There are many different types of control panels that web hosting companies use. Not all are created equally! The control panel can make or break a webmasters experience. If the control panel is not user friendly, then it is going to be hard to navigate around the backside of your website. There are three main control panels: Plesk control panel, cPanel control panel, Webmin control panel, and Ensim control panel. In this article we are going to discuss all four of those popular control panels.
To start with, Web Host Ranking is going to give you a little history on the Plesk control panel. The Plesk control panel is one the most popular control panels available to dedicated server users. The Plesk control panel is manufactured by Parallels. Parallels is one of the leading software companies and has been in the computer software industry since 1999.
As mentioned earlier, the Plesk control panel is one of the most popular control panels. Currently there are over 200,000 servers that use the Plesk control panel. The Plesk control panel is designed to be an automation control panel. The most current version of the Plesk control panel is version 9.0. The Plesk control panel version 9.0 is gear for three types of web hosting users; Shared hosting, Dedicated hosting, and Businesses. Since this site is directed towards dedicated server hosting, Best Dedicated Web Host will discuss the dedicated hosting side of the Plesk control panel.
What exactly does the Plesk control panel do? When used with dedicated server hosting, the Plesk control panel provides the user with all the necessary tools to create a high end website. The panel consists of several features that easily allow the user to incorporate third party programs, easily maintain the site, and create additions in a very fast time.
When Plesk control panel version 9 came out, it contained a couple new features that the previous versions didn’t have. The two new main features of version 9 are an enhanced interface and postfix support. With the enhanced interface, users are now able to navigate around faster and complete their goals faster. When using the Plesk control panel with Linux/Unix server, the Postfix mail server is now an option.
You still have questions on why to use the Plesk control panel? If so, here are a couple more reasons to use the Plesk control panel. The Plesk control panel can easily be manipulated to fit your needs! It is also fully automated with over 100 enhancements to make your job easier.
The Plesk control panel is available for a Windows server or Linux/Unix server. Both of the server packages cost $1,399.00 and include unlimited domain licenses, unlimited language packs, 1 year of software updates, SpamAssassin, ColdFusion, MsSQL database add-ons, and 20 support incidents.
The cPanel control panel is one the most popular control panels on dedicated web hosting sites. In order to understand why it is so popular and one of the best control panels, Web Host Ranking has put together the following information on the cPanel control panel.
The cPanel control panel was first introduced in 1997. Since then the cPanel has been one of the leading control panels and setting the standard in web hosting automation. With a large group of knowledgeable employees, cPanel is able to always produce a great control panel.
There are currently four versions of the cPanel control panel. Those versions are the following:
- cPanel and WebHost Manager: This combination of fine products creats a fully featured web hosting control panel. With two interfaces, controlling and managing your website is very easy. Some additional features of cPanel and WHM 11.24 are unlimited domains, fully brandable, free virus scanner, free game servers, and much more.
- cPanel Server Suite for Windows: This cPanel control panel is specifically designed for the Microsoft Windows Server 2008. With a bunch of new features, this cPanel control panel also features some of the best traditional cPanel features.
- cPanel DNS Only: This is one of the best free share programs that you are able to run a Domain Name System server and have automatic updates. The cPanel DNS Only is specifically designed to be use on standalone DNS servers. As mentioned earlier, the cPanel DNS Only is free!
- cPanel GS: This is the gamers version of the cPanel control panel. It supports twelve of the most popular games allowing you to please your customers!
No matter what type of control panel you are looking to run on your dedicated web hosting server, cPanel has one for you. Take a look at the cPanel control panels and find out why so many people, including Web Host Ranking, calls them one of the best control panels!
What exactly is the Webmin control panel? Just like the cPanel control panel and other control panels that we have reviewed, the Webmin control panel is a web based interface for website maintenance and administration. Webmin is designed for Unix/Linux. With the Webmin control panel, a webmaster can easily manage, edit, create accounts, file share, and do much more on their website. Webmin control panel is very popular among some of the best dedicated servers, including cheap dedicated servers!
The most current version of the Webmin control panel is version 1.450. This version of the Webmin control panel has many features. Some of those features are:
- ADSL Client
- Apache Webserver
- BIND 4 DNS Server
- Backup Configuration
- Bandwidth Monitoring
- File Manager
- Frox FTP Proxy
- PHP Configuration
- PostgreSQL database server
While Webmin offers a lot of features, it doesn’t quite measure up to the popular control panels like the cPanel control panel, Plesk control panel, or Ensim control panel. While the makers of the Webmin control panel are trying to make it more user friendly, it can be difficult for a beginner to use. While it may be difficult to use, the Webmin control panel does save space on a server and uses less memory than the other control panels.
We like the Webmin control panel in certain situations. We feel it is best for you to do your homework before committing to the Webmin control panel. Contact some of the dedicated servers that you are looking into and make sure they can support this. Without a good control panel, there might not be any point in getting dedicated hosting.
Ensim has been in the computer industry since the late 1990’s. Since then, they have teamed up with some of the best computer companies including Microsoft to produce three of the best control panels. All of the Ensim control panels are very easy to use, and secure. No matter what size of business you have, there is an Ensim control panel for you.
Here are the three control panels offered by Ensim Corporation: Ensim Enterprise, Ensim Unify Service Provider, and Ensim Managed.
- Ensim Enterprise: Ensim Enterprise is designed as access control software for Microsoft Active Directory, MS Exchange, and mobile programs such as Blackberry and Windows Mobile. Some modules of Ensim Enterprise are Microsoft Exchange Manager, Mobility Manager, Self Service Manager, and Password Manager.
- Ensim Unify Service Provider: Ensim Unify Service Provider is a single, centralized software application designed to simplify your tasks! Ensim Unify features support for Microsoft hosted messaging, Windows based hosting, and Microsoft connected services framework. All of the features in Ensim Unify allow you access your Windows programs easier and faster!
- Ensim Managed- Ensim Managed is a comprehensive system management software. This program allows you to access your managed service providers easier than before. Ensim Managed is based off of five key points: Increased IT management productivity, Increased IT control, Increased security, and Ease of use and installation.