With a myriad of versions of Linux in the public domain, choosers of Linux must undertake a certain amount
of research in order to find one that suits their specific purpose.

The attraction of a Linux software platform as a base for offering hosting services is obvious to anyone familiar with Linux. As open source software Linux applications offer the considerable benefits of quality, versatility, choice and always being up to date.

But with so many different Linux platforms to choose between, finding the right application for your needs is a potential minefield that must be successfully negotiated. Having carefully evaluated its own needs, UKFast selected Fedora Core as its Linux platform of choice. But why opt for Fedora?

The challenge of a search engine is to provide the most relevance to its users.
Website response speed helps search engines to assess the site’s relevance because speed is one of the criteria recognised in a successful site.
If a more powerful, faster server is used, the site loads more quickly and is rewarded by being moved higher in a the search engines’s displayed results.

Clustering is when a group of two or more computers (sometimes called nodes) work together as one single system in order to provide high availability of services for users. When a failure occurs on one server in a cluster, resources are redirected and workload is redistributed to another networked server.

Clustering several servers makes both Linux web and database solutions many times more robust. The process is mostly undertaken by organisations that have mission-critical websites/applications and businesses that are very serious about their internet presence.

For many businesses, e-commerce and a strong online presence means they have the potential to grow incredibly quickly. When a business increases in size and client base, so must its server hardware because the more information stored online, the more servers necessary to keep it there.

Additionally, when a website starts to receive a lot of traffic, many companies find that they need to upgrade their server solution from shared to dedicated hosting. This is because of the need for increased bandwidth, processing power and the desire to develop the solution to integrate with databases and other functional software. The more customers that rely on a website to work all day, every day, the more mission critical it becomes.

Similarly, as a business’s content becomes more vibrant and variable, increased dedicated bandwidth proves itself necessary.

It has been reported that 6% of all PCs will suffer an episode of data loss in any given year*. On viewing these statistics it becomes clear that combating data loss should be a high priority for any business in today’s computer-reliant society.

There are several ways to tackle data loss, including disaster recovery plans, using reliable and tested technology and backing up information.

A suitable and effective plan to combat disaster is vital in the day to day continuity of every organisation on Earth. Planning business continuity is planning for the unexpected. If procedures are performed correctly it should minimise the effects of disaster on a business, enabling quick and efficient recovery. In light of the catastrophic events of the last decade, solid business continuity plans remain a prominent topic.

The impact of 9/11 showed businesses exactly how an unexpected incident causes catastrophe as data loss repercussions echoed around the globe for years afterwards. Additionally, natural disasters such as tsunamis, hurricanes or floods (which are arguably becoming more frequent due to the warming of the planet) show how damage to hardware causes severe issue to the daily running of an organisation when so many rely on technology to function effectively.