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What is a Co-location Hosting?In a general sense, co-location means to move or place things together, not necessarily implying in a proper order. However, on the Internet, it is used to refer to the space provided on the premises of the service provider for customers' telecommunication equipments. e.g. a site owner could place his or her own server on the ISP's premises that provides co-location hosting services. When do you need Co-location hosting?If you want to supply the hardware or want the ability to remove your web server and move it to another location whenever you wish, then co-location hosting is for you. In this type of hosting you supply the hardware and only pay for the networking needs and internet connection. Who supplies the web server?The customer owns the web server. Normally, in such a situation the web server is configured completely and delivered to the provider of co-location service. Some co-location providers also offer custom-made servers according to your needs which you can purchase. Will a Co-location provider make sure if my server is online or not?This depends on the agreement between you and the co-location provider. Usually, co-location providers offer contracts of server monitoring, which make them responsible for keeping any eye on your system. The responsibility to fix the server is yours if you have a custom written application which is causing problems to the web server. Who fixes the server if any problem occurs?Dealing with malfunctions or errors again depends on the agreement between you and the co-location provider. Most co-location providers offer support contracts for hardware, which make them responsible for the smooth running of your machines. That is, they look after the hosting duty in terms of the mechanical process too. If you supply your own server, and wish to have spare parts, then you will need to purchase all the parts in advance for your co-location provider. If a computer is purchased through the hosting provider, spare parts will be available normally. Although your provider fixes your machines, you will still have to cover the cost of the parts. However, if there is no hardware agreement between you and your co-location provider, you can pay them to repair the problem or you can send your own technician for the same purpose. Is my server's size limited?There are some limitations and differences in cost with regard to the server(s) sizes. e.g. rack mount servers can be in various sizes depending on the hardware and manufacturer. A 2U server is twice the size of a 1U server; so naturally it takes up more physical space in a rack. Therefore, 2U servers are more expensive to co-locate than 1U servers. Full tower and Mid tower cases have also similar limitations. While some providers only host rack mount servers, other hosting providers have areas for tower boxes as well. When selecting a co-location provider, what kind of things must be taken into consideration?Co-location provider selection can sometimes be a difficult process. There are some important points that you will need to take into consideration for the best possible choice.
Glossary of terms:1U, 2U, etc.These numbers represents the actual sizes of a rack mount servers. 1U (standart size) is the half size of 2U and a 3.5U server would take the space of 3 and a half 1U servers. BandwidthBandwidth refers to the amount of information that can be carried over a wireless or wired communication link in a given time period. Dedicated hostingDedicated Hosting is a server devoted solely to your web site or business. Server is not shared with other customers, as with shared hosting. IP AddressIP address is a 32-bit number that identifies packets of information that each receiver or sender sent across the Internet. Rack mountMost of the professional computer, video and audio equipment available on the market are mounted in standardized 19" racks. UptimeUptime is a term for the time during which a server is operational and running. Downtime is the opposite term of uptime. Uptime is measured in terms of a percentile. For example, %99.999.
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