Hey everyone,
Im currently in the process of thinking about upgrading servers on my site. The problem I am having is that I can not justify the cost to a dedicated server, though I know I will soon need one. So, what I am thinking is selling parts of the dedicated server off to other people/companies. Im thinking about something with around 500gigs of transfer. Im thinking itll be around $150/month.

Would there be any interest in this type of deal? I think I could bring over some of my clients sites (which dont even transfer a gig a month, and could cover about $15/mo each), but Id need another couple small people or just one larger person.

Im not sure if there is any interest, so let me know my options, please! ;)

Thanks,
Ian

You should include more details about the server, i.e. DC?
:)

Yes. Please provide more info about the server. :)

look into VPS --- there is a company on here who does it.

As James suggested, you should look into VPS or VDS solutions. They are a logical fit between dedicated and shared hosting.

Also, if you are posting a survey, you need to post it in the ad forums, not the main forums.

Hopefully a moderator will move this thread soon.

Peter

Forgot to mention one thing: Sharing is not as simple as it sounds.

You basically have two ways of doing it: You can either just "share it" as a community of users, or you can try to sell hosting based on it.

The problem with community sharing is the question of who gets root access. There has been incidents in the past where a few people share server, but when an emergency comes up, and the person in charge is on vocation, so the rest of them were screwed(Search the forum archive for that thread; it was only a week ago). Even on a positive note, you still have to decide who gets root access (no, don't share it with all users, it will be a management nightmare), the question of who is "officially" listed with the datacenter(that's the only person who can officially request tech support), and also who is responsible for doing the server administration (security, upgrade, etc).

The other route would be trying to sell hosting off the spare resources. By doing this, you avoid having to deal with the issues I mentioned above. However, now you are not really "sharing" the server. You are more like just another web host. If you take a look at the ad forum, you should realize that you have tons of competition now. There is going to be someone who can offer better support, or provide cheaper hosting, than you can. Not to mention the burdle (billing, support, security, etc) you now carry as a web hosting service provider.

I didn't write this to scare you. "Sharing" a server is actually very doable. But you have to address these issues, or the "sharing" will become a problem.

Peter

For everyone who responded, thank you! :) I would have listed specifics of the server, if I had one, but I dont yet, so there are no specifics - i.e. things could be set up as needed! :)

I will definitely go ahead and check out VPS as you guys seem to think they are a good and reliable choice for me.

As for the way of sharing, you bring up very good points which I did not even think about. Maybe if I were to do this, I should only do it with current clients of mine with whom I make web sites for. Then Im sure that they wouldnt be upset if something happened - I know all of their attitudes and such.. It would make it a lot easier, though I dont know if I could cover the cost.

Lastly, sorry if I placed this in the wrong forum, I didnt really think it fit an "Ad" since its just kind of judging the interest, but if it needs to be moved, please do so! Thanks.

Thanks for the info,
Ian

I wouldnt suggest you share a server unless its a close friend. So many people out there will screw you as soon as you give them a chance. Im not saying all people are, just from my experience.