What is a dedicated server?

Unlike normal hosting plans, which put many customers' accounts on a single server, a dedicated server is reserved exclusively for the account and usage of a single customer. This means that the dedicated server customer has exclusive rights to the server's bandwidth, memory and storage space; performance will not be affected by traffic and usage patters of other customers.

When you purchase a dedicated server, you actually lease a server box, which will be configured and set up according to your preferences, but remains at our data center. A dedicated server account provides a dedicated IP address and full control of server usage and software installation, as you have admin (root) access to the server.

Dedicated servers are particularly useful for companies and individuals that run very-high-traffic Web sites or applications and thus need the bandwidth, versatility, and consistent performance of a dedicated box. Dedicated servers are also frequently used as gaming servers. This means that you can use the server for a wide variety of purposes, including gaming, database management, and traffic-intensive Web sites.

What can I do with a dedicated server?

Unlike normal hosting plans, which put many customers' accounts on a single server, a dedicated server is reserved exclusively for the account and usage of a single customer. This means that the dedicated server customer has exclusive rights to the server's bandwidth, memory and storage space; performance will not be affected by traffic and usage patters of other customers.

All of our dedicated servers provide administrative access, which allows users to run and install virtually anything on the server. As well, our dedicated servers include enough bandwidth and disk space to host and manage multiple data-heavy Web sites on a single server account.

Dedicated servers are particularly useful for companies and individuals that run high-traffic Web sites or complex applications and thus need a level of bandwidth, consistent performance, and flexibility typically not available on shared hosting accounts. Dedicated servers are frequently used as gaming servers, as well.

Setting up an Email Account in Plesk

To Set Up Email Accounts for Your Domain in Plesk

1. Click the Mail icon on the Domain administration page.
2. In the Tools section, click Add New Mail Name .
3. Enter a name for this email account. For example, jdoe@domainnamegoeshere.com.
4. Enter and confirm a new password for this email account. This password will also be used to access the control panel.
5. If you want the mail user to be able to access the control panel, select the Control panel access check box and specify their control panel access settings.
6. Select the Mailbox check box and specify the mailbox quota if desired.
7. Click OK to submit all changes.

Once you have created your email account, you can further customize the settings from within Plesk or connect to your account using an email client.

NOTE: Your POP3 and SMTP settings for this email account will be mail.domainnamegoeshere.com, where "domainnamegoeshere.com" is the name of your domain. Your incoming user name for the account is full_email_address@domainname.com. The outgoing (SMTP) server requires authentication and uses the same user name and password as the incoming (POP3) server.

For more information about setting up mail accounts in Plesk, you can take a look at the Plesk documentation on SWsoft's Web site:

Managing Mail
Tutorial: Creating a POP Email Account in Plesk

What name servers do I use with my dedicated / virtual dedicated server?

There are three steps to setting up DNS for Web sites hosted on your dedicated or virtual dedicated server:

1. Create a zone file for your domain in Plesk.
2. Create and register two domain hosts.
3. Assign your name servers to your registered domain.

Step 1 - Creating a Zone File for Your Domain in Plesk

Plesk automatically creates a zone file for any domain you set up in Plesk. If you have already set up a domain in Plesk, you can skip this step.

To Create a Zone File for Your Domain in Plesk

1. Log in to Plesk as an administrator.
2. From the Clients section on the left, select the client you want to add a domain for.
3. On the Clients page, select Add New Domain .
4. Complete the domain form and click OK .
5. Select the type of hosting for the domain and click OK .
6. Complete the hosting setup page. Click OK .

NOTE: These changes to your dedicated server may take up to 24 hours to complete.

Step 2 - Creating and Registering Your Domain Hosts

Once you set up a domain and create a zone file in Plesk, you need to create and register two domain hosts for your domain. If your domain is registered with us, you can log in to your account manager to complete this step. If your domain name is registered with another company, you will need to contact them for instructions regarding domain host registration.

To Register Your Domain Hosts

1. Log in to your account manager.
2. From the Domains list, select Manage Domains .
3. Select the domain you want to host on your dedicated server.
4. On the right-side of the page, click Domain Host Summary .

NOTE: If you cannot make changes to your Domain Host Summary, your domain may be locked. To unlock your domain, select the domain you want to unlock ,and, under the Domain Details section on the right, click Unlock Domain.

5. Select Click here to see details or to modify .
6. In the Domain Hosts section, click Add New Host .
7. Enter a name for each of your domain hosts. For example, ns1.yourdomainnamehere.com and ns2.yourdomainnamehere.com. This prefix can be anything you want it to be, but make it something easy for you to remember.

NOTE: These two domain hosts can be used for other domains hosted on your virtual dedicated server. You do not need to create new domain hosts for each of your domains.

8. Enter the IP address for your server (you can find the IP address for your server in your dedicated or virtual dedicated server manager or in Plesk).
9. Click Save Changes .

Step 3 – Setting up Your Domain Name Servers

Now that you have created and registered two domain hosts, you need to set the name servers for your domain to point to your virtual dedicated server.

To Set up Your Domain Name Servers

1. Log in to your account manager.
2. From the Domains list, select Manage Domains .
3. Select the domain you want to host on your dedicated server.
4. On the right-side of the page, click NameServers Summary .
5. Select Click here to see details or to modify .
6. In the Set Name Servers section, select Custom Name Servers .
7. For your name servers, enter the names of the domain hosts you created previously. For example: ns1.yourdomainnamehere.com and ns2.yourdomainnamehere.com.
8. Click Save Changes.

How do I access my Linux dedicated server using SSH?

Should you elect not to use the Plesk control to manage your dedicated server, you you may instead use an SSH command-line interface.

To access your server through SSH, use the IP address(es) for your server and log in with your user name and password:

NOTE: You can find the IP address(es) for your dedicated server in your Dedicated Hosting Manager.

If you do not have an SSH client, you can download the Putty SSH freeware client at: http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/

Setting up a Domain in Plesk

Using Plesk, you can add a domain to your dedicated or virtual dedicated server. In order to add domain names, you will need to have a Plesk license that allows you to create multiple domains.

To Add a New Domain in Plesk

1. Log in to Plesk as admin.

2. Select Domains .

3. Click Add New Domain . The client selection page displays.

4. Select the client you want to create the domain for, and click OK . The domain creation page displays.

5. In the Domain name field - enter a valid domain name (e.g., domainnamegoeshere.com). If you enter a domain name that already exists, Plesk will ask you to change it.

6. Select the IP address that will be used to host this domain from the drop-down list.

7. If you want to set up hosting for this domain, check the "Proceed to hosting setup" check box.

8. Click OK .

For more information about setting up a domain in Plesk, you can take a look at the Plesk documentation on SWsoft's Web site:

Administering Domains
Creating a New Domain

What software is installed on my Linux dedicated server?

The software on your dedicated Linux server depends on what kind of Linux distribution you are using, either Fedora Core 2 or Redhat Enterprise 4.

Fedora Core 2 Software