It appears many people find it hard to understand what VPS is and how it works, so I just thought I’d make a small effort to explain a little bit.

Vps stands for Virtual Private Server

What is such a Virtual Server?
VPS is all about running multiple Virtual Servers within one physical server.

What does Private refer to?
Each VPS gets its own portion of resources, which are usually guaranteed to be available to that particular VPS. For instance, the host server may have 8GB of ram, and 256mb (for instance) could be guaranteed to be available to a VPS. That would mean that regardless of what other VPS’s on the same server use, that amount of RAM will be available to the VPS.

Also very important: each VPS runs completely independent of each other. Each VPS has its own file system so a VPS can’t see any of the data of another VPS server. Also each VPS has it’s own server load, can run its own Operating System, can be rebooted individually, and so on. Basically by the end user it can be treated as a dedicated server.

Do a VPS also have its own kernel?
Usually not, but it depends on the technology that the host uses.

Are VPS’s truly separated from each other, so no matter what happens they can not cause trouble to each other?
Under normal circumstances, yes. However in extreme scenarios, VPS’s can trouble each other. For instance if the host server has a 50mbit uplink, and one VPS gets a 50mbit DDoS attack, then it makes sense that all other VPS’s on the same server are also affected by it. It’s up to the host to ensure maximum reliability by monitoring everything closely.

I mentioned VPS’s on the same host server can each run a different Operating System. So could one VPS on the server run Windows, and another one Linux?
No, that’s not possible. It is however possible to run different Linux distributions on a Linux VPS server. For instance one VPS could be running Red Hat Enterprise, and another one could be running Debian.

Is it possible to run anything on a VPS that would run on a dedicated server?
As long as it doesn’t require kernel modifications, yes.

What is Dedicated Hosting?
The Dedicated Hosting environment provides an exclusive server or servers devoted solely to your web site. You do not share a server with other customers, as with shared hosting.

When do you need a Dedicated Server?
While simple, text-based sites are better suited for a shared server, enterprise-level web sites operate much more efficiently on a dedicated server because the dedicated hosting environment provides higher reliability, increased performance, greater security and exclusive use of system and network resources. Therefore, those sites that have high traffic, secure information, a high number of visitors or complex applications (i.e. e-commerce, dynamic content, database applications and multimedia applications) are better suited for a dedicated server.

Advantages Of Dedicated Server :

Some of the most prominent features and advantages of Virtual Private Servers (VPS Hosting) are listed as follows:-

1. Setup of servers in less time
2. Extreme reliability and security
3. Real root access on your personal virtual dedicated server
4. Install the software you want
5. Increase server utilization and maximize server potential
6. Increase profitability through better management
7. Benefit of hardware and software investments
8. Supply complete self-administration panels
9. Manage servers with a less skill set
10. Minimize software license and support requirements
11. Develop your personal virtual disks for your server, including swap!

Virtual Private Server hosting technology permits your Server to be entirely isolated from every other Server on the same physical machine - other users are unknowing of you, can not access your files and, mainly, can not crash your server. For you, this means that you get the extreme reliability and security - features that your website deserves.

Using PHPMyAdmin MySQL Database Manager

PHPMyAdmin is the third party web based MySQL database management panel that is provided and installed as standard with both the cPanel and Plesk control panels, and in the case with Plesk it is provided with both versions (Linux and Windows); if you run your own server without a control panel, then it is also available for download and manual installation since it is open source software meaning that anyone is able to download it for use as many times and on as many machines as they want. With the use of PHPMyAdmin, you are able to manage any databases that you have created from either your cPanel or Plesk web hosting account on the fly, since it is an application that is accessible from your control panel’s homepage and can be used through your web browser, which means that you are able to manage your databases from any internet connected location where you are able to use a computer that has a web browser installed on it.

The main features of PHPMyAdmin allow you to create new tables in your database, as well as to edit and delete others which you have created previously in your database; you can also view and modify the data that has been entered into each individual table, which means that you can easily delete a row for example if you think it might be a fraudulent sign up, in the case that you are running an online shop or some sort of membership system for your website or online community. If you have decided to go with your own install of PHPMyAdmin on your control panel-less server, then you are also given the ability to create new databases on the fly through the system if you are logged into it as the server administrator, or if you are running it on a Linux machine - ‘root’; this makes PHPMyAdmin an all in one solution for someone who wants to be able to manage their stand-alone MySQL databases server on the fly without having to use a desktop database management system.

With the use of PHPMyAdmin in conjunction with a hosting control panel, such as cPanel or Plesk, you are able to manage all the MySQL databases that you have created without the need to open a new window or new program session each time you want to administer a different database; this means that if you are wanting to mange multiple databases that you have created for different purposes throughout your website, you are able to do so without having to use a complicated desktop database management system that might not even let you administer multiple databases, forcing you to open a new session to the server that you are wanting to use each time you want to manage a different databases, even if all the databases that you want to manage are hosted on the same server.

If you are using a control panel in conjunction with PHPMyAdmin, then you will not be able to use it to create new databases for your hosting account, since it is a limit that most web hosts choose to put on the web based administration program since it easily allows customers to create more databases than they are allowed to limited by the amount that has been assigned to their web hosting account; in this case you will have to use your web hosting control panel to add, edit and delete MySQL databases for your web hosting account.

In most cases, you will be using PHPMyAdmin to manage MySQL databases that you have created to be used in conjunction with your PHP based website or application that you are hosting within your web hosting account, which in most cases should be either Plesk or cPanel based to give you the most functionality; this is because PHP and MySQL are known to be the best combination when it comes to databases and scripting languages, since both are open source and can run on either the Linux operating system or on Windows based systems, meaning that PHP and MySQL based websites and applications can be hosted in almost any environment - other combinations are only able to run in certain environments, for example MSSQL and ASP.NET based applications will only run on Windows based servers.

As previously mentioned, MySQL is a database technology that is commonly used in conjunction with the PHP server side scripting language to give developers maximum flexibility when it comes to building their websites and what functionality they are able to achieve with the use of MySQL as the database engine to drive the backends of their websites and projects.

Launching PHPMyAdmin From cPanel

PHPMyAdmin comes installed as default with any cPanel installation, meaning that once you have cPanel installed and configured correctly, you can quickly and easily setup a web hosting account and start adding the databases that you want or need; once you have done that, you can then start using PHPMyAdmin to administer your MySQL databases. Launching PHPMyAdmin from cPanel is a relatively easy task, and is one that can be carried out from any internet connected location, just so long that you can access cPanel from the web browser that you are using; in order to launch PHPMyAdmin from cPanel, you will need to select the icon labeled ‘PHPMyAdmin’ from the ‘databases’ section of cPanel:

One thing to note is that through PHPMyAdmin in cPanel, you are able to administer all the MySQL databases that you have created under your web hosting account, meaning that you don’t have to launch a new window of PHPMyAdmin each time you want to administer a different MySQL database that you have under your web hosting account. Once you have selected the appropriate icon, you should be directed to a page notifying you that PHPMyAdmin is loading, then after that to the PHPMyAdmin homepage:

Launching PHPMyAdmin From Plesk

PHPMyAdmin is also available with both the Linux and Windows versions of the Plesk control panel to allow you to manage any MySQL databases that you have created or want to create within your Plesk based website hosting account; this means that you are able to host your PHP based website or application in a Windows or Linux based environment just so long as the Plesk control panel is installed and that the web server has been appropriately configured to allow this. In order to launch PHPMyAdmin for a MySQL database that you have created through Plesk, you will first need to select the ‘databases’ icon from the hosting control panel for the domain that you want to manage the database for:

You will then be presented with a list of databases that you have previously created in your Plesk website hosting account, the following features are displayed along with the databases name:

• database type (circled red) - this is shown as an image: if the database is a MySQL database then a dolphin will appear in the column concerned, and if it is a Microsoft SQL database then the Microsoft Windows logo will be displayed within this column
• name (circled green) - this is the name of the actual database which you chosen when you were creating it, this is the name that you will need to use in your server side scripts if you are wanting to use them in conjunction with a database that you have created
• server (circled blue) - this is the server that the database is hosted on, in most cases this is the local server on which your website is hosted, although the name of the external database hosting server will be displayed if different
• web admin (circled purple) - if you click on the image in this column, it will load the necessary web administration panel for the database that you have selected it for.

In order to launch PHPMyAdmin for a MySQL database that you have hosted within your website hosting account, you will need to select the web administration icon for a MySQL database that you have hosted within your web hosting account; PHPMyAdmin should then load for the database that you have selected to administrate. One thing to note is that unlike the cPanel version of PHPMyAdmin, the Plesk version will only administer one database at a time meaning that you will have to go back to the Plesk control panel and launch a new session of PHPMyAdmin for each individual database that you want to administer.

The PHPMyAdmin Homepage

Once you have launched PHPMyAdmin from either Plesk or cPanel, you should be taken to the homepage where you can then start to administer the database or databases concerned, with ease. PHPMyAdmin is able to provide you with many different details about the server on which you are hosted, and specifically the MySQL installation that is hosted on the same server as your website, these details might be needed when you are developing your PHP based website or application; the main details that the PHPMyAdmin homepage is able to provide you with include:

• MySQL server version (circled red) - this piece of information is important when developing PHP based websites and applications, since newer versions of PHP might not be compatible with older versions of MySQL and newer versions of MySQL might notbe compatible with older versions of PHP, which is normally the case in most situations
• server and username (circled green) - these two pieces of information are important since you will need them when developing server side PHP based scripts and applications which are going to be utilizing the MySQL database that you are administrating - the server name is the server on which the database is hosted, and the username is what you will need to gain access to the database concerned along with the password that you have specified for the username
• MySQL character set (circled blue) - this piece of information might be important to you when you are developing language related applications, which might be using a range of different languages and characters.

If you have decided to go with a stand-alone MySQL server with a manual PHPMyAdmin installation, then you will also be given the ability to create new MySQL databases through the PHPMyAdmin control panel, although this isn’t possible if you are using a cPanel or Plesk installation meaning that you will have to use your hosting control panel if you want to create new databases for use with your dynamic websites or applications. Links are also provided on the homepage to take you to different parts of the control panel to allow you to manage and administer different features of your MySQL databases, these will be discussed further on.

Administrating a Database

To administrate a MySQL database that you have hosted within your web hosting account, you will need to select one that you have created from within PHPMyAdmin. You will see that all the MySQL databases you have created under your hosting account are listed down on the left hand side of PHPMyAdmin if you are using the cPanel version, and if you are using the Plesk version you should notice that the MySQL database that you have chosen to administrate is listed down on the left hand panel as well:

Once you have clicked on the name of the database that you want to administrate, you should be redirected to the following management page for the database that you want to administrate:

From the management page for the database that you have chosen to create, you are able to carry out the following actions to help administrate your MySQL database effectively:

• create new tables - you will probably find that you will need to create new tables for your database every so often if you are looking to expand the functionality of your PHP based website or application, and new tables will be needed to hold the data so that the new parts of your website or application are able to function dynamically like the rest of the website or application
• management of existing tables - if you already have tables created in the MySQL database that you are managing, then you are able to edit and delete them from the same screen where you can create them from - this means that you can manage your tables easily and effectively through your web browser with the help of PHPMyAdmin.

The above options are available under the ’structure’ tab of the database management panel, other available options include:

• SQL (circled red) - you can use this part of the database management panel to execute SQL queries on your database, for example to create a mass of a new tables without doing it manually, or to do a lookup on your database so that you can search and pull up a specific record that you might have stored within your MySQL database
• search (circled green) - you can use this feature of the database management panel to search through all the records which you have stored in your database, and pull up a specific one for modification or deletion if needed
• query (circled blue) - this feature works in the same way as the SQL feature does, although it is much more manual an better for beginners since it allows you to specify the actual search parameters yourself, meaning that PHPMyAdmin will automatically create the necessary SQL query - basically it works in the same way but without the need for you to enter your own complete SQL query
• export (circled purple) - the export feature of PHPMyAdmin creates a ‘dump’ of your database which is basically an SQL file which you can download and use as a backup of your database, meaning that if your database does happen to get deleted for any reason then all you have to do is run the SQL query contained within the dump file which will then automatically recreate your original database for you
• import (circled yellow) - the import feature of PHPMyAdmin is the opposite to the export feature, meaning that it allows you to import any dumps that you have taken of your database.

Creating a New Table

As mentioned previously, you may want to be creating new tables for your database from time to time so that you are able expand the functionality of your PHP based website or application that is interacting with the MySQL database that you are currently managing through PHPMyAdmin. With expanded functionality, you might be able to bring in more visitors to your website if you are expanding it by increasing the number of services that you are able to provide your customers with, for example. In order to create a new table, you will first need to select the structures tab from the database management panel of the database that you are managing:

Once on the structure page, you will then need to scroll down to the section labeled ‘create a new table on database x’, and will need to enter the following details to aid in the creation of your new table:

• name (circled red) - this is the name that you want to give your table, you should make the name relevant to what the table is going to be used for - i.e. you should call it ‘members’ if it is going to be holding information related to the members of your website
• number of fields (circled green) - this is the number of different rows of data that you want your new table to have, a field is individual meaning that one field is dedicated to one piece of information i.e. a telephone number.

You will then be redirected to the management screen for the table that you have just created, where you will be able to create and manage the fields that you want your new table to contain and in order to help manage and organize the data that you want to store in your new MySQL database efficiently. You should create new tables for each different section of your website to help keep the stored data as segregated as possible to ensure maximum ease when administrating your MySQL database in the future. You should also use as many fields as possible to help keep the stored data segregated, just as you would with tables; if you keep your data organized then will be easier to view and find through the PHPMyAdmin MySQL database management system, and it will be much easier for your scripts and web pages to find the data that you want.

Creating a Field

Fields are the individual table rows in which MySQL stores your data, whether it be the data that you have entered into it through PHPMyAdmin or the data that has been added when visitors sign up to your website. Fields are needed to ensure that your database can be used properly, to store data; without fields in tables, data can’t be stored in your database since there isn’t any way that the data can be categorized and stored in the correct place as would be possible with the use of fields. In order to create a new field under the table that you have previously created, you will need to select a table from the ’structure’ tab of the management panel for the database that you are administrating; you will then be prompted to enter the following data in order to create a new field for the table concerned:

• field (circled red) - this is the name that you want to give your new field, you should make the name relevant to the data that is going to be stored within it - you need to give a field a name since it needs to be identifiable so that it can be used in conjunction with your PHP based websites and applications
• type (circled green) - this is the type of data that you are going to be storing in your new field - the two main types of data are varchar and int, a varchar being just regular words including numbers and int being short for ‘integer’ which in other words is a number which means that this would be the type if you are storing phone numbers under your new field
• length/values (circled blue) - this is what you want to limit the length of the data in the field to - if you are going to be using your database in conjunction with a PHP based website or application then you needn’t worry about this option since you can use your own code in your scripts to limit the length of certain fields
• null (circled purple) - if you choose to make the field null, then you are allowing for the field to be empty when used, meaning that you could end up having many blank fields - if you choose to make it not null then there will have to be data in the field for it to be entered into the MySQL database properly
• extra/auto-increment (circled orange) - if you want to make this the primary field which will be the id field for each separate database record, then you might want to turn on auto increment to ensure that each individual record receives an individual id when it is created or entered into the MySQL database that you are managing
• primary key (circled pink) - if you choose to make the field that you are creating the primary key field, then it will be the one which holds the individual key to identify each different record if needed, it is recommended that you make this field auto-increment as well to ensure that each record receives an individual id.

Once you click ‘create’, you should then be redirected to a page hopefully telling you that your new field has been successfully created and that you can start adding data using it. In most cases you are able to create as many different fields in your database tables as you want, although it is recommended that you only create the ones which you need, since too many can start to affect the performance of your database as well as MySQL in general. One thing to note is that every table needs a primary key field which should auto increment to ensure that each individual record which is created within the table receives a unique id so that they can easily distinguished between and sorted easily.

With the use of MySQL databases, you can easily expand the possibilities and functionality of your PHP based website or application since you are able to make use of the dynamics of having a database and using server side components to make the most out of your web hosting account. For example, you could start a membership system for your website to allow visitors to sign up and view premium content, and in this case a MySQL database would come in handy since you would need somewhere to centrally store the details of all the people who have signed up to your website.

Creating a Dump/Backup

You should regularly backup the contents of your database to ensure that if it does happen to get deleted or corrupted for some reason or another, you can easily restore it without experiencing too much unneeded downtime allowing you to get your website up and running again quicker than others who don’t have any sort of database backup might be able to. In most cases, the database is the centre or heart of your website and without it your website wouldn’t be able to run since all the website’s content is stored within it, and if your website has no content or is broken then you ight find your visitors going elsewhere - it is because of this that you should always take regular backups of your database to ensure that you don’t loose any website critical data or information that can’t get deleted. In order to create your dump/backup, you will first need to navigate to the ‘export’ tab of the database that you want to backup:

You will then be asked to select which tables you want to backup in the case that you are backing up an entire database, by default all the tables that your database contains are selected. You are given a number of different formats that your dump or backup can be downloaded as, some of these different formats being:

• CSV - comma separated values - this is a common file format that is usable on almost any operating system because of its age, dating back to the early days of business computing - is normally used with tabular data, such as that which you are trying to backup from your MySQL database
• CSV for MS Excel 2000 - comma separated values for Microsoft Excel 2000 - see above, the only difference being that this one is designed for use with Excel 2000
• Microsoft Word 2000
• PDF - portable document format - created by Adobe to allow easy exchange of documents, in most cases it is a read-only format meaning that you will be unable to modify the data contained within the backup
• SQL - structured query language - this will create an SQL file which will contain the code which you can easily run as an SQL query on another database or on a new one if the database that you happen to be administrating gets deleted or lost for some reason or another - will restore all original data in seconds, although the timescale does depend on the amount of data being backed up or restored
• XML - extensible markup language - this is normally used by developers since it allows them to specify and create their own tags when they are coding websites or applications - with a backup it utilizes custom tags to arrange the data efficiently within the file that you will be able to download.

Conclusion

In conclusion, PHPMyAdmin is a powerful third party web based database administration tool that will allow you to effectively manage all of your MySQL databases with ease from any internet connected location in the world, thus allowing you to manage your MySQL databases whilst you are on the move. With its management features you are given the ability to create and manage both tables and fields within your MySQL databases so that you can effectively manage and organize the data which you want them to hold; this means that can easily access the information held by your database from your PHP based websites and applications, giving your website maximum flexibility when it comes to expanding the functionality of it. You are given many different expansion options for your PHP based website or application when it comes to MySQL since you can easily create different features that utilize a database to hold your data in either the short term or the long term.

PHPMyAdmin is also an industry leader when it comes to open source database management systems, since it is bundled with both the cPanel and Plesk web hosting control panels, meaning that you are given a large amount of freedom to configure your MySQL databases the way you want them to be when it comes down to being hosting on a shared hosting package utilizes either Plesk or cPanel to manage your website as well as the other on the server as well as the server itself on which you are hosted. If you choose to use PHPMyAdmin on a stand-alone MySQL server then you are given even more advanced functionalities, such as the ability to use it to create new databases if you are logged into it as the root or administrator user thus meaning that you don’t need a third party control panel if you just want to administrate the databases that you are hosting on your server.

PHPMyAdmin is the right solution for you if you are looking to administrate your databases whether you are on the fly, at home or in your office; it contains features that make it superior to may desktop database management systems which gives one advantage, but the best advantage has to be the fact that it is web based meaning that you can access it from any internet connected location, and use any of its features - meaning that for example you could be sitting on a beach in Hawaii with a wifi laptop and be creating new tables for your database so that at the same time you are able to expand the functionality of your PHP website or application - although thats the last thing almost anyone would be doing! PHPMyAdmin is an open source application, meaning that it is freely available for download and use by anyone and can be used as many times as one wants to, meaning that you aren’t restricted by any license terms as you would be with a commercial application of the same type.

As mentioned previously, PHP and MySQL make the best programming and database combination since they are both open source and come with a range of tools and add-ons that allow you to make the most out of both. If you are looking to learn a dynamic server side language which you can use in conjunction with a database system, then you should look no further than PHP and MySQL - there are also a wide range of tutorials available in this blog and on the internet that you can use to aid you in the learning process. You can also buy a wide range of commercial books based around teaching you PHP and MySQL.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Shared Website Hosting

Shared website hosting is the most basic type of web hosting, in which you share the server on which you are hosted with a number of other users and websites; one thing which sets shared website hosting apart from other types is the fact that users who are hosted on the server are not allowed root or administrator access to the server, thus meaning that you are limited as to what you are able to do with your shared website hosting account.

Almost everyone starts off with shared website hosting, since it is cheap and affordable for many, and the fact that you don’t have to worry about the administration of the server on which you are hosted is one factor which attracts many people who are new to website hosting to shared hosting plans; most shared web hosting plans also come with easy to use and feature rich control panels that allow users to administrate almost any part of their domain or website without the need for any intervention from their web host or anyone else for that matter.

The support available for shared hosting is also much better than that of higher up plans in most cases; this is because the web host that you are using is able to give you more direct support if you are using their control panel, and if they are providing you with a third party control panel then it is easier for them to provide you with support still, and the official documentation is also there if you still need extra help after your web host’s support team has intervened. Shared web hosting accounts come with many different features that you can use to help build your website from the bottom, meaning that if you are completely new to web hosting and web design in general, then you can easily get a website started up under your new web hosting account without having to have any technical knowledge; in this case, you could use an included script auto-installer for example, to install a CMS system within your hosting environment so that you can start adding content to your new website.

In some cases you are able to host multiple domains under your shared website hosting account, meaning that if you are new to website hosting then you can easily expand your use of your website hosting account by gradually building up the amount of domains that you host within it; this means that if you do want to host more websites under your account, then you can with the only limit being the amount of disk space that you have available and the amount of bandwidth that you have available to assign to each new website or domain that you are adding - in some cases web hosts only allow you to host one domain per shared website hosting account, meaning that if you want to host more than one website within your account you will have to purchase another shared website hosting account or upgrade your existing account to a reseller one. Shared website hosting allows you to easily expand your possibilities, allowing you to start at the bottom of the web hosting ‘ladder’ and work your way up to a dedicated server, in the case that your website becomes too resourceful for reseller or VPS hosting; this means that if you are wanting to start a new website and anticipate that over time the visitor numbers will increase, then you can easily start off with a shared website hosting package to get your new website based on, then as your website expands and your visitor numbers increase you can easily upgrade to a VPS server and then onto a dedicated server with ease and ensuring that your website will be fast and available at all times.

Compared to other types of web hosting, shared hosting can be particularly slow at some times, which could effect your website in a negative way meaning that if you receive a lot of visitors, shared web hosting is not something that you want; this is because shared web hosting servers are shared amongst many users meaning that it can take only one user on the same server as you to slow it down or to even make it shut down completely.

Advantages of Shared Website Hosting

Shared website hosting is something that is perfect for people who are new to website hosting, since the support provided is more than enough to get most people started, and the reliability is normally high enough to satisfy most people. One main factor that attracts most to it is the fact that you don’t have to worry about the administration of the hosting server, since that is taken care of by the web host from which you have purchased your website hosting plan; this allows you to effectively run your website without the need to worry about any type of server upkeep or administration.

Support and Maintenance

The good thing with shared website hosting when compared to other types of hosting is that you don’t have to worry about the maintenance of the server on which you are hosted; the money that you pay your web hosting company pays the support staff that they employ to look after the servers which people like yourself are hosted on, and to make sure that they have the latest updates and are as secure as possible to ensure that no hackers or other malicious attackers are able to gain unauthorized access to the shared web hosting server.

Another factor related to the maintenance and general up keep of the server is the support that is provided to you as the customer, in the event that you need help with a certain aspect of your shared website hosting account; support staff are able to provide you with more assistance when on a shared website hosting package rather than on an upper level one, since the your account is normally fully managed enabling you to request support for almost any issue. Most support staff will be able to help you out with issues ranging from a slow server, to installing a new program under your web hosting account which you might not be able to if you don’t have the necessary knowledge; support with upper level packages such as VPS and dedicated server hosting is normally limited, for example most web hosts only provide reboots and rebuilds of VPS and dedicated servers leaving customers to sort out their own issues if they happen to have a problem with their VPS or dedicated server - something which turns many people who don’t have much knowledge regarding the subject away from VPS and dedicated servers.

Support staff are also there to help you configure your website once you have uploaded it into your new shared website hosting space, meaning that if you have had a technical website designed on your behalf, you can easily have it uploaded and configured with the help of the support staff at your web host; this also means that the most technical of websites can be uploaded and configured without the need for any prior knowledge about the environment in which you are hosted.

It is important that the server on which you are hosted has the latest updates and is kept secure from hackers since if malicious attackers do manage to gain access to the server on which you are hosted, not only the data that is hosted under your hosting account but all the data that is hosted on the server is then vulnerable meaning that a hacker can easily steal the contents of a database and sell it on if the information fits the right category - it is for this reason that it is important to encrypt any data that you store either in your web space or databases that you have hosted within your shared website hosting account, because at the end of the day if a malicious attacker does happen to gain access to any of your website’s information, the consequences could prove to be very serious

Reliability and Security

Depending on the specifications of the server that your shared web hosting account resides on, shared website hosting can be more reliable than both VPS and dedicated server hosting in some cases; however, the reliability of a shared web hosting server is dependent on the hardware specifications of it as well as the other users who are hosted on the same server as you.

Most shared web hosting servers these days are of high specification, for example most now have quad core processors meaning that the odds of the hosting server crashing because of a CPU overload are incredibly low; most are also stacked up with RAM, again meaning that the odds of a shared web hosting server crashing because there is no memory left are incredibly low. However, the reliability of a shared web hosting server can depend on the other people who are hosted on the same server as you; for example, someone might be hosting a rather resource intensive PHP application which is regularly accessing a database to get the required information - this type of application is something which is bound to have an effect on the server’s performance, meaning that if it carries on to be resource intensive then the hosting account in which it resides might end up being suspended or terminated.

Since shared web hosting server contain many users, most web hosts try their hardest to ensure that their shared web hosting servers are as secure as possible to ensure that no malicious attackers are able to gain entry to the server in any way; for example, most web hosts have RootKit Hunter installed on their Linux shared hosting servers to ensure that no hackers are able to gain entry to the server and install malicious programs without being detected. You will also find that nearly every web host employs some sort of anti-virus on their shared website hosting server to ensure that the server itself contains no viruses, and to scan incoming and outgoing email to ensure that your email accounts don’t receive any virus emails and to ensure that no emails that contain viruses are sent from the server; this itself will ensure that the server and your data are secure to an extent.

At the end of the day, you want to make sure that you choose a web host who uses shared hosting servers with high specification hardware, since this increases the chances of your website and the services related to it being more stable, which is one that that you want to achieve. You also want to make sure that the shared web hosting provider that you choose to utilizes some type of anti-virus and firewall softwares within their shared website hosting servers, since you want to ensure that the data contained in your website hosting account is secure in the event that a malicious attacker manages to gain access to the server.

Disadvantages of Shared Website Hosting

Although shared website hosting provides many advantages for people who are new to the world of website hosting, for those who have websites which expect more of a web hosting server, shared website hosting does prove to have some disadvantages which can affect how some websites work and how some people are able to utilize their shared website hosting account. The following are disadvantages which might prove that shared hosting is not for you or your website, meaning that upper level packages such as VPS servers and dedicated servers are what you might need to ensure that you are able to provide your website visitors with a stable level of service and so that they are able to access your website with ease and when they need to.

The Sharing of the Server

One factor which many people don’t take into consideration when searching for shared hosting for their important website is the fact that the server on which they will be hosting their website will be shared with other people, meaning that the actions and usage of the other websites that are hosted on the same server as you have the ability to impact on the performance of your own website, which in some cases is something that can effect your website in a negative way. If resource intensive websites are hosted on the same server as you, then they can easily impact on the other sites that are hosted on the same server if they happen to be using up too much CPU or physical memory (RAM) of the server; in this case you would notice the impact of the other website on yours since you will experience slower response times to certain requests, such as those which include your website or web page having to access a database to gather the required data - you would probably see your website timing out when loading in this case.

If your web host happens to setup a ‘spam‘ user on the same server as you by accident, then you might also find that the server will crash because the user is using up too many server resources; for example, most spammers exploit shared website hosting accounts so that they can send out their spam, in most cases by the gigbyte (GB). If a spammer is exploiting your server then you might find that your website is slow to load either because it is timing out because their is not enough CPU left to process the request, or because the actual internet uplink on the server has been jammed up with all the spam which is being sent out. By sharing a server with other people, you’re website is still prone to attack through the means of another website or hosting account on the same web hosting server as you; this is because another website on the same server as you, or hosting account might be compromised meaning that a hacker or other sort of malicious attacker can easily gain access to the entire server due to that one compromised website hosting account.

Limitations

Although with VPS and dedicated server hosting packages you are limited by the amount of bandwidth and disk space that you have assigned to your server, with shared hosting you are limited by a larger amount of factors including the number of email accounts that you are able to create as well as the number of databases, amongst other things; this means that if you are wanting to only be limited by disk space and bandwidth, you will have to think again since in some cases you will only be able to create a certain amount of email accounts and databases under your website hosting account.

In most cases you are also limited as to what you are able to do with your web hosting account technically, meaning that you can be limited as to how your website can run, for example you might not be allowed to set file permissions under your web hosting account which means that certain scripts and programs won’t be able to run within your shared website hosting environment; in this case you would have to find a web host who provided a shared website hosting package that did allow you to set file permissions otherwise you are limiting yourself to only being able to use certain scripts and programs under your web hosting account.

Conclusion

In conclusion, shared website hosting is a type of web hosting which is perfect for those who are new to the world of web hosting, and don’t have much knowledge when it comes to the management and administration of a web hosting account; it is also fine for those who just wish to host a couple of small websites, since the features provided will allow for you to effectively manage small websites without the need for any intervention from your web host, although they will probably be more than happy to help you out if you happen to run into any problems regarding your shared hosting account. For those who are wanting to host resource intensive websites, or dynamic websites which will be using databases and will wanting to be accessing them often, shared website hosting may not be for them; this is because your website might end up using too many server resources, which in the eyes of most web hosts will lead to the suspension of your hosting account, especially if your website or account is impacting on the performance of other websites and domains hosted on the same server as you.

If your website handles important data, such as credit card numbers and other personal information, then you might want to consider a VPS or dedicated server solution since shared website hosting might be a little insecure for hosting such important information; with a more higher level solution, you are able to configure the server security the way you want it to be meaning that if you have a certain security infrastructure to ensure that the information you host isn’t compromised, you can easily deploy it giving your customer ultimate assurance when it comes to data security.

Every now and then you might experience a period of slowness with your shared website hosting account, which might be being caused by a ‘rogue’ user who was accidentally setup on the server by your web host and is actually a spammer using the server to send out all their spam; in this case your account’s information is not compromised, but spammers do have the ability to slow down servers by using up a lot of the available CPU and RAM meaning that the server is more vulnerable to crashing. So basically, if you are hosting a website which isn’t mission critical and you are able to deal with the occasional occurence of downtime, then shared website hosting is for you; if you are wanting to host an important website which is handling important information then you might want to consider a more higher level web hosting solution.

Creating a Database in Plesk Control Panel

Plesk gives you the ability to create MySQL databases in both its Linux and Windows forms; if you purchase the necessary add-ons then it can also connect to PostgreSQL and MSSQL servers to create both types of database; PostgreSQL is only normally found on Linux, and MSSQL is for Windows hosting only. Third party web based database control panels are built into Plesk and Plesk automatically logs you in to the relevant one when you want to administrate a database over the internet from a location that might happen to not be your own computer; in the case of MySQL databases, PHPMyAdmin is supplied to allow you to manage any MySQL databases that you might have hosted within your shared Plesk website hosting account - if you are hosted on the Windows platform and are utilizing Microsoft SQL databases then ASP.NET Enterprise Manager is supplied to allow you to view and manage any MSSQL databases that you have hosted under your account.

In most cases you will be using a database along with a dynamic web page language within your website so that your website is able to communicate with the database so it can pull data to be displayed, as well as store it within the database so that it can be easily accessed again. Plesk also gives you the ability to create users so that the databases you create can be accessed by the scripts that you have created within your web space; without these database users, scripts and other programs that you want to use to access your database or databases won’t be usable since they won’t be able to access the database.

Since Plesk gives you the ability to create multiple databases under many different database platforms, it gives you the ability to host many different web applications in a number of dynamic server side scripting languages so that the applications that you do create can easily interact with the databases that you have created within your shared Plesk website hosting account.

Creating a MySQL Database

In order to create a MySQL database from within Plesk, you will first need to navigate to the hosting control panel for the domain that you want to create the new MySQL database for. If you don’t know how to find your way to the hosting control panel for the domain that you want to create a new MySQL database for them you should take a look at this article; in the article noted you will also find other Plesk related tutorials which will help you get your new website off the ground in your new Plesk website hosting account. Once you have reached the hosting control panel for the domain which the MySQL database is going to be created for, you will need to select the ‘databases’ icon:

You should then be presented with the following screen, which also provides you with options to manage the databases that you might have already created using the Plesk control panel:

You will then need to select the ‘add new database’ icon, which will then redirect you into the database creation wizard. Once redirected, you will be asked to enter the following details:

• database name (circled red) - this is the name that you want to give the actual database, Plesk suggests that you begin the database name with your Plesk login followed by an underscore, it is after the underscore that you should enter the desired database alias
• database type (circled green) - this is where you select what database program you want the new database to be created in, if there is no more than one option then this field will not be shown - in the cases of Windows based Plesk website hosting, you are able to choose between MySQL and MSSQL databases, although the options are dependent on what database engines your web host has installed on your hosting server and what options they have enabled within their Plesk license. In our case we want to be creating a MySQL database.

One you have clicked the ‘ok’ button after entering the relevant details to aid in the creation of your database, you will be redirected to the management screen for the database that you have just created. In order to make your database usable from within your web pages and server side scripts that you have hosted within your hosting account, you will need to select the ‘add new user’ option:

You will then be prompted to enter the following details to aid in the creation of your database user:

• database username (circled red) - this is the username that you will use to gain access to your newly created database externally, for example from a script or web page that you are hosting within your Plesk hosting account or from your desktop database management browser if you have chosen not to use the supplied third party web based database management system
• password (circled green) - it is highly important that you password protect your newly created database user, since hackers might be able to gain access to your database and steal the data contained if the user account concerned doesn’t have a password on it.

Once you have done that, you should then be able to use the provided details to gain access to your new MySQL database from your PHP and ASP based scripts and web pages that you are hosting within your web space, you will also be able to use a desktop database management program to manage the contents of your new MySQL database.

One thing to note is that the ability to create MSSQL or PostgreSQL databases in the Windows and Linux versions of Plesk, respectively, is dictated by the Plesk license that your web host has installed on your web hosting server. For example, it costs extra for a web host to purchase a Plesk license that enables them and their clients to have access to MSSQL database creation and management facilities, and the same can be applied to PostgreSQL even though it isn’t a database engine that is widely used these days. Also, the third party management programs for databases that have been created in Plesk are dependent on what your web host has installed on your hosting server, which means that if you don’t want to use a certain program then you might have to resort to using a desktop based database management system, and these tend to have more features than web based systems meaning that you will have more control over your databases.