Here are step by step methods to guide you to a decent and reliable sql server web hosting :
Decide your budget : decide whether you want a high end or low end server ,depending on the types of server the cost may vary very much here is an average cost with each type of servers:
Low end: around $2000
High end : around $9000 +
Decide which connection to take: you should consult many ISP before making this decision . there are plans depending on your bandwidth requirements and you should consider the one which best suits you .
Purchase a backup device :
It is a must if you are serious about web hosting , you should consider buying an extra hard disk for storage purpose which will server like a backup in case of any unexpected events and you wont loose your valuable data
Identify your traffic load: you should make an average approximation about your daily traffic as well as your annual traffic , you see it really means that you know how many users you are trying to serve and how much bandwidth and power you need from the server there is also a methods for this ;
Traffic formula:
Lets say your total number of visitor after an year would be = x
The current daily traffic = y
Total number of GB you need for web hosting = (x/y)*5
Identify memory requirements ;
If you are having following configuration for traffic use the suggested configuration:
Daily traffic = 40,000 + , RAM needed = 2+ GB , simple server without add ons
Daily traffic = 40,000 + , RAM needed = 3+ GB , with facilities like mail server and sol database server
Determine your hardware requirements;
Choose NIC card which is good for large volume of traffic , similarly a good router should be chosen.
Same for processor , you should get at least an dual processor or more for it , it may sound too much for some but you see when your site really starts to get some decent traffic you don’t want to shut it down due to server issues , now a days 64 bit processor are also common but beware as they produce more heat and need more cooling and you`ll have to put extra effort on this .you should take a look at any ms sql server or particularly microsoft sql server 2005 to study about the right mixture of processing power and flexibility.
Choose the accessories : get an cd/rw drive , you may want to get a floppy drive for system restore .
You may also want to use some external removable devices to quickly transfer large data in case of emergency.
Choose the operating system : always choose the product in which you are comfortable working with , if you know microsoft sql server 2005 or any ms sql server configuration ,you might end up having a decent asp sql server hosting which is robust and powerful, don’t try to follow what others are doing as you might have to re learn all the system again .if you can work well in Linux environment then better choose it . the rule of thumb is go for what you know.
You should install on your system all the web services (such as: Apache, IIS, etc.), applications (such as: backup device software, RAID (Array) Manager), scripting languages (such as: PHP, Perl, etc.), CGI, Database (such as: MySQL, Microsoft SQL, etc.), and a web log analyzer (such as: weblog expert, nihuo, etc.). It is also recommended to perform system updates, security patches, and firewall installs and configurations.
Following the above methods carefully will let you choose a web server effectively and without much hassle and it will save your lots of time .
