When it comes to dedicated windows server hosting, there are dozens of great hosting providers out there, and choosing the right one for you can be tricky some times and possibly even downright confusing.
With all the different combinations of different configurations you can choose from when it comes to dedicated servers, you really need to know what you will be doing with your dedicated server.
1) Is your server going to be used for high traffic websites?
2) Do you need dedicated SQL server support, and if so, what version of SQL server do you need to run your ASP.net applications?
3) What version of ASP.net is your website built on?
4) What version of windows operating system do you need on your dedicated server, would a windows 2003 dedicated server run your applications?
These are just a few questions that you would need to know before getting your server, so let’s go over these in a little more detail.
1) If you’re planning on having multiple high traffic websites hosted on your server, then you would need to make sure that you have a real fast processor, Dual core processors would be great but, I would recommend Quad core to be able to manage everything better. You would also need a sufficient amount of memory installed on your dedicated server. 4 Gigs of ram or better. Bandwidth is also a real big one here, you will use lots of it with high traffic on multiple websites so make sure that you have a sufficient amount, and your provider will not stop people from accessing your site if you go over, but instead automatically add the extra bandwidth needed to your account. I would recommend having a minimum 1,500 Gigs per month for your bandwidth, this will be plenty to get started and you can increase this as you get closer to your limit.
2) With ASP.net, we all need to have SQL server for our database needs and the only way to have a dedicated SQL server is to have a dedicated windows server. Most hosting providers will not allow you to have dedicated access to SQL server on any type of shared hosting or even virtual private server (VPS) hosting. You would have to share that server with others that they have hosted on it, and this can greatly degrade your application performance.
3) Question three is one of the most important questions that you need to know, because you can save lots of money here. If your website is built on an older version of ASP.net, 1.1 for instance, yes this is a very old version but there are still websites out there running 1.1, this would mean that you would not need the newer versions of the windows operation system and SQL server installed so you would be able to run your websites on a windows 2003 dedicated server and save some money on your hosting. The new versions are a little more expensive so your hosting would also be more expensive. If you can save even $200 per year, this is still extra money in your pocket that you can spend elsewhere.
4) I pretty much answered question four above but we can go a little deeper on this one here. If your website is running on an older version of ASP.net and also using an older version of SQL server, are you planning on upgrading your websites at a later date to use the newer versions of ASP.net? If upgrades are planned to happen in the future, then it would be best to get a dedicated windows server with the newest operation system and SQL server already installed. The server would still be able to run those older applications for you, and you can upgrade everything and test it right on your dedicated server to make sure everything works the same before you replace all your old site files with the new ones.
Well there you have it. I hope that I have helped you a little in choosing the right hosting provider for your dedicated windows server hosting.
Remember that not all servers are created equal, try to save money where you can but don’t skimp on the options that you need like I have mentioned above.
Hostgator right now is having a promotion giving everyone 20% off all hosting plans and you don’t need to use a hostgator coupon code either. They have great support and there dedicated windows servers are top notch.
If you want to save even more money, I have a hostgator coupon code that will save you an additional 25% off your hosting plan, if you don’t mind typing in the hostgator coupon code, who wouldn’t want to save even more money anyways?
Use this hostgator coupon code to save an additional 25% off your dedicated server hosting plan;
Hostgator Coupon Code: Save25OffDedicated