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Re: [LUG] Dedicated server vs. Cloud based

 

On Sun, 28 Mar 2010, Matt Nash wrote:

Hi All,

I have a bunch of friends who are web developers, and I was asking them about who they use for their hosting, as I am interested in the idea of getting a hosted server. I also have a couple of other uses for it as I play the odd game and wouldn't mind hosting a Call of Duty 4 server as well. I have had quite a lot of interest. I am basically looking for the experience of hosting people's sites for them and running a hosted Linux server.

Could anyone tell me the pros and cons of a server using cloud type technology versus a dedicated server? I am thinking that if I use a dedicated server I could probably run multiple virtual machines, which is unlikely to be possible on a cloud based server. If there are any other pros and cons that people can think of, then please let me know.

Cost? Virtual servers are cheaper than physical ones...

There are lots of hosting companies with as many cost plans to match - my suggestion if their/your business depends on it is to pick one that gets good reviews and ratings, etc. and/or has a good recomendation (word of mouth), etc. Then you can worry about having a dedicated server or a virtual server.

And don't forget that if you're hosting/designing sites for customer then it's their business on the line too...

Until relatively recently I wasn't a fan of virtual servers (and I host a number of physical servers myself), but in recent months, things have changed significantly for me - now, I'm in the process of migrating my entire facility over to "base" servers and "containers" which are a type of virtual servers inside the bases, and I'm doing it more for maintainability and scalability more than any other reason. I now have the ability to move a container from one physical server to any other physical server that's capable of hosting it, should I need to for whatever reason - server load, failing hardware, whatever. I can also create a server on a whim, so if a client has an immediate need for another server, it can be provided almost immediately - subject to their CPU, disk, etc. requirements.

I'm also finding that it's slightly easier to maintain dedicated servers too - to run their dedicated server as a single container inside their physical server - there's no CPU overhead, but it's still a container (which in my implementation boils down to a single directory heirarchy) which is easier to migrate to another server, if required.

My setup is using LXC which I'm getting on well with - so-far, although it was a bit of a steep learning curve - it's relatively new, so not much in the way of how-to's and so on, but that seems to be improving. The one thing it doesn't support yet is live migration - moving a container from one host to another involves what amounts to a reboot of the server - shut it down on the first host, synchronise data if required and start it on the new one. It's something being worked on, so it's just a matter of time. The biggest issue is data replication, but there are many strategies for that.

So I'd start by working out your budget first though - especially if this is for a hobby project for you & friends (rather than for paying customers) - it might actually be cheaper to run your own server at home behind a business-class ADSL line if it's just for your own use...

Good luck!

Gordon

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