I have been co-locating servers for well over a year now, and still my overall knowledge is so much lower then I want it to be, so I'm looking for some direct help. Now before I start I will ask that you please bare with me, I understand all of the knowledge I'm looking for is out there on the net somewhere, but as I'm sure many of us would agree, direct assistance is much more valuable, and far less time consuming,
Firstly, my question is about networking. In Los Angeles I'm with a host that provides a direct connection with Mzima. I like Mzima overall, but it would be great to pull in some other providers to further improve that network. Could someone shed some light on how this is done? Also I have heard some things about private peering, can someone shed some light on this as well, and maybe let me know how I can implement it to my rack in L.A.
Kind of on the same topic with networks, what is the deference/benefits of 10/100/1000 ports on servers. Does this just simply mean more bandwidth can be bursted to the server at one time? If so what is the benefit of this for web hosting or game server hosting?
My next question is to do with routers/hubs/firewalls. I will soon have a full rack, and my provider wants be to provide a switch, why would I need my own switch, can't all the servers in the cab be shared to one switch? What type of switch would I need to look into? What about a hardware firewall for my rack, would one be sufficient for all my servers in the rack? How would I go about implementing one?
Any other tips that you guys may have found out the hard way?
A few things I found beneficial that I have done to cover my arse, is kept all the OS's I run on hand in the DC, also have a LiveCD available, as well as backup HDD's. Any other tips among these same preventative lines?
if, i have unfortunately created this new thread in the wrong area, please kindly let me know whether i will be able to eliminate the whole thread. thanks.
new to web hosting and am looking for one.
first question: location of web server.
how important is this issue for someone intends to start e-commerce?
what are the pros and cons to have a web server located within your region?
what are the cons and maybe advantages of having a web server located physically outside your primary customer base?
I am so mixed-up now that its hard to even figure out what i need to know, so let me tell you a story.....
It started about a week ago, when i first started on the server configuration module of my CIW course. I began to get confused concerning the topic of permissions and access levels in IIS 5. Because of this confusion i started to backtrack what i actually knew (or rather, what i thought i knew) about networks. I now find myself realizing that i am not even sure about the basic types of networks. Anyway, thank you for your patience so far, and without further a-do here comes the obligatory questions.
I thought that a peer to peer network was any network without a dedicated server, so the hosts (computers) on the network communicated with each other directly. I also thought that once you added a server to the network, all the shares that were once stored on the individual computers are now moved to the server, and that the individual hosts no longer actually communicate with each other to access files, printers, etc.
However, now I am starting to think that i am wrong about this, and that the hosts may indeed still keep some shares on themselves to be accessed by the other hosts on the network.
It is this method of ACCESS that is confusing me.
QUESTION 1 Do the hosts now have to ask the server to fetch the shares on the other hosts, or can each host still have direct access to any other host?
QUESTION 2 A book i have states "a peer-to-peer network does not regulate user access from a central point". To me, this implies that using a server on the network somehow centralizes access, BUT ACCESS TO WHAT??. Does this mean access to the server that has just been installed, or that the server is responsible for giving permission for host "A" to connect to host "B" to access the shares stored on host "B
QUESTION 3 The same book also states (regarding user-level-access and some kind of access list)...."this access list can be central to a particular server or to an entire network" WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT MEAN??? Does it mean that this list can be either stored on the SERVER (CENTRAL) or EACH HOST("entire network").
I hope one of you guys can figure out,at least, where i am getting confused because the more i read the more i seem to tie myself up
I am about to put a program that I have put some serious time and money into, out into the open source world. It is a web based app, written largely in PHP and HTML, with a MySQL database. But I have some questions, so here goes:
1. what should file permissions be for my files? (all files live under the Apache document root dir, i.e. /srv/www/htdocs).
2. what should owner and group be for these files? I have seen root, and I have seen nobody.
3. Two subdirectories need to be writable as well as readable. (for example, let's say the program resides in /srv/www/htodcs/myprog. I have two directories under myprog that need to be writable and readable).
4. And lastly, when my script goes to write in those dirs, I am getting an error, and it is because i am referencing $_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT'], when in fact, I should be referencing the subdirectory under THAT that the user has installed in. Obviously, I haveno control what sub dir they might put it under. Which raises the whole nasty issue of configuration files that might store all this good info, I have read never to put them in the document root dir, but if i don't, where do i put them, and permissions again? I need a decent example of a config file being wirtten thru a web browser!
Up until now I have not managed a site that needed backups, but that is about to change.
I have a lot of questions, and they are newbie questions. Hope there's some patient people who have time to respond to some of them. If there are tutorials or articles you can recommend that would bring me up to speed, that would be most welcome too.
The project has 1 domain with about 100 subdomains. Each subdomain will have its own CMS and MySQL database.
All will initially exist on one shared server (HostGator reseller account), but will likely be moving to a dedicated or managed server shortly.
Ideally, I would like to have the hosting company manage the backups automatically. I saw a managed server package from webmasters.com that includes automated nightly backup. I am wondering that, if lets just say only 5 of the subdomains had an issue - would I be able to restore just those 5 - or would I have to bring all 100 subdomains back to the restore point?
I am also looking at other options, that I can implement before we move to a managed server.
Those options include:
1) Use CPanel to create a backup on a daily or weekly basis. I think, if memory serves me, that creating a backup of the domain, would include all the subdomains and databases. But - like my earlier question - I think that I would have to bring all 100 subdomains to the restore point if there was even 1 problem.
2) Use an FTP program to create a backup on a daily or weekly basis. I suppose the only investment for that would be my time, and an external hard drive. This solution would allow me to isolate certain subdomains. My question here is - in what file/folder are the MySQL databases stored (its not obvious to me.)
3) Move to a host that provides nightly backups even for their shared servers...
Is there a "premium" for colocation space in cabinets which are taller than 42U? I'm putting some cabinets into a datacenter cage, which I will lease to 3rd parties as colocation cabinets, and there is plenty of height below the ceiling (about 290 cm). I could put in 42U cabinets, but I could go taller, up to about 48U.
The cabinets will have about 10 kW delivered to them (8 kW usable per cabinet), but the UPS is sized for an average load of 5 kW per cabinet. Cabinet depth is 1200 mm. There will be cable tray 10 cm above the cabinet.
If you were going to colo 5 kW of equipment (average) per cabinet, would 48U cabinets have value to you over 42U high cabinets?
I'm with is looking to colo 2 x 1RU servers in the US, so looking for suitable colo facilities.
We definitely want to buy, own and manage the servers ourselves, so we're after colo & bandwidth, not server rental.
As we're new to colo in the US, any advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
Servers will be 2 x quad core CPU, 8GB RAM, 2 x SAS HDDs, 1 x PSU, so we'll obviously need a facility able to provide the required power at a reasonable cost.
We'll need 4 network points, 2 for each server (1 Internet, 1 LOM).
Bandwidth wise, we're expecting to start with low demand, but grow steadily over the next two to three years.
Ideally we're after flat rate bandwidth in the order of 512Kbps - 2 Mbps, aggregated across the network points, with no excess usage charges.
95th percentile billing is also an option, but less preferred - we'd much rather know we have a fixed monthly OpEx, instead of the unpleasant surprise of a large excess bandwidth bill!
We're happy to look at other bandwidth options, so long as they provide a fixed monthly cost, and let us scale at a reasonable price, as we need it.
We'll like a /28 of IP space - 8-10 usable, but may be able to get away with a /29 if it's the make or break decision.
I've recently acquired a 1U rack mount server from eBay. I believe it kicks some butt...and now I am thinking about looking for a colocation provider to host it for me.
It's for my own websites, not web hosting or storage. I don't need any sophisticated control panel, as I've pretty much made my own. I only need enough IP addresses to have my own name servers and one for all of my websites (I don't need each site to have a unique IP). I don't need any management help as I can manage my own servers. A simple data center control panel with the ability to hard reboot my server would be nice.
However, if the provider charges anything above $70-$80, I can just rent a dedicated server for around the same price. I know the dedicated server would not have the same features and hardware as my server, but if I'm providing the server, why should I be charged the same amount as if they were providing me with a server?
I'm trying to figure out my whole DNS situation now that I switched over to colocation. I have 2 servers, one hosts multiple sites and the other is just a backup.
I'm not sure what to do with DNS hosting. I could either host my DNS on both the servers (ns1,ns2 main server ns3,ns4 backup server). Does this mean if the main server goes down (ns1,ns2) it'll start using ns2,ns3? If so, can I just have ns2,ns3 point to my backup server IPs and traffic will just resume on the backup of the main server goes down?
If I go with a service like DNSMadeEasy.com, can I just point my main domain's name servers to ns1.dnsmadeeasy.com, ns2, ns3, etc.. and then point all my other domain's name servers back to my main domain OR would I have to point all my individual domains to dnsmadeeasy's name servers?
I was wondering, I always did, that is would be so much nicer to own the hardware. I looked for colocation prices in the past but the prices where allot higher then to rent from a datacenter.
Is this really so?
Is best to buy the hardware and send it to a colocation service or to rent a specific harware.
The colocation prices are normally per Mbit, that means there is not montly GB limits, you can go as fast a the switch allows?
How can you test if you are really getting the speed, any guarantee.
Also what happens if a hard disk fails? Do you have to buy one on overnight and send it to the datacenter? They will charge you for installation i suppose.
We are looking for reviews of colocation companies offering quarter racks at BlueSquare, or another data centre in the south of England. We are based in Dorset and as far as we can tell the nearest data centres are in Bournemouth (not open yet), Southampton (don't know too much about those) and Maidenhead (BlueSquare, where we currently colocate a couple of 1U servers).
Companies we have been considering are connexions4london, a1isp and netrino but we are a bit short on information about their reputations. Reliability is the single most important thing to us, we are not necessarily looking for the cheapest, but for somebody with a good history of service level.
Can anybody tell us about their experiences with any of these companies? I heard about some trouble with Netrino last year but nothing recent, and also a that a1isp use netrino, can anybody confirm or deny that? We have also spoken extensively with connexions4london but we would have to sign up for at least a year - which we would be happy to do if we knew their service was great.
with a decent article as to what colocation is? I have been looking and havn't been able to determine it. I'm trying to do some research as to why my web host is being .... difficult.
I've been noticing always that colocation seems to be much more expensive then with leased dedicated servers, especially when it comes to the A). connection size and B). transfer bandwidth given to you. So has anyone seen good colocation pricing (anywhere in the US or Canada) that has these specs? Leased dedicated servers are at these low of prices, so why not colo?
1U Server around $100 to $150 /mo: 1000-2500 GB (or unmetered) Bandwidth Transfer each month 10Mbps or 100Mbps connection (not 1Mbps).
Anyone seen any $500 to $1500 /mo. for a full cabinet with these specs:
Full Cabinet / Rack (20 Amps or 40 Amps): Unmetered Bandwidth Transfer each month 10Mbps or 100Mbps connection (not 1Mbps).
When dedicated server places like softlayer say that your server is on 10Mbps or 100Mbps, does this mean it is 10Mbps shared among many servers or is it dedicated with your server? Many colocation facilities quote prices with 1Mbps dedicated for the prices I mention above.
I've been using dedicated servers for past 2 years.
I'm a Usenet reseller moving to setting up Usenet Provider.
For Usenet peering with two residents in AMS-IX, I probably require a cross-connect, require at least 4u space with at least 50Mbit. All I can find is companies like Ohtele.com and true.nl who have a "presence" there with IP transit, what exactly does that mean? If I wanted a cross-connect to an AMS-IX resident, my server(s) must also be in that datacenter, correct?
A friend of mine gave me a brand new machine he got from work. Its a medium sized desktop case, p4 2.8ghz, 1.5GB of ram, and 2x 40GB IDE Hardrives. Its not anything special, the ram is DDR and the proccessor is the old socket 478.
I am thinking about co-locating this machine. My home computer has much better parts then it so it is useless to keep at home. I already have a laptop as well as my PC so I don't need a second computer at my home either.
I have looked at some co-location prices, sent out a few emails and it looks more expensive then getting a dedicated server from the company. I thought co-location was cheaper then a dedicated server, but it seems like I am finding different.
This server is going to be used to host a few websites of mine, as well as be used to host a gameserver or two. I don't have a problem being a system administrator, I am currently managing my VPS as well as my friends dedicated server.
I am hosting a commercial website that is consuming about 1.5Mbp/s of bandwidth on a monthly basis (95th. %). The site consists of (6) 1U Dell servers. I am currently seeking a colo provider in the downtown NYC area where I can rent a 1/4 rack. I am looking for a very reputable provider, but don't necessarily need the "gold standard" in colo providers as cost is definitely a factor.
My questions are as follows:
1. What is the general range of pricing that I should expect for a 1/4 rack at say 2Mbp/s of bandwidth? I have been getting quotes from around $500 to $1000, but wansn't sure exactly how to evaluate them.
2. Do I need to purchase a rack-mount keyboard/monitor drawer, or does the colo facility usually provide a cart or similar?
3. Is is better in the long run for me to provide my own firewall/vpn solution or is this something that the colo facility would typically provide for me?
4. With regard to DNS, is this normally a colo provided service or am I better off using a 3rd. party service. If the latter, any recommendations?
5. Any recommendations for quality colo providers in the downtown NYC area?
I currently have Dedicated servers here and there with different companies but one of my sites is out growing its current setup and is growing at a rapid rate so its going to get expensive to run if i just have multiple dedicated servers so I have started to look into colocation.
The down side to colocation for me or from what I have seen is Limited Support compared to dedicated support.
However I do pay a company that will help me with the upkeep of my servers and will advise me on what I need so really now im looking at prices.
I got an old 1u rackmount server off ebay to use as a home server for some small programs and to test on. Its a Compaq DL360 G1.
CoreNetworks has 1u colocation with 1 TB of bandwidth, remote reboot, and IP KVM access for only $17.95 a month. I was thinking about getting this when they start selling it, but this would be my first server to colocate and I had a few questions.
The server came with rails to mount it on, but would I need to send these also? Or would the datacenter provide their own rails? The server has screws on each side to attach to the rails. Picture: here
Also, would I just need to pack up the server and ship it? Nothing else is needed?
I know these questions probably seem silly, but I'm new to colocation.
(And please don't post about how they could never sell colocation for $18. I'm not asking about the company )
I just got a free 2U Dell PowerEdge 2550 server, and I'm thinking about colocating it. A buddy of mine got three for free and offered me one. Of course I took it .
I've had a few dedicated servers in the past with Sagonet, but I'm totally new to colocation. I'd imagine that colocation is cheaper than getting a dedicated server since I'm providing the hardware, but after doing some preliminary research, this doesn't seem to be the case.
I'm a college student, so probably the most I could dish out would be $50/month. I'm not sure if this is even possible. I'm looking for a data center in the MA/NH area.
Anyone have any advice or suggestions as to a data center or reseller where this may be possible? I certainly don't want this server to go to waste sitting in my basement.
Im thinking of buying my own server, i need a cheap mid range spec server, where can i get a decent priced one? or maybe a empty chassis..
then id like a decent priced colo, i looked at 49pence there cheap give 3000gb bw and unlimited IP on ripe justification. but there support isnt for me. they dont seem to listen. if anyone has any ideas on where i can find these 2 things please let me know.
Hi there. I am looking for a colocation provider in Greenville, SC and I have found NuVox. I was wondering if anyone had any information about this company, as well as if this is a good price.
They said the service would be:
1/3 Open Rack space - $250.00/month Bandwidth - $65.00/month/Mb
Does this seem like a good deal? I'm willing to pay a little more than average because I really like that I live less than 2 mile away from them.
