It is important to keep your eye on your resources when you have a dedicated hosting plan so that you know when and if something is about to or has gotten out of hand.  Here I hope to give you a few handy tips when it comes to monitoring your site resources and statistics in Plesk.

First thing you need to do is login to your Plesk control panel, and click on Limits.  As you can see Limits displays the resource limits allocated to your account.  It lists such details as:

• Maximum Number of Subdomains
• Disk Space
• Bandwidth
• Maximum Amount of Traffic
• Maximum Number of Web Users
• and more…

Now click on Up Level at the top of the Limits window for your domain, and click on Report.  The Report will show you all account resource limits & usage, as well as users and a full list of all available scripts, utilities and resources.

FTP Stats will show you a history of FTP activity on your site - both in upload as well as download. 

Traffic History will display information on traffic usage by Months and Years on your dedicated hosting account.  To view the detailed traffic statistics used by various services at the domain, click on the Traffic button.  The page will open displaying the traffic usage table.  You can send a copy of the report to an e-mail address you specify too at the bottom of the Report screen.  You can also set up a schedule for automatic delivery of the reports. 

The last detail about monitoring dedicated resources inside of Plesk is the Web Statistics Preferences screen.  From here you can set some of the preferences that will dictate the display of refers in your stats.

Now you should be a little more handy when it comes to stats and resources inside of your Plesk control panel via your dedicated web hosting account.

Many webmasters who utilize dedicated server hosting use it for media servers or, more exactly, for streaming video servers. It might be helpful for those of you in the market to run the next YouTube.com to be aware of what you’ll need to accomplish this.

Firstly, you may be wondering what the heck streaming servers or streaming video is! A streaming video server is just a dedicated web server setup to stream videos on demand. Your dedicated server needs to be configured to stream media effectively, by offering a compressed file version that can be easily viewed and listened to by your customers, fans, or regular surfers at the same time that it’s being delivered and processed on the server.

Methods of Streaming Media

You can use a true streaming method, which means your video is almost constantly streamed exactly while it’s being downloaded. Think of YouTube.com for this example. In true media streaming, the dedicated server and streaming video software does all the work, which produces a great end result for the user but which can also be very costly for management! Oftentimes, adding streaming media software to an already existing dedicated server is the most affordable option.

The other option is downloading, which we’re all pretty familiar with. This is far cheaper because the entire video file is downloaded and saved as a temporary file on the computer. However, this method is not suitable for a YouTube.com type dedicated server.

There is a plethora of free streaming media software available on the internet for your perusal and use.

Why Stream Media Live?

If you are running any of the following server types on your dedicated server, your visitors will appreciate live streaming of video or audio for their convenience:

* A YouTube.com clone
* An adult website (make sure you choose an adult web host)
* A video-sharing website
* A podcasting server
* Silverlight media server

What kind of dedicated server do I need?

Go with something BIG because you will need it! I would recommend the following features:

* Dual or Quad Core Xeon Processor
* at least 2 x 1024 MB RAM
* at least 2 x 500 GB SATA Hard Drives
* Raid 4 or 5
* at least 3,000GB bandwidth

Please take a look at our dedicated hosting coupons for the best dedicated server deals you can find, which are sure to knock down the primarily steep price for you!

Do you want to keep yourself updated to know what you’re using on your dedicated server and when? This kind of information can be especially helpful if you are allotting a certain amount of disk space, bandwidth, or email accounts to specific clients on your dedicated server. Plus, knowing what you are using and how often will assist you in keeping your server up to date and if you need to upgrade, you will know before any issues arise.

In Plesk, via Windows or Linux hosting, you can find this information easily.

First, click on Limits

Limits displays the resource limits allocated to your account. For example, it shows you the maximum number of subdomains allowed, disk space, maximum traffic or bandwidth, maximum number of web users, maximum number of databases, maximum number of mailboxes, mailbox quota, maximum number of mail redirects, maximum number of mail groups, maximum number of mail autoresponders, maximum number of mailing lists, and a ton more.

To see account resources limits and usage, click on Report.

Report options will display all resource limits and usages, as well as users and a full list of all available scripts, utilities, and resources. For example, you’ll see Web Statistics, Web Stats, Web Stats SSL, FTP Stats, Traffic History, and can manage Report Delivery.

If you click on FTP Stats, this will show you a history of FTP activity in your website, both in upload as well as download.

If you click on Traffic History, this will display information on traffic usage by Months and Years.

To view detailed traffic statistics used by various services at the domain, click on the Traffic button.

If you’d like to keep yourself updated, you can also choose to send a copy of the report to any email you specify.

Or, you can setup a schedule for automatic delivery of reports by clicking on Report Delivery.

Accessing this information can assist you in self-managing your dedicated web hosting.

When purchasing a dedicated server, you are going to ask a lot of questions to your potential dedicated web host. Sometimes, though, you can find answers to the most common pre-sales questions via the dedicated web hosting company’s website, and this can help you make your decision or at least narrow down the options. Remember that dedicated hosting is different than shared web hosting in many ways, one of which includes the fact that dedicated servers can have customized setups. So even if the answer on their website is “no”, you should still ask, as most dedicated hosts will likely work with you if you are going to purchase with them or will help you find a way around your hosting dilemma.

And now for some helpful Dedicated Server Hosting FAQs and pre-sales answers!

How many websites can I host on my Dedicated Server?

The best dedicated web hosts will say “unlimited website hosting” is okay! This is because it is YOUR server! You own and control almost all aspects of it, except maintenance and storage.

Can I resell space on my Dedicated Server?

If your web host says anything but “yes”, you’re in trouble! Qualified dedicated server hosting providers will allow you to resell your dedicated server space to clients, friends, family, and even strangers. For example, if you wanted to run a “free web hosting” site, where you give thousands of customers small websites to host for free, you can do this easily by purchasing a dedicated server.

I don’t like the control panels offered – can I install my own or just work through SSH?

Yes and yes! Some web hosting providers will install control panels for you at a nominal charge, while all of them will allow you to install yourself or just use SSH/shell commands to cut down on costs or for simplicity.

How long does it take to get my Dedicated Server setup?

No longer than 24-48 hours, unless you have asked for something that is more difficult to setup. If you want your account setup ASAP, we always recommend calling the dedicated hosting provider so they can verify your information immediately for a faster setup.

There is no doubt that after a while, the prices can really add up when it deals with a dedicated hosting server.  It is probably the most expensive thing you will ever buy that you will never get to touch or look at in person.  With that in mind always be a smart shopper when it comes to picking the best deal for you.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions about prices.  If something costs a ‘bit more one place than the other go ahead and let them know and ask them why this is so.  There may be a good reason for it.  Also it is always smart to do some comparison shopping before you get started, so you have a ballpark figure you think you should spend before you really do.  You can also often get caught up in addons and additional services so much that you aren’t sure what your getting or why your getting it - you just want it because it is an additional check box on the order form.

We live in a world where you can do endless amounts of research, so why not do so?  You wouldn’t rush into buying a car or a house, so dedicated hosting should be treated no differently.

It is the thing that any hosting guru dreads and something you too might need to become concerned with.  When it comes to load limits, we know a server can only take so much.  What are some of the major causes of server overloads?  Let us take a look and find out.

Too Much Traffic - This is almost a problem you would love to have.  When you have too much real traffic coming into a single web site, the server can start having problems delivering data back to those who are asking for it.  Those looking for a way to survive the Digg effect are often considered to be in the same category.

DDoS Attacks - These are attacks by hundreds or millions of machines all at one place to one place trying to take it down.  Multiple compromised PCs flood the bandwidth and resources of the targeted system bringing it to its knees.

Computer Worms or Viruses - Worms and viruses can also cause harm to and hosting server.  This, much like a DDoS attack is usually aimed at hitting a server as hard as you can with just visits from millions of infected computers around the world.

Now for things like web robots, Internet or network slowdowns there isn’t much you can do to stop them but they too can harm you as well.  These are definitely things you should bring up with your dedicated server host today to make sure they are ready to handle any and all challenges.  Finding a good dedicated server host can save you a lot of heart ache down the road.

The best place to host your YouTube-like projects and web sites would be a VPS or even better a dedicated hosting server.  Now some might ask, what separates these types of scripts (such as PHPmotion) from other scripts out there that don’t seem to be much different. 

The differences is the amount of work the server must do to process these videos from .avi, .wmv, .mov and more to .flv files.  The FLV format is the format used for most if not all Flash video players.  Often with shared hosting environments you are not given access to enough server resources (like CPU and RAM usage) to be able to convert these videos as quickly as you need to.

Here are a few more things that you would find much easier to get installed on a dedicated server:

• LAME MP3 Encoder
• Libogg + Libvorbis
• Mencoder
• Mplayer

If you plan on becoming popular (and who doesn’t these days) you will want to be able to support as many users as you can and with this type of script, shared hosting just does not cut the cake. 

So the next time you decide you want your web site or planned project needs a little more power behind it, a dedicated hosting plan might be the better way to go in the long run.

You’re thinking of ordering a brand new, shiny dedicated server. You’ve got your domain name, you’ve chosen a reliable dedicated hosting provider like Lunarpages, and you’ve found the best dedicated hosting coupon available. So…now what?

Have you decided what kind of dedicated server you are going to be running? Look over these fun options to find the best solution for your dedicated server hosting plan!

Media Server Hosting

This is becoming a very popular choice for dedicated server hosting, as media websites like YouTube.com or social network sites like MySpace.com utilize media in incredible ways. With media server hosting, you are running a website primarily to serve streaming or live media content to your audience. You can store music and video files to stream on the web using Flash Media, Windows Media, or even Microsoft Silverlight, the hottest technology for media server hosting.

Make sure you choose a dedicated web hosting provider who allows media server hosting and can offer competitive amounts of storage space and data transfer bandwidth. This way, you’ll never have to worry.

Game Server Hosting

Do you like multiplayer games? Need to host your game for players around the world to be able to join in? You can create a whole world and community on your dedicated server by running it as a game server. Depending on the popularity of your game or games, you may need to cluster or join many servers together to create a network of interlocked dedicated servers. These servers provide the massive amounts of bandwidth necessary to have game players from all over the world connecting to your website! Game server hosting is extremely popular and you can make a ton of money through advertising and player upgrades.

Social Network Server Hosting

If you like MySpace or Facebook, you can create a website of your own to match them or even make a better site. Imagine creating something as popular as Myspace…right on your own server!! This means you have control over membership payments, you can deploy advertisements and sell ad space, and you can collect the revenue from partnering with other companies, etc.

Hosting a social networking website means an incredibly heavy load on your web server, so make sure you choose a reliable dedicated hosting provider who can handle the CPU resources, bandwidth, storage space, and even features necessary for these massive web hosting accounts. You should choose a dedicated server hosting company who can allow you to grow as your website does and who won’t limit you to ordering 10 servers if and when you need them.

Other Dedicated Hosting Options

Chat server hosting, forum server hosting, blog web hosting, personal web hosting, and even adult web hosting are all options for your dedicated server. Remember, you can also run your dedicated server as a web or database server as well, so if your aim is just a simple, clean, dedicated server hosting solution for your business or ecommerce website, you can’t go wrong.

While most potential Dedicated Server customers just jump right into dedicated server hosting, a lot of our readers here are also interested in shared web hosting and will upgrade to a dedicated server later as their site grows and matures or as their business expands.

So for those of you who are looking for a reliable web hosting partner, we recommend Lunarpages Web Hosting, a company that is currently offering an amazing promotion on their shared windows web hosting plans.

Get 3 Free Months of Windows Web Hosting by signing up with Lunarpages Windows Web Hosting plan. With this windows hosting plan, you get:

• Free Domain Name for Life
• Unlimited Email Addresses
• 5,000MB storage space
• 400GB bandwidth/month
• Secure Email through SmarterMail
• Support for ASP and ASP.NET standard

Take advantage of this awesome deal for Windows Web Hosting or try Lunarpages Dedicated Windows Hosting.

Especially when you’re hosting on a dedicated server, you should learn and adapt to the new and attractive technologies emerging in the world of website and application design. Utilizing these new technologies for dedicated server hosting could help you not only boost your traffic but allow your website to be viewed and understood by website developers who may never have found it previously.

So what is Ajax web hosting and why is Ajax web hosting so popular?

AJAX stands for “asynchronous Javascript And XML” and is more of an approach to website development than a true scripting language. It utilizes XML, Javascript, and HTML and combines them all to produce added functionality, faster page loads, and amazing new techniques to running applications on the web.

For hosting on a dedicated server, this means reliable dedicated hosting through the use of AJAX as a technology. Because traditional websites display pages as they reload or as users click on links or pictures, page load times can be atrocious if you have a massive hosted application on your dedicated server. AJAX approaches hosting in a different view and chooses NOT to reload the entire page but instead only the relevant parts of it. Javascript is the key here, as it is able to mimic actually trolling through the page and accessing data.

Using AJAX for your dedicated server hosting website can help minimize customer wait times by refreshing and reloading the pages quicker, as well as cutting down on monthly web hosting bandwidth usage.