In the Dedicated Hosting environment, you are able to choose your own server operating system, which for some webmasters is a tough decision. If you are familiar with Linux and Windows operating systems, you should already know which one best suits your website’s needs. If you’re new to working with Dedicated Servers, however, you may be interested to know the difference between working in Linux and Windows environments.

It is extremely important to note that you do not have to run Linux on your home computer to run it on your web hosting server. The same goes for Windows – even if you have Windows XP on your home computer, you can use Linux for your Dedicated Server OS.

The biggest differences you’ll notice between a Linux and Windows platform is the cost – where Linux is an Open Source (or free) operating system and can thus be offered by your Dedicated Hosting Provider for free, the many different Windows systems come direct from Microsoft and thus carry a licensing fee for any server that runs them.

Another rather large difference between Linux and Windows is the kind of databases and website scripts they work with. Linux servers tend to work with most capabilities you may be interested in, but if you need ASP, ASP.net, MS Access, Frontpage, Windows Streaming Media support, and/or MS SQL integration, you’ll want to take a look at a Windows Server. As a rule of thumb, anything that has a license through Microsoft will generally need to be on a Windows server, but you’ll want to double check with your web hosting provider as well to see if the applications or programs you want to run will work through Linux as well.

Overall, though the two operating systems are unique and may require further knowledge of programs you need to run, both Linux and Windows Dedicated Server hosting plans do about the same thing and can be used for the same purposes.

Our recommended hosting provider, Lunarpages Dedicated Hosting, is available to give you a custom quote and can help you decide which OS is best for your website

Though at times your web hosting provider can assist you in rebooting your dedicated server, you should also know the proper way to schedule these kinds of tasks yourself. With Windows, these kinds of tasks are often laid out very simply and clearly for your convenience, but for rebooting it requires the PsShutdown command-line utility.

First, download PsShutdown from their website.

Once downloaded, you are ready to open your Windows command prompt via Start > Run > cmd and enter the following command to schedule your reboot properly:

c:> at TIME c: \FolderName\psshutdown.exe –r –f –c –t 10 -accepteula

Replace TIME with the exact time you want to schedule the reboot: i.e. if you wanted to reboot at 4am, you’d enter: c:> at 4:00am …

Replace FolderName with wherever you stored PsShutdown.

The –codes are as follows:

-s shuts down your Windows server
-r reboots your Windows server
-f forces all applications to exit even if they are running in the background, etc
-c allows your shutdown or reboot to be canceled
-t specifies the countdown in seconds until the machine reboots or shuts down

Windows web hosting and MS SQL databases go hand in hand, just like Linux web hosting and MySQL are the most compatible. But what happens if you’re looking to use MySQL with your Plesk control panel in your Windows Server Hosting account?

Here’s a simple tutorial that should help you access phpMyAdmin using Plesk.

First, you’ll want to login with the username and password you got from your dedicated web host.

In order to access phpMyAdmin, you must first have created a MySQL database, so if you have not done that yet, do so now before you proceed.

Once the database with MySQL has been created, click on the “Database” icon in your Plesk control panel and choose whichever database you want to manage. Finally, click on the “DB WebAdmin” icon, where a popup window will open for phpMyAdmin.

NOTE: If nothing pops up, your popup blocker might be preventing this, so double check your settings and proceed once you can access the phpMyAdmin popup.

From there, you can edit tables, fields, data, and perform backups and delete your MySQL databases, right from phpMyAdmin!

If you’re using cPanel, it’s a bit easier: simply click on the icon above the words “MySQL Databases” on the main cPanel interface screen and then you’ll see phpMyAdmin and you can go from there!

So either way, whether you’re using Plesk or cPanel, you will be able to access phpMyAdmin with your dedicated server.

So you’re looking for cheap dedicated servers, huh? Well, you’ve definitely come to the right place. We like to keep you informed with the best web hosting deals and discounts in the world, especially in the dedicated server hosting hemisphere. So without much ado, here’s a rundown of the top dedicated hosting coupons you can find online.

DSHRAM - 1 month FREE DEDICATED HOSTING plus an extra 1GB RAM. The value of this coupon depends upon what you buy, but could save you hundreds of dollars! Great deal!

DSH – $55 off your total purchase of any 3, 6, 12, or 24 month Dedicated Server plan. This’ll take off up to $18/month! Great savings for a game server, media server, or even Silverlight application

FREE WEB EXPRESSIONS SOFTWARE – No coupon necessary! Just hurry over to Lunarpages Dedicated Server Hosting and sign up for any Windows server and you’ll get a 100% free copy of Microsoft Web Expressions, plus a year’s worth of Total Training to help you get started with ASP and Microsoft

Take advantage of 2 deals at once and combine one of the coupon offers with the Free Web Expressions Software to save over $1100!

You really can’t find better dedicated hosting deals.

You have probably by now read all about Microsoft Silverlight from our blog here. We have even posted a helpful tutorial on Deploying Silverlight applications on your dedicated server, because we know it’s a great technology that will grow to be even greater in the coming months and years.

But you may have some Silverlight Hosting questions, so we’d like to help by addressing some of the most common FAQs we have been asked:

What is Microsoft Silverlight?

To simplify the definition, Silverlight is just streaming media and content technology that can be used similarly to flash media. We wrote another article on Microsoft Silverlight Hosting, which is more comprehensive.

What’s the Cost for Silverlight?

100%, completely free!

What does Silverlight Hosting Support?

Silverlight hosting supports live streaming videos, music, and events, as well as downloading media of the same nature.

Will Silverlight Applications Run on My Web Server?

Most likely. Take a look at what your web host offers; Silverlight is going to work best with Windows Server 2008 but will definitely work with other platforms as well – even Linux!

Are There Tools Available to Assist with Running and Uploading Silverlight Applications?

Currently, Microsoft techs are working on a simple FTP-like uploading tool, but for now you can use Expression Encoder publishing plug-in if you visit the Microsoft download center. In addition to that, Lunarpages Dedicated Server Hosting and other companies are implementing easy ways to support Silverlight.

Which Browsers Support Silverlight Applications?

Literally any browser supported on a Mac OS X or Windows PC will be able to view and work with Silverlight. Microsoft is putting the most energy towards the 3 most popular browsers to assure they run 100% – Internet Explorer, FireFox, and Safari.

Will Both PCs and Macs be Compatible with Silverlight?

Yes! You can run Silverlight on literally any machine and from any browser in the world.

By now, you already know that Silverlight is one of the fastest growing media technologies in the world right now. So if you’re planning to get or already own a dedicated server to run as media server hosting, you’ve got to know a thing or two about deploying Microsoft Silverlight applications on your dedicated server. For example, did you know you can run and install Silverlight applications using a Linux or Windows server?

The good news is that deployment of a Silverlight app is incredibly easy, and our friends at Lunarpages Dedicated Server Hosting have provided this amazing and easy-to-follow tutorial for your convenience.

1. Upload Your Silverlight Application

First, you’ll need to upload the actual application folder under the document root of your account. If you’re on a Linux server, remember that file names, folder names, and links are case sensitive, so ensure these are all correct before proceeding.

2. Specify the MIME Mapping

Working with cPanel on a Linux server, you should first click on the MIME Types icon. It looks like this: Then, add a MIME Type application/xaml+xml with extension xaml.

Working with Plesk on a Windows server is just slightly more complicated, though not by much. First, click on the Web Directories shortcut on the Domain Management page and select the MIME Tabs tab. Add New MIME Type and put .xaml as extension, select content as Custom, and write application/xaml+xml in the next edit box, and click OK.

That’s it! In two simple steps, in Windows or Linux, you have effortlessly deployed your new Microsoft Silverlight application! And you probably didn’t even break a sweat. That’s how easy dedicated server hosting can be when you have great tutorials from great web hosting providers like Lunarpages.

You’re shopping for a dedicated server. You need not only the best price available but the best dedicated hosting discount, features, and billing cycles. And if you’re not sure where to begin, requesting a dedicated server quote from the provider of your choice is a great first step!

A dedicated server quote needs to contain specifics about what you are purchasing, the reliability of the web host you are choosing, and any terms and conditions that you are required to abide by in order to receive the pricing available. For example, you may only get the best pricing by purchasing a 1-year billing cycle.

So what exactly should be included in a dedicated server hosting quote?

1. Price & Discounts

Price is very, very important. If one provider can get you the server for $500 while another can only offer $1500, that’s a huge difference that needs to be addressed. Oftentimes, the difference will be due to equipment used (i.e. the more expensive company uses more expensive or better-performing servers).

Dedicated hosting discounts are also equally important. Many providers who use top-of-the-line equipment but might be slightly higher priced can get you discounts depending on contract term and length, features, and add-ons. Be sure to ask your dedicated host what discounts they can offer.

2. Technical Specs

How much bandwidth per month do you get? What about storage? Do you get a free domain name or free setup?

Some other features you’ll want to know about ahead of time:

* Type of Processor
* Amount of RAM included
* Managed or UnManaged Hosting
* Linux or Windows Web Hosting

3. Support Options

Does the dedicated webhost provide 24/7 support through telephone, email, and/or ticket help desks, forums, etc? More often than not, dedicated support should be handled via email so that everything is documented.

DotNetNuke Web Hosting is a unique website development and management choice, popular with ASP.NET hosting enthusiasts. Like many other content management systems, DotNetNuke requires little knowledge of actual web development or programming skills and allows for novices as well as intermediates and experts to navigate its control panel to update websites. But unlike other CMS applications and software, DotNetNuke can actually be used to run intranet and extranet as well.

The only downside to DotNetNuke is that it is not completely versatile in that it does require the ASP.NET environment, although Windows Web Hosting is incredibly powerful and a great option for dedicated server hosting. The big upside is that DotNetNuke is easy to install, easy to work with, and easy to customize – plus, it’s open source software, which means you can get it completely free. There are also a wide variety of websites that support documentation and troubleshooting, so you’re always able to find a skin or solution for your DotNetNuke website.

When searching for a reliable dedicated hosting provider, you know already that you can often find great dedicated hosting coupons and discounts if you compare companies and give them a call or get a custom quote like what Lunarpages offers on their website. But we have some amazing web hosting news for you, as the folks at Lunarpages are offering some phenomenal dedicated hosting freebies!

If you are in the market for Dedicated Windows Hosting, look no further than Lunarpages! With any new 12 or 24 month Windows Dedicated purchase, you will receive a FREE copy of Microsoft Web Expression, a WYSIWYG HTML and webpage editor, as well as a year’s worth of Microsoft-related training from Total Trainning! The training sessions alone are valued at over $700, making this free offer from Lunarpages worth over $1,000!

For more information, please visit Lunarpages Dedicated Hosting and view their Special Offer.

Wondering what you get with Lunarpages Windows Dedicated Hosting? Check out these awesome features:

* Windows Server 2008
* Microsoft Frontpage, Silverlight, and ASP/ASP.NET 3.5, IIS7 compatible
* MS SQL standard
* Plesk Control Panel
* Managed Hosting options
* 80-250GB (and more) storage space
* at least 1,000GB (1TB) bandwidth/month
* 24×7 Dedicated Technical Support

Database Servers are becoming more and more popular these days, as technology professionals not only need a server to run their website for web server hosting but they also require the functionality and performance of a reliable database server. And in setting a database server up, you not only need affordable dedicated web hosting but also a database management system.

So what is a database management system?

A database management system (or DBMS) is more or less a piece of software that helps you organize, store, manage, edit, and retrieve of data in a database or databases from your server. Like content management system (CMS), it is setup to do these things as easily as possible for you.

There are many database management systems around, but here is a quick list of some of the most popular choices for dedicated server hosting:

• Oracle
• Microsoft Access
• Microsoft SQL Server
• Firebird
• PostgreSQL
• MySQL
• SQLite