Hosting Dedicated Server Hosting 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does 'unmetered bandwidth' mean on a dedicated server plan?
- Unlimited speed at all times
- No limit on total monthly data transfer, though port speed may be capped (Correct answer)
- Free bandwidth from any ISP
- Zero latency guaranteed
Correct answer: No limit on total monthly data transfer, though port speed may be capped
Unmetered bandwidth means there is no cap on total monthly data transfer, though the connection is typically limited by the port speed (e.g., 100 Mbps or 1 Gbps).
Question 2: What is 'bare metal' cloud hosting?
- Cloud hosting without any OS installed
- A single-tenant physical server offered through a cloud provider with cloud-like provisioning speed (Correct answer)
- A very cheap shared hosting tier
- Hosting for static files only
Correct answer: A single-tenant physical server offered through a cloud provider with cloud-like provisioning speed
Bare metal cloud hosting provides a single-tenant physical server through a cloud provider, combining the raw performance of dedicated hardware with cloud-style provisioning and billing.
Question 3: Which operating system is most commonly used on US dedicated servers for web hosting?
- Windows Server 2019
- macOS Server
- CentOS/Rocky Linux or Ubuntu Linux (Correct answer)
- FreeBSD
Correct answer: CentOS/Rocky Linux or Ubuntu Linux
Linux distributions such as CentOS, Rocky Linux, and Ubuntu are the most common OS choices for dedicated web servers due to their stability, security, and open-source nature.
Question 4: What is a 'managed dedicated server'?
- A server managed by the client only
- A server where the hosting provider handles OS updates, security patches, and monitoring (Correct answer)
- A server with automatic scaling
- A virtual machine on shared hardware
Correct answer: A server where the hosting provider handles OS updates, security patches, and monitoring
A managed dedicated server includes OS management, security patching, monitoring, and technical support from the hosting provider, letting clients focus on their applications.
Question 5: What is the purpose of an out-of-band (OOB) network on a dedicated server?
- To serve content to end users faster
- To provide a separate management network that works even when the main network is down (Correct answer)
- To connect multiple servers in a cluster
- To route traffic through a CDN
Correct answer: To provide a separate management network that works even when the main network is down
An out-of-band network is a separate management network that allows administrators to access and manage a dedicated server even when the primary network interface is down or the OS has crashed.
Question 6: What does 'server hardening' involve on a dedicated server?
- Installing more RAM
- Reducing the server's attack surface by disabling unused services, setting strong permissions, and applying security patches (Correct answer)
- Overclocking the CPU
- Adding more hard drives
Correct answer: Reducing the server's attack surface by disabling unused services, setting strong permissions, and applying security patches
Server hardening involves securing a dedicated server by disabling unused services, applying patches, configuring firewalls, and setting strict permissions to minimize vulnerabilities.
What does 'unmetered bandwidth' mean on a dedicated server plan?