Hi!
I am thinking of colocation, as a way to increase the profit margin for the web hosting and maybe use it for selling dedicated boxes as well.

My question is how should I start with this. I want to be covered in case of hardware failures, so should I send hardware parts with the server as well? How do u guys do it?

Thanks,
Mike

Colo in a datacenter near you, so in case something goes wrong, you can go and change the part that needs it.

Buy a server, look for a DC near you, and sign the deal. Have extra parts in case they stop working so you have the minimum downtime, (HD, powersupply, RAM, etc).

Just talk to the techs and the sales guys to find out what the "rules of the raod" are for colocation and hardware issues. If you have your own hardware monitoring setup then you can call the DC when there's issues or get the DC to add it to their monitoring server and just have them call you on how to proceed if there is an issue with the box. If a hard drive dies then that shouldn't mean you're down for days, it just means that you need to work out a contingency plan with the DC and have a HW price list handy so you know what to expect it the stuff hits the fan.

Some Data Centres won't provide Hardware to colos. I suggest shipping spares with your server. It's a good idea to ship memory, hard drives and PSUs with your box just in case and back up lots.

Our solution to the spares problem is that all our hardware is within 20min of our office location, we have our own spares of hard drives and PSUs for our servers plus all servers are covered by Dell's 4Hr replacement hardware warrenty, expensive, but worth it.

I believe you can get the same offerings from all the big vendors - Sun, IBM, HP.

those are all good ideas and suggestions, but if I were going to stick my business in the hands of another I would hope that they were willing to work with me in crisis situations. Heaven forbid that you're on vacation or something that requires your attention and your server goes down, then what?

Thank you everyone φορ your answers!
It seems that everybody agrees on this. A hardware list of spare parts is a must.
How about support?
Could I rely my business on a third party such as platinum server management? I would prefer more personal contact with my customers, but paying 3 guys for 24/7 support (3 shifts per day) is not an option. Any advice on this?

I house all our servers at a local datacenter which is about 15 minutes away. On the side of each server I have a little envelope that has a printed sheet of all the parts in the server its attached to. Along with the parts are model #'s. I then have a shelf within my rack that has some extra parts (typically memory, hard drives, processors, cables, nics).

If I'm not able to get in and do the repair myself, I pay the datacenter for "remote hands" assistance. If I don't have the part I need, someone in the building usually does and if not, i'll overnight it.

The most important thing is having an up to date log of all your hardware and contacts to companies where you can order them quickly.

you need to make sure that they will do necessary work if you are a way or in a vacation. may be you need to arrange with your co-workers.

When I first started web hosting (under a different company, now sold) I owned a larger Auto Performance Parts website.

With that said, I am a geek at heart. I want the fastest internet.

We had a T3 Upgraded line to our location.


I ended up housing our servers in my business's main HQ.

I had approx. 80 websites before I noticed that it was time to CoLocate for higher bandwidth.

So in order to synchronize the sites and cause 0 downtime, I built 3 servers, but bought enough parts to build 6.

2 Primaries, 1 Backup.

The backup essentially was only used once every two hours, and was used simply to transfer files from Primary 1 & 2.


The datacenter used had strict guidelines as to what type of servers they would house. Why? Because they provide parts up to $500 a year. ($500 Down Payment aka Credit).


However, I provided the extra HD's, etc.

Each server had 2 HD's. If one failed, the backup took over.


Now, I just prefer to host from Dedicated's. With prices and specs the way they are, its almost better (for myself anyway), and I dont have to worry about hardware failures.

I asked the datacenter and they made me an offer. Bandwidth is still quite expensive in greece so hiring a sys admin is not an option. I have made arrangements with some people that would be happy to provide server support in case i need it.
On the other hand, the datacenter technicians will take over the tasks of installing and maintaining the equipment.
Any ideas of things that can go wrong and in am not caver by the above?