Much of the discussion about web hosting and servers centers around operating systems, software, and web applications. But one should not overlook hardware, which can make or break website performance. Here are a few hardware tips to make sure you get the most for your money.

1. When possible, opt for the quality, server-grade CPUs (i.e. 64-bit Intel Xeon dual or quad core)

2. The more RAM you have, the better. You can never go wrong by adding memory to your system.

3. Get large, fast hard drives, especially if you plan to run virtual private servers (VPS).

4. For large-scale sites, server redundancy is a good thing, if you can afford it.

5. Multi-core processors improve performance, but correlate the amount of processing power you get with your actual needs. In other words, there is no point in having a 64-core processor for a couple of blogs.

6. Find ways to save power, especially if you have to pay for it. Green servers will save you money and save the environment.

7. Remember that technology is constantly evolving. Plan on needing to upgrade in the future.

Photo Source: Flickr

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Over the course of the past year, we have covered many dedicated server maintenance issues, particularly for servers running Linux. In no particular order, here is a list of some of the more important tips you should remember when taking care of your server.

1. When possible, rely on the distribution updates and repositories. Only add third-party software when absolutely necessary.

2. Periodically run fsck to check the file system.

3. Monitor system and service logs.

4. Disable unused services.

5. Periodically optimize MySQL databases.

6. Monitor CPU and RAM usage.

7. Optimize RAM and swap usage.

8. On larger servers, run the database server on a separate machine, optimize the servers for scalability, and consider using a CDN (Content Delivery Network).

Photo Source: Flickr

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When domain owners list names for sale, one of the last places they think to list names is Facebook. But domainer Mike Mann made a smart move when he decided to list his generic .co domains on his Facebook page. He sold Flying.co for $3,500.

Some of the other domains Mann has listed include news.co and bank.co. My guess is his strategy is so successful because he is friends with a large number of domainers. I would not list domains on Facebook or Twitter unless I had an extensive network of domain contacts.

Photo | Flickr

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Web hosting is a vast subject, and we have covered many areas of the topic over the past year. Here are a few tips to help you keep your server in the best web hosting shape possible.

1. Keep backups of all data, both account storage and databases. If possible, keep the backups on a remote server and schedule regular incremental updates

2. Update the kernel and other software regularly.

3. Use a script installation service to help users install web applications

4. Provide a web-based control panel to help users manage their sites

5. Enforce strong passwords and encourage users to update their passwords regularly

6. Use a monitoring service for the web server, mail server, database server, and any other critical services

7. Maximize disk and memory usage only to the point of ideal performance and do not over exert the server

8. Always announce any changes, updates, reboots, or maintenance, giving users plenty of time adjust.

Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons

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Managing domains on a dedicated server can involve a lot of maintenance, but it need not be a laborious activity. Here are a few tips to keep your domains working as you would expect.

1. Try to manage as much as possible using your web-based control panel

2. Configure DNS time-to-live and other settings to fit your objectives

3. Assign domains that do not need their own IP addresses to shared IPs

4. Use the DNS CNAME function to point several versions of a domain to the same IP (i.e. domain1.com, domain1.net, domain1.org)

5. Use sub-domains only when necessary. Otherwise, use sub-directories

6. Be sure to delete any hosting entries for domains that you do not intend to renew

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The .edu domain is very popular among educational institutions and carries a strong sense of authority. Some SEO professionals even believe that links from .edu sites carry extra weight on Google. With this in mind, doesn’t registering a .edu domain sound like a smart idea?

Unfortunately, .edu registration is heavily restricted. Only American post-secondary educational institutions are eligible to register on the .edu TLD. Universities outside the United States are not eligible to apply.

While such a restrictive policy is unfortunate for domainers, the .edu registry has been able to keep the quality of its extension high. As a result, thousands of universities in the United States pay hefty renewal fees every year for their .edu names.

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Yahoo has used Bing.com’s search results for some time, but this is about to change in at least one country. Yahoo Japan announced today that it has signed a deal to use Google instead of Bing.

Daniel Alegre, vice president of Google’s Asia Pacific and Japan operations, stated:

Yahoo Japan will use Google search results and Google’s technology for supplying the accompanying search ads. With such partnerships, revenue from the search ads is shared between the Web site and the company that supplies the ads, in this case Yahoo Japan and Google, respectively.

I guess Bing just wasn’t cutting it for Yahoo.

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If you live in Ireland or have a company that does business there, it might be worthwhile to register a domain on the country’s .ie extension.

The ccTLD has experienced slow growth due to strict registration requirements. Only individuals living in Ireland or companies with trade ties are allowed to register a .ie name. There is an exception to this rule for Community Trademark holders, however. Registrants are also not allowed to register names for resale.

So why register a .ie domain with all these restrictions attached? Because there are so few registrations, a number of premium names are still available. While few good .coms are still available and other countries have sold off their domain gold, there is still a lot of gold left in .ie’s pot. But only if you’re Irish, of course.

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Do you really need 500 GB of space and a terabyte of bandwidth? What about that quad-core server you’ve been renting for the last twelve months? While web hosting needs often increase over time, they can decrease as well, often without you realizing it.

If you have a high-end web hosting plan or a large server, it might be worthwhile to double check and see if you are really using what you’re paying for. You might discover that while you needed a dual-core server a few months ago due to a high traffic event, things are back to normal and single core machine will suffice. Or maybe you overestimated your needs when you bought that $29.99 web hosting plan.

Either way, it’s a smart idea to double-check your hosting usage. You could save hundreds of dollars.

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Domainers have registered more than 200,000 .co domains, many with the intention of reselling the names for profit. It is normally easy to see a domain for at least the registration fee, but will this be the case with .co?

One challenge .co presents to sellers is its high renewal fee. At around £20 a year, the names aren’t cheap to hang onto for long periods of time. The same is true with many other ccTLDs. Some cost upwards of £200 or more to renew!

These high renewal fees provide a major incentive for sellers to sell the name as fast as possible. They also turn away buyers. As a result, many .co registrants are looking to sell their names as fast as possible. This drives down market prices across the board. Before registering a ccTLD for resale, take the renewal fee into consideration.

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