Posted by Deevan in So you’ve spent countless hours trying to find the best system to use for your new site. Or maybe you were one of the lucky ones who had a friend that turned them on to Drupal. Next up is a possibly even bigger issue. You have to pick a host. While you need to be careful in making your decision, I hope this guide makes it easier for you.
Server requirements for Drupal
Drupal has very basic requirements. All you need is a server with at least PHP 4.3.5, MySQL 4.1 and Apache 1.3 or IIS 5. Drupal recommends, and I agree with, that you have PHP 5.2, MySQL 4.1 or higher and Apache 2.2 or IIS 7.
One of the more important features of Drupal is it’s URL rewriting system. This system will not work as well under IIS (also known as Windows hosting) and for that reason I recommend finding a host that runs Apache..
PHP4 development has been stopped, so at this point it is considered insecure. While Drupal runs under PHP4 it is very strongly recommended to only use hosts that run PHP5. If you find your server is still running PHP4 you will want to either find a new host or ask your host when they will be upgrading. In upcoming versions of Drupal they will be removing support for PHP4 as well, to introduce better functions to help the software run faster.
You will also want to be sure you’re on a server with Apache 2.2. Both PHP and Apache agree that both run best when running PHP5 and Apache 2.2.
Who can cover these requirements?
At this point you will find most hosts meeting server software requirements. But the software is only one small part of what you need to look for. You will want to find a host that is running high powered server hardware. This includes at least 2 CPUs with 4 cores each (8 cores total), hard drives in RAID10 configuration and 8 GB of RAM. RAID10 hard drives offer not only the fastest speeds but the greatest redundancy in the case of hardware failure.
Many hosts who run this type of hardware still do a disservice to your site but overselling their servers. This causes your site to be slower than it should be. You can get around this by finding a host with a no overselling guarantee. Finding a host with a no overselling guarantee can greatly increase the probability that your site will run as quickly as it should.
Should my site be loading faster?
If you are curious how your server stacks up we recommend running your site through this performance grader. Although the site says Joomla performance grader it will work just fine with your Drupal site. After it runs you will want to scroll all the way down to the “Grades” section. The number you’re interested in is the Generation Time. This number tells you how fast your server was able to generate you page. The number you want to see is .3-.5 seconds for most sites. I’ve seen sites that took 5 seconds to load on big name overseller webhosts take under .3 seconds to load, with no other changes, at BuyHTTP Drupal hosting.
Bonuses you can be on the lookout for
If you are not an experience Drupal user you may want to find a host that has experience with it. When you run into issues, the host can help you. Some hosts even include this as a part of your normal hosting fee..
One big feature that most people don’t even think about (until they really, really need it) is a solid backup system. Most hosts just setup cPanel to take a backup (most of the time just weekly, sometimes daily if you’re lucky). This setup often includes just leaving backups on a second drive in the server. Doing backups this way is a ticking timebomb and is asking for trouble. That, and restoring a single file on your site is a huge headache you don’t need. You should be looking for a host that not only stores backups in a separate datacenter, but is using what’s known as continuous data protection (CDP) backups. CDP creates several backups of your site each day. You can restore your entire site, a single file, or anything in between. You can also choose from several different restore points for each file. If you need to restore a single file, you don’t want to bother with asking your host to move your backup to your home directory, download the backup, extract the file, find the file you need and upload the file with FTP. Using CDP there is a web-based interface where all you need to do is click a few buttons and your files are restored.
So which company fits these?
The vast majority of hosts will touch at least a few of the points. Two of the more important things I’ve mentioned are the no overselling guarantee and the continuous data protection backups. Those are two of the harder things to find.
One company that does have all of these points covered is BuyHTTP. They have been offering Drupal hosting for several years. They run the high-powered servers, have the no-overselling guarantee and the continuous data protection backups.
About the Author:
Dallas writes about Registry Cleaner Trials.
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - How to choose the Drupal host for you
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