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Is Colocation the Right Solution?
by Archivo Ospite
http://www.abwebhosting.com
One option for connecting your server to the Internet is
known as colocation. Many companies offer colocation
services. When you use a dedicated server, the web host
owns the server. When you choose colocation, however, you
own the server and retain complete control over its
configuration.
Colocation Fees: Colocation uses a different fee structure
than dedicated servers. When you colocate a server, the
web host will charge you both rental and connection fees.
The rental fee is the monthly charge you will pay the host
company for housing your server in their facility. Your
rental fee will be based on the height of your server.
Servers can range from 1U to a full rack. Most servers will
fall in the 1U or 2U range, unless they have a large number
of hard drives.
Colocation providers base connection charges on averages
instead of the total number of gigabytes transferred during
the month. A connection of 1 mbp/s, for example, indicates
an average transfer of megabyte per second over the month.
Transfers can be measured in two ways. The first is to
divide the amount of bandwidth used by the number of
seconds in the month. The second method looks at the
95th percentile. To determine transfers using this method,
bandwidth is measured every five minutes. At the end of the
month, the highest five percent of the readings are
dropped. The highest remaining reading, the 95th
percentile, is used as the transfer billing rate.
Besides rental and connection fees, there are other
considerations to keep in mind. Since you own the server,
where your server is physically located is important. In
the case of a natural disaster how safe is your equipment?
You want to be certain that your server and the data it
contains are as safe as possible. What kind of security is
in place in the building? Who will have access to your
server? You want to ensure that only those people who have
the appropriate authorization will be able to access your
server.
How fast will your server be able to connect to the
Internet? That depends on the bandwidth offered by the
hosting company. You will need to determine how important
speed is. Some companies offer amazingly high speeds and
equally high prices. You can often save a few bucks by
opting to go with a provider that uses a slightly slower
bandwidth. Check out the bandwidth of potential hosts by
perusing their web page. How fast does the page load? Is it
slow and cumbersome? A slow-loading page can indicate the
company's Internet connection is already overloaded.
Discuss any special features you use with the colocation
provider. Can the host handle such features such as private
nameservers, anonymous FTP or game servers? Can the company
provide multiple IP addresses?
Look closely at the company's technical support services.
Find out who handles tech support and what kind of IT
credentials and experience they have. What do the company's
current customer's say about their support? Ask for
references.
You rely on your server so uptime is critical. Ask the
company what kind of guarantee they offer in terms of
uptime and get that guarantee in writing.
When you are ready to sign a contract for colocation
services, negotiate and review all of the terms carefully.
In addition to an uptime guarantee the contract should
include the terms of service, the length of contract, the
level of service and payment terms.
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