Friday, June 3, 2011

Finding the Best Hosting Control Panel

Finding the Best Hosting Control Panel
By Gregory Trune


Your web host provider will offer you a control panel and this will enable you to better manage your site. The control panel is where a user can look after their entire site and holds information on statistics, traffic, hosting functions, access to FTP, email account access, domain issues and the ability to manage files, amongst much more.

There are a number of different control panels available in the market. These include Cpanel which is among the most popular, Hostopia, Sphera, Ensim, VDeck, NextGenCP etc. They all differ in their look and feel as well as functions. Web hosts usually have their own control panel preferences, which depend upon the platforms they use. The control panels are selected according to their features and ability to perform on a particular platform.

Basic features that you can expect to find in a control panel are as follows:

CGI Center

Parked Domains

Network Tools

MIME Types

File Manager

Index Manager

FTP Manager

Backup

File Manager

MySQL Database Manager

FTP Manager

File Manager

Disk Usage

Redirects

Web/FTP Stats

Subdomain

Raw Log Manager

Error Log

MS SQL Manager(Windows only)

Subdomain Stats

CGI Center

Web/FTP Stats

MIME Types

Hot Link Protection

Index Manager

SSL Manager

How easy a control panel is to use is a good way of noticing the difference between them. A panel such as Plesk is really simple to use whereas the functionality of cPanel is highly regarded. To make the best choice between these control panels, it helps to know the strengths and weaknesses of them. What follows is a brief overview of the control panels:

cPanel:

This is found on Linux systems, it does not provide Windows or OSX support but it does cater for more than 10 versions of Linux. cPanel enables users to take control of their site and is useful for using MySQL databases and organizing email account management.

The range of features and functions provided by cPanel is higher than many services available today and this diversity and price are key reasons in why cPanel is so popular.

Plesk:

Plex is available for Linux and Windows web hosting servers where cPanel is not. Many users find it helpful that Plex has an interface similar to Windows XP. The control panel looks good and offers many features available in cPanel. It can enable any user to build their own site with easy to sue tool. It offers many features but it may be viewed as more expensive than other products, especially cPanel.

H-Sphere:

Many users appreciate HSphere. Similar to Plesk, it is compatible with Windows and Linux. Many functions are provided including the ability to have complete automation and many key functionalities but it offers less than Plesk or cPanel.

DirectAdmin

If you want options that many control panels do not offer then DirectAdmin is for you. It has a wider range but it lacks some features that make Plesk or cPanel so popular. It is also purely for a small number of Linux varieties but it is considerably cheaper than cPanel.

Ensim

Available for Windows and Linux, Ensim doesn't have a lot of features but it has an interface that is adequate.

Interworx

Again only for Linux, Interworx has impressive features like the site usage snapshot and a well presented interface.

Hosting Accelarator

This service is only for Windows and it can feel a bit cluttered which may overwhelm a number of users who are new to this style or technique.

Helm

A key feature of Helm is the ability to view bills within the control panel but it is only available on Windows.

CWIPanel

The CWIPanel aims for Windows server management. It is an average product.

InsPanel

This control panel has also been made only for windows based web hosting server. This is an average product with standard features.

There are many control panels but cPanel remains the favorite due to its cost, easy to use functions and wide range of features.

There have been recent developments in control panels and Pandela.com have developed the NextGenCP control panel. It has been a few years in the making but it looks very good.

You can tell that modern internet technology has shaped this product. It is simple to use and has been created specifically for web hosting clients. It has such a great ease of use that even novices can pick it up in next to no time. It is said it takes no more than mouse clicks to perform any function. It may seem simple but there is a lot going on and all of the functions aid web site management. The makers of the service have also issued all users with a challenge and if they can think of something they would like in the next version of the product, they will incorporate it.

Features contained within NextGenCP:

Domain Control:

All users have full control of any domain and sub-domain and the registration process is very simple. Users have full control over their domain as well as sub-domain. They can also register and host their own domain names easily and quickly.

Learn how to manage your own database:

This product makes it extremely simple to create and manage your very own database with just a few clicks of the mouse. phpMyAdmin provides the database management and the data is secured by Database Backup Manager.

Take control of the mail accounts:

NextGenCP can be used to add and manage mail accounts very efficiently. Pandela.com provides an advanced SPAM filtering system, that ensures that the users will not be bombarded with junk mails, or viruses. It also includes mail filters, helps in organizing the mail accounts, as well as filter unwanted mails.

Site Tools:

There are numerous tools for this product, all of them aiding the management of a site. Some of the tools include IP Access Manager, Hotlink Protection and Script Installer.

Find the statistics behind your site:

This information will provide total knowledge of visitors and show how much bandwidth is being used and the usage of email accounts per day.

Feel the benefit of the support system:

Every user of this product will be granted full support assistance. By sending off a support ticket, the matter will be considered by a staff member very quickly. It is said that the average time for response is 15 minutes.

There is no doubt that these functions are marking NextGenCP as one of the best control panels available in the current climate. Competitors should take note that Pandela.com is not stopping here and they intend to improve the service offered by its already impressive product.




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Finding the Best Hosting Control Panel

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