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  1. #1
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    Hi all in this forum,

    I surfed over today to the Superb site (superb.net) and noticed a free setup offer.

    I've heard good things about their shared hosting services for the last four years and seen some of their hosting resellers. Anyone have any experience with their dedicated servers?

    The price does look good.
    They have a propaganda page at http://services.superb.net/unix/ded-comp.shtml comparing themselves to others, and it it seems to be true - all adds up and makes sense when I check on it.

    According to their sales people, there are no long term contracts, though they do say three months miniumum order to get the free setup.

    This all seems to be really good, a rarity these days, good established reputation, and a good price (and free set-up for a dedicated server, and no, I don't mean raqs here).

    I've been looking at them and some others (like DN, dialtone, rackspace), and am leaning towards Superb.
    Anyone any comments on Superb? I've seen a lot of comments here on others in doing my research before buying, but not much on Superb.

  2. #2
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    From what I have seen, there have been mixed reports about Superb. Recent reports suggests they may not be as superb as they seem (pardon the very poor pun).

    Have a look at this thread :
    http://www.sitepointforums.com/showt...?threadid=8812

    That was the most recent one I could find, and let's just say it's not really complimentary.

    Good luck in your search.

  3. #3
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    Thanks for the tip.

    I looked at the thread and asked them about it. They told me that the specific problem there was some virtual account user's bad script overwriting their file, due to some user on the system uploading GBs of files past their quota. Exactly the type of a problem you're bound to get on virtual hosts, IMO, which is why I'm finally making the move to dedicated - no other idiots (sorry, but that's how I see it) on the server messing it up. I'm not really sure how do you think some bad customers reflect badly on a provider.

    Anyway, I've asked a friend of mine in the DC area to go in and visit their NOC. I think that's the best thing to do. To go and see the facilities for real. I'll see then is everything as it appears on their site NOC pictures page and their supposedly live webcam feed from the NOC. They did give me their NOC number to try, and I tried calling it at 2am and 4am their time last night (I'm three hours behind on the west coast) and got through to a live sysadmin every time.

    I'll post here when my friend has seen their NOC. Then I think we'll know how things are for real. one thing I really like is their Superb Power Server services. Just a cool thing that no one else has, other than vps.verio.com, but that's just incredibly overpriced. Cool control panels, too. http://services.superb.net/sps/spsadm.shtml not as complete as Alabanza's, but I think easier to use for end users. Since I may be doing some web hosting, and with Alabanza's price hike, this seems like a really good option.

    May be it's just me, but I still seem to get really good intution about Superb. Responsive staff, can reach a sysadmin on the phone on site at any time of night, and good prices and a cool control panel. Or may be I'm still missing something... I'll see once I hear back their NOC report from someone I can trust.

  4. #4
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    Cool

    Hi Brian,

    Here's what I can tell you. I have a dedicated server at Superb, been there for over 9 months now. I had the option to lease to own my server and decided to do it, as it only costs an extra $25 per month for one year, after that I just pay colo fees. I don't have the greatest server in the world, but the price is definitely right.

    I have had no major problems in that time, although I have had to ask for help plenty of times in the beginning.

    I just got an email from them telling me that they have a special for $0 setup until the end of September, so I'm picking up a second server, again, not a high powered server, but something that will work well for me. I'm also getting the control panel so I don't have to run everything with scripts anymore.

    What I do feel sorry for are the people over at Alabanza. I'm going to be paying the same price as my first server, but getting a better processor.

    BTW, I have a friend that lives in the Washington area, he's dropped off additional RAM to install into my server at their NOC, and it's not a cage.

    IMO, save $$$ on the setup fees is like getting more than a free month. And when my first lease to own is done, I'll actually be making a couple of bucks.

    Chris Ruim
    http://www.cowboycasino.com







  5. #5
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    Superb NOC

    I had my buddy from Vienna, Virginia visit Superb's NOC in DC this evening. He dropped in there this evening when he was in Georgetown for dinner.

    To sum up what he told me: their NOC, based in Washington DC Georgetown area, is in a solid built 10 storey red brick building and takes up the east wing of it. He was there around 9pm local time. He saw three people in: two Systems Admins and one "Systems Support." Supposedly they have a policy of having at least two sysadmins in 6am-11pm Monday to Friday and one 6am-11pm on weekends, and at least one Systems Support from 11pm-6am, which is a training-to-be-sysadmin position. They also have a night every week dedicated to complex client server upgrades when they have sysadmins in too. He said their people seemed very knowledgable, and were working on fixing some hacked into client colo server of theirs. He was given a tour of the facilities and said it's exactly as on the pictures on their site. He saw four long racks of servers, three and a half of them full. They're using Chatsworth (sp?) megaframe racks, which are supposedly expensive, but he said they looked really good, aluminum, solid build. There's still room to quadruple growth in where they have from what he saw. He said he was very impressed with their wiring - labelling of wires, colour coding, and overall organization. Also he thought thier UPS and power systems were cool. Supposedly the building is on dual power grids, and ever since it was build in the 1970s has never had power go out for more than a few minutes, while the area has blacked out occasionally. That's why they said picked the site. He also saw some new fibre build taking place, supposedly an additional OC-12 SONET ring being brought in by MFS (that's two redundant OC-12s).

    Overall, my buddy told me that the Superb NOC, which goes by the name of hopone.net (they have created and own that company, which they say is totally separate, as it (hopone) hosts some significant competitors of theirs too - but they wouldn't disclose whom) seems to be well organized and built looking even better, he said, than pictures on their site. And well staffed too, with three or more on-site staff 6am-11pm, and one or two from 11pm-6am (he saw their schedules) and knowledgable people there.

    So, that's what I was told. I just thought I'd share it with others here, who may not have the time to visit or have someone they know visit their potential provider's NOC. IMHO it's very important to go and see the facilities, or have someone you can trust do that, before locating your servers with anyone. Make sure your provider owns and operates their own NOC, their people know what they're doing, and it is staffed sufficiently (three people, two high level sysadmins, in at 9pm on Saturday scores high on my score sheet).

    Well, that's enough babbling here. I just wanted to tell this to others. At least for me, this has made my choice clear. (Now if I can only decide, should I get their Superb Power Server server control panel/reseller tool or not...).

    Cheers,
    Brian

  6. #6
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    brc -

    Could you give us some references on what and where you've heard all of this good stuff about superb.net for the past 4 years?
    Steve Wood
    Wood Interactive, LLC www.woodinteractive.com
    Red Hot Hosting www.redhothosting.com

  7. #7
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    Lightbulb

    Brian,

    Just to clarify : one little thread doesn't necessarily mean a provider's bad and what not. It's when threads become consistently negative that you started to worry. I can't comment directly on Superb, since I've never used them. I only pass on comments I see in other forums regarding providers so that people can make an informed decision.

    The opposite is obviously true - one single positive thread about a web hosting provider doesn't necessarily mean the service is truly good.

  8. #8
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    BC, yes of course. It's just that people often take it that way - one little thing, good or bad, and someone makes a big judgement on that.

    scwood, a number of places.

    1. web host rating sites. yes, we all know how subjective those have become now. but back in 1997 and 1998 it wasn't that bad. superb was always in the top lists. It still is. It's not everything, but it stands for something.
    This site summarizes some of their current positions http://www.webhostmagazine.com/ft/in...=61&Display=20 and also they always keep getting more awards and good reviews, such as http://www.webhostmagazine.com/wh/EH/ec_full.asp?ID=132

    2. comments by customers on various host listing sites (good, and bad)

    3. comments by customers in newsgroups (alt.webmaster, alt.web.sites, etc.)

    4. comments by customers on various mailing lists

    5. exposure in press. Fortune Magazine, Interactive World, something from or about them in every issue of the Web Hosting Magazine (print).

    6. talking to people I know. Superb has always hosted a lot of small to mid size resellers, and a two of acquaintaces of mine know someone who uses them as resellers (has for last 3 years) and say they've been very happy.

    7. hearing and seeing their participation in the industry. they're really active. For example, their CEO is on the Board of Advsiors of the Web Host Expo ( http://www.whexpo.com ). One of only two hosting companies on its board. It'll be, it looks like, the first real, big, web host industry convention / expo. Them being one of two hosting companies picked to advise on the expo seems to be quite meaningful.

    8. I remember that they were the first to use Virtual DNS. Back in early 1997 no one else offered it and they were the first to "invent" (or so they say) and introduce the service. Same for name based hosting compatible with all browsers (HTTP/1.0) too.

    Personally for me, their innovation in technology and industry participation makes the biggest difference. It shows that they know what they're doing and are in the industry for the long run, not just in to make a quick buck like so many others are.

    Anyway, this is just my impression and my opinions...
    (and yes, I do spend far too much time on the net reading on and remembering such things!!)

  9. #9
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    I don't know anything about Superb, but I do know about host rating sites. What you said simply isn't true. They were just as big a lie two years ago as they are today. Being at the top of the lists means nothing (other than the host is paying for a lot of advertising).

    My last two hosts before I got my own server were both highly rated companies at most of these sites. The last one, Media 3, is currently rated the top spam haven on the Internet and I can attest that their service was less than satisfactory. You'll find it at the top of most any rating site you come across. That's how useless ratings are.

    Reviews and awards mean nothing. Interland was a PC Magazine Editor's Choice and yet is now poorly rated by many former users and is also a spam haven.

    Most of your other means for assessing the suitability of a host are valid ones, but the first one has no merit whatsoever.

    [Edited by Duster on 09-24-2000 at 05:28 PM]
    Techcellence - Business Specialists and Information Resource
    http://techcellence.net

    Information on selecting a host and other things related to an Internet presence at http://techcellence.net/information

  10. #10

    Post yep

    Originally posted by Duster
    Being at the top of the lists means nothing
    Very true indeed. I have seen some terrible reviews... well, fraud rather... I have never trusted those lists anyway.
    Regards,
    # Coreace 837462

  11. #11
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    Ok, maybe I'm just being suspicious but to me it seems odd two new members roll up all of a sudden, and start chatting about how wonderful a host is when general opinion (in this thread) seems to indicate the opposite. Also same two members both happen to have 'a guy' in the area of the NOC conveniently about to go check the place out - to BOTH drop off RAM by the way. At least their IP numbers are different, though that's no big thing.

    I'm the first to admit the world's a pretty small place, but sometimes things don't smell right - and this is one of those times. All apologies to those concerned should it be my error.... but I don't think it is...

    Advertising in a proper place is good.
    Advertising in a thread is bad.
    Lying as to who you are to boost the rep of a company is downright disgusting.

    Greg Moore
    http://www.akashik.net
    Former Webhost... now, just a guy.

  12. #12
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    I agree, Greg. I was kind of alluding to that when I asked for references above. This does smell very bad to me.

    I'm glad I'm not the only one who sensed this...
    Steve Wood
    Wood Interactive, LLC www.woodinteractive.com
    Red Hot Hosting www.redhothosting.com

  13. #13
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    Well, you can think what you want, it's a free country after all. But in this case you'd be wrong. At least as far as I am concerned.

    Just because there are a few bad apples out there, doesn't mean the whole lot is bad and everyone is lying. But I agree, there is a lot of that going on.

    Cheer up. Be meery. Cheers,
    Brian

  14. #14
    Anonymous Coward Guest

    Post

    Well, one thing I can say that's funny about superb.net is the backbone connectivity they claim they have.

    GlobalCrossing, Qwest, Level3, Teleglobe

    I'm looking at routes from route-server.exodus.net, which has direct connectivity to all four, and has all of the routes they're announcing. I see routes through GlobalCrossing and Teleglobe, but if superb has connectivity to Level3 or Qwest, then it's only superb that's aware of it; neither Level3 or Qwest are advertising routes to http://www.superb.net.

    Basically, that means that even IF superb does have connectivity to Qwest and Level3, nobody will be delivering traffic to them over them, since there are no routes in the global internet to reach superb via them...

    If you want to verify what I've said, and you know anything about routing and cisco IOS, route-server.exodus.net is a public router you can see routes off of. What you're primarily interested in is:

    http://www.superb.net points to 216.23.151.4 and 207.228.225.56.

    I'm going to throw out the results for 216.23.151.20, it's colocated with what appears to be AT&T Canada, but whatever it is, it doesn't seem to be superb... which brings up questions -- why do they feel they need to colocate outside of their own NOC?

    You're interested in 207.228.225.56.

    telnet route-server.exodus.net
    show ip bgp 207.228.225.56

    It'll show you routes through ASNs 6453 and 3549, which are Teleglobe and Global Crossing respectively, but you'll see no routes through Qwest or Level3.

    Why is that? I don't know exactly. Maybe the lines are down right now, maybe they're in provisioning, but whatever the reason, they're NOT up right now as I post tihs.

  15. #15
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    Good point AC. A quick check (after bugging my Dad to take a break from doing his CCNP reading) confirms what he says.

    It's worth checking in about 12 hours whether the same applies; if so, then I think someone just might be in a bit of trouble.

  16. #16
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    *whoops*

    Looks like somebody may have just screwed themselves with an attempted ad boost. Hopefully companies trying to fake there way into getting more clients will see this thread, and understand there's some freakishly talented people who come here (not including myself in the slightest btw). Honesty and integrity are always valued assets no matter where you are, or what you do in life. Any short term gain made through deception, in time will usually return threefold (at least) against you. In the modern world of the 'quick buck' and cut and run businesses people are understandably suspicious of others. When things don't 'smell right' they are checked out and if proved genuine then are accepted. If they prove to be false promises or downright lies then they get the derision they deserve (and a public flogging).

    Sadly these types of operations work as there are still plenty of people who trust in the honesty of their fellow human beings. By preying on this trust it's easy pickings for them and they get rich at the expense of the hard earned dollars of others. It's not only amoral, but illegal. The freedom of the internet is something to be valued and cherished and should never be constricted by government or industry law.

    (removed a rather large political/philosophical diatribe here *lol*)

    My first post on the issue hoped you were a genuine person and I still do. Things aren't looking good for you though. Maybe a small ad in the right section may have been better.

    Greg Moore
    http://www.akashik.net
    Former Webhost... now, just a guy.

  17. #17
    Anonymous Coward Guest

    Connectivity update

    Roughly 24 hours later, they're still only advertising routes out through Global Crossing and Teleglobe.

    So, as of right now, still no connectivity through Level3 or Qwest.

    Again, though, like I said, it could just be that the lines are in provisioning (ie, they've already contracted them, they just haven't been installed yet), or they're down. It's impossible to draw "hard" conclusions from this data other than that RIGHT NOW, their connectivity to Level3 and Qwest is impossible to verify, and either isn't being used well, or are non-existant.

  18. #18
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    looking glass

    Easier to use looking glass tools (web instead of telnet): http://nitrous.digex.net/
    these can become handy.

    Interesting how almost no provider has all the lines active they claim. DN doesn't have the one to Teleglobe, though they say they do, and Dialtone says they have a line to Exodus that they don't. Seems to be a common trend. Interesting to have brough it attention.

    As coward said here, the lines are probably in provisioning.

    Also interesting how some small resellers, like akashik.net, use these forums to thrash and insult others just trying to promote their own little business... seems like unless you are thrashing someone here, there's no room for you in these forums (I always thought the point of these was to discuss dedicated hosting issues and share ones findings and experiences). I do feel a bit insulted, but, well, it's probably all kids here anyway. I guess there's no point posting here, unless it's a thrashy insulting post.

  19. #19
    "Also interesting how some small resellers, like akashik.net, use these forums to thrash and insult others just trying to promote their own little business.."

    This is not the appropriate forum for people to "promote their own little business". That is why Matt created the advertising forum a wee bit down. Stealth spam is just as unappreciated as outright spam. Please note this is not to say that you were doing this. But this it what Greg was referring to when he made his post.
    Annette
    Hosting Matters, Inc.
    Superior service. Sensible price.

  20. #20
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    Originally posted by brc779
    I do feel a bit insulted, but, well, it's probably all kids here anyway. I guess there's no point posting here, unless it's a thrashy insulting post.
    How grown up of you to insult all of us in parting. It's a common ploy among those who have done wrong to attack those who have caught them red handed at breaking the rules and to put themselves in the role of martyr.

  21. #21
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    Re: looking glass

    Originally posted by brc779

    Also interesting how some small resellers, like akashik.net, <snip>
    Hmm.. it appears I've had an interesting day today... I'm the first to stand up and accept I may be wrong in what I think, but I stand by my comment. I usually won't open my mouth unless I'm very sure of something and in this case I felt it warranted - and I hassen to add was not the only one to think so.

    Call my 'childish' if you will - my hide is pretty thick.

    Greg Moore
    http://www.akashik.net
    Former Webhost... now, just a guy.

  22. #22
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    Thumbs down


    wow. I have noticed a lot of brawling on the list today!

    Is there a full moon out or something

    David
    Systematic Software
    david.iyoha@systware.com
    http://www.systware.com

  23. #23
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    Yes, there's a full moon out. You can see it at http://diverlink.com/files/icons2.htm

  24. #24
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    Originally posted by Duster
    Yes, there's a full moon out. You can see it at http://diverlink.com/files/icons2.htm
    LOL

    levity ... at last!

    David
    Systematic Software
    david.iyoha@systware.com
    http://www.systware.com

  25. #25
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    Re: Re: looking glass

    Originally posted by akashik
    Hmm.. it appears I've had an interesting day today... I'm the first to stand up and accept I may be wrong in what I think, but I stand by my comment. I usually won't open my mouth unless I'm very sure of something and in this case I felt it warranted - and I hassen to add was not the only one to think so.
    Greg, I applaud your actions...I thought the original post was suspect from the beginning, but didn't have the "bravery" to be the first to speak out. You gave me the courage to at least back you up!

    You know what they say, "If it quacks like a duck..."
    Steve Wood
    Wood Interactive, LLC www.woodinteractive.com
    Red Hot Hosting www.redhothosting.com

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