An Operating System is the basic software which manages a computer system. It controls the way the hardware behaves, the communication with peripherals including a monitor, a printer or a keyboard, the allocation of memory between the installed applications, and the prioritization of applications in case several run simultaneously. Any program that's installed on a computer works by sending requests to the OS for different services using an application program interface (API). The contact with the OS can be done using a Graphical User Interface (GUI) or a command line. In the web hosting field, the Operating System is what runs a web server along with any software installed on it, which includes not only website scripts, but also every other application such as a VOIP or a game server. In case there are virtual machines created, they work with a guest OS that is run on the server host OS.
Multiple OS in VPS Servers
We offer three different Linux releases for the Operating System of our VPS servers - Debian, CentOS and Ubuntu. These are among the most stable and reliable OSs available and we offer all three rather than only 1 as we realize that you may want to set up some software which has specific requirements for the Operating System it shall run on. The latter is due to the fact that each of the three Operating Systems has a large support community behind it and there're different software packages you may install on the web server. Your OS choice will also determine exactly what hosting Control Panel can be installed on the VPS in case you wish to use one and for that reason we offer several Control Panels too. Should you decide that you need some other OS, our tech support can quickly wipe the present one and set up the one that you want. We also offer an optional service to have the OS on your VPS updated weekly.
Multiple OS in Dedicated Servers
If you decide to get one of our dedicated servers, you shall find three Operating Systems on the order page since we want to give you a larger choice with regard to the system environment on your machine as different apps could have specific requirements. CentOS, Ubuntu and Debian include different modules developed by their huge support communities, so you can select any of these OSs and enjoy a stable and safe web hosting service. Depending on your decision, you will also have different Control Panels to choose from. Needless to say, we can always replace the Operating System if the one you have selected at first does not meet the requirements of the software which you would like to run. We can also update the OS regularly in order to keep it as risk-free as possible through our Managed Services upgrade package.