Operating system ‘a vital decision’ when creating a server

If you're looking to build your own dedicated server to run your website, there are a range of decisions that need to be made to ensure you end up with a solution that meets your needs. Choosing the right processor and memory capacity is obviously important, as if you get this wrong, you might end up with an underpowered server that can't handle your needs, or end up paying extra for power you'll never exploit.

Unix, Linux or Windows Server?

But even after you've sorted out your hardware, you'll have to think about the operating system (OS) that underpins the machines. There are essentially three choices available to you - Unix, Linux or Windows. Ars Technica recently offered advice on building a web server and noted for this purpose, Unix or Linux solutions are the best way to go. It added while Microsoft's OS is great for some purposes, such as managing data centers, it isn't as well-suited to running a website.

The publication noted: "The internet and the services that make it run are fundamentally Unix-grown and Unix-oriented." Therefore, if you want the best results, you need an OS based on one of these solutions. It was added by Ars Technica that Linux distributions may be the best choice for many companies, because they often have a better hardware support infrastructure, which could make your life a lot easier.

The website also suggested you investigate solutions such as Ubuntu, which is becoming a more popular choice for running web servers. In fact, W3 Techs recently found its market share has risen significantly in recent months. While it was noted by Ars Technica that using the server distribution of Ubuntu rather than the desktop version means you won't have a graphical user interface, it stressed this isn't something to be afraid of.

It noted: "This is a good thing. Don't fear the command line. It's faster and more efficient to edit a few configuration files to get things up and running than it is to wade through screens and screens of preference panes."