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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    Australia
    Posts
    19

    Which hosting for multiple sites/domains?

    hi

    I'm now fortunate to have enough time to start developing a few websites myself and a friend have in mind.

    So we're looking for a cheap, reliable and fast host that can help provide and work with us as/if our sites grow and require 1 or more dedicated servers.

    However, here's what we'll need:

    • The ability to host multiple sites on the same hosting (each with different domains)
    • We'll probably be using a CMS for each site
    • A fairly large space and bandwidth
    • Anything else we should be looking at? PHP and MySQL will be a must.


    Questions:

    1. What sort of hosting would you recommend?
    2. Shared hosting won't allow multiple domain hosting right?
    3. So do you think we should get a reseller hosting and then when/if we need it upgrade to a dedicated server?
    4. Is it better to get a host locally - i.e. in the same country? I'd like to support a local business (and this may also give us the ability to do #6 down the list), although they are very expensive here (Australia).
    5. I can see us eventually requiring multiple dedicated servers. Any hints/tips that we should do now to prevent problems moving to 1 or more dedicated servers later on?
    6. Is it possible to setup a deal with a host where you can actually buy your own servers (i.e. the hardware) and have the host set these up... so that it costs a lot less to use their servers? e.g. I've heard that the site digg.com does this and have about 7 dedicated servers which they bought and have had a host setup for them.
    7. Any recommendations on a host that meets our needs etc?


    Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

    cheers

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    United States
    Posts
    173
    What sort of hosting would you recommend?
    - You'd be best off with a reseller host. Probably a mid-sized company.

    Shared hosting won't allow multiple domain hosting right?
    - Depends on the hosting and configuration. Most hosts allow addon domains, which basically gives you a folder to put your site (with a secondary domain), but it doesn't have it's own control panel.

    So do you think we should get a reseller hosting and then when/if we need it upgrade to a dedicated server?
    - Generally a good way to do things.

    Is it better to get a host locally - i.e. in the same country? I'd like to support a local business (and this may also give us the ability to do #6 down the list), although they are very expensive here (Australia).
    - Local businesses rarely have mission critical web sites, and rarely have sites that need to be ultra fast. I'd say you'd be best off going with a more affordable host located in the US or Europe.

    I can see us eventually requiring multiple dedicated servers. Any hints/tips that we should do now to prevent problems moving to 1 or more dedicated servers later on?
    - Get a datacenter/company you like. It's always easier to do things over the same network.

    Is it possible to setup a deal with a host where you can actually buy your own servers (i.e. the hardware) and have the host set these up... so that it costs a lot less to use their servers? e.g. I've heard that the site digg.com does this and have about 7 dedicated servers which they bought and have had a host setup for them.
    - This is called co-location. You basically buy the server, and they plug it into their network, and some hosts will manage it, others won't - depends on what plan you get.

    Any recommendations on a host that meets our needs etc?
    - Hmm. Lots of good reseller hosts out there. Type in 'hosting reviews' in Google, and check out some of the reseller ones. See what you can come up with there, and then search here at WHT. You'll probably get a fairly good idea of how good it'll be. If you want to go dedicated, try EV1Servers or The Planet. I've used both, and have been impressed.

    Best of luck!

  3. #3
    I disagree with Douglash.

    You won't need a reseller package. There are many companies that allow more than one domain per account. This could save you a lot of money.

  4. #4
    I can see us eventually requiring multiple dedicated servers. Any hints/tips that we should do now to prevent problems moving to 1 or more dedicated servers later on?
    You can prevent that unless you don't want your website to grow. What you can do is optimize your website for better performance (webserver, sql,...). I have a large forum (400-700 online in any moment) which is running on a unique box.
    Easy Image Hosting - http://easyimagehosting.net
    Your ultimate image hosting

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2001
    Posts
    1,339
    Quote Originally Posted by treelovinhippie
    we're looking for a cheap [and] reliable
    You should probably give the whreviews.com articles on overselling and uptime guranatees the quick once-over. "Cheap" and "reliable" aren't as synonymous as you may think.

    Trip

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Posts
    771
    If you want to go Australian, then what about this?

    http://www.webhostingtalk.com/search.php?searchid=52561

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    Hanoi
    Posts
    4,309
    the first Australian name comes to my mind is Dotable. However, their servers are in the US, not in Australia. I agree with Douglas in most answers For more details of your first question: take a look at your needs: you are controlling your sites, so you can have all of them within a shared hosting account. Just ask the host for add-on domains. However, think about this: if you lost password, all your sites might disappear. If you have reseller account, you can divide each domain to different account, so if you lost one password, other might still be safe (of course, you need to check again your system then)

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Posts
    771
    Dotable is specifically aimed at hosting multiple domains within a single account.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    Australia
    Posts
    19
    Does Dotable have dedicated servers?

    As I'd prefer to be able to get the reseller or regular hosting and then have the option for a good dedicated server from the same host so that it'll be easier to transfer.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Posts
    771
    Quote Originally Posted by treelovinhippie
    Does Dotable have dedicated servers?
    I don't think so, but I'd email their support (sales@dotable.com), explain the situation & what you want to be able to do & see what they propose. Gives you a chance to check out their support & expertise before going further too.

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