I'm looking if I could get suggestion on windows 2003 server control panels, I'm not that experienced with windows server which is the reason I'm posting here for suggestions. If anyone have any please post :)

It is hard to answer that, as in Windows, there is no dominant control panel like Cpanel. I am using Hosting Controller which I find easy enough to use, good support, more and more features coming up.

For others

Helm seems more user friendly
Plesk
H-sphere
Ensim etc

Thanks for the list! I check them myself when I get some time :)

HELM is best. It is more easier to manage/administer from both enduser and admin side

- We are currently using Helm on all Windows servers. It's easy to use
- Dotnetpanel seems good, but it's really new. Not sure about its stability
- We had tried to use Plesk once, but most customers didnt like it.
- I personally tried Ensim and H-Sphere and didnt like either. We cannot provide good service if we dont like what we are offering :)
- Have no idea about Hosting Controller

So... Helm gets my vote :)

I've been in the same boat, looking for a control panel, and can't decide. Plesk looks more along the lines of what I want in terms of power and features, but I want pure ASP/ASP.NET, and it installs PHP, MySQL, Apache, and not finding any Windows billing systems that will work on it (saw ModernBill won't integrate with Plesk on Windows).

Helm fits along the ASP/ASP.NET lines, but is not very extensible to have extra features that would like run some code to install an app or something. Its UI can get kind of deep and looks a little over simplified, IMO.

Helm 4 is what I'd really like, but it seems to be just vaporware. Promised for later this year, but it looks like they've been saying that for like 2+ years.

DotNetPanel looks too young, and I don't really care for it being a DNN module. Most of the others didn't attract me too much.

So I think I am going with Helm, but it is more by default.

Did you try all these panels? Can you prove it is the best? With examples, please. What is easier?


I have used and managed all these control panel and from my experience HELM is best.

I believe that there are lot of bugs in plesk.. but i heard that the recent version are nice and good.. BUt anyhow as per my knowledge HELM is default for windows.. as you can get reliable solutions in webhostautomation too.. but it is not the case of other's..

We;ve started the Helm Trial, I'm interested in this dot net panel though.
Helm has been nice, I've had some issue's, but support has fixed most of them.

I am using Hosting Controller which I find easy enough to use, good support, more and more features coming up.


I agree with boonchuan. Hosting Controller is a very powerful windows control panel with ever increasing features. Recently there have been some very new additions to Hosting Controller such as phpbb forums and blogs.

I've been in the same boat, looking for a control panel, and can't decide. Plesk looks more along the lines of what I want in terms of power and features, but I want pure ASP/ASP.NET, and it installs PHP, MySQL, Apache, and not finding any Windows billing systems that will work on it (saw ModernBill won't integrate with Plesk on Windows).

Helm fits along the ASP/ASP.NET lines, but is not very extensible to have extra features that would like run some code to install an app or something. Its UI can get kind of deep and looks a little over simplified, IMO.

Helm 4 is what I'd really like, but it seems to be just vaporware. Promised for later this year, but it looks like they've been saying that for like 2+ years.

DotNetPanel looks too young, and I don't really care for it being a DNN module. Most of the others didn't attract me too much.

So I think I am going with Helm, but it is more by default.

ModernBill Integrates with Plesk on Windows. Whoever told you it doesn't was wrong.

You do not have to install PHP. Apache is only used by Plesk to seperate it from the users sites. Rumor has it they are moving Plesk to IIS for it's usage but I sincerely hope they don't. The seperation of Plesk in Apache away from IIS allows Plesk to still be operational even if something goes wrong with IIS.

Also, HSPComplete works with Plesk on Windows.

For windows server, there are only two control panels to look for... Hosting Controller and Helm. Later has a neat sharp interface with a free billing system so you don't need to buy separately and it do have a good community.

As I have used/using both Helm and Hosting Controller, personaly I will prefer Hosting Controller over Helm for so many reasons... They have a free billing system as like Helm with more features, offers free technical support and believe me its high-quality support which you would only expect from highly paid tech teams, very rich in features and wonderful user-interface with many different skins.

BTW, you can evaluate both Hosting Controller and Helm free for a month.


Blessed.

For windows server, there are only two control panels to look for... Hosting Controller and Helm. Later has a neat sharp interface with a free billing system so you don't need to buy separately and it do have a good community.

As I have used/using both Helm and Hosting Controller, personaly I will prefer Hosting Controller over Helm for so many reasons... They have a free billing system as like Helm with more features, offers free technical support and believe me its high-quality support which you would only expect from highly paid tech teams, very rich in features and wonderful user-interface with many different skins.

BTW, you can evaluate both Hosting Controller and Helm free for a month.


Blessed.

There is more than just Helm and Hosting Controller that work properly on Windows, Plesk does along with Hsphere (although it requires a linux box to operate), and dotnetpanel, and others....

Most of them offer some way to evaluate it. Plesk offers a demo with a 1 of everythign license (1 domain, 1 email, 1 database, etc...), helm and hosting controller have there demos, and I'm sure the rest do also.

@ XanaduServers :

Yes, I know there are lots of other options available like Plesk. I did use Plesk for sometime but unfortunately my 1 year experience with them was not encouraging... I had to pay for support tickets even when the issues ultimately found were with Plesk.

BTW, Plesk's linux version is worth spending money for but not windows.


Blessed.

If you had to pay for tickets either A. You didn't have a support contract or B. you had your license through a provider and unfortunately it seems they wouldn't provide the support to you, the end user, they are supposed to.

Plesk has come a long ways, but that wasn't my point and this isn't a "Plesk vrs others" thread.

My point was you said there were only "2" windows control panels, and this is very wrong.

i use Helm when it come with theplanet server that i leased then i bought Helm + support plan for the server that i leased with LT.

Pro: simple interface, billing feature and enought of all the standard features

Con: ASP is getting old. Helm 4 is still nowhere near and yeah like the other guy said WHA have been pearching about Helm 4 like forever! my support plan have run out and yet Helm 4 is not out. they say they will extend it for one more year so people like me can get Helm 4. we'll see

also, Helm require 3rd party add-on to make it more complete. from Helm ext. for php4 & 5 switch altho WHA going to add that support in for the upcoming 3.10 release to Helm Toolbox so you can suspend your reseller and all his customers with a click of button.

Helm is ok like other windows hosting panel but require some add-on to make it more complete.

i don't think there is a end all Windows panel out there just like *nix have no end all. there is alway room for imporvemnt. try them all, request a trial key and pick the one that you like and also the company that can stay a lot longer.

Dotnetpanel is new...i don't know how good it is and if it will stay here for long. too many software company come and go. you don't want to stuck with a panel that you can't get any support when the company go under.

my two cents.

Dotnetpanel is new...i don't know how good it is and if it will stay here for long. too many software company come and go.

Dotnetpanel is only one of Dotnetpark company's products and services. The company is 3.5 year old and stable. Moreover, it is growing fast.

@ XanaduServers

Oohh... word 'only' for helm and HC was unintentionally used and yes, I agree that Plesk has come a long way but for windows.... ;)


Blessed.

As it happen, last year I've tried practically all of them :).
Every two months or so I formatted the entire server, re-installed from scratch and had a new CP installed.

My experience with Plesk was back in version 7.0.x (when I was in ThePlanet) and later with 7.5.x on my own server for the trial version.
Plesk has a beautiful very simple to navigate interface. I loved it.
Problem was: It was hungry for resources and got stuck every so often, services would die, stats were a disaster running too long and keeping CPU high.
Price tag also didn't seem very appealing and the support is by a very limited support forum or Pay the high price tag for SOS support service.

I then moved to Helm, purchased a license back in Feb 2005 - they had a 50% special.
Helm is nice. Very different architecture from what I was accustomed with Plesk (I come from Linux world so for me it was all new).
With Helm, it is "you config it to whatever you want", you just need to know what you want.
Unfortunatly,.. I've experieneced too many CP services dieing on me and it was annoying as hell. Pros: Great support forum and the support was very good too.
With that,. I still moved to another control panel: InsPanel (after two days of it not working like expected I dropped the ball).
I then got to learn about HostingController.
I purchased a license from HostingController and have been running it since August last year.
HostingController is stable. It doesn't die on me. The services are running with no problem.
However, HC has a lack of needed features in its current release which I think are critical to my clients - like the ability to reset a MySQL password by the end user.
There are other quarks here and there, and again, you need to learn the architecture of how things operate.
Support with HC is fantastic! The folks there a very knowlegable and they are quick to respond on my questions (for the most part those are "how do I..").
HC is not that intuitive hence my need for the support.

One very important issue to understand with Windows Hosting:

Watch the Quota and watch the Bandwith.

With both,.. you have no limits!
In every one of the CP in the market you can exceed the limits with no problem.
I'm not using CC for charges. All my clients pay with checks or direct deposits. In my case, Users are not automatically billed and that is the source of my personal miseary.
I contacted HC about this and Abdullah of HC promissed me that he can design an interface that has similar characheristics of what cPanel has for alerting users at 80% (or whatever threshold you set) and a physical lockdown and suspend as in other Linux systems. I just need to come up with the purchase of two licenses (I only purchased one so far).
HC has also been slow on the release of version 7.0. Their support forum is showing lots of "well. is it ready yet?" questions.
HC will not commit to a timeline, much like HELM4.
HC is now pushing towards a multi-platform solution (sounds like H-Sphere), which I think is nice, but would rather HC would focus on more intuitive and currently needed functionality rather than futuristics options.
Hope that gives you something to work with.

In every one of the CP in the market you can exceed the limits with no problem.

Not true :)

Hi Zahid,

My experience with CP has been such that if you open an account to the reseller with a limit, the account that is openned under the reseller doesn't have the same limits.
A reseller can create an account with any size he wants for the end user and the end user can then have whatever size plan he wants.
This has been my experience with several CP.
Perhaps in version 2 of InsPanel (BTW is it finally ready for d/l? :

InsPanel

InsPanel setup and updates.

Total Files: 0
Latest File Info: None was submitted by None on None
Utilities

Misc. utilities for use with the Inspanel.

Total Files: 0
Latest File Info: None was submitted by None on None

So obviously it can't be checked / d/l for testing.
Is there a limit on the Bandwidth? will a user have his domain stop being accessed once he reach the Banwidth limit as in Linux? or is it still open to whatever he uses and just get warning emails?

zsindhu is right. Quota and Bandwidth work on PLesk for Windows and I would expect some of the others out there also.

zsindhu is right. Quota and Bandwidth work on PLesk for Windows and I would expect some of the others out there also.


Well.. this is either a new enhancement or something that we don't necesarily talk about as the same thing, as for what I know,. You can limit the reseller, but the reseller can create packages of any size,. and then the end user can use the limits of the 'unlimited package' he was assigned by the reseller,. and woops,.. no limits!

With the use of a Credit Card,. then there can be automatic charges.
My business doesn't use Credit Cards at all,. only cash, check or wire transfer, so for me there is no Automatic Charging.

Please let me know if there are HARD LIMITS available in Plesk and InsPanel.
This is something that is not available in HELM, Ensim, H-Sphere and HostingController.
And I'd love to see the InsPanel d/l option... as of now,. it is not available at all!
Where do you d/l it from?

Well.. this is either a new enhancement or something that we don't necesarily talk about as the same thing, as for what I know,. You can limit the reseller, but the reseller can create packages of any size,. and then the end user can use the limits of the 'unlimited package' he was assigned by the reseller,. and woops,.. no limits!

With the use of a Credit Card,. then there can be automatic charges.
My business doesn't use Credit Cards at all,. only cash, check or wire transfer, so for me there is no Automatic Charging.

Please let me know if there are HARD LIMITS available in Plesk and InsPanel.
This is something that is not available in HELM, Ensim, H-Sphere and HostingController.
And I'd love to see the InsPanel d/l option... as of now,. it is not available at all!
Where do you d/l it from?


When did you use Plesk and have this happen? Even back in 6.5.x a Reseller could not create a client with larger limits than there account was assigned.

There were some quota issues, but they have been corrected also.

When did you use Plesk and have this happen? Even back in 6.5.x a Reseller could not create a client with larger limits than there account was assigned.

There were some quota issues, but they have been corrected also.


Here is a reply back to this question.
The question was asked on: July 28th, 2005 and was replied by
Roman Batenyov
Technical Support Engineer
SWsoft, Inc.


Hello,

Really you can limit only Hard Disk Quote (Third picture). If any other limits is exceeded you get only warning email message to admin's email.

Hard Disk Quote - is a Windows system Parameter. It is Impossible to exceed it.
Limits - is a Plesk internal Parameters - You get warning message if it is exceeded.

This is when I tested Plesk 7.5.x for WINDOWS!! Linux is hard limit, but Windows had this problem.
I asked this question directly also from Ensim, HELM, HC, H-Sphere and they all came with same answers, which were: "No hard limits". The explanation for some of them was that the fault was with W2K that had quota issues and it wasn't addressed since.