An Operating System is the fundamental software that controls a computer system. It handles how the hardware behaves, the communication with peripherals like a monitor, a printer or a keyboard, the allocation of memory between various applications, and the prioritization of apps in case several run at once. Each program which is installed on a PC works by sending requests to the OS for various services via an application program interface (API). The interaction with the OS can be performed through a Graphical User Interface (GUI) or a command line. In the web hosting field, the Operating System is what commands a server along with all the software installed on it, which includes not only website scripts, but also every other application for instance a VOIP or a game server. When there're virtual machines created, they use a guest OS which runs on the server host OS.
Multiple OS in Dedicated Servers
If you decide to buy one of our dedicated servers, you shall find three Operating Systems on the order page since we want to give you a larger choice with regard to the system environment on the server as different apps could have certain requirements. CentOS, Ubuntu and Debian contain different modules developed by their large support communities, so you can select each of these OSs and enjoy a stable and safe hosting service. Depending on your choice, you'll also have different Control Panels to choose from. Of course, we can always replace 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 upgrade the OS on a regular basis in order to keep it as secure as possible using our Managed Services upgrade package.