FDCServers Or AlphaRed (Looking For Low Cost Good Quality Bandwidth)
Mar 6, 2008
Its a video and picture sharing website for India.
In the first 1-2 months, I will need around 250GB storage and 2TB bandwidth per month. After that, I will need much more. I have no idea how much I bandwidth may need. So I may go to a 50Mbps unmetered bandwidth; to limit my bandwidth cost.
My budget is around $400 per month. I want to have server(s) in west coast as it will be closer to India.
I have narrowed down to FDCServers and AlphaRed; as they both offer unmetered bandwidth for cheap. I will start with metered bandwidth and then go to unmetered bandwidth when my bandwidth demands exceeds.
I'm talking about the 100mbit shared bandwidth, who would you reccomend for this fdc or burstnet?
Also do you have any other solutions for cheap bandwidth as I'm trying to open a file hosting website like rapidshare and I'm looking for the cheapest bandwidth.
I know this is the Web Hosting Forums; but I'm hoping you guys can help me out with a related problem:
I am looking for a good, high quality email host. My wishes/requirements:
- IMAP [required] - SSL encryption [required] - Good, server-side filtering/sorting [required] - Procmail/Sieve [both pluses] - Hosting on an OSS stack [a plus] - No bandwidth limits [1] - No message transfer limits [2]
[1] I have 350-400 Mb of email stored at the moment, and I take backups. I hear good things about Fastmail; but I fear their bandwidth limits wouldn't cut it, even at the Enhanced plan (three backups, and it'd be done, basically).
[2] I am not referring to attachment/message size limits. I mean caps on how many messages I send or receive in a given timeframe. If the limits are really high (in this, Fastmail is fine), then I don't mind. But I've seen some hosts that have pretty low ones. Subscribe to a couple mailing lists and...poof.
I currently am running an email server on a VPS (Postfix/Dovecot/Procmail). But if anyone has any suggestions, I'd really like to hear them.
I run a small cluster (5+) of servers and would like to move them behind a dedicated switch with my own dedicated bandwidth. I expect my bandwidth usage to be around 20 Mbps, measured at 95 percentile (greater of incoming or outgoing bandwidth). I have been quoted a price by my supplier but finding it rather high I wanted to ask users here what should be an average/reasonable cost for 1 mbps, assuming the servers are managed, the bandwidth is multi-tiered and the service is good.
My users frequently tell me that my website is slow, but it doesn't seem to be so, for me. Are there objective tools and criteria to test its speed (response time, max transfer etc)?
Also, I'm currently paying $1 for GB of transfer. How much does it usually costs?
Since my hosting company sets php_safe off, I'm considering changing it.Can you guys recommend me a hosting plan that has:
- ssh with vi etc: this is important
- A FAST server
- Norway-based (to enjoy .torrents without being bothered) or US Based (to enjoy "fair use", which seems to be exclusive to the USA)
- 1-3GB of space
- LOTS of transfer. I don't consume many gigabytes yet, but someday I will.
- Some kind of hacking protection. I'm damn scared of my website suffering a vampire attack and having to pay for the raeped bandwidth.
I'm currently hosting my website on core2duo / 2GB RAM dedicated server. Thing is, programmer did a VERY good job optimizing scripts and this server is way too much than I need. The average server load is usually 0.00 - 0.20. I'm thinking of switching to either a cheaper dedicated server or VPS.
We use 300GB-1TB of bandwidth per month though. 90% of our traffic is from US. Do you know any good VPS solution for this?
I'm looking at a project that would need to be located in Panama for server co-location.
It will be very bandwidth intensive, requiring 100 megabits to start and moving up from there. Going with a slightly more "value" oriented provider provided there's a backup (even lower bandwidth) available would be an option, as this application would tolerate limited periods of reduced bandwidth.
Can anybody point me in the direction of some data centers that might be worth looking at? Are there any bandwidth providers down there with a real value focus?
Right now, the best I've seen is $99/megabit from [url] I'm expecting bandwidth to cost more down in Panama, but I'd really like to push this number lower.
We are in the process of starting a new project for a client and we are trying to decide which network to place it on.
We have a choice of a Level3/Time Warner mix or pure Internap. Obviously the Internap bandwidth is a bit more expensive, but since this customers website serves an international community we are thinking that Internap bandwidth would be well worth the cost.
What are the advantages of using Internap? How is the network performance? We've setup a machine on the Internap network and have begun running tests, but I would like to hear from people who have direct experience with Internap bandwidth.
Thinking very seriously about revolutionizing the ISP market, starting with WiMax-based service in the Texas hill country, as I'm tired of the basic monopoly outside of town and the near-monopoly in town for halfway decent access. Anyhow, I plan to get Cogent FastE for the main backbone, however I know I need something else in case some spat starts between Cogent and someone else (Level3, France Telecom, Telia). Internap is in Austin I know, but Cogent has a POP in San Antonio which is much closer to where I'm going to deploy the network. Any options in the Internap price range for maybe 20 Mbit to start? Yeah, I know that the price of the "backup" connection may be more than that of the main line, but if people want their WoWwebetc. I want to live up to that promise.
Thanks in advance. If I gotta use Internap I'll do that, but again that means setting up a link in the opposite direction to what I'm thinking right now. The ultimate answer would be something relatively inexpensive (sub-$100 per Mbit with 20 Mbit commit) relatively close to one of Cogent's San Antonio data centers. Cogen't bandwidth deals are awesome, but with one peering argument per year or so a backup seems needed.
Are there any out there? I need a personal server which can do VPN protocols and transfer data consistently at 20mbps on a single connection. Preferably a host with good connectivity and fewer hops to Asia where I am located.
I thought they were phony like the BlowOutHost person who scammed $140 out of me.
Their deal looked too good to be true, and just what I wanted and at my price. So after a week later, unable to find similar deal I decided to finally take the chance and purchase a server.
I got my server on 6/9 and it has been just awesome so far.
I saw an alphared banner the other day here on WHT, and checked out their prices, and WOW (Yes, I know the old adage...I don't need to hear it...)
I did some searching and read all about the drama that happened around them several years ago. I'm not interested in that. I want to know how they are now. Has the level of service gone up or is it still in the crapper?
Wow, I never knew I could waste so much time and effort on one company.
So as you can see this is not good.
I ordered their $20 VPS, and about 24 hours later I recieved the information regarding login. I logged in, and every button I clicked said Service not available. So I figured it was just because it got set up, so I submit a ticket and get a response that there is no problem.
2 Weeks later, I am submitting the same ticket. Same Response.
3 Weeks later I am on chat with them 5 straight nights, and different people keep telling me my server is overloaded and will get moved by morning. And guess what happens in the morning... "Service not available" for everything in Plesk. 20 Ticket reply's later, no support. Nothing works, so basically I got to the point I just demanded a refund and cancellation of anything service they tried to provide me.
I haven't even been able to successfully see my index.html....
They completely lied about every thing they did. It is the worst company I have ever dealt with regarding anything. Please dont make the mistake I have made.
I will keep you guys up to date on how long it takes them to cancel my service, and if they refund my money... If not they should be expecting a full inbox.
I am currently deciding between these 3 companies for a vps solution. They all seem to be solid and provide good deals. I would just like to know everyone's experience in terms of speed, uptime, support handling and stablility.
I'm thinking of getting a 40GB/2500GB VPS with Alphared. It'd be serving static files (~10MB each), and no dynamic content or files.
Support is not the most important thing (Yes, I read the older topics ) since it would be a secondary mirror for download only. However for it to be effective I'll need to be sure about performance & bandwidth allocation.
Has anybody ever used them for this kind of thing? Are you able to really use all 2500GB for the (relatively low) fee of $49/mo? And if yes, how is the speed per connection? 200K/sec possible during peak times?
I don`t know what will be with AlphaRed but for me current situation don`t look good and look like every day they can shutdown all servers without warning....in this moment cPanel licenses stop to work, alphared site is down, uberbox is down...somebody know more info?
I thinking to move all my sites to other host and still I don`t know where to move all...
I need 400-500Mbit dedicated BW, 6000GB on hard drives and few servers....also, I need stable network, true 24/7/365 support, good prices
In this moment I thinking about choopa.com but I don`t know much about them...to move all data and setup all I need few days and before I do that I must find good host...
I ordered 5 servers from alphared.com, I spent an entire evening explaining to their sales person what I required.
In the end I decided on 4 Duo's and one P4. All to be connected with a Gigabit private Lan and to share 10Mbit premium bandwidth. I was promised it would take approx three days for this to be setup.
One week later I was met with an apology that the price quoted would unfortunately have to be tripled due to a mistake.
I paid $3,500 setup. Its now three weeks later and I have NO service.
I follow up every few days and am promised the service will be up soon.
STILL NO SERVICE!
Today I'm met with ANOTHER email saying it will be 10 days to allocate me 32 IP's. Not to mention the mess that every few days I'm asking how I want the servers setup.
I have missed my deadlines, my current provider is still billing me, my clients are moaning that I"m doing nothing about our current providers issues.
Are there any decent providers out there? or is finding someone who is competent and does what they say a pipedream?
I got a email yesterday from a company called clickandbuy.com saying that i signed up for their account and that i authorized AlphaRed to debit the account automatically.
I never gave AlphaRed or this clickandbuy to create or debit any account. Whats their angle on this scam? i don't get it.
I was a customer w/AR back in June for one month. I canceled and got my money refunded because their network was not performing.
I am considering getting high bandwidth hosting from either alphared, choopa, or leaseweb, but before I do I would like to ask you which one would give me the best speeds, globally. Any other info that you can provide would be useful too. Thanks!
Also, if you can suggest another host for high bandwidth that is very reliable and has great ping results for the us, europe, and asia, i'd be interested.
A friend and I ordered a dedicated AlphaRed server, drawn in by the excellent pricing.
We were problem-free for a few days, until I noticed my irssi (IRC chat client) screen detach. I assumed I accidentally pressed something, and continued chatting. Then it happened again, and a few more times. I looked at the last people to login to my shell, and it showed that an AlphaRed employee had logged into both 'root' and my personal shell. The employee was reading my chat logs in real-time.
The AlphaRed employ did not only read my chats, but participated as well. You may find logs that here: pastebin.ca/raw/1057127
Some excerpts:
05:05:40 <@infid3l[eMo]> hm.. 05:05:48 <@infid3l[eMo]> =D i love finding hacked shells 05:05:52 <@infid3l[eMo]> especially when they're on my network 05:06:01 <@infid3l[eMo]> and then snatching control of them =D =D 05:06:44 <@lifelike> = d 05:06:53 <@infid3l[eMo]> so whats up ppl 05:06:58 <@infid3l[eMo]> sorry to break into your conversation =D
and:
05:08:00 <@infid3l[eMo]> lol=D 05:08:30 <@infid3l[eMo]> I guess infid3l wants the screen back 05:08:35 <@infid3l[eMo]> eh, i'll give it back. 05:08:41 <@lifelike> lol who u 05:08:42 <@infid3l[eMo]> I'm watching you =D 05:08:55 <@infid3l[eMo]> I'm Alpha Red's network admin 05:08:59 <@lifelike> looool 05:09:01 <@infid3l[eMo]> I run the network this box is on
I then realized that this AlphaRed employee thought that I had somehow hacked the machine and gained root access. This box was unmanaged, yet the employee did not consult the owner to verify that I was a legitimate user. When the employee discovered I had not hacked the box, he claimed that IRC daemons were against the AUP. Below is the only mention of IRC in the AUP:
``11. Clients running IRC daemon are required to take immediate action on notification of any botnet or suspected
DMCA activity on the server. Such action shall include immediately closing any channels related to such activity.
Clients refusing to take such action or provide access to Alpha Red to take such action will have all access to the IRC daemon ports blocked and may be terminated without further notice.'
When I made the employee aware of this, he claimed there were complaints made about the IRC server. When I asked what the nature of the complaints were, he said he was not at liberty to discuss it. I personally doubt there were any complaints, as the IRCd was completely legitimate and exclusive.
I talked to the employee via ``wall'' messages via the root shell for a while. When I mentioned how unprofessional his way of dealing with the situation was, he told me he had control over the network and he didn't have to be professional.
While talking on the phone the employee told me I should have notified AlphaRed about running an IRCd. Nowhere in the AUP did it say anything about notifying AlphaRed. The employee acted like it was common sense -- which to me, it wasnt.
With no evidence of illegitimate activity, AlphaRed still refuses to allow an IRCd to run on our box. Even though it was their mistake, we are the ones paying for it.
AlphaRed offered no apology, and only left us inconvenienced.
how many companies are exploiting the alphared fallout.
In a thread in the outage forums where alphared customers are trying to figure out what is going on, you have competition posting in there with there flashy signatures and telling them to go look at the OFFER forums where the top 5 posts have 'alphared refugees'.
It is an abomination to this community and completely irresponsible.
A company has gone down the drain, peoples DATA and possibly livelihoods has been lost and it seems the vultures have come to play, competition take over outtage threads acting as if they are giving some sort of advice but in reality are only trying to advertise there SIGNATURES which is a an advertisement. Can you say exploitation?
Is this what the world has come too? I am disgusted
Alphared refugee - bandwidth special bummer6666 Yesterday 11:22 PM by bummer6666
^^^^^^FDC ?
Quote:
AlphaRed Specials Rodney-E2
How many other companies are going to participate in the fallout and exploitation of people who have maybe lost everything?
The ANNOUNCEMENT thread in outtage forums is this [url]
Got posts like this [url]
Like this [url]
and EVEN WORST POSTS LIKE THIS [url]
Complete exploitation of one company's failure and members on this forum are completely taking advantage of the situation.
Reminds me of the shark/bankers of wall street taking advantage of every weakness they see specifically for financial gain. With the current economic crisis it makes me ashamed to be associated with the likes of these.
In what appears as an even bigger mistake by alphared and I would expect some legal action against them even more. Alphared apparently will be trying trying to charge for service while the billing system and everything else was down.
How were we supposed to cancel, pay or do anything if we didn't want the service? How can they expect to have people pay for service when some of us have already moved and paid for service elsewhere?
I had confidence in them coming back, but I will for sure continue to move away. They couldn't manage the company and expect us to pay for service when we had no option to cancel.
Directly from the chat:Me: This is in a general sense, are you going to be charging everyone?Jay Merritt: It would only make sense. They have been receiving a service and support.
What are the thoughts on that, you may have moved. But you may have some bills coming your way.
Just to let you know about fdcservers.net, they were great and i've payed for my VPS about three hours ago and i'm managing the server right now. I would like to thank their personnel for this quickly setup!
