Chapter 9: Web Site and Server Maintenance

Server “Co-Location”

Many ISPs offer server “co-location” – which simply means that your server is housed on their premises, located alongside servers belonging to other clients.

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  The ISP has faster or more reliable connectivity to the greater Internet.
  
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  The ISP has a better physical environment for the server – better environmental conditions, better security, etc.
  
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  The ISP can perform regular tasks, such as backup, restarts after failure, or security monitoring, on a 24 hour basis.
  

Co-location differs from the virtual host option. Under co-location, typically you buy and own the server hardware. Under the virtual host option, typically you rent a share of the server resources under your own domain name.