Hi,

due to high CPU usage, I seem to have to move my domains from a shared server (1000 Megs space, 50 Gigs bandwidth, 39,99 Euro per month costs) to a dedicated server. I've already had a look at several offers, but you guys can probably find something suiting my needs better.

The main issue is costs. I can hardly finance anything over 500 dollars a month. I'm currently using about 20 Gigs of bandwidth, which will probably raise up to 50 in this year, so the new host should also offer around 50 Gigs (-/+ 15) of bandwidth per month included in the offer.

I've read good things about Ventures Online, can somebody second that?

One word, RackShack..

If you are new to the dedicated world, get a RaQ.. Yes there are faster machines but the RaQ is a perfect match for a newbie.. I know.. I'm one and have been doing ok with one for about 18 months..

There are some negative comments here and there about RS but I've been with them since early in October and by and large, they are great.

There is an open message support board chock full of other "newbies" as well as some pretty knowledgable persons willing to jump in and help you whenever you need it..

Very good pricing, good conectivity, good support (and getting even better daily)

RackShack.

Shortness
No.. I don't work there, I have one server there, period.. I'm not even on their reseller list so I've nothing to gain by referring you.

I was thinking of suggesting RS myself, but he said he's a 'newbie', so I thought better not, since the support isn't that good at the moment at RS (from what I've heard).

But if the pricing is *that* important, then RS is has to be :).

Alan

ho247: Well I'm not that much of a newbie, but I'm absolutely new to dedicated hosting. And Cobalt's RaQ seem to offer a real nice remote administration interface. But support can still be helpful. :rolleyes:

shortfork: Thank you very much, I didn't know of that company before, and it sounds very, very good. 300 Gigs traffic is a lot more than I probably could ever need, but better more than less :)

I have subscribed to this thread so I can track whether there will be other comments... maybe others' experiences with this host.

Thanks,
Chucker

i use rackshack and have just gone through 4 days of sheer hell. their loss of power and the resultant stuffed server wasnt very helpful at this time of year. it was a freak accident, but then again who lets freaks work on their ups :) they took nearly 25 hours to restore our machine and nearly 4 more to add the plesk key which was a massive pain. but they were neck deep in it.
in their defence apart from being very overworked their techs were excellent and ive heard they are hiring more techs very soon. you do need to know your stuff and go it alone quite a bit but my experience is with a plesk not a raq. raqs r pretty much a doddle to use. its when things go wrong and you need to delve into the command line that its gets fun. go to their chat room \ support room and see what you think of the support people are getting (they offer telephone support as well but it aint cheap from outside the us).
all in all it aint a bad idea but they need to get their act together on the support and secure their working practises.
feel free to pm me or email if you have any specific questions :)
good luck

Okay, thanks for your comments too. I think I have a few weeks to go until I'll just have to move to a dedicated server, so I can take that time watching this host hopefully improve.

Originally posted by Chucker
Okay, thanks for your comments too. I think I have a few weeks to go until I'll just have to move to a dedicated server, so I can take that time watching this host hopefully improve.

Not to minimize Richy's problems but that type of situation is really the exception to the norm. Some machines were hosed by the power outage and some people have decided to rant about it more than warranted IMHO.

I don't know if any of you have ever worked on *any* machine but "stuff" happens and it did in the worst way in the event last Friday at RS.

My God, even the Space Shuttle has mishaps. No machine, nor no man is perfect.

At any rate, I'll say again as I've said elsewhere, with 3000 servers, there are bound to be some problems, and that is mostly what you hear about in these message boards.

Rarely do people stand up and go geez.. I've had 260 days of really great uptime. Throw in a glitch like Friday and there are a lot of people standing up and yelling. Personally, all I had to do is do a nice soft reboot on my machine and all was back to normal. It was working pretty much ok after the hard boot that the outage caused but did seem a bit sluggish. The boot took care of that.

Yes, I'd suggest watching here and at RS, and elsewhere. I doubt you'll find a CEO anywhere else with as much concern and effort as HeadSurfer to keep his hands on whatever the situation and make sure it works or works better. That in itself says a lot.

Shortness

> I've read good things about Ventures Online, can somebody second that?

Yes, I can :)

I have a reseller account with VO and have some sites hosted there. They have been very kind and helpful. Their dedicated server service is excellent too. If you can afford it, I think you will be satisfied and safe with them.

Just one note, they will be moving to a new data center around the second and third week of January and they said they wouldn't take any new dedicated server order until the move is completed. If you are seriously interested in VO, I think you have to wait for another three weeks.

How much of an issue is price?

If you want something dirt cheap, then I'll agree with the people who suggest rackshack; for $100/month you'll get a server which can handle anything you're likely to throw at it. If you can afford double that (you mention $500/month, which is far more than you should pay anywhere), I'd consider rackspace. I'd think it's fair to say that they have an unparalleled reputation... as long as you're willing to pay for it. In particular their bandwidth is rather expensive, but even at 50GB/month that isn't likely to be all that much of an issue for you. They also have a datacenter in the UK, which you might find preferable.

A server with Rackspace will cost you somewhere around $250/month, but if you can afford it you'll get a system on a fast, stable network, and great support.

Thanks shortfork and twrs.

cperciva: Price has become much less of an issue since I've found a new sponsor, a pretty large one too.

A UK datacenter would be better for me (because it would be several thousand miles closer), but worse for the majority. You're talking about quality. What I've noticed at RackShack is that their Cobalt servers are now _all_ sold out (when I first looked, only some of them were). They give trouble with Sun as the reason and expect new ones coming "soon". RackSpace though doesn't seem to offer Cobalt at all. I'm new to this, and while I'm pretty experienced in HTML, for instance, I'm probably what you would call a newbie in managing a Linux- or *BSD-driven Dedicated Server for HTTP, FTP, IRC, SMTP and others. Cobalt seems to be what Apple is to personal computing - they have a number of optimised, easy-to-use solutions, and nothing else, but it's all I need. And whilst they only seem to be having Intel Celerons built in, I guess that's already more than sufficient for the tasks they should be doing - they're not made for rendering a shot from StarWars Episode 2.

So, let's say I choose RackSpace and manually configure my server to have all I need, plus some bonus stuff like another HD and so. What chance is there I'll be able to run it without having to learn how to use UNIX-derivated CLIs?

I would recommend going with Dialtone. The reason being is that you will save money as they offer the same if not better quality of servers for less money. Rackspace is a bit pricey. Dialtone offers al full 30 days free support to get acquainted with their servers. rackspace only the 5 incidents of things like dns, http, etc.

As far as suppor goes I would say both companies are equal although I hear Rackspace support has the edge. The bottom line of any business is get the best deal for your $$$ and I think Dialtone is your best bet. Dialtone always offer incentives and a wide array of products and solutions and lately has been noticed in several news.

Both are great companies, but I would recommend Dialtone. I always mention names of people I deal in Dialtone that can help new prospects so talk to Roland in sales...ssshh..he can get you good prices :-)

suess,
They are talking about rackshack NOT rackspace ;)
...but maybe you knew that!
Chucker: Just make sure you know which RS is which, because they're drastically different companines :)

Originally posted by Chucker
So, let's say I choose RackSpace and manually configure my server to have all I need, plus some bonus stuff like another HD and so. What chance is there I'll be able to run it without having to learn how to use UNIX-derivated CLIs?

Pretty close to 100%, I'd say. Quite apart from the issue of web-based control panels, Rackspace's support people are as likely as not to do such things for you if you are having problems.

Originally posted by cperciva


Pretty close to 100%, I'd say. Quite apart from the issue of web-based control panels, Rackspace's support people are as likely as not to do such things for you if you are having problems.

True, perhaps, but you'll also pay for it!

lol sorry i should have been quite so hard on rs. it was a freak accident and they handled it the best they could. i , as anybody would be, was majorly cheesed at the whole situation. but it happens . overall my impression of rackshack is one of an honest company doing its best to deliver a quality product and 99.999% of the time (excluding screwdrivers :)) suceeding. support isnt the greatest i.e. not enough staff , but those that are there are excellent. and thats changing. sorry if i seemed hard. we had bad luck thats all.

have you dont on cobalts site and looked at the control panel and played about? see how easy it is to do day to day admin tasks etc ? have a play thats what its there for :)
good luck

Originally posted by percent5
suess,
They are talking about rackshack NOT rackspace ;)
...but maybe you knew that!
Chucker: Just make sure you know which RS is which, because they're drastically different companines :)

Wrong. I was indeed talking about RackSpace, e.g. the one which is far more expensive, to see advantages over RackShack, the ultra-cheap one.

Originally posted by richy
lol sorry i should have been quite so hard on rs. it was a freak accident and they handled it the best they could. i , as anybody would be, was majorly cheesed at the whole situation. but it happens . overall my impression of rackshack is one of an honest company doing its best to deliver a quality product and 99.999% of the time (excluding screwdrivers :)) suceeding. support isnt the greatest i.e. not enough staff , but those that are there are excellent. and thats changing. sorry if i seemed hard. we had bad luck thats all.

have you dont on cobalts site and looked at the control panel and played about? see how easy it is to do day to day admin tasks etc ? have a play thats what its there for :)
good luck

I have, and it's very easy. I was wondering whether one of the self-configured servers from RackSpace would have an interface just as easy - from people's experience.