Archive for Windows
Battle of the Giants: Linux and Windows Compared
Posted by: | CommentsIn the world of superior web hosting, there’s really only two main competitors as far as your operating system goes—unless you’re willing to be some kind of mad scientist, that is. Essentially, every webmaster must face the same battle during the earliest span of their career, staring at that blank server box while wondering, “Should I load this up with Windows, or will Linux get the job done?” We’re unabashedly pro-Linux, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t points for both. In fact, the uninitiated among us may quickly find themselves in over their heads without a little guidance. So with that in mind, we’d like to present our unbiased review of the major differences between a Windows-based and Linux-based server experience, starting from the ground up and arriving at the frilly stuff on top. And when putting the two head to head, there’s really no better place to start than with:
Security – Winner: Linux
In terms of raw security, it’s really quite hard to do better than any available Linux distribution. This has to do with the very way in which Linux is coded—including Unix branches of the operating system, if you were wondering. Unlike Windows, Linux has a superuser known simply as “root.” To access this level of control, a webmaster must have a direct connection to the server shell, as well as the password of the server itself. Once this link has been established, an administrator can do basically anything they’d like to the server, including the hacking and stealing of precious data. However, because this level of authority requires root access—and simply cannot be had any other way—it’s nearly impossible for an artificial-intelligence based virus to “hack” into a Linux system. The probe would first need to tunnel into the server, establishing itself as a secure connection. Next, it would need to know the master password, which theoretically could be hacked, though to little purpose. Once inside the server, the bug would still need to pass several security checks to access privileged folders, guaranteeing a much harder fight than with Windows.
Windows, it’s worth noting, features little to no administrative control, a la the “root” user. Rather, the server establishes a single account as its admin, and then ties a password to that user. However, because of the registry that lies at the heart of a Windows system, it’s relatively easy for a digital worm to wind its way into the heart of the hardware, accessing files as it pleases and relaying the found data back to another server: Or worse! All in all, Linux simply cannot be bested in terms of its superior security from outside threats.
Support – Winner: Windows
However, Windows does have the upper hand in terms of technical assistance and support. Because Windows is a proprietary operating system, it comes fully backed by a team of Microsoft specialists that will help and guide you through any unexpected errors or struggles. These lines and forums are available 24/7, 365 days a year, and can assist with any and all malfunctions. They will typically even perform some of the procedure for you, saving you the need to get your hands dirty with code.
Linux, on the other hand, historically comes with no dedicated technical assistance, save the community itself. And though the world of Linux troubleshooting is alive and well across hundreds of forums spread out across the globe, there’s simply no solid body to deal with the thousands of Linux variations and distributions that float freely in existence. Rather, it is ultimately the webmaster who must deal first-hand with technical complications, and if no quick solution is available, that webmaster’s server may be in real steep stuff.
Cost – Winner: Linux
That being said, Linux easily takes the cake in terms of raw overhead investment. Rare is a Linux distribution that costs anything, as most are available for free via the GNU public commons agreement. Furthermore, should some enterprising webmaster wish to create their own variation of the operating system, they’re fully licensed to do so, as Linux is typically available in its entirety for free redistribution. Windows, however, must be purchased with a server license, which can be quite expensive. Further, technical assistance and software come at a premium, where Linux is loaded to the gills with freeware packages optimized for the system. But as mentioned, this corner cutting in a budgetary sense also comes with a lack of dedicated problem solving support. The difference is really like buying a used car, as opposed to leasing one: Should a problem arise with the used automobile, you’re very likely up a certain creek without a means of locomotion. Should the leased vehicle fail, there’s always an helping hand nearby, ready to handle your needs.
Performance and Up-Time – Winner: Linux
Lastly, if you’re looking for the final word in performance and up-time, Linux is hands down your top pick. A Linux system absolutely never requires a reboot because of a software update, nor does it ever necessitate a restart to unclog the processes. The operating system has been designed from the ground up to create dedicated threads for each open application, activating these threads when needed and closing them when unneeded. This not only preserves processing power, but ensures that no program can “go rogue” behind the scenes, eating away at your server’s resources and potentially causing a meltdown. Windows, on the other hand, typically faults at the background level, leaving software doors open with the lights running. To keep a Windows server clean, a frequent tune-up and maintenance sweep is typically required, in addition to an occasional system reboot. Each of these requires down-time, and without a backup server on-hand to deal with the lost connectivity, you’re potentially facing irritated end-consumers. All in all, there’s simply no more efficient way to run your server for extended periods of time—Linux up-time is typically measured in years—than with a Linux distribution.
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coLinux: can Linux and Windows co-exist?
Posted by: | CommentsThe logo for Cooperative Linux, more popularly known as coLinux, sums up the attempted approach to the platform. Placing the Windows logo and Linux penguin in opposite ends of the yin yang summarizes not just this software, but the problem it is attempting to address. With a few UNIX, Macintosh and scattered other exceptions, the hosting world is torn between Windows and Linux. This means that webmasters are similarly torn. While the strong and weak points of each are well known, the bottom line is that whichever you prefer, there is an advantage to having each of them.
Some users solve this with multiple machines: an answer doesn’t get much easier, but that’s certainly not the cheap route. A bit more common is to have a dual-boot machine. This presents its own problems, though, namely that you don’t want to have to be constantly rebooting just to switch back and forth between the two.
A marriage made in … ?
coLinux works by allowing the installation of a kernel on the host OS (usually some Windows variant, but it can be anything, so long as it sends certain types of operating data the installation needs to run). Unlike other methods of virtualization, though, Linux doesn’t quite so much run “under” it as “down and across” from it.
The term “cooperative” is meant to signify the fact that, once installed, the kernels of the Linux OS and host OS work together, communicating back and forth with each other as needed to share machine resources. The Linux kernel accomplishes this by converting the two operating systems into equal coroutines.
However, in order to work properly, especially since most hardware isn’t set to handle talking to two different masters in two different languages at once, the host OS still holds instructive sway. So those two coroutines are still slaves to it, and any Linux hardware requests get sent through it.
Does it work?
For the most part, it does. Our surveying of both different review web sites and coLinux’s own FAQ seem to indicate that it does most of what you need it to do. This is a major piece of software though: with everything that a modern computer is capable of doing, something this complex is bound to have areas of deficiencies. Here are some of the biggest problems reported:
Problem #1 – Multiple CPUs aren’t supported
The one that is probably most relevant given current technological trends. If your machine has more than one processor, then it appears coLinux can run, if you only give it access to one of the cores. This may be tricky, though, and could introduce some of its own problems. No better solution to this from coLinux’s home site is given.
Problem #2 – No X server support
coLinux does not have the ability to support an X server that requires a graphic adapter, as it does not itself contain a virtual adapter. Some workaround solutions have been suggested for this, but they are ugly as sin. For the most part they consist of running the X server in such a way that Windows takes up the slack for whatever Linux can’t do, and thus gets bridged between them. The official coLinux page has a separate section devoted to how to do this, but this just seems to be begging for trouble.
Problem #3 – No 64-bit support
This is another one that is going to become relevant real quick. coLinux is not designed to work under any 64-bit operating system. For Windows users this includes Windows 7 64-bit, Windows Vista 64-bit and Windows Server 2008 r2. Perhaps sensing the urgency to get this taken care of pronto, there is an active online discussion page about how to change this. It appears possible to suggest that we might see this compatibility in a year or two.
Problem #4 – No sound support
To play sounds of any kind would require that coLinux be able to access the sound card. We mentioned above that hardware is off-limits from coLinux, at least directly.
Is it available indirectly? Yes, it would appear. The trick to doing this revolves around finding a sound server in Windows that can receive data in the form of an audio stream from your network, and then make Linux part of that network. Sound complicated? Well, the FAQ page that explains exactly how to do this doesn’t seem any less complicated. From the looks of it, though, users have had some success in getting this to work.
What else?
Those are the most common problems. There are some scattered other ones that you are even less likely to run into, but are worth mentioning. These include:
- Does not run under Windows 98/ME - Time to upgrade.
- Bugs with XML config file – A number of them have been reported: see their FAQ for the technical details and solutions.
- Linux crashes Windows – At least in some older versions, crashing Linux crashed Windows as well.
- General instability – A little bit of this is probably to be expected.
Are there other ways?
If you like the idea that coLinux suggests but want to see if anyone else has done it better, here are a few alternate packages that some users prefer:
- Wubi – This is probably the least intimidating of the Linux-on-Windows packages. It installs Ubuntu onto Windows, but never exits Windows, and thus has the least amount of system conflict problems.
- TopologiLinux – This is a popular package that is built off coLinux. It works by creating a hard disk instance that it runs off of. Importantly, it has built-in solutions to the above mentioned X server and sound problems.
- andLinux – This is also based off the coLinux original distribution. While so far it doesn’t have the following the others have, it also seems to have addressed most of coLinux’s more problematic deficiencies, though it and TopologiLinux still don’t work on 64-bit systems.
Should I?
One thing does seem certain, and that is that there is little to lose by installing these software packages: no one reported any kind of fatal system errors. This might be a great starting point for all of the Windows users out there who want to dip their toes into some Linux waters.
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Enkompass: A Windows Control Panel For The Masses
Posted by: | CommentsSo, you finally bit the bullet: You gave in and used a Windows-based web host, contrary to the popular, Linux-oriented hosting. Before we say good for you, though, we just want to point out one sad fact—there aren’t many quality, Windows-ready control panels out there for managing your new content. At least, there aren’t many as easy to use or as user friendly as you might like. Thankfully, though, there are a few, and one of our favorites (Enkompass) is even the brainchild of the same developers that brought you cPanel/WHM.
Enkompass is easily one of the best control panels around for your Windows-based server. If you’re looking for a fresh face to add to your account, you could certainly do a lot worse. We aren’t here to sell you the software, but we will tell you what we like about it. Starting with the following:
- It Looks Like cPanel, Smells Like cPanel: Like we said, Enkompass comes straight from the guys that made cPanel, one of the easiest to use and most familiar control panels around for UNIX-based servers. With that in mind, if you’re use to cPaneling your servers, you’ll instantly be at home with Enkompass. It looks and behaves about the same, making it an easy transition from one to the other.
- Plays Well With Others: Reason number two is simple—Enkompass works well with other utilities. For instance, it plays like a good kid with Windows Server 2008 and Microsoft IIS7 Server. Not to mention full support for MySQL and Microsoft SQL Server 2005-2008. It also takes full advantage of Active Directory, providing enhanced scalability.
- Scripting? We Got Loads Of It! Another reason we like Enkompass is its compatibility with a wide variety of scripting platforms. This puppy can handle .NET, ASP, PHP, Perl, AJAX, Silverlight, XML, and others, making it an all-one resource for the coder in you.
- You Get The Literature: The last reason we think Enkompass is just wonderful has to do with its documentation. As a cPanel port for Windows (more or less, don’t shoot us Windows server geeks!) you still get access to the wealth of troubleshooting literature available for the Linux edition. Because both services behave more or less the same, the communities are entirely integrated, allowing you to take full advantage of already existent resources.
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Windows Web Hosting: No Longer Second Fiddle?
Posted by: | CommentsWeb hosts have used Windows as one of their primary operating systems since web hosting began. Also, since web hosting began, Windows has been seen as the largely inferior choice. Its inflexibilty, higher costs, and security holes caused it to be seen as the choice mainly of users who were trapped in the Microsoft universe and afraid to venture out of it.
If there’s one thing that Microsoft exemplified over the years, though, it is persistence. Remember that before Windows 95, Windows was considered a horrible GUI, and Macintosh reigned. There was also a console gaming world before Xbox, believe it or not. Today, these have all move towards being standards, whether or not their harshest critics like to admit it.
Is Microsoft finally serious about web hosting?
This continued effort from Microsoft has been seen a lot more in recent years. There has a been a greater focus on both the server and user side, with multiple new packages on both ends receiving a lot of attention. For the web host, Windows Server 2008 R2 was received well by the hosting world and is being picked up by more and more web providers. On the user end Microsoft Expression Web gets strong reviews from most PC periodicals, with some users describing it as a superior product to Adobe Dreamweaver.
Does this mean that Microsoft is no longer willing to just rest on their laurels and actually provide web hosting products that the industry should take seriously? No one can predict the future, but all signs indicate that the answer to this question is “yes.”
Should I switch?
Those who are using Linux, Unix or some other operating system for their web sites may wonder whether or not this is a good time to switch over. That’s a much more difficult case to make.
The primary argument against it is that, unless you are doing something complex with your web site, in the end, one operating system is as good as another. It does take much to host simple HTML pages, images, media files, even most streaming and database software. This question, then, is really only relevant to those who are running more buffed and complex sites that might need to keep a little stronger pace with technological advancements.
Even then, probably not
Microsoft may very well be around when we are old and gray. But if it is, so will its detractors, which means that there will always be alternatives. Linux, in particular, continues to grow in popularity, and its user base is rabid about its loyalty to it. It is also quickly catching up to Windows in most areas, and being an open-source operating system its evolution is likely to continue accelerating.
Most web hosts worth their salt nowadays offer hosting on multiple platforms, like HostGator. There are simply too many customers they’d be turning away otherwise. This means that even if Windows is now a viable alternative, you likely won’t even have to worry about being forced over to it.
So no, the dynamic of the web hosting world hasn’t changed so much that now you will need to use Windows web hosting. It has changed enough, however, that you may just want to.
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The Benefits of Virtualized Hosting for eCommerce
Posted by: | CommentsWhen most people think of virtual web hosting they tend to associate it with VPS hosting, or cloud hosting. However a new wave of webmasters are now using virtualization software within their web servers to bring both the Linux and Windows operating system to a single web server. This practically eliminates many of the limitations previously associated with Windows and/or Linux web hosting by removing software restrictions and releasing the true power of a VPS or dedicated hosting plan. Using this for eCommerce can have profound effects by enhancing SEO efforts and allowing the webmaster to use any eCommerce software available, whether it be for Windows or Linux. If you are interested in the benefits of virtualized web hosting for eCommerce the you may want to consider the following information.
Unlimited Compatibility
Today’s virtualization software has unlocked new possibilities by unleashing any compatibility issues that may have previously been a problem when choosing a specific operating system for your web hosting plan. Now webmasters can install any software they’d like in their hosting account, as long as the hosting provider gives them the permissions to do so. It is important to note that virtualization software cannot be used in a shared hosting account because you’re not allowed to change the server configuration. If you’re planning on using visualization software like VMware then you need to shop around for a good VPS or dedicated hosting plan that gives you full control over the server’s software.
Cost Benefits
In the past, if you wanted a web server with Windows and Linux you would need to purchase two separate hosting accounts. However, with the advent of virtualized web server software, it is now possible to have both operating systems running simultaneously for half the cost. Now you no longer have to debate about the pros and cons of Windows web hosting vs Linux web hosting, because you can have the best of both worlds. Since Linux hosting costs less than Windows hosting, it would be ideal to purchase a Linux hosting plan and then install a partition of Windows within a virtualization software.
How Do Virtualized Operating Systems Work?
Virtualized operating systems are actually separate from the original operating system of the web server, Which means any damage done to a virtual operating system will not affect the native operating system. Think of it as a computer within a computer, both completely separate and unique. Some people use virtualized operating system to test out suspicious files that may contain viruses, as even the worse virus will not affect the native operating system or the rest of the computer. Virtualized hosting is also perfect for webmasters that need several operating systems to test and develop compatibility during the construction of new web based software.
It is important to note that you’ll need to consider the amount of RAM your server has when installing additional operating systems. Virtualization software does not enhance your server’s capabilities, it simply splits them up amongst several operating systems.