Two keywords you will see when it comes to renting a VPS/VDS or a dedicated servers are "Managed and "Unmanaged".

Looking at these terms it is pretty easily to draw a conclusion as to what they are, but for those who would like a little more information on what each is, please see below:

Managed:

A managed solution in short is a service in which the host takes care of and maintains the server for you, therefore allowing professionals to take care of the dirty work and keep your time free to keep working on your web site. A managed server is usually the best place to start for anyone new to a server side of things, however there are some downsides:

1. Managed servers are usually much more expensive than a normal server (You are paying for the techs time).
2. You may not have access to the root of the server and therefore you will have to rely solely on the host for everything beyond the basics of managing your web site.
3. You have to rely on your host for just about everything, beyond the basics.
4. You may be limited to what all you can do with your server, you may nto have full control.

With the above brief of downsides you can see if any of them worry you, but don't get discouraged, there are upsides!

1. You don't have to worry about knowing how to manage everything on the server, thats what you pay your host for.
2. If you run into issues, you can just lodge a complaint with your host and it is up to them to devise a solution.
3. You don't have to get your hands dirty and waste time doing updates, installing additional software modules etc.
4. You can sleep at night! - This may sound weird, but when you run into your first major issue, it all makes sense.
5. The host takes care of the security of the server.
6. Many hosts include back up solutions are part of their managed services.

The above are just the basic outlines of a managed service, you will ALWAYS need to check with the host you plan to use to see what all they are responsible for managing, some do allot more than others!

Now onto the Unmanaged!

Unmanaged:

In short, unmanaged sounds very much like it is, the exact opposite of managed.

With an unmanaged servers you are on your own, sent a drift in the wild ocean with only a small life rope to tie you back to shore. You will be responsible for everything from the Operating System up. In the case of a unmanaged solution the host is only responsible for the server hardware and network, so they are there to fix the hardware if it breaks, do Operating System reloads, keep the network up and running, and some basic troubleshooting.

As long as you have access to the machine, it is all in your hands. This is the way most people tend to go with as it gives you the most versitility and allows you to learn and test allot on the server machine that you otherwise would most likely not be able to do on a managed server.

The ups and downs:

Ups:

1. The server is all yours, you install and control everything on it.
2. Extremely versitile, you can install what you want and when you want, no need to wait on anyone.
3. Cheaper! You don't have to pay extra for the company to manage the server.

Downs:

1. If you get stuck or break some software on the server, it will be up to fix it.
2. You are responsible for everything from the Operating System up.
3. You have to run the updates, keep the server secure.
4. You will need to learn how to operate and control the server.

Don't let the downsides scare you, a unmanaged server is a awesome place to begin as you will be able to work and learn without having to worry about limitations. If you are worried about the uptime of your web site over you learning, it is best to stay with a managed solution where uptime is the goal and learning takes the back seat.

The discriptions above are showing the extremes of each end of the environments, it will depend on each host as far as what all they will or won't manage. Many hosts often go far beyond what the norm, but you will need to speak with each one to find what all they are responsible for and how far out of their way they will go to keep you running strong.

The biggest thing thing to understand from these descritptions is:

Every host is different! No two host will offer the same thing in their managed and unmanaged packages. You NEED to check with the host you are considering using to see what all they are responsible for. The above are just the basic outline of each and by no means what every host offers!

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