important it is to not only make sure your website is online but have it running smoothly. People have very little patience and short attention span when it comes to browsing online, if a website takes more than a few seconds to load, many people will just abandon the website.

A website's performance can be adversely affected if the server's hardware specification is below that required to run the website's applications or if the server is misconfigured.

Here's a few common mistakes to look out for:

Memory Shortage

If you have a top of the range processor but only a small amount of physical memory (RAM), it will create a performance bottleneck where the physical memory is too small for the amount of data the processor can handle, which will cause CPU load to spike as the processor tries to take on more data onto its onboard memory cache and the website will slow down or even crash. Anything below 4GB could be considered too small unless your website hosts only a few pages with your company's information and photos.

Slow Hard Drive

When people think about improving performance, the CPU and memory often come to mind first. However, a slow hard drive can also create a performance bottleneck that can bring the whole website to a halt. Hard drives come in different specifications. You have Flash drives which do not use conventional disk drives and can read and write at a speed that is multiple times faster than disk drives. You also have different types of disk drives that can read and write at 15k, 7k, 5k and 4k RPM. The higher the RPM, the faster the data can flow in and out of the system and the better the performance of the website.

If you are running a mission critical website, you should not go for anything below 7k RPM. You also need to bear in mind that hard drives degrade over time. Older hard drives are slower and more likely to fail. Some web hosting service providers do not provide accurate information on the hard drives they use so you need to be careful and look out for signs that could indicate low performance or aged hard drives. If the server has high performing CPU and memory and the web applications do not require a lot of resources yet you notice the server load is unusually high and volatile, there could be a problem with the hard drive, where any read/write operations can cause the CPU load to spike.

Dawson is a member of Lacartes.com - where people can discover their favourite local businesses and share their reviews and comments.

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What Is Cloud Computing Security?

By Stanculescu Mihai Bogdan

There are many providers for this service; therefore, you must choose it wisely. A fast internet connection is required for cloud computing, as you will need access to your files stored on the respective servers in any given moment of day or night. With cloud storage, you will have safety of data, and you will be sure that your files and important documents are always protected. You will only have to pay for the resources that you are using, so cloud computing can also be considered a money saving opportunity.

There are several services offered by cloud computing companies, including cloud security. The most common files stored with this technology are video and audio streaming files, but those companies also offer virus filtering, cloud storage, email marketing, etc. You should use cloud technologies if you want to save money for your company, as the system is fast and reliable. It is the ultimate safety feature, especially when it comes to cloud computing security.

You will have access to your files from every part of the world, at any moment, using a simple password, even from mobile devices. Whenever you need extra space, the provider can easily modify your package, so your account could accommodate new files and documents. Moreover, some of those companies allow you to modify the files yourself, so you would be able to make those modifications instantly.

Cloud technology has become affordable during the latest years, so it is now suited for personal usage. If you don't have hard disk space on your computer to store your games and files, you can find a company that is able to offer you the needed space, with the cloud computing technology. You will have access to the respective files with a simple internet connection, and the cloud computing space would appear as another drive on your computer. With this facility, you can offer access to your files for other persons, with the help of a simple password and username.

The future of cloud computing is bright, especially with the new companies conducting researches in this area. it is believed that, in the near future, the majority of storage space would be available with this method. Some internet companies try to develop operating systems based on this technology, meaning that you will be able to access your operating system practically from any corner of the world. With this technology, the computers would start instantly, allowing you maximum mobility and reliability.

Read more interesting articles on http://www.internet-writing.com

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Why You Should Host Your Site On Your Own Web Server

By Guy Salter

So you've decided to take the plunge and start an online business, you're going to need to have your own website so you can make yourself known and share your knowledge with the world. You have one of two options available now.

Either use a free web hosting service, or set one up on your own server.

Now don't get me wrong, I've got nothing against free services, everyone enjoys the benefits of freebies at times but for the good of having your own site with the intention of building it into something profitable which is truly yours, then free is not the way to go. Here's why:

Our trusty search engine friend Google has in the past, and will more than likely in the future change its algorithms. When this happens it inevitably causes problems for website owners who are using free hosting platforms, and you could find your site disappear overnight with no way of recovering it. That would be a real shame if you had spent month's painstakingly creating content and had built up readership to then have it wiped out because of circumstances beyond your control. It has happened before, and will happen again, but this doesn't have to happen to you.

So what's the alternative?

The better option would be to host you're site on your own server, that way if the search engines, not just Google but any of them decide they are going to modify their algorithms or anything else, your site will still be visible and safe. For those of you who are not technically minded, at first glance it may look like hard work and somewhat off putting. Personally I know little to nothing when it comes to HTML or web code, let alone other technical stuff for setting up a site, yet installing WordPress with Fantastico in one or two clicks makes it straight forward for people with no previous experience to be up and running in no time at all.

The good news is there are affordable web hosting companies who have built in tools not necessarily advertised to make this very easy to do. If you haven't heard of Fantastico, this handy little tool (symbolized with a blue smiley face) found in the admin panel once you've set up an account allows you to install WordPress at the click of a button without the headaches of doing FTP uploading. If you are planning on using WordPress as a platform for your site you'll be pleasantly surprised at how simple the set up can be and coupled with reliable web hosting, your site will be permanently visible with virtually no downtime guaranteed.

Why chance your efforts with free web hosting when you can have virtually no downtime hassle free server web hosting throughout the year and stay noticed http://onlinehomebusinesstalk.com

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Server Requirements for Hassle-Free Ecommerce Web Hosting Services

By Richard H Taylor

Ecommerce sites sell products online and offer to their customers these web payment options via PayPal, credit cards, or online banking. And so, their website host must have the capacity to provide not only software to manage the site's contents, but also software that manages the shopping cart system, online payment processing, and customer information security. Without back-end support for these functions, Internet business might find it difficult to handle large numbers of orders every day, especially when the process also requires parallel requests to an international freight service for door-to-door deliveries.

As mentioned before, an ecommerce site should have shopping cart software that keeps track of the items that the customer puts into his or her "cart" before going on to the payment processing page. Examples of these software include OS Commerce and Agora; both shopping cart systems are classified Open Source, which means users can customize the interface and add functions that improve the customer's online shopping experience. Another Open Source ecommerce solution is Magento, which also has customizable themes and extensible plug-ins as the other two.

Because ecommerce sites mostly process financial transactions over the Internet, they need a merchant account, which allows them to process credit cards and transfer funds between banks. If ecommerce businesses don't have a merchant account, then they'll need a payment gateway, such as PayPal, that can process credit card payments or Internet banking transactions with high-end security measures.

Speaking of Internet security, ecommerce websites need heavyweight security measures to protect their customers' personal and financial information. Most hosts offer out-of-the-box features, such as a dedicated IP address for SSL requests and the generation of SSL certificates to let browsers and search bots know that the shopping site is trusted. Verisign, which is the most trusted Internet security service provider, offers DNS management to keep your and protection from denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks from hackers.

In addition, shopping sites pay top-dollar for software or third-party companies that can provide accurate web analytics. Knowing who their customers are, where they come from, and which product pages they often visit help online businesses keep tabs with their Internet marketing campaigns. When one or two product pages perform poorly, marketers take action to improve the quality of content on these pages and to direct site visitors to them through engaging ads.

Finally, ecommerce web hosting services also offer their clients value-added features, such as multimedia file storage, mobile apps integration, and a maximum 99.9% up-time guarantee. This means that servers dedicated to ecommerce sites are Tier 3 types that can handle cloud-based hosting while keeping their customers' data secure from malicious intrusions and hardware glitches.

With more than six years of writing experience behind him, Richard H. Taylor shows he's still at the top of his game as he continues to write useful and updated content about ecommerce web hosting services. View Optimal Hosting's website here to see service features, such as Agora or OS Commerce shopping cart software and Internet security services, among others.

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Virtual Servers - The Great Option At Hand For New Businesses Owners

By Jennifer Obodo

Gone are the days that demanded one computer to be connected with one server option. With the advancement of technology, many numbers of computers are linked to a single server while a dedicated server is single, it can be interlinked by various Virtual servers. These servers have the capability of analyzing, maintaining and speedy connections to have an enhanced and quality performance.

These Virtual servers help to segregate the hardware and the software. This makes it easier to have various applications linked to the hardware. Each virtual server is considered to provide a good working environment as it helps to pool all your resources in a better way and derive the maximum from it. Some of the benefits that an online business would archive are:

1. Maximum utility for hardware: The Virtual servers boost up the hardware usage up by 85% which a very good ratio when compared to other servers. This helps you to make use of all the available sources to develop your business into a Hi Fi one. This eliminates the need of a lot more instruments while reducing the costs for it dramatically. There is no need for continuous maintenance as it is capable of taking care of all such duties. This means that by opting to host in this kind of servers, you can stay free of worries and think of new ways to improvise your business.

2. The option of flexibility: The Virtual servers offer a high degree of flexibility as it makes both the hard ware and software working separate. This means you can make changes or transfer or upgrade one without influencing the working of the other. You can also use any kind of operating system or any applications as it has a high degree of compatibility. This enables you to adopt any new version of software that boasts of huge turnover or a new working environment that are recently used by your competitors to make your online business more powerful. Moreover the recovery after a worse condition is very easy with a virtual working environment.

3. Speedier working process: These Virtual servers make the performance of all the development and process of all applications very quick and speedy. You can also simultaneously test the performance and evaluate the functions at any given point of time in a virtual working environment. This is possible as it does not hinder your performances in any other way.

4. The option of security: You get a high degree of security with Virtual servers as these servers are the best choice for processing data and storing it. This eliminates the need of using multiple locations to store all your information and the pains of managing this information all by yourself. In this environment, the working and the process of managing all is taken care by a single system. This way you can heave with relief as there is no need to worry about any information being lost or withheld as it allows you anytime access and information retrieval which is very important for an online business.

The Significance of Virtual Servers in a Business - Exohosting.com offers many different hosting solutions to meet the needs of small business and personal websites. Find out more about the many plans and offers at Exohosting.com: Web Hosting, Cheap Domains and Virtual Servers.

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