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High Traffic Websites: How to Select a Web Host

Getting a site a great deal of traffic is no simple matter, likewise, neither is finding a hosting company for a site that is well promoted. When you’ve spent the time to drive traffic to a website, the last thing you want is for that website to go down. As the old saying goes, time is money, and the right web host can make a big difference when it comes to your site. It is the intention of this article to provide information regarding what sort of options a good web hosting company will provide to a high traffic site.

First, a few definitions:

Availability: The status of your site’s network. Is it up and running, or has there been a failure and it is down? Meaning, can your network handle a failed device?

Performance: The speed at which an application will respond to a user request. Meaning, can your network handle a lot of traffic?

There are four main technologies that can be used to improve availability and performance:

• Load Balancers hardware price range ($3,000 – $30,000)
• Web Accelerators hardware price range ($10,000 – $60,000)
• SSL Accelerators hardware price range ($1,000 – $50,000)
• Traffic Compressors hardware price range ($9,000 – $50,000)

As you can see, these technologies can be quite expensive, which can translate into high maintenance costs From Your web host. And much like strapping a jet engine onto the back of my Ford Fusion probably isn’t a good idea; neither is buying a $60,000 web accelerator for your simple brochure site. So, in order to choose between what is necessary and what is overkill, here is what you’ll need to know:

Load Balancers

Load balancing for a web application is a great tool for both availability and performance. A Load Balancer stands in front of the web servers, creating a virtual address to which the client connects. It then distributes traffic evenly over the web servers to reduce the load on any single server. If one of the web servers is not available, the Load Balancer will detect the failure and reroute the traffic to all of the remaining available servers. It also provides a layer of security by hiding the real IP addresses of the application servers.

Who Needs it:

• High bandwidth utilization sites.
• Sites with constant traffic where availability is key
• Example: A high traffic Adwords site (thousands of unique visits daily; ads need to be available at all times)

Load Balancers on a Budget

If you Must Have a load balancer but can’t really afford the separate appliance option, there is software available that will do the trick for a fraction of the price. This solution is not as efficient or robust as the hardware solution, but still affords the benefit of availability and is better than not employing a load balancer at all.

Web Accelerators

Web Accelerators use technologies such as caching and compression to deliver data to a large user community faster. It mitigates pressure on your system by storing data that otherwise will be transmitted repeatedly and delivering it straight from the cache.

Who needs it:

• Heavy-traffic, database driven sites that deliver web applications
• Sites with a global audience
• Example: Epson.com (database driven, over 1 million vistors/day from around the world)

SSL Accelerators

SSL Accelerators, also like Load Balancers, stand in front of application servers. They handle the encryption and decryption of a secured communication and eliminate the need for multiple SSL (Secured Socket Layer) certificates, reducing the load on Your Web servers as well as the administrative costs of SSL certificates. An SSL Accelerator can be purchased as a “module,” meaning a smaller piece of equipment that can be plugged into the primary appliance consolidating your equipment.

Who needs it:

• Sites who’s pages are predominantly secured (Banks, Insurance, etc)
• Heavily trafficked ecommerce sites
• Inefficient shopping carts.
• Example: Fabric.com (Thousands of daily visitors; Shopping cart exists on multiple servers)

High Availability

For best availability, your web host should offer all of these solutions on High Availability (HA) packages. HA is the ability to have two or more appliances that are failover capable such that if one of the appliances becomes unavailable the other picks up the load.

With HA, you can eliminate the risk of a single point of failure in your network.

Overall

Most of these technologies are more efficient and easier to maintain when implemented at the hardware level. The appliances can be pricy, but you can find good deals on refurbished and second hand equipment. Support is also quite expensive so keep it in mind.

When it comes to availability redundancy is key. It is highly recommended that your host give you the option for all applications to run on at least two servers. If you can’t afford two servers, make sure you’re constantly backing up your data someplace else!

When it comes to performance, it’s all about hardware. Here are the fundamental elements that will make your systems run faster:

• Processors (CPU) with the highest speed (the latest and greatest)
• Lots of memory with the fastest bus (RAM) (2 GB – 128 GB)
• A reliable Internet Service Provider (ISP) with the latest routing technology and a solid network

Finding a web host that can create a highly available and performance driven network is a daunting task for any webmaster regardless of budget. These recommendations hopefully have given insight into how anyone can achieve excellent results in performance, and what sort of hosting upgrades can be made to super-charge your site. Keep informed of new technologies and try to find a knowledgeable partner that is willing to do the research for Your Business.

About the Author

Carlos Aguilera is an employee of Objectware, an Atlanta Web Hosting Company and Atlanta Web Development Company with an active branch in Washington DC. Carlos is a Cisco Certified Network Associate, and Cisco Information Security Specialist that manages the Web Hosting and Internal IT needs of Objectware, Inc.

Minecraft High-Traffic SMP Minecart Station

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1-Ply Toilet Paper Roll 12 Diameter – 6/CS $60.38 This 1-ply toilet paper in a jumbo roll is ideal for high traffic locations. Fewer refills are required and helps reduce maintenance time. Fast breakup means this paper is less likely to clog plumbing and is safe for use in septic systems. 3.3 core size. 3.6 x 12 roll size. 4,000 ft. Sold by the case. 6 rolls per case. This environmentally friendly toilet paper is made of 100% recycled material with 60% post consumer fibers.

1200mAh Battery TomTom One XL Europe Traffic $13.99 High Quality, high capacity, light weight rechargeable battery.No memory effect. Can be charged or discharged as needed without loss of capacity.Overcharge protection, with built-in battery life microchip. CE Certified.Capacity: 1200mAhPhysical size: Same size as Original OEM Battery. Compatible Models: TomTom One XL Europe Traffic Note: Tools not included.

1200mAh Battery TomTom One XL HD Traffic $15.99 High Quality, high capacity, light weight rechargeable DC 3.7V Li-ion 1200mAh Battery. No memory effect. Can be charged or discharged as needed without loss of capacity. Overcharge protection, with built-in battery life microchip. CE Certified. Compatible with: TomTom One XL HD Traffic. 12 months Manufacturer warranty. Note: Tools not included.

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16 specific colors LED Light Bulb + IR Remote with 4 transition effects:flash,strobe,fade,smooth $23.99 Light-emitting diodes are darn cool and have found uses in so many places – traffic lights, standard lightbulb sockets and high-powered flashlights to name a few. The Multi-Color LED Lightbulb is a super bright LED bulb that can transition through dozens of color and rightness combinations and is compatible with a standard lightbulb socket. The included IR remote can select an individual color or brightness level or choose one of four different transition effects. Great for mood lighting, decorating, parties or special lighting environments. It has four brightness level settings and four transition effects (long pause on each color, short pause, slow fade between colors, faster fade). The light is generated from a 5 Watt LED. *You can purchase extra light bulbs and use the same remote to control all of them as long as they are within

16 x 19 100% Cotton Striped Bar Towel 32 oz. 12 / Pack $30.51 These bar towels are made of 100% cotton for the best combination of absorbency, comfort, and repeated use. With a capacity to hold 32 oz. of liquid, these bar mop towels are ideal for countertops, tables, and other high-traffic areas in your restaurant or bar. A colored stripe helps differentiate among the towels, and it also lets you designate a particular towel for a specific task. Sold 12 per pack. Choose color.

16 x 19 100% Cotton Striped Bar Towel 32 oz. 12 / Pack $30.51 These bar towels are made of 100% cotton for the best combination of absorbency, comfort, and repeated use. With a capacity to hold 32 oz. of liquid, these bar mop towels are ideal for countertops, tables, and other high-traffic areas in your restaurant or bar. A colored stripe helps differentiate among the towels, and it also lets you designate a particular towel for a specific task. Sold 12 per pack. Choose color.

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