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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:
It is a funny customer service relation story that I think just about everybody can relate to.
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.
Even if you have hosted on a dedicated server before, you may not know all the dedicated server terminology out there. One of the downsides to technology is one of its best features as well – it is ever-changing. This means that what you knew yesterday won’t be the same as what you’ll need to learn tomorrow. So here are some helpful dedicated server terms you should know when choosing a reliable, affordable dedicated web host.
Access – Microsoft-based applicable that helps you create, edit, and maintain databases. If you’re a web developer running in the Windows environment, this is what you use to manage online MS SQL databases.
Apache – The most common Linux web server in the world. Okay, I’m being melodramatic but it’s incredibly popular and very powerful, secure, and best of all free!
Co-Location – If you want to own your own dedicated server but aren’t confident that you can host your site using your own internet connection or power supply, co-location assures you own the hardware (the server) and the web hosting provider supplies the rack to store the server and the internet connection to keep your website up and online.
IIS – IIS stands for Internet Information Server and is Microsoft’s branded server software. Just like Apache is the most popular web server for Linux, IIS is the #1 choice for Windows Dedicated Hosting.
Load-Balancing – If you are running a website like Myspace, Digg, or Facebook, odds are you already know what load balancing is. If you plan to create a website like this, you need load balancing 100%! Load balancing merely means distributing the traffic and resources evenly across two or more dedicated servers to increase and optimize performance.
Managed Hosting – The best idea for new dedicated hosters, managed hosting assures that your web host will take care of technical support, setup, maintenance, and monitoring of your dedicated server.
RAID – Also known as Redundant Array of Independent Disks, and if you say it that way, it sounds more like what it is. Basically, RAIDing your dedicated server will help you store data across a number of hard drives. If one disk fails, the other will restore the site or database so you don’t lose data.
Telnet – Just like SSH, a command line interface that allows you to communicate across your web server.
Upstream Provider – A large ISP (internet service provider) that provides dedicated web hosts with reliable internet access. However, the word ‘upstream’ actually can mean how fast or reliable the data connection is between two ISPs.
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
One of the terms you might seen tossed around when discussing Windows-based hosting id MS SQL or Microsoft SQL Server. It is a database management system produced by the team at Microsoft. What some might not know is that its primary query lanuage is Transact-SQL. Transact-SQL is an implementation of the ANSI/ISO standard Structured Query Lanuage (SQL) used by both Microsoft and Sybase.
Where this comes into play with web hosting is in data storage. The main unit of data storage with MS SQL is a database. It is a collection of tables with typed columns. This type of database system is sometime needed to run certain types of Windows only scripts and services, which make them unique and also an equal if you had to pick one, to MySQL on the Linux side of the coin.
Microsoft SQL Server is a relational database management system produced by Microsoft. It supports a superset of Structured Query Language SQL, the most common database language. With dedicated hosting there maybe also a few more fees to pay to get use of it – but it does stand up to all the rest as a great database setup to work with.
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:
When you purchase your Windows or Linux Dedicated Server, you have the option to add the Plesk Control Panel, one of the most powerful control panels on the planet. And if you do decide to add Plesk as your control panel, you also have the ability to add the Plesk Power Pack, a series of amazing add-on modules similar to cPanel’s Fantastico Script Library.
So what do you get with your dedicated server and the Plesk Power Pack?
Windows Dedicated Hosting plans don’t automatically come with a control panel, as you can access the server via SSH/Shell Commands if necessary. However, having a control panel allows you to do all the things you can do via Shell access but in an intuitive, often automated manner. This means that you don’t have to memorize shell commands or scripts but can deploy then with the click of a mouse.
The most adaptive and secure control panel for Windows Web Hosting is Plesk, a powerful control panel with many advantages over the competition.
So what are the advantages of Plesk for Windows Web Hosting?
In the Dedicated server or shared server sphere, Plesk has the same kinds of advantages, which include:
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:
Take advantage of this awesome deal for Windows Web Hosting or try Lunarpages Dedicated Windows Hosting.