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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Fort Worth
    Posts
    265

    Cool VPS Experiences for a Newbie

    Hello All,
    I decided that I would post my experience of the several VPS companies I have tried over the past several months to try to help anyone looking for their first VPS. I am definitely a newbie with regards to managing one and I am coming from shared hosting.

    I was/am with Dreamhost's shared hosting package to start with and honestly it was their introduction of 'VPS' packages that got me thinking I would like my own. I put VPS in quotes with regards to them because they are not really a VPS but more of a secured resources option as they don't give you root access and you manage everything from their control panel, which is actually very functional. But as time went on I noticed my annoyance grow with the limitations and I began to search for a real VPS. That is when I found WHT.

    The pros of Dreamhost are obvious:
    1. More space than I ever need/use
    2. Cheap prices
    3. Friendly support

    The cons are also obvious if you have been a customer for a while:
    1. Random network issues
    2. Peak slowdown
    3. Low grade servers

    My requirements were fairly simple and common I suppose. I wanted a server with a datacenter close to texas and I wanted as much bang for my buck as possible. The main thing I was going to host was my family website (a gallery2 installation) and I wanted to have a vps so I could learn linux and have a project to play with.

    After searching the forums and offers here I decided to try out webkore.net. I used a 20% off coupon making it $67 and had a VPS with 1500megs of ram, 50gigs disk and 750 gigs of BW. The server performance was acceptable and the setup was quick. The unixbench test gave scores between 150-200 reliably and support was so so. My gallery installation had page loads of about a second for 20 images per index page. I was happy but became frustrated with the support. (It should be said that the VPS was unmanaged). I have to admit that webkore.net gave me exactly what they promised and had a good server, it was just not a good fit for me.

    Next I moved on to a deal with cheapvps.co.uk that I considered to good to be true. A high-spec 1.4gHz dedicated resource p4 with 2 gigs of ram, 100gigs disk and 2000BW. This was a holiday special they offered and I snatched it up for $70! Setup was a bit frustrating because it was incorrectly provisioned at first but that was rectified by Rus (great admin IMHO). The server was incredible. Unixbench scores of 250-300 and no problems. My gallery2 install loaded in less than a second for the same 20 image page and all was good. Being a novice I decided that I wanted to build the server without cpanel/whm (which I had been using at webkore.net as well). This is where my difficulty started. I got everything installed and working and my server load started being really high. This problem occurred after numerous rebuilds and support was initially somewhat indifferent and insisted that it was my fault somehow. Rus to the rescue again, the problem was incorrect settings in resolv.conf I am not sure what was incorrect as I used their FAQ to setup it up?! The time for this issue to be resolved was several hours. Before this issue was resolved for the last time I had already begun to search for another provider because it became obvious to me that I needed some form of support and not just unmanaged (blow to the ole ego :-)

    This is when I found zone.net and their vm800 (1152ram, 700BW, 55Disk). They had a holiday special for 20% off the $95 price and I jumped on it. Initial setup was like an hour and I had migrated my sites over within 2 with no trouble (again no cpanel). What attracted me to them was the managed support and 15000rpm disks. The server flies and my gallery2 install loads in less than .5 secs for the same 20 image page! The unixbench scores are 200. The thing that makes me believe I have finally found a fit is the support. I have had one support issue since the inception and that was download speeds. I was pulling 1500-2000k but should be able to pull almost 3000. The ticket was replied to in less then 10 minutes and they adjusted their script on the host for me. Wow!

    I don't fault ANY of the providers that I have done business with and I consider it a learning experience. All were great deals and good servers. I just needed to find out what company and level of service works for ME! I think I have finally found it with Zone.net

    I have really enjoyed learning and am becoming proficient in managing my vps with the help of WHT and all of the providers I have tried. I hope this helps any other newbies out there.

    My Family Website


    Have a great day unless you have made other plans :-)

  2. #2
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    /home/India/Kolkata
    Posts
    314
    That was a nice read...good luck.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Fort Worth
    Posts
    265
    Thanks for the kind words, hope it helps somebody in their research for a company!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    New York, NY
    Posts
    1,041
    Quote Originally Posted by paulg1981 View Post
    This is when I found zone.net and their vm800 (1152ram, 700BW, 55Disk). They had a holiday special for 20% off the $95 price and I jumped on it. Initial setup was like an hour and I had migrated my sites over within 2 with no trouble (again no cpanel). What attracted me to them was the managed support and 15000rpm disks. The server flies and my gallery2 install loads in less than .5 secs for the same 20 image page! The unixbench scores are 200. The thing that makes me believe I have finally found a fit is the support. I have had one support issue since the inception and that was download speeds. I was pulling 1500-2000k but should be able to pull almost 3000. The ticket was replied to in less then 10 minutes and they adjusted their script on the host for me. Wow!

    I don't fault ANY of the providers that I have done business with and I consider it a learning experience. All were great deals and good servers. I just needed to find out what company and level of service works for ME! I think I have finally found it with Zone.net

    paulg1981, thank you so much for your kind words and detailed review of our services! I'm very happy your pleased with everything, and my staff and I look forward to working with you for years to come. If there's anything I can do for you, let me know but have a good weekend!

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Fort Worth
    Posts
    265
    You just see a lot of posts flaming web hosts on the site and I wanted to try to give a fair evaulation of the companies I have tried. I feel like a lot of times, not always, people give a 'review' because of a bad experience. I know this is not always the case but I wanted to highlight the good of the companies as well as what I consider the problems. Glad you enjoyed it and thanks Sean.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Posts
    263
    That's a nice review paulq1981. I posted a similar one a few months ago when I had been with them for a year. The year and change I've been with them now has been painless. Good luck.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Fort Worth
    Posts
    265
    Always glad to hear someone telling me I made a good choice :-)

  8. #8
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Location
    New Hampshire
    Posts
    226
    Quote Originally Posted by paulg1981 View Post
    You just see a lot of posts flaming web hosts on the site and I wanted to try to give a fair evaulation of the companies I have tried. I feel like a lot of times, not always, people give a 'review' because of a bad experience.
    Why is it flaming if somebody has a negative experience with a webhost and shares that with the rest of us? I have seen just as many positive reviews here as negative reviews.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Fort Worth
    Posts
    265
    I didn't mean to imply that bad reviews were synonomous with flaming...I can see how you would read it like that. Many GOOD reviews with good and bad experiences

  10. #10
    Good reading...

    Thanks a lot

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