An Internet hosting service is a service that runs Internet servers, allowing organizations and individuals to serve content to the Internet. There are various levels of service and various kinds of services offered.
A common kind of hosting is web hosting. Most hosting providers offer a combination of services; e-mail hosting, for example. DNS hosting service is usually bundled with domain name registration.
Generic, yet rather powerful, kinds of Internet hosting provide a server where the clients can run anything they want (including web servers and other servers) and have Internet connections with good upstream bandwidth.
Types
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| Web hosting |
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Full-featured hosting
Full-featured hosting services include:
- Dedicated hosting service, also called managed hosting service, where the hosting service provider owns and manages the machine, leasing full control to the client. Management of the server can include monitoring to ensure the server continues to work effectively, backup services, installation of security patches and various levels of technical support.
- Virtual private server, in which virtualization technology is employed in order to allow multiple logical servers to run on a single physical server
- Colocation facilities provide just the Internet connection, uninterruptible power and climate control, but let the client do his own system administration; the most expensive
- Cloud hosting, which can also be termed time-share or on-demand hosting, in which the user only pays for the system time and space used, and capacity can be quickly scaled up or down as computing requirements change.
Other
Limited or application-specific hosting services include:
Bandwidth cost
Internet hosting services include the required Internet connection; they may charge a flat rate per month or charge per bandwidth used — a common payment plan is to charge for the 95th percentile bandwidth.
Patent dispute
Web hosting technology had been causing some controversy around 2006 as Web.com claimed that it holds patent rights to some common hosting technologies, including the use of a web-based control panel to manage the hosting service, with its 19 patents. Hostopia, a large wholesale host, purchased a license to use that technology from web.com for 10% of retail revenues. Web.com sued Go Daddy as well for similar patent infringement.[1]
References
See also
