In need of an easy way to check for dedicated server downtime?  Downforeveryoneorjustme.com is the web site you want to bookmark for such an occasion.

This awesome web site service allows you to type in your domain name you want to check, and then see if it is down or if you might be the cause of the issue.  A very interesting web site tool indeed.

If you like that one – you might also check out:

• http://www.thewebsiteisdown.com/

It is a funny customer service relation story that I think just about everybody can relate to. 

Lunarpages has a new dedicated hosting plan that will not disappoint. The new Dedicated i7 plan will leave you in awe of it’s power, speed and reliability.

What do you get? – The Dedicated i7 comes loaded with a Intel? CoreT i7 2.66ghz CPU, 3GB of DDR3 RAM, 250 GB of storage, with add-ons and upgrades to customize your hosting experience even more.   The Intel? CoreT i7 2.66ghz CPU is the most recent technology from Intel? providing faster, intelligent, multi-core technology that applies processing power where it’s needed most.

This is by far the greatest Linux-powered dedicated hosting server out there today.  At only $245 per month, it is practically a steal.  Like the other dedicated hosting plans they give, the new Dedicate i7 plan gives you unparalleled security, control and management options.

Find more dedicated hosting solutions at lpdedicated.com.

When it comes to dedicated hosting, and getting your first dedicated web hosting server, you have to watch out for a lot of various things.  Here is our list of the top ten important dedicated hosting features to look for.

1. Free Setup – Setup costs can sometimes be a hidden catch, check to see if you can get the setup to be done for free.
2. Managed Hosting Options – If you need help, be sure to check and see if it can be provided.
3. Processing Power – Ask to see if the processor on the server can be upgraded down the road if more power is needed.
4. RAM Usage – Be sure you know how much RAM usage is acceptable, and what will happen if you run short.
5. Enough Disk Space and Bandwidth – Absolutely check to see what your limitations are in disk space and bandwidth and what they can be upgraded to if needed.

Know of any more?  Feel free to share them in the comments.  Dedicated web hosting can often be a confusing mess, so it is always best to come to the situation fully prepared and know what you should be looking for as far as features go.

Allowing the root user to login directly is a major security issue, we’ll show you how to disable it so you can still login as root but just not directly, reducing the security issue.

This will force a hacker to have to guess 2 separate passwords to gain root access.(you do have 2 separate passwords for admin and root right?) What happens is you’ll first need to login as your admin user in SSH, then switch to the super user with the su command to get root.

We also will be forcing the use of SSH protocol 2, which is a newer, more secure SSH protocol. Just a couple more ways to help your server stay safe from the bad guys. If you’re using cPanel make sure you add your admin user to the ‘wheel’ group so that you will be able to ‘su -’ to root, otherwise you may lock yourself out of root.

Read on…