I live in Hawaii and half my sites serve Hawaii. Webhosts in Hawaii are really expensive. Does it matter where on the mainland US that I host my sites? Would they serve the fastest if I host them in California considering it's the closest to Hawaii?
I've read that php 4 is faster than 5, is this true? I'm not sure which one I should use to host my invision powerboard. It's the only php/mysql site on the server.
I know the assumption is that VPS is faster than shared, but my site currently runs on a shared server with a host that does not oversell, and it runs very fast for a WordPress and gallery site.
I'm certain the shared server is at least a dual CPU monster, and it rarely goes above 5% usage. So if I move this site to a VPS it seems logical to me that it might not be as fast.
I just changed hosts, thinking it would be faster. My homepage uses 53MB of RAM. My old host lets me use ini_set to change this (currently have it at 128MB), my new host doesn't (48MB).
So, I've cut some of the functionality of the site to make it work on the new host. Should I upgrade the hosting plan to higher RAM? Given that the site already works reasonably well on the new host, what type of performance boosts could I expect to see by doubling the RAM?
I am going to upgrade my servers and move all the accounts. Of course DNS IP's will change.
Last time I did this, I just created exactly same DNS on new server (eg. ns11.server.com and ns12.server.com) and updated the IP address of the DNS on the registrar. However it took more than 2 days for some domains to update the new DNS IP address. It was a nightmare.
So my options are: 1) Do the samething as before 2) Create new DNS addresses (eg. ns5.server.com and ns6.server.com) and update the DNS info of all the domains.
These new "rules" make BFD ban faster, checks every minute. BFD only checked every 10 minutes and could miss attackers that show up at the right time. Now we keep 10 minutes of IPs, and ban using that list.
I feel that APF and BFD are still the best choices for protecting my server. Cpanel's new "cphulk" feature has a lot more to go to be as good, plus you have total control with BFD where you can add and change rules to suit your needs as they grow, or modify them for particular problems.
The changes I made are based on the latest version of BFD V0.9, you should have that version installed and WORKING ALREADY.
Remember, they are simply shell scripts that define the log file to keep track of and what keywords to trigger on. You can view them with any text reader.
WARNING: These work for me, USE AT YOUR OWN RISK, always make sure you add your current IP in /usr/local/bfd/ignore.hosts (and) /etc/apf/allow_hosts.rules so you don't accidentally ban yourself!
Inside the below tar.gz file are my modified "rules" files for exim, pure-ftpd, rh_imap, rh_pop3, sendmail and sshd. No changes to the BFD V0.9 main program are needed.
You should change the cron job to run BFD every minute, edit this file: /etc/cron.d/bfd
Change the line in that file to this so it runs every minute: */1 * * * * root /usr/local/sbin/bfd -q
I checked the CPU load and since it's reading only a small part of the log file every minute, the CPU load isn't bad, it's done in about 8 seconds on my system. Expect a small rise in load average since it is doing work more often.
The "rules" files are contained in your server directory: /usr/local/bfd/rules
The "rules" files should be REPLACED with the new ones, if you want to keep the old ones around then MOVE THEM OUT to another directory NOT INSIDE the "rules" directory, or else they will be run when BFD runs.
If you need apache, proftpd or other "rules" then you will have to modify them yourself, otherwise you should move these out of the "rules" DIRECTORY, they will not do much with BFD set to run every minute (unless you modify them yourself). I only modified the rules I needed for my server, feel free to post your own mods here.
OK enough, here's the file:
[url]
(it's also attached to this message, see below)
This file will only be around for a few months on this free upload site. Someone please put it in a good place/mirror and post a link, thanks.
Technical details:
This runs every minute but keeps a list of the last 10 minutes of bad IPs in a file in tmp, trimming the file every minute so only new IPs are saved.
You can see the list of IPs in files such as: /usr/local/bfd/tmp/.exim /usr/local/bfd/tmp/.sshd
The marker "----" (four dashes) is used to mark each minute and is ignored by BFD but used to trim the old IPs off the file.
If the number of "----" are more than 10, it trims the top of the file up to the marker every run. If the file doesn't exist it's created.
The exim filter "grep" part was modified slightly because the old one was producing bad data every once and a while. The others are all the default filters that come with V0.9.
(BFD people feel free to add this to the next version update, I consider it GPL)
I've ordered 1gbit/s port with one my dedicated servers. But I am still unhappy with the speed of download.
I have 2 mbit DSL connection at home and I can download files with 90 kb/s from the server. I also see the same speed on a 100mbit port server. But I can download files from RapidShare with 210 kb/s..
What do you recommend me to do make faster downloads from server-side?
I have heard that Direct Admin is much faster then cpanel & require much less resources then cpanel... I was just wondering if I get vps with 128 ram with Direct admin on it, would it be better than vps with 256 ram with cpanel installed... I am running 3 websites with almost 10 to 20 users at a time (at max 50).... I like both cpanel & directadmin but was thinking if 128 ram with DirectAdmin can give more speed on 128 then I won't spend more money on 256 with cpanel... If anybody have an opinion then please put it here...
In a system with all-in-one solution -- WEB, EMAIL, MySQL, FTP..in a same hard-disk.
Would you prefer a "Last Longer" - SATA2 Enterprise Harddisk (Western Digital or Seagate) OR Would you prefer a "Spin Faster" - SATA1 RAPTOR (Western Digital)
So I have been reduced, I am a firm *nix Apache user, to using IIS along with ISAPI for redirection at work. Now I can setup the redirection(s) just fine using the GUI, but I am a *nix man and doing this through the GUI is SLOW! That is when it has to be done on 3 servers at a time plus I can only access those servers through a Citrix environment.
And I need to be adding redirects many times a week. Is there any way to setup ISAPI redirects from a command line? Google has offered me nothing.
I've been working in this industry for 5 years now. Over the years, I've come to realize the little things that customers do that REALLY piss tech support off. This is a guide for customers for 10 things NOT do when contacting their host's technical support team.
This is a repost of what I already posted before the big catastrophe.
Please forgive the brutal honesty. It's for your own good.
1. One ticket per issue. Emailing your issue to Support, Sales, Billing, Abuse, the owner, each individual tech, and the mayor of your town is not going to get your ticket answered any quicker. Additionally, opening 2, 3, 4, or 10 tickets isn't going to get things done any faster. Seriously - all it will do is irritate the support guy
2. Contact the proper department If your account is suspended due to non-payment, or your account hasn't yet been setup, or you want to upgrade your account - please don't bother contacting support hoping it'll get done faster. All it will do is slow down their response time to customers that have actual support issues. Billing issues goto Billing. Sales issues goto Sales. Abuse issues goto abuse. Get the picture?
3. Contact support via ONE medium If you put in a support ticket, don't get on live chat and call too. Trust me - you'll get the same answer on live chat and the phone as you will in the ticket . Same goes for requesting "updates" on your ticket - if your ticket is in queue, wait patiently for a response. If you don't get a timely response, contact the management to complain.
4. Everyone thinks their ticket is CRITICAL Tech support reps realize that you think your issue is CRITICAL and must be dealt with IMMEDIATELY. But, guess what, so does everyone else that submitted their ticket before you. Your CRITICAL ticket will be answered in the order received after everyone else's CRITICAL ticket has been answered.
5. Do not try to "bump" your ticket Making continuous replies to your ticket in an event to get a faster response won't work. In fact, in most common helpdesk applications, each reply made rotates the ticket to the bottom of the queue. So really, by bumping your ticket, you're just making yourself wait longer. Not getting service fast enough? Contact the manager of the company!
6. Include all relevant information, but only relevant information Seriously - we don't care to hear your life story. Submit your ticket with your client ID, domain name, username, password, error messages, steps to reproduce, and other information directly pertinent to your issue. If your website is inaccessible, check http://www.downforeveryoneorjustme.com/ and include your local IP address (from www.whatismyip.com) and a traceroute. That will save you a reply.
7. Just because YOU can't see the website does NOT mean the server is down So please - don't come shouting at us claiming we're fraudsters and have horrible uptime and demand a credit. Most of the time you will find there is either a firewall issue or a routing issue - or scheduled maintenance. Check http://www.downforeveryoneorjustme.com/ and your host's forums before screaming at them.
8. Avoid live chat & phone support Unless you have a quick question, live chat and phone support are probably not going to be good avenues. Chances are, if your issue requires someone to login to the server to investigate, you're just going to be escalated to a support ticket. Instead of whining about how long the support ticket will take to get answered - just get it in queue. Figure if you spend 5-10 minutes on the phone only for them to tell you that you need to submit a ticket - that's 5-10 minutes that your ticket could have been looked into. Think about it. If you do call or chat - be brief - and keep in mind we have other customers to help.
9. We don't make the rules If you don't like a company's policies or procedures, don't complain to your support tech about it. They don't make the rules, they just follow them. If you want a change, contact the management of the company.
10. Do NOT disrespect or mistreat support people If you curse at us, disrespect us, or mistreat us in any way - you can almost be guaranteed that we won't be going out of our way to help you beyond the minimum. By polite, cordial, and courteous to your support tech and it will get you a LOT farther. We don't get paid enough to deal with people's abuse.
11 (Free bonus ). The amount of money you pay does not matter to us Seriously - the fact that you pay us $9.95/month does not matter to us. We're going to provide you with the same support that we provide somebody that's paying $3.95/month or $99.95/month. Don't expect better treatment based on the amount of money you pay.
I've been working in this industry for 5 years now. Over the years, I've come to realize the little things that customers do that REALLY piss tech support off. This is a guide for customers for 10 things NOT do when contacting their host's technical support team.
Please forgive the brutal honesty. It's for your own good.1. One ticket per issue.
Emailing your issue to Support, Sales, Billing, Abuse, the owner, each individual tech, and the mayor of your town is not going to get your ticket answered any quicker.
Additionally, opening 2, 3, 4, or 10 tickets isn't going to get things done any faster.
Seriously - all it will do is irritate the support guy 2. Contact the proper department If your account is suspended due to non-payment, or your account hasn't yet been setup, or you want to upgrade your account - please don't bother contacting support hoping it'll get done faster. All it will do is slow down their response time to customers that have actual support issues. Billing issues goto Billing. Sales issues goto Sales. Abuse issues goto abuse. Get the picture?3. Contact support via ONE medium
If you put in a support ticket, don't get on live chat and call too. Trust me - you'll get the same answer on live chat and the phone as you will in the ticket . Same goes for requesting "updates" on your ticket - if your ticket is in queue, wait patiently for a response. If you don't get a timely response, contact the management to complain.4. Everyone thinks their ticket is CRITICAL
Tech support reps realize that you think your issue is CRITICAL and must be dealt with IMMEDIATELY. But, guess what, so does everyone else that submitted their ticket before you. Your CRITICAL ticket will be answered in the order received after everyone else's CRITICAL ticket has been answered.5. Do not try to "bump" your ticket
Making continuous replies to your ticket in an event to get a faster response won't work. In fact, in most common helpdesk applications, each reply made rotates the ticket to the bottom of the queue. So really, by bumping your ticket, you're just making yourself wait longer. Not getting service fast enough? Contact the manager of the company!6. Include all relevant information, but only relevant information
Seriously - we don't care to hear your life story. Submit your ticket with your client ID, domain name, username, password, error messages, steps to reproduce, and other information directly pertinent to your issue. If your website is inaccessible, check [url] and include your local IP address (from www.whatismyip.com) and a traceroute. That will save you a reply.7. Just because YOU can't see the website does NOT mean the server is down
So please - don't come shouting at us claiming we're fraudsters and have horrible uptime and demand a credit. Most of the time you will find there is either a firewall issue or a routing issue - or scheduled maintenance. Check [url]and your host's forums before screaming at them.8. Avoid live chat
Are there any co-location companies in California (preferably northern) that have a peering agreement directly with Comcast?
Not sure if it's peering or transit I should be asking about. Basically I'm trying to get the best path I can afford to Comcast customers in California.
We're currently in need of a reliable provider in California. We're currently using ServerBeach and their LA data center but we're having major issues with their service and support (highly recommend staying away from them at all costs).
Normally we go through referrals from other data centers but we're having a hard time locating a solid provider in the California area.
to fire up a P4 in California to target Asia. GBLX or Sprint or AT&T transit is a must. The usage for this server would be a ~7mbps average with 5 hour daily bursts up to 20mbps(comes out to around 2300GB).
PacificRack seemed perfect for my needs, but won't answer sales emails...I've read good things, but i'm worried about signing up.
My budget is around $200, this shouldn't be a problem right?
2 Hosting Companies: One in California and One in NYC..
If they have exactly the same plan ( Same servers ) at the same price and I lived In NYC would it be better ( Faster ) for my site/forum to choose the NYC host?
What I need to know is it beter to pick a host who i live closer to?
I was wondering if anyone knew a cheap colo that is in Southern California. I am hoping to be paying under $150 month (if possible) but no more than $200 month and I need something that allows atleast 3-4 TB of transfer/month (More would be a big plus).
I currently get colo for free with the company I work for but I won't be with them forever and I would like to have a backup plan if I have to ever move my server somewhere else.
Northern california and other places near socal (arizona, etc...) *might* be ok but I would really prefer somewhere that I can drive to if need be.
The server is a regular 1U server with two HD's with a conroe based xeon 2.4 GHz dual core processor. Its power consumption shouldn't be that high.
To be honest I would love to have it colo'd at a place like fdcservers.net as I had a really good experience with the 1.5 years or so I had a dedicated server with them before getting free colo at work but the one thing I didn't like was its in Chicago so latency is high (I like to run game-servers).
I don't have much experience with co-location although I have used a lot of dedicated servers so finding a dedicated provider isn't usually a problem for me.
Does anyone own/operate or work at a datacenter in Southern California (Riverside County). I am looking for a place to possibly colo at and even work at, I just havent found any Southern California Data Centers besides La and San Diego, and I do not really want to drive to either. Also if anyone has wanted to start one in that area but hasnt found a partner, let me know, I may be interested in getting in on a deal with someone.
The company that I work for in the recent year has made a few acquisitions. Doing so, means we now have clients all over the place, to be specific in multiple datacenters. We are now going to consolidate all of our servers into one location. The decision might have already been made but I would like to get some feedback. These are the top choices that our company was deciding on:
Savvis Irvine (OC2) Savvis El Segundo XO in irvine (hosting.com now actually) ATT in irvine (we already have servers in this one)
Some of the datacenters we are in now:
ATT in Irvine (not bad) Quest in Burbank CorpColo (no comment) Calpop (scary!) Blacksun/OC3 (scarier than calpop) And a few others I cannot remember. Regardless I believe this will be a big upgrade. So whatever information you can give me on the above four datacenters would be appreciated. Maybe if you know of any other top-notch datacenters in southern cali, let me know.
Does anyone have presence here, or have any additional thoughts or info on colocating here? According to datacentermap.com, its carrier neutral.. Would be awesome if they had reasonable pricing...datacenter 15 minutes from home!
Does anyone have any experience having your server in the US and having to move over to Asia? Will my websites be too slow to work on while I'm over in Thailand?
I have my VPS in California, and I might be going to Thailand for about half a year or more. I like to know if I could still work on my websites and upload some files or would it be too lagy to work?