Now, don't get me wrong, I think shared and virtual server hosting is great. I have a virtual hosting account with a provider, and a standard shared hosting account on another. I have also had access to a dedicated server numerous times. But what's all the fuss about dedicated servers?

Dedicated resources is a major reason. Not having to share any processing speed, any memory, hard drive capacity or network speed with anyone else (in other words, having it all entirely to yourself) sounds pretty good. Shared hosting accounts can sometimes go onto a server where there are hundreds if not thousands of other accounts. This isn't a bad thing, but if someone is abusing the service, everyone suffers. If you also wanted to run a special application or internet service, chances are you wont be able to. With a dedicated server, you can.

Your own IP address. For the uninitiated out there, an IP address is like your server's internet phone number. It is what other computers use to