Windows Web Hosting

Author: MattHedges Total views: 6 Word Count: 999

A professional web host is acquainted with all the technicalities related to web hosting. He/she knows that selection of the operating system is one of the foremost duties. Selection on of the operating system, however, depends on the objectives and contents of the website. It is always better to make a wise selection as there are only a limited number of popular operating systems. Microsoft Windows and Linux are the two most popular operating systems that are used by web hosts. UNIX and Macintosh can also suffice client requirements though they are not so popular. This article is designed to help you, the reader, understand how choosing Windows web hosting will affect your website operation.

The Microsoft product 'Windows' is among the most popular operating systems in the world today. It is the standard most personal computers come equipped with, and the system the average person is most likely to be familiar with both at home, and at work. In the past many technical operations were solely based on Linux systems and required great technical skills that were beyond the scope of many individuals. With the advanced popularity and need for websites scripts and software programs began to be developed for use with Microsoft Windows and made to be understandable by the average person. Windows allows for a vast array of scripting languages to support the desired website functions that are most popular today.

If you use Windows as a base for your production it is imperative that the web host also uses Microsoft products. Windows features the very useful Internet Information Server also known as IIS. When a host is created with ASP and Microsoft Access, using SQL servers, the need for IIS is absolute. The makeup of web hosting like CGI are all included with Windows products. They can be best put to use if the website is available on Windows. Most companies, small business, and personal computers will be compatible immediately with Windows hosting since they operate on the Windows platform.

Comparison of Windows with UNIX

Web sites that are hosted on UNIX and Windows servers can be accessed universally. The difference between the two operating system lies in terms of the software they provide to server data. Windows can always provide better software services for all purposes. In terms of reliability, UNIX is just a few steps ahead since it is known to be extremely stable and does run for years without rebooting. However, Windows can manage to meet the requirements of modern websites far better than UNIX.

Wherever there are Microsoft products such as MS Access databases, ASP for delivering content, and VBScript site enhancements you will need to create your site with Windows. UNIX is not compatible with those systems. If your web host uses them you must comply and use Windows even if you normally do not. The things that UNIX provides can be found already available in the Windows environment.

Comparison of Windows with Linux

These two operating systems both can support HTML, Cold Fusion, and Java files. It was necessary in the past to use Linux for FrontPage creation but is now easy to use Windows for the incorporation of CGI and Perl as these platforms are easily supported by Windows even though Linux is still more commonly used to support PHP, where Windows uses ASP.

The biggest advantage of Windows over Linux is that it runs all of the Microsoft software such as Access and can also create MS SQL database that is used by many hosts now. The Windows platform gives developers programming environments such as VBScripts (Visual Basic Scripts), Active Server Pages (ASP), and the Index capabilities of MS Index Server. Linux is not able to access those Microsoft features so if a use requires the use of MS SQL, ASP, OR VBScript as a method of development they must use Windows.

The best method to choose between the various platforms is to study what Windows has to offer. Not all of the Windows packages offer every component so you need to examine them carefully.

Some of the features of the Windows operating system are:

* .NET Support

ASP.net is considered to be the modern and latest offer of Microsoft's Active Server Page. This is an integral part of the Internet Information Server or IIS. Web hosts generally combine all these features when they render their service. But at times charge additional fees.

* Databases

Most web hosts provide Microsoft Access 2000 database to their customers. If a business is run on a larger scale and would clog up that system too easily a host may require MS SQL in order to ensure the system continues without crashing.

* PHP and ColdFusion

ColdFusion is an advanced option and all web hosts do not provide this tool. Only some specialized websites require this.

* Control Panel

Your control panel is the way you communicate with and access your website. It is important to use the same operating system that your host uses to provide this feature.

Some other kit that is expected from a web host for providing a web hosting for windows include POP3 email IDs and Aliases, Backup, Bandwidth, IP, Webmail and SMTPs, FTP Accounts, CDONTS and ASP Support.

Windows will remain one of the most popular forms of hosting supports because there is a large popularity in the general public in regards to Windows as an operating system. The company has done well to brand themselves as a stable, reliable computer environment system. The company's public presence also gives the impression of long-lasting stability and there is less fear that the system will go out of style, or disappear requiring a new purchase. Most web hosts now provide services specifically for the Windows based platform users. All of this makes Microsoft Windows a massive force in the computer operations world.

Windows has a great support system for its users. This includes many free tutorials, and pages and pages of information as well as live and virtual technical support. That is just a part of what makes it so extremely popular amongst average people without technical backgrounds.

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About the Author

Republished with permission from http://www.webhostingmadness.com, a provider of hosting company ratings, comparisons and detailed articles about the web hosting industry.

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