Web Hosting Talk : Web Hosting Main Forums : Dedicated Server : From Reseller to Dedicated (hostgator)

[safari]

Hello ALL,
In the next few weeks i will be moving from a reseller account to a dedicated server. Im currently with Hostgator and i plan on using their dedicated servers.Currently ive nearly maxed out the reseller plan i have with them and i feel that with a dedicated server i will be able to expand further. My knowledge with dedicated servers is not at all good but im a quick learner.My major concern are security issues, currently ALL my clients cannot email "hotmail" and "yahoo" users, hotmail returns a message saying that the "Reasons for rejection may be related to content with spam-like characteristics or IP/domain reputation problems".. while yahoo messages are not at all delivered.
- Do you think I should look elsewhere for a dedicated server citing similar problems may occur when i switch over?
- How can i prevent such incidents and ensure that my (dedicated)server is secure BEFORE i acquire it?
-What are the main points i should outline and question Host gator prior to switching?
- If hostgator is having such issues on their servers as they mentioned to me that someone was spamming off their servers, how convinced can i be that i will acquire something secure?
**I would like to continue with hostgator**

I appreciate any suggestions/concerns.

[kennethhood]

Hi-

Been where you are at 4 years ago. I am webmaster for hundreds of insurance agent websites. (mylocalagent.net) You need two things (trust me I learned the hard way)... affordable, reliable, and semi-small dedicated hosting. Stay away from larger outfits... they are always "good" but expensive (Rackspace is the "gold standard) or too small and too new. Or they are too large (though affordable (GoDaddy) and hence, impersonal. I have traveled this road, and now been with HostNexus for a little over a year... excellent service, reasonable response times, affordable servers, and PLESK (PLESK rocks). And if you have major issues or questions, you get excellent detailed answers from one of the two owners, Mike and Laurence. Their integrity and experience is what you need.
IN ADDITION my friend, you need your own Sys Admin on the side for all those "dumb" questions you don't even know you have yet (wait til you have your own server- wow). I use an awesome Sys Admin, affordable at 50/hour... he's in the UK, Pete Smith, linuxbox.co.uk He explains anything in simple English, and is creative with solutions. He's the guy who helps me sleep at night, and I use him on average less than an hour a month... I just keep a little prepaid so I can bug him when I need him. A guy like this is on a small retainer a MUST HAVE.

[safari]

Hello,
Thanks for the advice! So i got that marked ie have a dedicated System Administrator, i actually used plesk while i was with ipower and i didnt like it at all, cpanel has definitely helped me alot!! So plesk is out of the question.
Thats nice that the owners of hostnexus can take their time to write to you, i havent had any major issues with hostgator's service, they respond within reasonable time and im impressed that Brent the owner sometimes follows up on particular issues on here.Im having a look at hostnexus site right now, but i can imagine its all pretty the same..

[kennethhood]

good- wish you well, again, best thing I ever did was get a "guy in my corner" because, as they say down South... "he hasn't got a dog in the fight" so he's impartial and will give it to you straight

[safari]

i saw hostnexus has plesk only..im looking at the .co.uk site where your sys admin is located, a sys admin who you can rely on is inevitable and thanks for that!! if i use him i will tell him you referred me

[kennethhood]

I don't get a referral fee, so if you forget, no worries I really want to start helping a little more in WHT because I have benefited so much by reading all the posts over the years

[safari]

Ive just been browsing the site and indeed, that guy is exactly what i would need knowing my knowledge with servers, i would like to buy the book too from amazon.THANKS for that information, its been amazing reading your other posts,..contributing to WHT is a great idea!!Thanks, i would like to just keep in touch too

[kennethhood]

I'll be checking in WHT from now on at least on the weekends, so you can always PM me (at least I think you can... haven't tried it yet

[Vinayak_Sharma]

Moving over to dedicated...

When dealing with a dedicated, you have to have a look at various aspects:

Keeping your server secure & updated (and that is not a one time job)
Keeping it tuned for performance (again not a one time job)
Bandwidth consumption control (DDoS, SPAM etc.)
Most important Backup Backup Backup at some other location.
Contingency plan (how easy it will be to move your site or restore from backup) incase you need to move somewhere else. Will you be prepared?

Have you planned them?

Since you said, currently you are not much experienced with Administration of a dedicated server, I will suggest have a look at a managed VPS provider (still you can always hire a third party/person to fix things) where they offer some sort of backup plan or you can buy some backup plan from companies like http://www.bqinternet.com

Now the control panel part, I have never used Plesk so I am not aware how good it is at backup/restore or moving accounts directly. Whereas since I have used cPanel I know its super easy to configure automation of daily, weekly or monthly backup, moving accounts between two cPanel servers is again a simple task. cPanel is more popular, their are more providers, you get a huge community to ask questions to get solutions and many real good Server Management companies like http://www.platinumservermanagement.com where for $29.00/month your server is looked after by them.

So do some more extensive research and decide wisely.

[safari]

i Just had a look at the platinum server management and its definitely something to look into or again hire a sys admin as suggested in a few other posts, the fact that they are conversant with cpanel i think in the process i can learn alot too. Thanks very much for this information and to answer your qsns about the security etc, i see that this particular company offers alot of that for a very reasonable fee for us smaller companies.I would like to research abit about this company.
Thanks AGAIN!

[Vinayak_Sharma]

My point is not just about hiring this company or any other similar one, my point is about proper planning before going for a dedicated server, some of the points I had mentioned will be taken care of by a server management company, but then you will have to plan for things like backup, contingency, business continuity etc.

[safari]

sure vinsar! i totally understand that!! the site u refered me to is definitely relevant, im not in a particular rush either but either way its a move i have found necessary to take.im slowly planning it and carefully doing my research