The sky is the limit when it comes to the power of a Linux server. You can install the OS on a microSD card, stick it in a USB port on your laptop, and run a completely functional server with nothing more than free software like the LAMP stack (Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP). With so much customization possible, there’s literally no limit to what you can do with a Linux server.
The Biggest Limitation To High-Performance
While the sky is the limit with what you can do with a Linux server, there’s one massive limitation that trashes all of its power: the CPU. All of the CPUs available today for a laptop or a desktop PC are way too limited in their performance to keep up with the demands of even the most basic websites or apps.
For example, the Intel i3 processor supports only four cores, and the even more basic versions have a shared cache size of just 4KiB. In comparison, a high-end Xeon processor has eight physical cores, and each core can have its own private L3 cache of 16MiB. The performance difference is night and day, and it would be hard to overstate the importance of this limitation when it comes to the overall usability of a Linux server.
Xeon-Centric Companies
Despite the fact that CPUs are the main limitation to the speed of a Linux server, it’s actually the servers themselves that are driving the industry forward. Thanks to companies like AMD, which makes the high-performance Ryzen processor, and Intel, which makes the faster and more popular CPUs such as the XEON E3-1200 v6.
These companies are driving the industry forward by creating better performing chips, and it’s benefiting the consumer in the form of faster, more stable web servers than ever before. It would be a missed opportunity if we didn’t acknowledge the fact that without these companies, the Internet as we know it would cease to function, as it runs on a combination of Linux and the software that comes with it.
The Rise Of The Web Servers
As organizations move away from dedicated servers and toward web-based solutions, they are realizing the value of a high-performance web server that can host all of their applications and services. In addition to being more cost-effective, these types of solutions offer a number of advantages.
One of the biggest advantages is the scalability of a web server. Unlike a dedicated server where you have to pay for hardware that you know is not going to be used, with a web server, you’re paying only for the resources that you need. You don’t have to worry about over- or under-provisioning as you would with a dedicated server.
A huge benefit of this scalable design is that you can have more than one server running in your data center, and if needs be, you can add more servers without having to worry about your application slowing down due to lack of performance.
The Challenges Faced By Enterprises
While the above points out the benefits of a high-performing web server, it also lists some of the common challenges that enterprises face when choosing a solution. These are mainly around security, and the need for an experienced provider to handle all the required configurations and integrations to get everything up and running securely.
For instance, if you’re looking to secure your infrastructure with IP whitelisting, you’re going to need to make sure that all the hardware and software involved is 100% virus free. You don’t want to be bothered with checking for a virus every time you turn on your server, and you don’t want any vulnerabilities lying in wait.
Another challenge is the management interface. Just like with any other type of server, you’re going to need a user interface to make sure that everything is running smoothly. With a web server, you can either use a CMS (Content Management System) such as WordPress or Drupal, or you can install a web server-specific interface such as Apache Web Server Manager or nginx (for more information, check out this comparison).
The interface is a key differentiator between a highly-professional-looking, state-of-the-art web server and an average, run-of-the-mill web server. Installing and configuring a CMS is pretty straightforward, but if you don’t have the time or the know-how, you can always outsource the job to a professional web development company.
Xeon Has Landed
While the previous points out the various pros and cons of a high-performing web server, it would be a missed opportunity if we didn’t acknowledge that thanks to the efforts of AMD and Intel, web servers have finally evolved past the 4KiB shared cache size limitation. Today, high-end web servers can have a shared cache size of up to 8MiB, and even the more performance-oriented models come with private caches large enough for the data center itself.
With larger caches and more efficient use of hardware, web servers have become faster and more stable than ever before. In fact, they’ve evolved from a simple hosting solution to a full-blown content delivery network (CDN) that can host all of the content needed for a business website or an online store. This type of hosting offers numerous advantages, not the least of which is the ability to quickly and easily scale your web server capacity up or down as needed. In other words, if you’ve ever tried to host a large event online and found that your website was unresponsive due to overwhelming demand, a CDN can help make sure that your site stays up and running even during high traffic periods.
Final Takeaway
To conclude this article, let’s review and put everything into perspective. First off, if you’re looking for a simple web server to host your personal blog or a small online store, you can’t go wrong with the LAMP stack or even WAMP, which stands for Windows, Apache, MySQL, and PHP. In addition to being much easier to set up compared to other options, these platforms provide a familiar environment for many users who are familiar with the traditional LAMP stack.
If you’re looking for something more advanced, or if you plan to use the server for hosting applications and services that are mission-critical, then consider investing in a high-performance web server. These servers are often built using the XENON architecture, which was specifically designed for speed and efficiency.