An Operating System is the low-level software which manages a PC. It handles the way the hardware operates, the communication with peripherals for instance a monitor, a printer or a keyboard, the allocation of memory between apps, along with the prioritization of applications when several run at the same time. Each and every program that is installed on a laptop or a desktop functions by sending requests to the OS for various services by using an application program interface (API). The communication with the OS can be achieved through a Graphical User Interface (GUI) or a command line. In the web hosting world, the OS is what controls a web server together with all the software installed on it, which includes not only website scripts, but also any other application for example a VOIP or a game server. If there are virtual machines created, they use a guest OS which is run on the server host OS.
Multiple OS in VPS Servers
In case you choose to buy one of our VPS server packages, you'll be able to choose one of the three Linux distributions that we provide for the OS of the servers - CentOS, Ubuntu and Debian. They're among the most preferred and most reliable server OSs on the market and we offer them in order to give you a choice for the software environment of your machine if you intend to install some application with specific requirements regarding the packages that should be present on the web server. We also offer three web hosting Control Panels and which one of them you may use will depend on the OS that you've chosen. We leave the possibility to replace the server Operating System open, so if you want to use an application that requires an OS different from the one you already have, we can always re-install the VPS. In addition, we can keep the OS up-to-date on a weekly basis by installing all the security updates that may be available.
Multiple OS in Dedicated Servers
In case you decide to purchase one of our dedicated servers, you'll find three Operating Systems on the registration page because we want to give you a larger choice for the system environment on the machine as different apps can have particular requirements. CentOS, Ubuntu and Debian come with different modules developed by their huge support communities, so you can select each of these OSs and enjoy a reliable and risk-free web hosting service. Depending on your selection, you'll also have different Control Panels to choose from. Needless to say, we can always replace the Operating System in case the one you have selected initially does not meet the requirements of the software that you would like to run. We can also upgrade the OS on a regular basis to keep it as secure as possible through our Managed Services upgrade package.