Web hosting hell - what to do? [modified]
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For the second time in a dozen years a web host we use that was previously good and got good ratings etc has been bought out or merged and service and support has gone to hell. (Hypermart years ago, now Netnation). In both cases they were humming along nicely, we never had any issues, then all of the sudden we start losing email, our websites get restored from old backups without warning, tech support can't seem to pin down major problems like we can't connect to our mail server etc. Curiously this happened in both cases just after a buyout or a merger of the hosting company. I'm checking for web hosts on "the google" and I find a billion plus a zillion web host review sites and other thinly veiled marketing scams and little else in the way of objective information. How in the world are you supposed to find a web host, are there any objective sources of information? Are there any web hosts that *don't* try to be the cheapest any more but focus instead on uptime and reliability and good customer service? Is there anyone big enough that they won't get bought out or merged? -- modified at 16:48 Friday 6th April, 2007 Thank you to everyone that responded, I've checked them out and Server Beach seems to be the closest match for our requirements. Now I just have to decide if it's worth the time and effort to learn how to setup what we need and the ongoing maintenance.
"110%" - it's the new 70%
Bluehost. Very good prices, OC-48, quad-core Linux Apatche shared, 2 TB bandwidth, I think 200GB storage, 2500 email, 20 subdomain. The only thing lacking is the 50 SQL databases. https://www.bluehost.com/tell\_me\_more.html Please ask me for a referral link if you use it. :)
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gilabite wrote:
Run your own webserver.
IMO, that it the most expensive solution.
Ericos Georgiades
Startup cost yes. But in the long run no. Plus total control over everything, and not having to worry about your webhost changing anything or their security over "your" server. I prefer to own my stuff not rent it even if it does cost me more money to start.
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Yeah, ServerBeach is great on bandwidth. They can scale your bandwidth needs up to full unmetered 100mbit if the need occurs. The only problem I have with them is if you want added features they usually cost too much compared to what they would cost you to buy for your own machine, but I guess that is the cream for their company. With SB being bought out by Peer1, I doubt they will change hands for a long time. Also, they have several different locations in the US (California, Texas and Virgina - might have forgot one). Different locations have slightly different features such as in Virgina, they allow streaming servers and I think Texas is now getting the private VLans. If you choose SB, you might want to see what all possible features you would want and make sure the center your server would be in has those features.
Rocky <>< Latest Code Blog Post: OpenID - More thought - Great system if.. Latest Tech Blog Post: Want to test Joost (video on demand) - I have invites!
I've used MaximumASP for quite some time, they have great shared boxes, as well as dedicated boxes, plus they have top tier technical support. They can set you up with just about any configuration you require. And like other decent services mentioned in this thread, that service and reliability doesn't come cheap. Their cheapest shared plan I think is $99 a month -- but its a virtual server and monitored very closely. A good overview of their services is here: http://www.maximumasp.com/solutions/virtuozzo/comparison.aspx[^]
============================= I'm a developer, he's a developer, she's a developer, Wouldn'tcha like to be a developer too?
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For the second time in a dozen years a web host we use that was previously good and got good ratings etc has been bought out or merged and service and support has gone to hell. (Hypermart years ago, now Netnation). In both cases they were humming along nicely, we never had any issues, then all of the sudden we start losing email, our websites get restored from old backups without warning, tech support can't seem to pin down major problems like we can't connect to our mail server etc. Curiously this happened in both cases just after a buyout or a merger of the hosting company. I'm checking for web hosts on "the google" and I find a billion plus a zillion web host review sites and other thinly veiled marketing scams and little else in the way of objective information. How in the world are you supposed to find a web host, are there any objective sources of information? Are there any web hosts that *don't* try to be the cheapest any more but focus instead on uptime and reliability and good customer service? Is there anyone big enough that they won't get bought out or merged? -- modified at 16:48 Friday 6th April, 2007 Thank you to everyone that responded, I've checked them out and Server Beach seems to be the closest match for our requirements. Now I just have to decide if it's worth the time and effort to learn how to setup what we need and the ongoing maintenance.
"110%" - it's the new 70%