Offshore hosting has become widely sought-after, so in this article we’ll explore the best offshore hosting locations and the advantages of each one.

Your choice of hosting location can potentially be a determining factor in the success and efficiency of your website and business. With many hosting solutions and locations available, it can be a daunting task deciding on the right option for you.

Offshore hosting has become widely sought-after, so in this article we’ll explore the best offshore hosting locations and the advantages of each one.

What is offshore hosting

In essence, offshore hosting is when website owners opt to host their website anywhere outside of their country of residence or business operations. This is usually done for a specific reason, for example to prevent issues concerning content, avoid censorship or to seek heightened anonymity.

Although technically speaking, hosting your website in any other country is considered offshore, a few locations have become especially renowned for web hosting. Each of these countries have specific factors that can prove extremely beneficial for website and business owners.

Best offshore hosting locations

Cyprus

Amongst the most popular offshore hosting locations, Cyprus offers a multitude of benefits in terms of offshore web hosting, as well as for those seeking to establish an offshore business. Geographically speaking, Cyprus is ideally located in the EMEA region, making it a prime business spot for international investment opportunities.

The country’s corporate tax rates also happen to be amongst the lowest in the EU at just 12.5%, with non-resident companies being excluded from all local taxes too – making the island especially popular for industries like Forex and iGaming.

The Netherlands

Best known for their stringent privacy laws, the Netherlands is most definitely one of the best hosting locations for those seeking to host content that may be deemed controversial. Choosing offshore hosting in the Netherlands provides reassurance that your data is kept safe and confidential, with little risk of your website being forcibly taken down.

Privacy isn’t the only benefit of offshore hosting in the Netherlands – the country’s capital, Amsterdam is also home to one of the largest internet exchanges in the world. That means hosting your website there guarantees low latency worldwide connectivity, at a highly affordable price too!

Singapore

Singapore is a prominent hosting location in its own right, being home to more than half of all data centers in south-east Asia. By leading the way with innovative technology and advancement, Singapore is far ahead of its neighbouring countries – making it a renowned hosting location for the Asia-Pacific.

Modern technology aside, Singapore is also a low risk country in terms of natural disasters, with earthquakes and other incidents being an extremely rare occurrence. And with security being a huge priority in Singapore, your servers are guaranteed to be highly-protected in any instance.

Malta

Last but not least on our list is Malta. The small country has led the way with its progressive regulations surrounding iGaming, and has not only become a prime location for hosting online betting websites, but also a hub for the financial industry.

Not only is Malta a popular business destination due to its intricate tax system, which can see corporate tax be as little as just 5%, it’s also ranked amongst the safest countries in the world in regards to natural disasters.

Host your website offshore with NetShop ISP

With data centers located in 7 different global locations like Malta, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Cyprus, Singapore, Hong Kong and the United States, our team is able to help you choose the ideal location for your website and business needs.We offer fully-managed services, hardware procurement, and Domain Trustee services as well as accepting payments via cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin – all of which prove extremely valuable for offshore businesses and hosting.

NetShop ISP is pleased to announce their sponsorship of the upcoming Central and Eastern European Gaming Conference (CEEGC), which will be held in Budapest, Hungary on September 16th 2022.

NetShop ISP is pleased to announce their sponsorship of the upcoming Central and Eastern European Gaming Conference (CEEGC), which will be held in Budapest, Hungary on September 16^th 2022. The 7^th edition of the conference will be held at the Ritz-Carlton Budapest, and will be attended by experts and professionals from all areas of the gambling industry.

Since launching, CEEGC has become the leading gambling industry conference of the CEE, CIS and Balkans regions, giving those in attendance the opportunity to network, discuss collaboration opportunities as well as learn about current and upcoming industry trends. In addition to the conference, the CEEG Awards have also become amongst the most well-recognized industry awards in the region.  

Having been the recipient of a CEEG award for the Best iGaming Service Provider back in 2019, which was amongst the first iGaming related awards NetShop ISP has received, the team is looking forward to returning this year to show their support as a sponsor. NetShop ISP’s CEO, Stefano Sordini, comments “After two years of virtual events, we’re really excited to be returning to Budapest to reconnect with our peers in the gambling industry community at the CEEGC.”

For more information about the Central and Eastern European Gaming Conference, you can visit their official website here.

Book a Meeting with our team here.

In a recent announcement sent by MetaQuotes to all Forex brokers with an MT5 license, as of 1st of September 2022 all servers hosting the MT5 Main Trade Server, MT5 Trade Server, and MT5 History Server must have a CPU supporting the AVX instruction set.

In a recent announcement sent by MetaQuotes to all Forex brokers with an MT5 license, as of September 1st 2022 all servers hosting the MT5 Main Trade Server, MT5 Trade Server, and MT5 History Server must have a CPU supporting the AVX instruction set.

The AVX (Advanced Vector Extensions, also known as Sandy Bridge New Extensions) are extensions to the x86 set architecture for Intel and AMD microprocessors, which provide new instructions and a new coding scheme to allow for better performance.

As per MetaQuotes’ announcement, the AVX CPU requirement is mandatory for the MetaTrader 5 Main Trade Server, Trade Server and History Server. The MT5 Access Server and Backup Server components are not yet affected by this requirement, but it is due to come into effect for the entire MT5 suite of products in 2023.

Developers using the MT5 platform for testing and development should also ensure their servers are using CPU with AVX support, otherwise the installation and running of the MetaTrader 5 software will not be optimal.

Finally, an important note that has been highlighted by the MT5 software development company is that switching from live trading or history servers (with AVX support) to a MetaTrader 5 Backup Server (without AVX) is not possible.

How To Check If Your Server’s CPU Supports AVX

1. Check Instruction Set Extensions from CPU Official Manufacturer’s website

The easiest way is to login to your Windows Server, go to the Task Manager and make a note of the CPU Model your server is using.

For Intel Processors, go to ark.intel.com and search the CPU model as noted in the previous step. If your CPU supports AVX it will be included in the “Instruction Set Extensions” row. Below we include a screenshot of how AVX supported CPU shows up in Intel’s official website.

2. Install CPU-Z Freeware Tool

A second way to check whether your Forex server’s CPU supports the AVX instruction set is by installing and running a freeware tool called CPU-Z.

Login to your windows server and navigate to CPU-Z application’s official website (https://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html). Scroll down and click the “Setup – English (32 and 64-bit versions) to download it on your server. Here’s a direct download link: https://www.cpuid.com/downloads/cpu-z/cpu-z_2.02-en.exe.

Upon installation, open the CPU section and check for the “AVX” next to the Instructions row – see below screenshot for reference.

Is your MT5 Server Hosted with NetShop ISP?

We advise all Forex brokers and software development companies with MT5 Servers (Virtual or Dedicated) hosted with NetShop ISP to contact our Support team via e-mail or Skype (noc.netshop) for further assistance regarding this matter.

Learn how to install SSL Certificate on a Zimbra Collaboration Server via CLI (Command line) in 4 easy steps.

We are publishing this Zimbra tutorial as a lot of customers have reported an issue when trying to install their SSL Certificate using Zimbra’s Admin Console (GUI).

The steps listed below have been proof-tested on Zimbra Collaboration Open Source and Network editions (ZCS 8.7). If you are using an older or newer version of Zimbra and you are a NetShop ISP customer please contact our Support team for assistance.

Installing SSL Certificate using the CLI

Pre-requisites

1. Zimbra Collaboration Suite (Open Source or Network) installed on a Linux server
2. SSH access on the server
3. Active (non-expired) SSL Certificate from your vendor (Don’t have one? Order EssentialSSL at €16.85/year)
4. You have the following SSL Certificate files: Bundle (Root, Intermediate) and Certificate
5. SSL key exists on your Zimbra server (/opt/zimbra/ssl/zimbra/commercial/commercial.key)

Step 1 – Upload Certificate on Server

As zimbra user, create a temporary file under (/tmp) and paste the Root and Intermediate certificates content (may be a single file named Bundle):

[root@zimbra-netshop /]$ su - zimbra
[zimbra@zimbra-netshop ~]$ vi /tmp/commercial_ca.crt

Save the file and exit.

Then, place the SSL Certificate in /tmp/commercial.crt

[zimbra@zimbra-netshop ~]$ vi /tmp/commercial.crt

Save the file and exit.

Step 2 – Verify SSL Certificate and Key

Do a dry-run to check if your Certificate chain (Certificate, Intermediate CA, Root) and your private key are OK. If you receive an error after executing the following command, contact your Zimbra server administrator.

[zimbra@zimbra-netshop ~]$ /opt/zimbra/bin/zmcertmgr verifycrt comm /opt/zimbra/ssl/zimbra/commercial/commercial.key /tmp/commercial.crt /tmp/commercial_ca.crt  

Ideal output should be:

** Verifying /tmp/commercial.crt against /opt/zimbra/ssl/zimbra/commercial/commercial.key Certificate (/tmp/commercial.crt) and private key (/opt/zimbra/ssl/zimbra/commercial/commercial.key) match.
Valid Certificate: /tmp/commercial.crt: OK

Step 3 – Deploy Certificate with zmcertmgr command

Deploy your SSL certificate with zmcertmgr command:

[zimbra@zimbra-netshop ~]$ /opt/zimbra/bin/zmcertmgr deploycrt comm /tmp/commercial.crt /tmp/commercial_ca.crt

Ideal output should be:

[ … ]
** Installing proxy certificate and key…done.
** Creating pkcs12 file /opt/zimbra/ssl/zimbra/jetty.pkcs12…done.
** Creating keystore file /opt/zimbra/mailboxd/etc/keystore…done.
** Installing CA to /opt/zimbra/conf/ca…done.

Step 4 – Restart Zimbra Services

Execute the following command as zimbra user:

[root@zimbra-netshop /]$ su zimbra
[zimbra@zimbra-netshop ~]$ zmcontrol restart

You are all set! You can navigate to your Zimbra server’s hostname and confirm you can access the Web interface via https.

NetShop ISP, a European-based Hosting & Data Center provider, shortlisted for the Best Hosting Provider in Central and Eastern Europe at CEEGC Awards 2022.

NetShop ISP, a European-based Hosting & Data Center provider, shortlisted for the Best Hosting Provider in Central and Eastern Europe at CEEGC Awards 2022.

The CEEGC (Central and Eastern European Gaming Conference) is the CEE & Balkans region’s most important in-person gathering. The igaming conference series has been launched in 2016 and has enjoyed yearly growth while continuously bringing innovation to the boutique-style events landscape.

This year’s event will be held on the 16th of September 2022 at the The Ritz-Carlton hotel in Budapest, Hungary.

The Cyprus-based provider of iGaming infrastructure hosting services has been nominated for Best Hosting Provider in CEE.

“We have had a significant growth over the last year in terms of new business acquisition and the portfolio of services offered to our online gaming customers. Being nominated for an award in such a competitive industry is the best recognition for all the hard work and achievements of the entire team behind the NetShop ISP brand,” said Stefano Sordini, CEO at NetShop ISP.

The 7th edition of the Central and Eastern European Gaming Awards (CEEG Awards) will be held on the 16h of September in Budapest (Hungary) during the annual CEE Gaming Conference and aims to reward the hard work of igaming companies (software suppliers, operators and service providers) that are active in the Central and Eastern European region.

The final winners in each category are decided by the attending delegates of CEEGC on 16 September in Budapest by a secret voting session.

In this article we’ll take a closer look at pfSense® and six (6) key reasons why its popular for network infrastructure security

Robust and well implemented network infrastructure security is essential for all businesses’ secure communications and safe operations. Acting as a barrier against malicious activity and other threats, a firewall is essential for maintaining a safe environment.

Designed to protect networks from both internal and external threats, and vulnerabilities like DDoS, unauthorized access and malware, pfSense is an optimal solution for network security concerns. In this article we’ll take a closer look at pfSense and its many benefits.

What is pfSense

First released in 2006, pfSense is a leading firewall and router software based on FreeBSD. The open source software is trusted by millions, and can be used in practically any size and type of network environment. Complete with an intuitive web interface, pfSense is easy to configure and manage for those without any UNIX administration knowledge.

Market Competitors / pfSense® Alternatives

The versatility of the pfSense firewall and routing platform makes it challenging to conduct a direct comparison. Here is a breakdown of some of the best alternatives to pfSense.

OPNsense

OPNsense is one of the comparable alternatives to pfSense on the market. The open source firewall is also based on FreeBSD and includes feature-rich capabilities.

WatchGuard

WatchGuard offers an integrated solution to security, which is easily manageable as well as cost-effective.

SonicWall

SonicWall provides next generation security by delivering enhanced firewall and anti-malware network security technology.

Cisco

Cisco delivers proactive threat defence through a combination of firewall, intrusion prevention, VPN and antivirus capabilities.

Sophos

The advanced all-in-one threat protection, Sophos offers instant detection and security against malicious activity.

pfSense® Features and Functionality

pfSense features advanced capabilities, providing firewall, VPN and router functionality in one comprehensive solution. It is extremely flexible and scalable, with features that include GeoIP blocking, anti-spoofing, dynamic DNS as well as supporting simultaneous IPv4 and IPv6.

Its comprehensive intrusion prevention system features IP blacklist and emerging threats databases, as well as VPN functionality that includes multi-WAN, SSL encryption, OpenVPN and IPv6 support.

6 Advantages of using pfSense®

Strength

One of the biggest benefits of pfSense is its ability to follow both default and custom rules, with heightened accuracy. It also filters traffic separately, whether it’s coming from your internal network or the open internet, whilst offering the capability to set different rules for each.

Flexibility

pfSense is extremely flexible and offers those who wish the option to extend, integrate and optimize features through code.

User-friendly

Although it offers advanced features and functionality, pfSense’s popularity is attributable to its simple and easy to use interface. All basic functionalities are easily applied without complexities, making it easy to set up and understand.

Open-source

The open source nature of pfSense means community members are continually contributing to its code, and ultimately improving the software.

WireGuard Support

Available with the pfSense firewall, WireGuard is a free, open source VPN that can be easily integrated and saves on having to build your own VPN via pfSense, or opting for another commercial VPN provider.

Support

With frequent feature and security updates, tons of official documentation, a large community and support forums, you can find the answer to practically anything pfSense related easily. pfSense also provides a paid support option too.

Deploy pfSense® easily on Cloud VM or Hardware

pfSense works seamlessly on both Virtual and Dedicated Servers. Order now and quickly deploy pfSense with NetShop ISP or check out our tutorial on how to install pfSense on a Virtual or Dedicated Server here. 

In this tutorial we are going to show you how to fix the error “Failed to Download Metadata for Repo ‘AppStream” and continue normally with updating your CentOS 8 server.

The error message “Failed to Download Metadata for Repo ‘AppStream'” appears on CentOS 8 servers and you have probably encountered it if you tried to update the system (yum update).

[root@netshop-centos8-srv ~]# yum update
CentOS-8 - AppStream 110 B/s | 38 B 00:00
Error: Failed to download metadata for repo 'AppStream': Cannot prepare internal mirrorlist: No URLs in mirrorlist

In this tutorial we are going to show you how to fix this error and continue normally with updating your CentOS 8 server.

Step 1 – Go to /etc/yum.repos.d/ directory

Execute the following command in bold:

[root@netshop-centos8-srv ~]# cd /etc/yum.repos.d/

Step 2 – Run the following sed commands

[root@netshop-centos8-srv ~]# sed -i 's/mirrorlist/#mirrorlist/g' /etc/yum.repos.d/CentOS-*


[root@netshop-centos8-srv ~]# sed -i 's|#baseurl=http://mirror.centos.org|baseurl=http://vault.centos.org|g' /etc/yum.repos.d/CentOS-*

Step 3 – Now run Yum Update

[root@netshop-centos8-srv ~]# yum update -y

That’s it!

Installation of Acronis backup agent on a Linux server is relatively easy, considering you have root or a sudo account on the server and, of course, access to the Acronis Control panel. In this article we outline the general steps to install the Acronis Backup agent on a Linux server.

Acronis is a world-leading technology company providing backup software and data protection solutions for business and individuals.

Three of the main advantages Acronis Cloud backup offers are:

• Enhanced Data Protection with real-time malware scanning and flexible data backup scheduling.
• Rapid Data Recovery with options to download backups or restore to a different machine (dedicated or virtual server)
• AI-powered anti-ransomware protection and blockchain notarization to ensure highly-secured storage of data.

Installation of Acronis backup agent on a Linux server is relatively easy, considering you have root or a sudo account on the server and, of course, access to the Acronis Control panel. In this article we outline the general steps to install the Acronis Backup agent on a Linux server.

System Requirements

1. Up-to-date kernel on your Linux server. To update the kernel, execute the following commands in bold:
   # yum update kernel [CentOS/Redhat]
   # apt-get dist-upgrade [Ubuntu/Debian]
   
2. Make sure ‘gcc’ and ‘make’ are installed on the server. On CentOS/Redhat servers these are installed by default. If you are on a Debian/Ubuntu server, execute the commands below in bold:
   # apt install gcc
   # apt install make
   # apt install make-guile

Let’s Start to Install Acronis Backup Agent on a Linux Server

1. Login to myNetShop Portal (https://my.netshop-isp.com.cy) and navigate to the Cloud Backup service management page.
   
2. Click the blue button “Click here to access Control Panel”
   
   
3. Login to your Acronis Cloud portal (credentials can be retrieved from Step 2)
   
4. Click “Add Device”
   
   
5. Click the Linux logo
   
   
6. The acronis agent will start downloading. Navigate to your browser’s downloads folder and copy the download source link
   
   
7. SSH to your Linux server
   
8. Use the download link you copied from step 7 to download the Acronis agent on your server. If it doesn’t work, please execute the following command in bold:
   # wget https://eu-cloud.acronis.com/download/u/baas/4.0/15.0.29958/CyberProtect_AgentForLinux_x86_64.bin
   
9. Execute the following command in bold to make the downloaded binary executable:
   # chmod +x Cyber_Protection_Agent_for_Linux_x86_64.bin
   
10. Run the installer file by executing this command in bold:
    # ./Cyber_Protection_Agent_for_Linux_x86_64.bin
    
11. From under Component Selection, select “Agent for Linux” and then click on “Next”.
    
    A prompt notifying that some of the required packages are not being installed will be shown. Click on “Continue” to automatically install the packages.
    
    Once the installation is completed, a prompt to register the machine will be displayed. Click on “Show registration info” button.
    
    Once the Show Registration info button is clicked, a new message window will open with the Registration link and Registration code.

16. Open the Registration link in a browser, log in to your Acronis account and enter the Registration code. Click on “Check Code“
    

Once the registration has been completed successfully, the agent installation console will also show a message that the agent installation has been completed successfully.

The server in which the agent has been installed will now show up inside the Acronis portal under All devices.

NetShop ISP offers cloud and dedicated servers through a privately-owned infrastructure in data centers worldwide and is an official Acronis Service Provider in Cyprus and Malta.

NetShop ISP is delighted to be announced as a sponsor for the Cyprus Forum 2022 – Nicosia (Cyprus) Municipal Theatre on the 29th and 30th September 2022

NetShop ISP is delighted to be announced as a sponsor for the Cyprus Forum 2022. The conference, which will take place at the Nicosia Municipal Theatre on the 29^th and 30^th September 2022, promotes constructive dialogue that will ultimately result in solutions to public policy issues.

Organised by Oxygono, and in association with the Delphi Economic Forum and Zenox Public Affairs, the Cyprus Forum has made it their mission to improve sustainable and socially responsible policy in Cyprus as well as the wider Eastern Mediterranean region. The forum is an opportunity for people from all backgrounds to exchange ideas and find creative ways to promote change in different areas of our society.

NetShop ISP’s CEO, Stefano Sordini, comments “We’re really pleased to be sponsoring the Cyprus Forum this year. Through open discussion, a solution-oriented approach and accountability after the fact, we have seen the Cyprus Forum bridge the gap between policy makers and citizens to spark change, and that’s something we’re excited to be a part of.”

In attendance at the conference will be local and foreign political leaders as well as prominent figures from both the public and private sector, and a panel of selected speakers who will touch upon topics such as the economy, entrepreneurship and corporate responsibility as well as innovation and infrastructure.

For the full agenda, breakdown of speakers and to save your seat, visit https://2022.cyprusforum.cy.

In this guide, we explain how to create new users with root access but no ability for sudo. For the purposes of this tutorial we have tested all commands/steps on CentOS 7 and AlmaLinux 8 servers.

In this guide, we will tackle a common task system administrators face when managing users and permissions on Linux servers environment. For the purposes of this tutorial we have tested all commands/steps on CentOS 7 and AlmaLinux 8 servers.

The sudo command allows users to run programs and access privileged directories but it can also allow the sudo user to login as root. This is a problem as there is no efficient activity logging for each sudo user, i.e. they can all run commands that show up as the ‘root’ user.

The first three steps in this tutorial will demonstrate how to create a user with root-equivalent privileges. Then we will show you how to disable the user from sudo-ing as root.

Step 1 – Create new user account

Create a new user account using the useradd command:

useradd johny

Now set the user ‘johny’ a password with the passwd command:

passwd johny

Once you hit enter, you will be prompted to confirm the password. Make sure you use a strong password.

Changing password for user johny.
New password:
Retype new password:
passwd: all authentication tokens updated successfully.

Step 2 – Grant new user with sudo/root privileges

We are going to use the usermod command to add user ‘johny’ to the ‘wheel’ group. By default on RHEL/CentOS systems, members of the group ‘wheel’ are granted with sudo access.

usermod -aG wheel johny

At this point, user ‘johny’ has been added in wheel group without any restrictions. User johny can, at any time, run the command su root or sudo su to switch as the root user. If you want every user to run sudo-privileged commands under his/her own account (for logging purposes), then follow the last step below.

Step 3 – Modify Sudoers file

First, backup the /etc/sudoers config file as follows:

cp /etc/sudoers /root/sudoers.orig

Now, edit the sudoers config file as follows:

visudo

or

vi /etc/sudoers

Find this line:
%wheel ALL=(ALL) ALL

Replace it with:
%wheel ALL=(ALL:ALL) ALL, !/bin/su

Save the file and you are done!

Last Step – Verify

To verify if you have correctly disabled the sudo access to the user(s), login to your server as root and then switch to your user, let’s say johny

[root@netshop-server-demo ~]# su johny
[johny@netshop-demo-server root]$

Now, as user johny try to sudo as root in 2 ways:

[johny@netshop-server-demo root]$ sudo su
Sorry, user johny is not allowed to execute '/bin/su' as root on netshop-server-demo.

[johny@netshop-server-demo root]$ su root
Password:
su: Authentication failure
[johny@netshop-server-demo root]$

Hooray! You are done!

In this article we will compare the MT4 and MT5 trading platforms and outline the necessary server and hardware requirements for hosting both.

As the middleman between traders and the market, the success of any Forex Brokerage business is dependent on the sophistication of its server infrastructure and systems. With that being said, when it comes to choosing the right server to host either MT4 or MT5 platforms, it is crucial for Forex Brokers to meet certain specification requirements in order to provide traders a powerful service.

In this article we will compare MT4 and MT5 platforms and outline the necessary server requirements for hosting both.

What is MT4  

Developed by MetaQuotes and released in 2005, MetaTrader4 (MT4) is an online trading platform used primarily for Forex trading. Its versatility, simple user interface and customizability have made it one of the most popular online trading platforms, predominantly used for automated trading.

MT4 has become an integral component for many traders, especially for utilizing expert advisors (EAs) and technical advisors, which are readily available to purchase for traders without programming skills. Overall, the platform is extremely reliable and intuitive for both experienced and novice traders, and available across multiple devices.

What is MT5

Launched by MetaQuotes in 2010, MetaTrader5 (MT5) is a multi-asset platform used for Forex trading as well as Stocks and Futures. As MT5 was designed for trading beyond just Forex, it can connect to these centralized exchanges. The platform gives traders access to technical analysis tools, automated trading and copy trading, and is often preferred by experienced traders who trade multiple types of assets.

MT4 vs. MT5: Comparison of Features

Choosing between MT4 and MT5 is a lot more than just weighing up pros and cons. A common misconception is that MT5 is an updated version of MT4, but that’s just not the case. MT4 was designed specifically for Forex traders, whilst MT5 has broader applications for stocks, CFD and future trading, as well as Forex. Traders deciding between the two platforms should first consider their overall trading goals and whether they want access to markets beyond Forex.

Both platforms use their own custom programming languages, MQL4 and MQL5, each providing different capabilities and trading customizations. It can be said that MT4 is preferred by beginner traders due to its simplicity, with nine different time frames to choose from for chart analysis, compared to MT5’s 21 time frames that would be crucial for more experienced traders.

In addition to that, MT4 offers only four basic order types providing the ability to buy stop, sell stop, buy limit, and sell limit orders. MT5 provides those 4 as well as buy stop limit and sell stop limit orders, which are frequently used by seasoned traders and ultimately offer greater flexibility.

Trading Server Requirements

It is recommended to install both MT4 and MT5 on dedicated servers; more specifically two dedicated servers each located in different data centers. One to be used as the main server and the other as backup, with all data from the main server being backed up in real time. The backup server should be configured similarly, if not identically, to the main server.

Trading Server Requirements for MT4

Server requirements for MetaTrader 4 are as follows:

	Minimum Requirements	Recommended Requirements
CPU	Intel i7 4th Gen Quad Core	Intel Xeon Quad Core E3 or E5
RAM	8 GB	16 GB
HDD	2 x 1 TB HDD (RAID 1)	2 x 480 GB SSD (RAID 1) for Trade and History server2 x 1 TB HDD (RAID 1) for backup servers
Network	100Mbps Internet connection for both download and upload	1Gbps Internet connection for both download and upload
Operating System	Windows Server 2016 Standard 64-bit	Windows Server 2019 Standard 64-bit

Trading Server Requirements for MT5

Server requirements for MetaTrader 5 are as follows:

	Minimum Requirements	Recommended Requirements
CPU	Intel i7 4th Gen Quad Core	Intel Xeon Quad Core E3 or E5
RAM	8 GB	16 GB
HDD	2 x  1 TB HDD (RAID 1)	2 x 480 GB SSD (RAID 1) for Trade and History server2 x 1 TB HDD (RAID 1) for backup servers
Network	100Mbps Internet connection for both download and upload	1Gbps Internet connection for both download and upload
Operating System	Windows Server 2016 Standard 64-bit	Windows Server 2019 Standard 64-bit

Managed MT4 & MT5 Server Hosting with NetShop ISP

NetShop ISP is a multi-award winning Data Center Services and Hosting Provider with global infrastructure that spans across Europe, Asia Pacific and the United States. Our data centers are located in major financial hubs, and ensure reliable and secure hosting for MT4 and MT5.

With over a decade of industry experience, our team is on hand to answer your questions.

Copyrights: MT4 and MT5 software are intellectual property of MetaQuotes Ltd.

technologies in order to support multiple integrated systems and ensure a high-speed transfer of data from/to the end-users (players).

One of the greatest challenges iGaming operators and Suppliers (data/media) face is to ensure that players receive the best possible user experience (UX). Imagine an online casino player interacting with the platform and just as the host is about to spin the roulette wheel, the game disconnects. In the case of a sports book platform, there is nothing worse than trying to bet on a live game and suddenly the video freezes.

According to Grandview Research, the online casino market will grow from $54B in 2019 with a CAGR of 11.5% in the period 2020 – 2027. As per a previous article published in our Blog, we highlighted that “the developments in technology and online security have made online gambling one of the fastest growing industries, with Europe becoming the biggest gambling hub in the world”.

Read the full article: https://netshop-isp.com.cy/blog/how-to-choose-an-online-casino-software-provider-in-2021

What are the Industry’s Challenges?

The major challenges for an Online Casino or a Sportsbook platform are:

1. How to stream uninterrupted content to players located around the world
2. Exchange data between the player (end user), the operator (online casino / betting website) and the Supplier (data feeder, live dealer studio, etc)
3. Handle financial transactions in real-time

The common factor which is tightly related to all the above challenges is latency. Latency, in simple words, is the time it takes for data to “travel” from one point on a network to another. For example, a live dealer studio in Armenia streams video for an Online casino company with a Server hosted in Malta and players interacting from Europe or anywhere in the world. The data, video in this case, will travel from Armenia -> Malta -> rest of the world.

Addressing Challenges and achieving ultra Low Latency

Any live streaming platform, whether that is an online casino or a betting platform, requires to adopt high-end technologies in order to support multiple integrated systems and ensure a high-speed transfer of data from/to the end-users (players).

WebRTC is a high-end technology which accommodates fast multimedia transfer from source to destination, and is fully compatible with all types of mobile devices.

In addition to the software technologies an iGaming operator and supplier must utilize, great attention must be given to the Infrastructure side of things in order to achieve ultra low latency and deliver the best user experience to the casino or betting players.

In terms of Network infrastructure for ultra low latency we have identified the following 3 key points that your technology partner, i.e. hosting provider, must offer:

1. Dedicated Network Speed & Flexible Bandwidth

The interaction of each player with the casino or betting software is handled by an application/front-end web server. No matter how fast the media content is delivered by the supplier to you, the players uninterrupted activity is dependent on your servers’ network speed and bandwidth.

Dedicated network speed guarantees that your server is entitled to a specific speed for downloading and uploading data. Whilst this option may be more expensive than of a shared network speed, it is essential in order to accommodate fast transmission of large media types, i.e. video streaming, to your players.

Flexible Bandwidth plays also a key role in improving your Users’ experience. Simply put, you don’t want to be capped once your servers have reached the allocated amount of monthly traffic. It is common in the igaming sector, that a server will utilize low bandwidth during weekdays, and large spikes on weekends. Therefore, it is important that your hosting provider can offer uncapped or unmetered bandwidth to your hosted infrastructure.

2. Global CDN

Adopting a CDN (Content Delivery Network) for your igaming platform is essential.

Read more about What is a Content Delivery Network: https://netshop-isp.com.cy/blog/what-is-a-content-delivery-network

3. Servers & Infrastructure Geo-location

When we talk about servers in iGaming sector, regulatory compliance may be affecting your choice of where to host your infrastructure. For example, an online casino business granted with an MGA license in Malta and operates a live dealer studio in Armenia. As per the current regulatory framework, by the time of writing this article, the MGA licensee is allowed to host the infrastructure in any European Datacenter, as long as a replication database is hosted in Malta.

The best scenario proposed, given the above case study, is the following:

• Primary infrastructure
  Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands (high-speed internet at low cost)
  Network Speed: 10 Gbps with metered Bandwidth
  Server Roles: Application / Web Servers / Database
  DDoS protection Included/Free
  
• Replication infrastructure
  Location: Malta (regulatory compliant)
  Network Speed: 50 Mbps
  Server Roles: Database Replication / Backup

Summary

It is clear now that the latency aspect of an online business is king. High latency will kill your traffic, eventually, as users, nowadays, cannot afford high waiting time for a website to load or a financial transaction to be processed. On the other hands, low latency will strengthen the user’s experience on your platform and will positively impact your website’s SEO ranking.

If you are considering start an online gambling business, or if you wish to grow traffic and revenue for your existing gambling website, speak to one of our igaming experts today to arrange a meeting in-person or online.