Each personal computer or server is run by an Operating System - the low-level program that interacts with the computer hardware, including peripheral devices such as a mouse and a printer, as well as any apps that are installed on your system. Any program input through a command line or a Graphical User Interface (GUI) is processed by sending an Application Program Interface (API) request to the OS. On a server, each and every app runs within the parameters defined by the OS as well - priority, physical memory, processing time, and so on. This is valid for both standard Internet site scripts and server-side software such as a media server. When a virtual server is created on a physical one, there can be two different Operating Systems, referred to as guest OS and host OS, so that you will be able to set up a different software environment on a single machine.
Multiple OS in Dedicated Web Hosting
If you decide to acquire one of our dedicated servers, you will find three Operating Systems on the order page since we want to give you a broader choice with regard to the system environment on your server as different applications can have particular requirements. CentOS, Ubuntu and Debian include different modules developed by their large support communities, so you can select any of these OSs and benefit from a stable and safe web hosting service. Based on your selection, you'll also have different Control Panels to choose from. Of course, we can always change the Operating System in case the one you've selected in the beginning does not meet the requirements of the software that you intend to run. We can also update your OS on a regular basis in order to keep it as risk-free as possible using our Managed Services upgrade package.