If you get a server of your own, it will operate independently, so it'll have its own Operating System and you could later install server side applications directly or script-driven internet sites through a hosting Cp. While keeping the Os updated is not always considered an absolute necessity, it can be a quite important task for a number of reasons. A more modern OS version could have better support for specific hardware, so you may get better performance for the internet sites and web apps that you install. Your server shall also be more protected because updates normally include security patches which fix small problems which may allow unauthorized people to access your content. Last, but not least, more modern script versions, which are also released for both increased security and for additional features, may need a later version of the Operating System in order to work effectively and with their full capabilities.