I am planning on starting a hosting service either with a dedicated server or a fexible virtual server plan that will allow me to add domains to my alloted slot.

I realize there must be a lot of discussion about Unix vrs NT but please allow me to ask a couple of questions:

1) Which system would be "safer" for an inexperienced host to get started with? When I say "safer" I mean easier to set up and easier to service. My biggest concern is being able to provide adequate technical support.

2) Which system has the most sex appeal? In other words, which system will attract the most number of clients (well, generally speaking)?

3) I would think, that as I am rather inexperienced, I would be better off specializing in simple plans without a lot of bells and whistles. But from the ROI aspect, what is the best way to slice up disk space?

4) As I would have to lease either an entire box or a virtual server, what should I do about IP and DNS. My main concern here are my end users. If I become unhappy with my host and have to make a switch, I am concerned about inconveniencing my clients by a move. What is the best way to protect yourself ahead of time?

Lastly, let me close by saying that I think this is one heck of a good forum!

1) Safer. Well, I don't know the numbers but I would guess that there are more Linux hosts than NT hosts, just from looking around. More people using it means that more people might has run into the same problem you'll have.

2) Linux plans I'd say. They are sexy.

3) Depends on the market you are trying to hit. You've seen the competition (or you should look if not). Most offer a small plan for people with less money (they might grow and upgrade). I like 5, 25, 100-150, 200-250, 500.

4) You should really make sure that you are 99.9% positive this is the host you want. After that though, people do move, things change. You could use a 3rd party DNS (paid), but that can get expensive. Or lease a couple of servers just for DNS which would allow you to just change numbers if there was a move.

If you do move, you'll just have to set up the other server(s) to match what you have now. Can this be a pain? Ohhh yeah.

In answer to your questions:

>1) Which system would be "safer" for an inexperienced host >to get started with? When I say "safer" I mean easier to >set up and easier to service.

From my experience, it is easier to set-up a linux server. It is also easier to maintain linux/unix accounts. Now, the last thing I want is to start a unix vs nt debate. People are as passionate about this as those PC vs Mac people :-) But I've heard my technical people groan and moan when setting up NT servers...we've had NT consultants tell us that the last thing you want to do, when building an NT box, is to follow Microsoft's instructions. Get my drift? :-)

>2) Which system has the most sex appeal? In other words, >which system will attract the most number of clients
>(well, generally speaking)?

No doubt about it, linux/unix has more "buzz" and sex appeal...but if you're planning on targeting web developers, NT might have more appeal due to the ASP feature. We cater to web developers and it's amazing how many web designers are switching servers (from UNIX to NT), in order to get ASP. If you're not planning to cater to web professionals, then I definitely advise choosing UNIX. You'll always have people ask you about NT, and when you start making some money, you might want to consider offering both UNIX and NT hosting. In the meantime, start with UNIX hosting :-)


>3) I would think, that as I am rather inexperienced, I >would be better off specializing in simple plans without a >lot of bells and whistles. But from the ROI aspect, what >is the best way to slice up disk space?

Depends on the reseller program...10 MB per client? It also depends on the web site. You might have a site that has less than 5MB of disk space and another site with more than 20MB of disk space.

>4) As I would have to lease either an entire box or a >virtual server, what should I do about IP and DNS. My main >concern here are my end users. If I become unhappy with my >host and have to make a switch, I am concerned about >inconveniencing my clients by a move. What is the best way >to protect yourself ahead of time?

Ahhhh....the big question. Well, the best advise I can give on this is purely preventative. You have to spend A LOT of time researching hosting companies. You want to send some emails to the tech support dept to see how long it takes to respond. Do some third party server checks to see how fast and reliable their servers are (see http://www.netmechanic.com for a free online server check). Call their toll-free lines to see if you can speak with a human...how helpful are they? Get three or four URL's the host is currently hosting and do server checks on them as well. Get some testimonials. The key is to find a host you'll stay with for years to come. When you do find a host you think you'll use for your clients, switch one domain only (preferably your own), and see how happy you are after the sale. A month or so later you'll know whether or not you want to use them for your clients. I know this sounds like a big hassle, but believe me it's worth it. When you're as happy as a pig in mud and your clients are even happier, you'll be very pleased with yourself that you spent so much time finding a good host. Good luck!

Kind Regards,

Penny Ortega

If you are inexperienced you may want to start out just reselling to get the feel of everything. Some places you can actually start reselling for them and when you get X amount of accounts they give you a dedicated server. Make sure you do pick the right host, because moving accounts is not too fun.