Domain Name Servers (DNS) are an important part of setting up and configuring your Dedicated Server. Without them, nobody would be able to find your website online or see any of the content you have hosted there. In a Dedicated Server Hosting environment, you’ll need to create your own name servers, instead of using ready made ones as you would in a Shared Hosting environment.

So why register your own name servers? Without your own registered DNS on your dedicated server, you would be forced to have your Dedicated web host maintain an A record and point your website to the server’s primary IP address. This means that your web host is the only entity that can add subdomains, park domains, etc. Registering your own name servers also associated all content within the search engines and helps with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and getting your site ranked properly for its keywords and content. Registering your own DNS will also facilitate faster lookups for your domain on the server, resolving connections to your sites much quicker.

How much does it cost to register name servers? Your domain name registrar should offer this service completely free!

How do I register my name servers? This depends on where you registered your domain name. If you registered it with Lunarpages Dedicated Hosting, you’ll simply need to follow these easy steps:

1. Login to https://manage.opensrs.net
2. Click the “Manage Nameservers” link or change the address to
https://manage.opensrs.net/index?action=manage_nameservers
3. Scroll down to see “Create nameserver”
4. Server Hostname as –> ns1 and Server IP as primary nameserver info, we sent you.
5. Repeat the process for ns2 also with the IP of the secondary nameserver,.
6. Once you did that, choose “NameServers” in the top menu and change the primary and secondary nameservers.

If you are hosting a website or even just visiting one online, you are using domain name servers (DNS) – probably without even knowing it. Domain name servers are an important part of what makes a website work when you type it into a browser. Understanding how they work will help you understand how to change them when you set up your own Dedicated Server.

So what is a domain name server and how does it work? Every time you type a domain name (www.YourWebsite.com) into a browser, you are using the Internet’s domain name servers (DNS) to translate the familiar word-based domain name into the technical machine-readable Internet Protocol (IP) address. Domain name servers basically transfer your domain name into its IP address, so that you are properly directed to your website. Without domain name servers, typing in a domain name would come up with blank results.

Hosting your website on a reliable Dedicated Server means you will need to create your own domain name servers, so that anyone who visits your website will be directed properly to its content and the server in which it’s hosted.

We have discussed managed web hosting before and even if you are comfortable in a dedicated server environment, really, why wouldn’t you ask your web host to manage the server for you when they are so low cost?

If you are aware of what managing a dedicated server entails will help you understand if it’s something you will need to include in your dedicated server purchase.  Finding affordable managed hosting solutions can be difficult.  We recommend choosing carefully.

Any reputable dedicated hosting provider should offer Managed Hosting.

Lunarpages or LPDedicated offer various levels of Managed Hosting.

Managed Hosting Lite

Managed Lite starts at less than $10 per month and we will monitor your server 24/7/365.

Managed Hosting Intense

Our Intense Managed option for $39.99 per month not only assures you that your server is in good hands but is also an affordable solution for every webmaster and includes the following features:

* Free setup of APF Firewall and Root Kit Check on the server
* Up to date notifications of exploits on popular third party software
* Upgrades of kernels, php, apache and administration panels for security per user authorization (we will send notice and you can decide if you want the upgrade to be performed)
* Monitoring of your server through Lunarpages’ internal monitoring tools
* Unlimited reboots of your server if it becomes unresponsive
* One free third party script installation per billing year
* Free installation of upgraded control panel
* Free installation of Resin if needed
* Free setup of remote backups

Managed Hosting Ultra

The Next Generation in Managed Services: $149.00 a month, available on Dedicated III, Mega and High Performance Plans.

Managed Software Backup (R1soft):

* Internally Managed disk to disk backups (50gb included)
* 2 week onsite retention

Firewall:

* Cisco ASA 5505

Managed Hosting Services:

* Free setup of APF Firewall and Root Kit Check on the server
* Up to date notifications of exploits on popular third party software
* Upgrades of kernels, php, apache and administration panels for security per user authorization (we will send notice and you can decide if you want the upgrade to be performed)
* One free third party script installation per billing year
* Free installation of upgraded control panel
* Free installation of Resin if needed
* Unlimited reboots
* 24x7x365 Phone and Help Desk support
* Same Day Hardware Replacement Guarantee
* Dedicated Support staff
* Access to Lunarpages customer account page:
o Ticket Manager
o Reboots
o Bandwidth
o Knowledgebase
o Billing Options

Remember!  Be sure to check if your web host offers Managed on their dedicated server plans!

There are several things that should always come into consideration when shopping for a new dedicated hosting server.  There are thousands of review web sites, and not all of them are looking out for your best interest. 

Here are a few tips to remember next time you are reading dedicated hosting reviews:

• Remember that negative experiences leave a longer lasting impression than positive ones.  People will always complain before they admit a service is good.
• Some reviews might be paid for or done by the web host themselves.  Always watch out for reviews that are too good to be true.
• Don’t be suckered into a good deal without checking out some real opinions first.  Coupons are nice, but quality service is even better.
• Start with a large list of hosts you might want to work with, and narrow your list down.  It can sometimes take days or weeks to find the right host for you.  Don’t get in a hurry.

Hope some of these come in handy for you the next time you are reading through dedicated hosting reviews on one of the many hosting review sites out there.

By default SSH will give root and any local user secure access to the server. For security reasons it is a good idea to change this setting and specify the users which are allowed to have SSH access. The configuration file for SSH is called sshd_config and is either in:

Read on…

Where should i place the "ErrorDocument 404 /missing.html" code in my httpd.conf file?

Should i place it between the:

<Directory /home/*/public_html></Directory> tags and remove the #?

Where should i place it?

According the Apache manual, the ErrorDocument directive is legal in these contexts: server config, virtual host, directory, .htaccess.

This means that you may place ErrorDocument directive between those Directory tags and uncomment them. This way you’ll setup ErrorDocument for each directory mapped by wildcard /home/*/public_html.

Hope this helps those of you out there with this type of issue!

The processor, or CPU in a dedicated web hosting server is like the brain behind the machine.  It is an electronic circuit that can execute the commands on the server in question.

This term has been in use in the computer industry at least since the early 1960s. The form, design and implementation of CPUs have changed dramatically since the earliest examples, but their fundamental operation remains much the same.

Read on…

The book, the Web Host Manager Administration Guide, is a great reference book for any dedicated server admin to keep handy at all times. 

WebHost Manager is a package used by web hosts to manage their servers and the individual user accounts they hold. It is part of the same package as cPanel, so the host uses WebHost Manager while the client uses cPanel. WebHost Manager is at the core of many web hosts’ business. Using web host manager, you can keep track of the accounts on your server, monitor their bandwidth and disk space usage, and much more.

Read on…

Dedicated hosting is a tricky beast. 

Knowing everything a dedicated hosting server should provide is enough to make your head spin too.  So with that in mind, and to help you start the new year off right – I thought I would share with you some of the more important features to look for.

Read on…

Lunarpages is stepping up in performance and power with two new hosting plans I am sure you will get a kick out of.  Not only are they giving people more CPU, RAM and other server resources – they are doing it at half the price of the competitors out there.  Here is a little more information about both their new Xen VPS hosting packages and the new Dedicated Intel Core i7 servers.

Xen VPS Hosting

Here is a little more information from the article:

What makes Xen VPS hosting so great? Xen-powered VPS are completely independent from the hardware node, and each other. This means that you are able to run updates independently of the hardware node. This also means that one customer can’t crash a service or the server. If one front end server ceases to work, the VPS’ that were running on that server can be restarted on other Xen servers, almost instantly.

Read More About: Xen Power Added to Lunarpages VPS Hosting

Dedicated i7 Hosting

Here is a little more from the article:

Not only does it come with the unparalleled security, control, and management options all our dedicated servers come with.  It also comes packed with the best processor in the world of dedicated hosting.

What is so great about Intel? CoreT i7 processors? – Lunarpages’ Dedicated i7 Hosting Plan takes advantage of Intel’s Core i7 processors, the most recent technology from Intel. This provides a faster, more intelligent, multi-core technology that applies processing power where it’s needed most.

Read More About the Intel Core i7 Dedicated Servers at Lunarpages!

When it comes to dedicated hosting, you want performance over anything else.  With these two new hosting offerings, Lunarpages is able to deliver in performance, speed and reliability.