Dedicated servers exist in many different varieties, and attempting to distinguish between all the different kinds can be rather difficult. This article will focus on some key differences between different operating systems for dedicated servers and explain the difference between Windows servers and Unix / Linux varieties.
Windows Dedicated Servers
To understand Unix servers in all their variety, it is necessary to understand and distinguish them from Windows dedicated servers. Windows dedicated servers are usually more expensive and less used than Linux/BSD servers. It is, however, the preferable option for a variety of software components and some additional other uses where it may be a desirable alternative.
ASP, or Active Server Pages, is a web-based programming language which was developed by Microsoft. There are some software packages which claim to allow ASP to be used on Linux, but there’s nothing that’s very widely used or recommended. ASP runs the best (and arguably only) on Windows servers. Therefore, ASP developers and sites which wish to utilize ASP will use Windows Servers. If a site intends to utilize the ASP programming language, a Windows server would be the logical choice.
FrontPage Server Extensions may also present a reason to use Windows servers. FrontPage is a website editor made by Microsoft. Certain publishing and development features in the software can only be utilized if the server the sites are designed for has FrontPage extensions available. While there is support for this under Linux, FrontPage and it’s extensions were originally designed for Windows servers. There may exist certain compatibility issues with Linux servers and the FrontPage extensions. If a site needs to make use of these extensions, a Windows Server would be the preferable choice.
Windows Servers support most software that runs on Linux also with a few exceptions. PHP, a popular web programming language can be installed and used on Windows servers. MySQL, one of the most popular (and free) database platforms is also available for use on Windows servers. In addition to mySQL, Microsoft also offers it’s own flavor of SQL called called Microsoft SQL Server, or MsSQL for short. While most normal users may not take advantage of high end server software such as ASP or MsSQL, some businesses prefer the support and commercial aspects surrounding Microsoft products, instead of the free and “unsupported” nature of Linux/BSD variants. Larger businesses or those looking to use ASP, FrontPage, and MsSQL may find that Windows servers more closely match what their needs.
