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Thread: Choosing a Host -- My Short List
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09-28-2006, 01:31 PM #1Junior Guru Wannabe
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Choosing a Host -- My Short List
I started a thread last week about finding a web host for the website my small company is preparing to launch. Since then, I've put together a short list of hosting companies that appear to be the best candidates for our project. The plan is to start off with an affordable shared or VPS plan and scale up as we grow.
Here are our hosting requirements:
IMMEDIATE
*Budget: $20-$50/mo to begin
*Managed Hosting on a Linux Server
Monthly Bandwidth: 300-400 visitors/day on PHP/MySQL CMS to start
No or High Email Limits -- need to send several (hundreds?) script-triggered emails per hour
Data Storage: 5 GB to start
*PHP 5
MySql 4+
PHPMyAdmin
CPanel (or other Control Panel)
Cronjobs
Minimal Downtime
Seamless Scalability (see below)
NEAR TERM
https certificate
seamless upgrade of bandwidth
seamless upgrade of storage
eventually, a managed dedicated server
Here is my short list of hosting companies:
asmallorange.com
futurehosting.biz
hostgator.com
liquidweb.com
myriadnetwork.com
westhost.com
I am putting the finishing touches on a letter of introduction I will be sending these companies next week. In the meantime, I'd welcome any comments on these companies or recommendations for good companies I may have missed. I only ask that you provide solid information (either details of personal experience or links to other useful threads or websites.)
I am documenting my search on my blog -- you are also welcome to comment there (see signature).
Thanks,
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09-28-2006, 01:43 PM #2Web Hosting Rockstar
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It's nice to see someone that has a reasonable budget for their project on here - this is such a rarity on here, unfortunately. Good luck in your search!
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09-28-2006, 02:05 PM #3Aspiring Evangelist
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I recommand adding servint
http://servint.comArzNet.com
Providing Hosting & Domain Reseller since 2001
Clientexec and Directi Domain Reseller with every Reseller Plan - 30 Day Trial Now Available!
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09-28-2006, 02:11 PM #4Junior Guru Wannabe
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Re: servint
"I recommand adding servint"
Thanks for the recommendation, but again, per the original post:
"provide solid information (either details of personal experience or links to other useful threads or websites)"
To support your comments or recommendations, that is.
So why would I wish to ask servint to my list?
Thanks,
Tompassword by mushpup : m{this.domain}
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09-28-2006, 02:43 PM #5Web Hosting Master
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I would suggest looking at Host For Web mainly for 2 points you mention (you would have to see how well their plans fit everything else) they have excellent upgrade ability, unequalled support and management, and when you move from shared to VPS to dedicated or VPS to dedicated, install certs, or whatever they will handle it all seamlessly as long as you are clear on what you want done, how, and when.
New Idea Hosting NO Overselling-Business-Grade, Shared Only! New-In House Design Team.
High Speed & Uptime; , DIY Pro-Site Builder-Daily Backups-Custom Plans, All Dual Xeon Quad Intel servers w/ ECC DDR3 RAM SCSI RAID minimums.
We Concentrate on Shared Hosting ...doing one thing and doing it VERY well
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09-28-2006, 03:23 PM #6Junior Guru Wannabe
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re: hostforweb.com
the specs on their VPS plans look promising, but they get mixed reviews here:
t=543130&highlight=hostforweb (sorry, not enough posts yet to link directly)
Someone mentions switching to futurehosting.biz because of security issues. This was about a month ago.
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09-29-2006, 11:43 AM #7Web Hosting Master
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Well - i throw my 2 cents in for A Small Orange (ASO).
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09-29-2006, 12:19 PM #8Junior Guru Wannabe
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Well - i throw my 2 cents in for A Small Orange (ASO)
I did read a lengthy thread here knocking ASO.
For the record, I currently have a shared hosting plan with A Small Orange and am happy with it. However, it is very low impact so I'm not sure how good a bellwhether it is for this project. And I notice on their site that many of their VPS plans are currently sold out.
Tompassword by mushpup : m{this.domain}
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09-29-2006, 12:21 PM #9Web Hosting Master
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Sorry for the lack of details. I can say however on this forum you will find a negative review about every company because some clients tend to believe WHT is a place to come to voice thier opinions - but normally is just heated rage about nothing serious.
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09-29-2006, 01:02 PM #10Web Hosting Master
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Just a note that Hostgator limits outgoing e-mails per hour to 200.
You would need to setup your script in such a way that it 'queues' them -- several hundred per hour won't work on their 3 lower shared packages.
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09-29-2006, 01:31 PM #11Away
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Out of those I have used www.myriadnetwork.com for a while and they are as rock solid as they get, good luck they are awesome
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09-29-2006, 01:37 PM #12Web Hosting Master
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Originally Posted by klenwell
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09-29-2006, 01:41 PM #13Junior Guru Wannabe
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Originally Posted by Dormouse
http://www.asmallorange.com/services/dedicated/
Tompassword by mushpup : m{this.domain}
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09-29-2006, 03:19 PM #14Registered User
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Originally Posted by klenwell
If that is an option, I recommend adding pair.com to your list, however I'm not sure what their e-mail policy is. The shared server I'm on has been up 248 days and counting.
One of the sites that has a lot of traffic and I visit frequently is hosted with them, and I've never noticed it down. ( www.dcresource.com )
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09-29-2006, 06:17 PM #15Web Hosting Master
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Originally Posted by klenwell
I have known them to be very security pro-active and they have a few users on their forums who have helped others with specialized security needs on their particular VPS with particular programs they are running etc.
I have a "play" VPS with them I use for playing with beta stuff on my own (so I crash it on a somewhat regular basis ) and know they will do all the stuff many people consider "hardening" simply on request. They do not do it all by default since some "security" setting would cause some users problems for their particular apps but their support people will lock down one as tight as you ask them too so I don't know why anyone would complain legitimately about HostForWeb security. Never seen anyone complaining on their fairly active forums.
I just know they are one of the few mid to large hosts who do all their own support 24/7/365 with their own staff. Not outsourced, really are there at 3am and on New Years Eve, and they bend over backwards in terms of what most hosts call "managed".Last edited by DDT; 09-29-2006 at 06:28 PM.
New Idea Hosting NO Overselling-Business-Grade, Shared Only! New-In House Design Team.
High Speed & Uptime; , DIY Pro-Site Builder-Daily Backups-Custom Plans, All Dual Xeon Quad Intel servers w/ ECC DDR3 RAM SCSI RAID minimums.
We Concentrate on Shared Hosting ...doing one thing and doing it VERY well
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09-29-2006, 06:44 PM #16Junior Guru Wannabe
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re: pair and hostforweb
Thanks for the detailed posts on the above.
I checked out pair.com. The immediate warning flag for me with them is the fact that they are using PHP 4. I think the latest version of PHP 4 would be ok for us, but there is an annoying bug in most pre-v5 PHP that really wrecks havoc with our scripts. So we've decided to require PHP 5. I'll give them a closer look, however.
Thanks, too, for the comments on hostforweb. Here is the actual comment I was referring to (now that I can link):
http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showpo...81&postcount=7
I take all the comments here with a grain of salt and try to compensate for cranks. But this did sound credible, though true this person may have reacted hastily.
Both will be added to my "long list" of web hosts.password by mushpup : m{this.domain}
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09-29-2006, 08:11 PM #17Registered User
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Originally Posted by klenwell
Update : Just found this after I posted http://www.pair.com/services/compare.html
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10-09-2006, 05:07 PM #18Newbie
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For what it's worth, the most common phrase out of my mouth when I launched our re-designed Web site 3 years ago was "The site's down again." I went from host to host and finally resolved the problem when I moved to Pair. Their custom control panel is kind of kludgey, and they don't allow PHP scripts to access POP3 accounts, but as far as reliability, I've yet to find a better host.
Our site's been running on the same server for over 3 years now... and the only downtime I've ever seen was a 1-minute connection outage to our MySQL databases. Yes... that's ONE issue in 3 years. They're phenomenal when it comes to reliability.Make money in your jammies!
6 Steps to Starting a Home Based Business. Get them at:
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10-09-2006, 05:46 PM #19Junior Guru Wannabe
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Originally Posted by PHP_Guru
I think I've found my host (actually, there will be 2.) I'm going to post my picks some time this week.
But I'll add pair.com to the "Plan B List" I've started.
Tompassword by mushpup : m{this.domain}
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10-09-2006, 05:59 PM #20Newbie
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something to watch at pair
For what it's worth, a buddy of mine fled the wreckage of MIS and started at pair.com just recently. He's not terribly happy. His gripes include that they don't offer an equivalent to WHM so he can't turn the keys over to a cpanel for a site to someone else. Also, they have per domain setup charges. No pushing a few buttons in WHM and voila. If you have a large number of domains you host, get ready for nickel and diming. He wasn't terribly impressed with their control panel either.
If any of these issues is a sticking point for you, just make sure you know ahead of time. He feels like he didn't know the total cost of ownership going in because he must've glossed over the stuff about additional domains costing him a setup fee.
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10-09-2006, 06:18 PM #21Newbie
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Roger that!
Originally Posted by ad572
Everything ad572 mentioned is true. They do have a lot of extra hidden fees when adding domains and such. I'm disappointed by this fact too. Everytime I add a new domain I sort of grimmace at the extra money out the pocket.
But having said that, for us, the critical thing was ensuring our site was always up, and for that purpose, Pair has been the hands-down winner.Make money in your jammies!
6 Steps to Starting a Home Based Business. Get them at:
http://www.tophomebasedbusinessideas.com
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10-09-2006, 06:43 PM #22Web Hosting Master
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checked out pair.com. The immediate warning flag for me with them is the fact that they are using PHP 4.█ Shared Web Hosting - Reseller Hosting - Semi-Dedicated Servers - SolusVM/XEN VPS
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10-09-2006, 09:07 PM #23Retired Moderator
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His gripes include that they don't offer an equivalent to WHM so he can't turn the keys over to a cpanel for a site to someone else.
Also, they have per domain setup charges.
If you have a large number of domains you host, get ready for nickel and diming.Last edited by ldcdc; 10-09-2006 at 09:11 PM.
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10-10-2006, 03:56 PM #24Newbie
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Pair.com resource usage restrictions
Continuing the comments about Pair.com. Here's a list of other limitations to beware of... (again, I'm a Pair customer satisfied with them because of the fact our site has never gone down in 3 years). Still, beware of the following:
- Run any process that requires more than 16MB of memory space.
- Run any program that requires more than 30 CPU seconds to complete.
- Run any program that "fork bombs" or otherwise uses child processes in a manner that disrupts performance of the server, or in order to attempt to circumvent resource restrictions.
- Use the find command, or any similar tool which recursively explores directory structures, anywhere except in their own directories.
- Send out mail to more than 25 addresses in one batch, whether sequentially or in parallel. Such batches must "sleep" for at least three seconds between each delivery attempt. Please consider using our pairList service for such mailings.
- Send e-mail to more than 5 recipients by way of a Web-based script. (E-mail sent by any script may be monitored and or quarantined for analysis, in order to prevent Junk E-Mail origination or propagation through our servers.)
- Send prohibitively large messages to any receiving system that cannot or does not wish to receive them. Large file transfers should be accomplished through FTP, not electronic mail.
- Run their own mailing list software, whether custom or packaged.
- Run any interactive chat application.
- Run a banner exchange, remotely-accessible Web counter, or any other service that performs CGI services for sites outside our network. Please see the policy on misuse of account features.
Make money in your jammies!
6 Steps to Starting a Home Based Business. Get them at:
http://www.tophomebasedbusinessideas.com
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10-12-2006, 01:49 PM #25Junior Guru Wannabe
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My Picks
Just to wrap up this thread, I ended up selecting shared hosting plans with myriadnetwork.com and westhost.com (similar technical requirements but different audiences and different projected growth cycles.)
I plan to summarize my experience with each of the companies on my short list and my decision-making process in a new thread after I have completed setup with the two I picked.
Thanks to all who provided meaningful feedback and suggestions.
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