Hardware
Compared with networking, hardware and operating systems is somewhat simpler. Most
platforms and operating systems are pretty suitable for web hosting, some more than others
though. If your provider runs Windows 95 web servers though, run like the wind!
Sun: According to an IDC survey, the most popular hosting platform on the
Internet with 65% of all web servers running Sun’s Solaris operating system. A solid
system architecture, and good value for money considering their performance.
Silicon Graphics: The hardware made famous for doing the effects in
“Jurassic Park” and other movies (although Disney’s “Toy Story”
was actually rendered on Sun SPARCstations). Comparatively expensive hardware, even when
considering price/performance ratio, and with what is considered a bug-ridden operating
system (IRIX), it is somewhat of a mystery why quite a few providers use them.
Linux: The free Intel (PC) based operating system. Has kernel limitations which
does not make it ideal for high-load servers.
BSDi/FreeBSD: Probably the best PC UNIX operating system, a good architecture
and good performance even when heavily loaded.
Windows NT: Still an infant market, Windows NT has questions over reliability
and performance. Inefficient and expensive, once all the additions that are free on UNIX
systems are purchased. Not recommended unless running on Digital Alpha servers (expensive,
these power microsoft.com and Altavista).
Note about Intel (“PC”) hardware: desktop PCs are cheap, but are not designed
to be run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, hammering hard disks and other internal
components as is done with most web servers. Increased downtime is sometimes a feature of
providers using such cheap hardware: PC hardware used should be high-availabilty
server-type equipment, such as Compaq’s ProLiant range.
JCLE uses only genuine Sun hardware for our UNIX systems.
We have a variety of systems for various tasks, ranging from small SPARCstations up to US$
five-figure Sun servers. These are designed for exceptionally reliable performance, which
is reflected in our exceptional server uptime record - our best performing system ran for
over 200 days (six months!) without a single break in service.
