This concerns a fairly successful ecommerce website. It is coded in classic asp and has a MS SQL database.
The site sees average of 1500 visitors a day using about 50 GB of bandwidth a month.
The host wants to move the site to a two box dedicated (1 web - 1 database server).
This is an expensive proposition and the client is balking. I am not an expert in these matters but it seems like overkill to me. It seems like most sites don't have problems with the database and web server on 1 box.
I am working on creating a social networking website. It will have approximately 2500 members with about 1/2 using video. I spoke to 2 different programmers through rent-a-coder. One told me to get a dedicated server through GoDaddy that runs me about $120/mo. The other programmer told me that there was no way that I would need that much and I could get a shared hosting package for $10-$20/mo and that would work fine. He said that a dedicated server wouldnt be necessary unless I was getting a ton of hits to my site or needed to host multiple sites. I inquired about it with GoDaddy and when I mentioned I was doing a social networking site, they said I would need the dedicated server. I am hiring someone to build the site since it is beyond what I am capable of, so I am clueless on who is correct.
VPS or Dedicated Server?? Or stick with shared hosting?
I currently use a shared hosting reseller account with HostGator for $24.95 which gives me 24 GB disk space and 250 GB RAM and allows me to host unlimited domains. It has cPanel, WHM and it is managed. I've used them for two years and they are awesome! Currently, I have about 20 very small domains hosted under my hosting account: all are very small and require no bandwidth or disk space whatsoever. EXCEPT, I have two or three domains which are solely used for e-commerce which is why I am considering upgrading to a VPS or dedicated-server.Background on the business:Users visit the site (300 visitors a day) and use the shopping cart to place an order for the software which ranges from $50-$300. An account is created for them in which they can login to download the software packages which range from 10 MB to 100 MB file size. They then install it on their computer and activate it with the license key number. Upon activation, the installed software connects with our backend of our website to update their account with their computers fingerprint. Each time the software is executed, their computer connects with our licensing server to verify legitimate usage. Our backend has access to their billing information and licensing; therefore, security is a must.We have about 4,000 users. Recently, with the business growing, I am not sure if I should be looking for a VPS or dedicated-server solution. With HostGator I'm paying $300 a year (and everything is running seamlessly). Or, I can switch to VPS for $500/yr and dedicated server for $2000/year. My budget is open, though I don't want to get anything that is overkill for the logistics of my business. What I current use and need:*Space: Up to 10 GB *Bandwidth: Up to 100 GB*Reliable, 99.9%+ uptime and MANAGED server*Daily backups*Good support (i.e. installing SSL certs, firewall)*Secure*cPanel*Allow me to host other my other non-business websites (1 big forum with 500 visitors/day and 19 very small parked sites) *IONCube support*I will have to get SSL for a few of my sites. And for that, I’ll need dedicated IP addresses. I would prefer if there is a VPS or dedicated server solution which has a package for multiple dedicated IP addressesQuestions:1) For my business, would you recommend VPS or dedicated-server or do you think I am fine with what the shared hosting reseller account with HG I have already? If a VPS or dedicated server is justified, which provider do you recommend that suits my needs?2) Will I truly see a notable and significant improvement by upgrading from my current state to a VPS or dedicated server?3) Will I need a firewall to ensure security for the 4,000 clients? How can I optimize the security of my clients?4) Privacy is a very important concern (not that I'm doing anything illegal). I use GoDaddy to do a private whois so it does not reveal my name or address. If I switch to VPS or dedicated server, should I be concerned that people can use the IP address of the website to identify me? What approaches can I take to protect my privacy?5) What do you think of slicehost.com? I was recommended to use this. I thought maybe the 256 slice plan would be appropriate for me, but I don't know what linux distribution to use: Ubuntu, CentOs, Fedora, Gentoo, Debian, etc. Heck, I don't even know the differences and I don't plan on playing around with anything on the server.I really appreciate your help in this matter. I am a totally newbie when it comes to this hosting stuff.
I've trawled the sitepoint forums but haven't found anything relating to this subject. I'm hoping someone out there has found themselves in a similar situation.
As a brief summary, I work as a full time web designer for a company but also run my own web design business in my spare time. Within the next year I plan to go freelance which will hopefully leave with some spare time to learn dynamic web design as well as offer clients domain registration and hosting services.
As a web designer, my knowledge of hosting is not that great, but I intend to learn. Currently, I work with a guy who sorts all this out for me. He has a shared server and pays a certain amount per month and charges me £XX a year per client to setup domains and hosting.
I was wondering how much technical skill I need to set this up myself. With so many hosting packages out there, it's hard to know where to start. Should I buy a dedicated server and host my clients at home or go with the safer option and pay monthly for shared hosting?
I have a dedicated server with SSH ability and I need to backup some of the accounts of the server via rsync to a normal shared account where I only have ftp access..?
Is there a way to use ns1/ns2.yourhostdomain.com for not only your shared hosting clients but also for your linux AND windows 2003 dedicated server clients (or vps)?
My head is about to explode with all the information available in regard to regular shared hosting verses VPS verses dedicated server and I still don't have an answer. It will probably be of some benefit to say that I have virtually no experience in any of this aside of having previously published a small website. Of course there are no worries when it comes to something small however, now I am getting into something much larger and am pretty much sitting here like a scared rabbit in the face of trying to make the right host decision.
Let me start by saying that my site is a reverse auction type of site that will also have a forum, blog, small auction venue etc. Users will be uploading files and communicating within the site as well. It might help to say that it is similiar to getafreelancer.com. We won't have a technical theme but the set up is similiar.
My question is....I don't know what kind of host to go with! I originally thought IX but then read up on the dishonesty involved with claims of unlimited bandwidth. Then I thought about VPS which I guess is different from regular hosts but I'm not clear as to why. It's still shared isn't it? Finally, I'm thinking about a dedicated server. I have found a place called server4you.com that has reasonable prices but I still need to check them out. The problem with this option is that I have absolutely no understanding of the tech side of dealing with my own server. I know that some companies offer a managed option but they are so expensive and I don't even know what that would entail.
Plus what about security, how does that work with a dedicated server. For example, when shared hosting companies list options that come with a package, SSL is always mentioned for e-commerce hosting. How would I secure my own site?
How in the world is someone supposed to know how much space they need before they publish? You really can't determine data transfer ahead of time. I am in dire need of some good options that won't bleed me dry and I barely know of the right questions to ask.
I currently have godaddy dedicated server and the 100mbps connection is shared with other servers, and I pay about $120 a month. I normally get an average of 30mbps out of it. Do you guys know of any cheap hosting companies that offer dedicated servers with a 1Gbps shared connection? And the main point I'm trying to get to is, do you guys know of any web hosts that would be faster than an average of 30mbps, even if they're only 100mbps shared connections? I'd really appreciate any potential hosts you guys can direct me to that are pretty fast.
have set up a server at burst.net.But burst.net said they will not transfer my data from Dreamhost.com to my new server.I think it's a bad idea to download all my data from dreamhost to my computer and then upload them to the new server.So,is there any easier way to transfer the data from Dreamhost.com to my new server at burst.net?
It seems dreamhost has no SSH and cPanel,but my server has both of them.I heard that I can use the get/mget command to do that,
i want to know what is the difference between dedicated server and shared server. I was relaly confused in these services. Couls any one please let me know in detail about these servers?. I will be choosing one of these service.
I've had a couple dedicated servers with 1and1 for a while now(about 6mos). I have to say that my overall experience was pretty good. At the time the prices where pretty good, and are very comparable to most hosts. I received the speeds promised, the server was setup very quickly.
The only negative I had with the server was the kernel. I attempted to install vmware on they system however they did not have the headers needed by GCC to compile vmware. It was an annoyance, but I just opted to update the kernel since there where a few releases since their custom built kernel was made. Once I was running the new kernel the vmware process went smoothly, and everything worked perfectly.
As for 1and1's support team, I have to say their standard support I would not rate a 10/10, however their dedicated server support team, and one particular rep I've come to know in their sales / abuse department (more on the abuse dpt. later) are very knowledgeable. And always addressed any issues or questions promptly. Which honestly no issues besides vmware stand out in my mind, which was just a minor inconvenience, which you would find on most hosts. Since its an un-managed root server your responsible for keeping the system up to date, and run the latest kernels anyway right?
Ok, so I mentioned I came to know a rep out of the abuse department of sales. Now this isn't particularly related to my dedicated servers but I did have one of their hosting packages. Well I never kept tabs on the site and the scripts had a couple vulnerabilities, php5 wasn't enforced.
Anyway to make a long story short, the site was hacked and fake bank sites and other scripts where loaded onto the server. Which is where The abuse department came into play. Now I know (getting off topic, but it may be the same with a dedicated server) hosting companies don't want to run sites like these, and I thought that the way these companies usualy handle these types of situations are to send a take-down notice to their client, as its possible they may not even know its there. But 1and1 opted to completely disable all access to the server, http, ftp, ssh, everything. So at first I didn't know what happend. I call up tech support that night(prob around midnight -- 24/7 tech support is always great), they let me know the account was dissabled do to an abused related complaint. They told me I would have to wait until morning when their sales department opens(as abuse is located in sales).
So I call up the number they gave me the next morning. And meet Bob (I'm calling him bob because his name escapes me at the moment). He was very pleasant and understanding that I needed my site up as soon as possible. He looked at my account he saw I had been with them for about a year and a half, and said he didn't think I had posted any of the content anyway(he disabled it himself imagine that haha). He emailed me links to all the files in question, informed me that php5 was not forced and recomed I fix it. Since that was the only reason we had this isue in the first place. He was also able to tell me what files the hacker used to exploit and gain access to the server, as well as searched the the user directory for any backdoor scripts. Which he did find some and sent me the locations in the email.
So, finally we got of the phone he re-enabled the server. I went through the email went through everything, I just opted to delete everything as i felt the whole system was compromised anyway, and re-upload the site. I forced php5 for all php scripts and never heard anything about it again... and the site still runs today!
Their normal tech support isn't all the great, at least not when it comes to apache. I inquired about mod_rewrite not working and the first rep i spoke to didn't know what i was talking about, I explained in more detail, she put me on hold for about 10-20mins and researched it. Said she found details about my issue and shot me an email. I checked the email, it contained how to moddify headers using MS ASP which has nothing to even do with my "LINUX" shared hosting plan.
I called in a second time frustrated, remember I usually talk to guys from their dedicated server support. When I spoke with the second rep. The first thing I asked Him was if he was familiar with "Apache Mod_Rewrite" (exact words) are you familiar with this, and if not can you please give me to someone that is. He assured me he knew what I was talking about, I explained the situation, and what the other rep sent me was completely off topic. He apologized and assured me he knows exactly what I'm talking about.
He sent me an email with another link to their FAQ yet again. However this time is was on creating 403 redirects in apache. Well I do admit at least they got closer this time right? I laughed and walked out of the room. Took a shower and relaxed. Finally, I decided I'd take one last look at .htaccess configs before trying another call. I played around with different setting and... eureka! I found the solution; for some reason mod rewrite on 1and1's shared hosting servers doesn't support sub-directories; that is you need to access the files in your root directory to successfully process a rewrite.
So whats the moral of the story? Call Dedicated Server Support! lol
So anyway since this is a dedicated server review. So for my Dedicated server experience I would rate it a "9 out of 10".
For my overall experience with 1and1, I would rate it an "8 out of 10". Not the best I ever had, but I would do business with them. There are other minor issues I've had with their shared hosting, but I don't feel like getting into them.
Anyway hope that helps sombody, I kno it was a long post... so for the people that read it all congrats, because I lost concentration over about 80% of that post lol
Little humor there.. anyway thanks for read'n the post... just my little contribution to WHT.
I have an account that is going from a shared hosting account to a dedicated with theplanet and I want to transfer it. Concerns I have is that the site is using an SSL. What things do I need to watch out for when transferring. Since I don't have root access I will have to do this transfer with the account function, correct?
This site has a database and SSL, so I thought it would hopefully be easier to use the cpanel account migration tool
I am the owner of MotorolaFans.com and I leased a VPS from LiquidWeb and I must say they have realy done a good job in answering most of the questions I have.
The thing is, I am running mainly a vBulletin forum on it and it is using a little too much resources IMO
My CPU Usage capacity is on 100%, Load Average is 12.87, 8.72, 7.26 System Usage capacity 64..88%
I don't know what the load average means but I hope you all can help me in that.
This is the plan I am using:
[url] Linux VPS packages include:
[url] [url] [url] [url] [url]
40GB Disk Storage 350GB Bandwidth Transfer 768MB RAM 4 IP Addresses Linux Operating System
I don't know any more details about it
I get about 4000 uniques with 30000 - 35000 page views a day.
Is this usual, and will i get a vast speed increase if I use a dedicated server?
I have a test.bin in www.motorolafans.com/test.bin if you can help me do a speed test, but I'm not so worried about the speed test, because my pages load slows because of the amount of images I have in my site anyway.
Do website builders generally go with shared hosting or dedicated server? I mean, if they work on several websites would they get a dedicated server instead of shared? From what I understand through reading shared hosting is basically if you only have one website. So one with multiple websites would go with a dedicated server?
I use shared web hosting service to get my website online. I'm wondering how many people use dedicated servers or virtual private servers instead and pay from $20 to several hundreds of dollars? Will I face any big problem with shared web hosting package which makes me choose dedicated servers?
I would like to start a site for a gaming community. It will cover a few upcoming mods, so I don't know what to expect at the moment in terms of how much space/bandwidth I need. The mods support the redirect feature, where if the player does not have the next map, it is automatically downloaded. This is where a portion of the site comes in. I would like to offer the downloadable content (maps/skins/etc.). Maybe looking at multiple users (possibly up to 20) downloading maps around 10-30MB each.
So what would be the best type of host to use in this case? Can I get away with using a cheaper host (shared, VPS)?
I have a web site. It's getting 15-20K visitors per day. I am using wordpress with wp-super-cache in this site. My hosting account always suspending due using lot of system resources. I guess i need to more than shared hosting. What should be my choice?
I am thinking buy a VPS with at least 512MB ram. Is this enough for my web site? Should i buy more ram or a dedicated?
Also, do you have a recommendation for VPS or dedicated. My budget is not large. Is this enough 30/40$ per month for this web site?
creating a site where people will be able to upload videos (haha its much more specific like that lol not like YouTube or anything).
Anyway i've played around with shared hosting for a while, numerous other projects of mine, and all of them seem to have limits on how long a script can run etc.
So say I want users to be able to upload videos up to around 100MB, on a normal shared host they wouldn't be able to do this right? Mainly because the script would time out or CPU usage would be too high? The site is pretty targeted, so I'm not really expecting that many videos to be uploaded, and old ones could be deleted after use.
My question is, to do this properly, do i need to look into a dedicated server? I really don't know much about hosting etc, but it seems that most shared hosts have heavy restrictions on CPU usage.
We just set up our current dedicated server and have an ip address. When we created the user account on plesk, we dedicated the ip address to that website. My questions is we would like to add another website to this server and if we change the current dedicate IP address to a shared IP address for the new website, will it mess anything up with our server, how search engines see our site or how the dns or domain name gets forward to our server?
My understanding is you only really need a dedicate IP for either ssl or anoyomous ftp.
I'm planning to launch a user submitted news site tailored for my country and since i've been a coder all my life i know very little about hosting.
Money is a bit of a problem, i want to know whether is it a good idea to start off with a shared hosting and then move on to dedicated hosting as the site grows. I dont want to dump money in dedicated servers at the begining only to find out that me and my buddies are the only ones using the site.
I have a few options at hand. godaddy,bluehost,lunarpages etc... but i really liked the grid computing deal from mediatemple.net (100GB, 1000GB for $20/mo + scalability)
I purchased the extra "dedicated" ip address for my use. I understand it is dedicated exclusively to my accounts, but shared between each of my accounts...
The provider also provides a "shared" ip. I understand that if I did not have my own dedicated ip, then I would use this ip and it would be shared between my accounts, and among all the other accounts on his server...
My question pertains to the way WHM initializes a new account. It assigns the company shared ip to each of my new domain accounts, instead of my dedicated ip.
Pinging the newly created domain account results in seeing the company shared ip - not my dedicated ip.
Is this correct? I think WHM should be assigning my dedicated ip, and ping should show my dedicated ip.
I recently inherited the responsibilities of 2 websites and will be in charge of creating 2 more.
Of these 4 websites, only 2 have serious traffic. The current site, made in Drupal, peaked at 3,000 unique visitors a day and on average receives about 500 uniques a day. This site will most likely be the highest in traffic.
My boss would like to know if dedicated hosting is necessary (I'm the entire IT department), I should be on shared hosting correct?
The 4 websites will be built upon the following platforms: Drupal WordPress PHP TWiki (open source Wiki web collaboration platform)
does SSL really need a dedicated ip? Can it be installed on the shared ip? I want that domains in the shared ip, when accessing cpanel using port 2083, they will not encounter the message "This Connection is Untrusted"
Do you think that cloud/grid hosting is going to replace shared hosting and dedicated?
I do see the advantages for hosting in some aspects.
Shared works only for small sites, once the client grows his site he needs dedi but its to complicated, people need a website running, most people dont want to handle servers configs, maintaince, etc. Cloud hosting is perfect here, you can escalate when you need it. Even if your dedi with cloud you can escalate more. I see a big advantage into this, since someone can only pay for what he uses. You can fit all models, shared or dedi with cloud since you have very low processing accounts and very intensive ones using several servers.
But then again i see its disadvantages. Software for cloud is to expensive for hosting companies, it requires the latest and biggest from virtualization software and licenses are expensive, which makes the cloud hosting expensive to end client in this business.
It seems also the market is not really ready for it. It doesn't seem to have the best performance yet but is does has scalability.
I also see that most companies make profit of people paying for something and not using it at all, with cloud hosting that doesn't make sense. Like most people that pay a flat rate for their cell phones but don't use to the last minute each month. A hosting company even if it doesn't oversell their accounts has a better profit of people paying all the same prices, this balances out for people that use to much and you cover the costs with those that don't use anything. With cloud each one would pay exactly what he needs. Said that, you would not make to much profit, since you would have people paying allot less then just buying your minimum plans and not using all the functions.
Do you think cloud hosting will eventually be the main stream offer from hosting providers, replacing the existing shared and dedicated hosting offerings, or will it be a combination or mix of all solutions? It escalates perfectly but it comes with a cost.
You think people prefer to pay every penny they use or just have a fixed cost and know they are ok if they ever need to use it, even if they will not?
I think allot of consumers would not like the idea of being nickel and dime to death instead of paying a fixed amount per month, and profit for company is not that great with this system. Thats the main disadvantage i see it. But i see a very big market for people running very intensive websites that dont have the experience or time to manage a server or cant pay the managed dedi offers that are to costly like rackspace. Shared is simple, they only have to handle their account not the server. Cloud is the same here, except you can the power of dedi without the extras that come with it. As i see it, cloud benefits intensive clients but not people that only need a simple account for hosting a site and using email once per day.
What are the advantages of a semi dedicated account over a shared account.
So far it just looks like a bigger shared account (though comparable when you compare it to an oversold shared account). It's more expensive though so does it relieve some of the load issues (and CPU/memory limits) placed in a shared account?
