Windows Hosting

Windows Server 2008 is the most recent Server from Microsoft. Its exciting new features include the ability to use virtualization technologies that enable you to consolidate all your server roles into the hardware that you already have.

Also, the improved IIS 7 webserver allows a more easy configuration interface along with flexibility. With improvements in Virtual Private Network (VPM) delivery, the latest webserver gives administrators unparalleled security in a robust framework.

In addition, IIS 7 includes complete PHP support ensuring that existing applications will run as smoothly as they already do on other servers like Apache.

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One of the primary benefits of using a Windows Server is the powerful programming framework of ASP .NET. If you need fast and efficient web development at zero cost, it's hard to ignore Microsoft's tools for web applications.

In keeping with tradition, developers can use the awesome Visual Basic suite to quickly develop highly maintainable and scalable applications, using modern principles of Object Oriented Programming. ASP .NET leverages the existing knowledge of your developers by allowing them to program in languages that they already know.

Microsoft's well deserved reputation for exhaustive documentation including useful code samples, as well as their continuing support for .NET over the years, ensures that your IT team can continue to use .NET over several years without being afraid that their skills will be obsolete.

Over the years, ASP .NET will only become more prevelant as people switch from older and less maintainable languages like PHP.

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Windows Server 2008 comes with IIS 7 which is the latest web server from Microsoft. IIS of course has a long history, but the latest release is one of the most fundamental changes in IIS architecture that have taken place in a long time.

The new IIS 7 features include complete freedom to develop on any platform including PHP or ASP .NET as well as remarkable offerings in media delivery and administration.

For example, configuration changes in IIS 7 can be made by simply changing an XML based config file. This gives developers and administrators complete control over folder level permissions. Such a system has been used in Apache for a long time and it's familiarity brings IIS one step closer to it's goals of ease of use and scalability.

In addition, IIS 7 comes with rich diagnostic tools to identify and remove bottlenecks in web applications. No longer do administrators have to carefully guess which components are giving trouble. Failed request tracing is certainly one of the best changes to IIS 7.

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Media delivery in the form of audio and video is an important part of any website these days. And not just for the sake of effective presentation. Lots of important content can only be delivered via media clips.

However, problems such as bandwidth regulation as well as effective advertisement presentation have plagued media delivery. IIS 7 simplifies matters by ensuring that you have full control over your media.

Website administrators can make use of IIS 7 delivery tools to ensure that the quality of media delivered is commensurate with the bandwidth of the user, as well as making sure that viewers cannot skip advertisements from sponsors - thereby making media clips an effective marketing tool to drive revenue.

Other features such as live and smooth streaming as well as ease of integration into application development make IIS 7 a great choice for programmers and website administrators alike

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One of the great advantages of choosing a Windows Server for your hosting needs is the ability to use familiar Microsoft technologies - all of which neatly integrate into Windows.

Due to the widespread popularity of Microsoft Office products, many businesses choose to use MSAccess for their initial database requirements, particularly if they are not large. Upgrading later to MSSQL is easy and almost automatic.

Using MSAccess is also cheaper than other databases since you can use it for free. All that is necessary is to transfer the database to the required directory using FTP and no further server side configuration is required. ODBC connectors are also available only on Windows platforms.

When businesses are ready to move to the next step, they can upgrade easily to the Enterprise class MSSQL.

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Windows Server 2008 r2 is the latest release from Microsoft and an upgrade over its standard 2008 server. Depending on its end use, you will be able to get your hands on it on different dates. The retail version is slated for release a week after today - the 22nd of October 2009.

There are many improvements in 2008 r2, not the least of which is an updated IIS server version 7.5 . Also, the core technology is the same as that used in Windows 7 based on NT 6.5 and certain features of Windows Server 2008 r2 are available only with clients running Windows 7.

Features that are dramatically improved in 2008 r2 span a range of categories. Some of them are:

Web Platform Improvements

Windows 2008 introduced the concept of "Server Core" where the server was installed with no GUI interface and all administrative work was performed via a command line interface to minimize the attack surface exposed to hackers. However, the .NET framework was not included.

With Windows Server 2008 r2, the .NET framework is now available on Server Core and administrators can use PowerShell cmdlets.

In addition, IIS7.5 now allows external software to tightly integrate into the IIS administrative framework thereby enabling it to seem part of the core server.
Improved Scalability

Windows Server 2008 r2 is available only for 64 bit processors and this allows significant scalability improvements. 256 logical processors are now supported. Massive improvements to Virtualization via Hyper-V R2 allow Guest Operating Systems to be freely migrated to another processor of the same vendor thus improving flexibility and scalability.

Built in support for scaling up and scaling out allow the 2008 r2 to be used in a variety of situations. Also, there is now better support for iSCSI devices making use of Network Attached Storage (NAS) solutions leading to improved performance and higher availability.
Better Power Management

Windows Server 2008 r2 also utilizes resources on Servers more efficiently than before making Data Centers both more cost effective as well as allowing them to increase the number of servers they can store.

The File Classification Infrastructure allows administrators to identify which files are not secured properly as well as which ones are not used and can be removed. Based on the classification, different backup schedules can be created to save time and storage space.
Summary

This is just a short summary of changes in Windows Server 2008 r2 . There are many more improvements and you can get full information on the Windows Server web page.

All too often the word "server" scares people. This is a throwback to the days when "Servers" were equated with the image of mainframes - costly, and cumbersome to manage. But these days servers have their place in small businesses all over the world - they're affordable and with graphical user interfaces, they're easy to set up and deploy as well.

Microsoft has recently introduced Windows Home Server which is meant for businesses which are set up and deployed at home and which also have a need to back up a lot of personal data. The server that is next in line is Windows Server Foundation which doesn't have a "home" component.

Windows Home Server (WHS) comes with a large number of features that make it ideal for small businesses with 10 or fewer employees. Unlike Server Foundation, WHS supports 10 user accounts and most of its features center around storage solutions - backup, restoration, scalability and sharing.

The backup functions are impressive, being image based instead of file based - ensuring that restoration leaves you with an exact replica of the disk before the catastrophe. This means that applications that rely on block level storage such as some Databases will be able to seamlessly pick up where they left off.

WHS also allows users to access their systems on the go over the Internet. Businesses also find the need to share information with employees seamlessly and in a secure manager. With advances in sharing technologies and permissions, this can be accomplished easily.

In addition, WHS also scales depending on how much storage you need. Similar to Network Attached Storage (NAS) - but not quite, you can simply plug in more hard drives without even needing to restart the system! It also takes full advantage of cloud capabilities by allowing you to maintain your online storage space for secure and reliable access from anywhere.

The best part is that WHS is also optimized for home usage with advanced video and photo backup as well as centralized storage. Perfect for home run businesses which also involve a heavy amount of family work.

This is a niche that Microsoft is investing heavily in with the knowledge that it is going to experience fast paced growth. By providing such business owners with a cheap option, it's enabling them to start off small and have an easy upgrade path as and when their businesses are ready to advance to the next level.

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Problems with Shared Hosting
For a startup business, shared hosting is a very acceptable way to quickly set up your website and get a few visitors at first. But as your business grows, you find that you need a bit more of everything. Resources, control, and security.

For example, on a shared hosting plan, there's no guarantee of bandwidth at all times and there are certain security implications since there could be hundreds of sites that sit on the same server as yours. The bad behavior of any single customer on your server can spoil your image and can even cause your IP to be blacklisted if they engage in spam like behavior.

Also, a spike in the traffic of an account on the same server as yours can cause your site to become unavailable or slow down to a crawl. For a business that relies heavily on its website, this is an unacceptable situation.

Upgrading to a Windows VPS service
A Virtual Private Server (VPS) is a special type of hosting where you have your own virtual operating system all to yourself. While it's true that there are other accounts also sitting on the same physical server, there are no where close to as many as with shared hosting. In addition, the behavior of all the other accounts is isolated from yours at the OS level itself via virtualization.

This means that you have guaranteed bandwidth and resources, as well as a static IP that isn't shared with anyone else. This has the added advantage of you being able to give your customers a single IP address for branding purposes. And finally, a static IP address allows you to enable anonymous FTP downloads from your server. This might be an important advantage depending on your business.

A Windows VPS installation also comes with added services such as automated backup at regular intervals. Depending on the hosting provider, there will be a lot of free software that will come in handy for your business. For example, you might get a help desk or ticketing system or better mail software for your firm.

With a Windows VPS, you can customize your server as much as your business requires unlike a shared hosting account where the configurations come in standard packages. For example, you may have a special script you want to run at regular intervals. A Windows VPS hosting account allows you that flexibility.

Importance of Hardening your Windows Server 2008 web hosting
Windows Server 2008 r2 is a massive leap in terms of security. There are many different ways to protect it from outside attack. Unfortunately, a lot of people don't know about them and view security as something that is of secondary importance that will take care of itself. They can't be more wrong. In most cases, it costs virtually nothing in order to harden your system against attack and it might possibly save the entire business from crashing down on your head.

The first step to harden your Windows server is to ensure that the built in Firewall is set up correctly and working properly. The 2008 Firewall represents a major advance in security.

Set the Firewall using the Security Configuration Wizard (SCW)
Compared to the Firewall found in Windows Server 2003, the one found in Server 2008 is a powerhouse. Configuration is easily done using the SCW which needs to be added on as a component. Instead of the handful of roles found in earlier versions of Windows, SCW has over 200 different roles which you can push your server into. Based on what you're using the server for, you can then apply industry best practices and close off certain ports and services to harden your server from attack.

In addition, it's easy to further configure the various rules to suit the needs of your particular situation. The Security Configuration Wizard works on a well known principle known as "Reducing the attack surface". This principle states that you must only allow the bare minimum exposure to the outside world for the server to perform its role well.

For example, even though you might have blocked off certain ports, a good "hardened" server will not allow incoming connections from just about anyone, but will find ways to filter down the addresses of those who are allowed to connect and let only those through. The attack surface can be reduced by well over 80% for a properly configured system.

Windows Server 2008 for example, starts more than half its services by default. SCW begins by asking you whether you want to create a new security policy, modify an old one, apply an existing one, or rollback anything. It's the very first line of defense for Windows administrators and goes a long way towards helping you keep your IT systems safe from attack.