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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    Massachusetts
    Posts
    48

    Looking for a Dedicated Server

    Hey everyone,

    I'm on the prowl for a dedicated server. Here are my concerns in order from highest to lowest:

    1. The quality of management, how much the technicians can/will do, and how available they are by phone and through email.
    2. The amount of monthly bandwidth allowed and the specifications on the server.
    3. Monthly cost. I'm looking to keep the costs of the dedicated server between $200 and $350 per month. I'd be paying on a month to month basis.

    I'm located in Massachusetts, USA.

    <snipped>

    Suggestions from the community here are definitely welcome!

    Thanks!
    Last edited by ldcdc; 09-04-2009 at 07:39 PM.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Posts
    3,784
    liquidweb.com

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Oregon
    Posts
    295
    First off, just know that I am pretty sure it is against WHT rules for a provider to contact you as advertising, you have to use the find a host button, http://www.webhostingtalk.com/web-hosting-providers/
    Have a great day!
    -Jacob
    iWebFusion [AS397373] - 6 US datacenters offering shared, reseller, dedicated, VPS and Colo
    California (x2) | Oregon | Iowa | North Carolina | Nevada

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    Massachusetts
    Posts
    48
    Oh. I wasn't aware of that. Thank you for letting me know.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    Massachusetts
    Posts
    48
    Hm, well it's too late for me to edit it again. :[

  6. #6
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    Iowa
    Posts
    1,139
    I always found it hard to find a good dedicated server provider and I really do not think I'm alone. It honestly took me awhile before I found SoftLayer and I've been extremely happy with there level of service I've received.

    It's completely true, "you get what you pay for". I'm glad to see you understand that with a budget at $200.00 or $300.00. I see all to offer people wanting wonderful dedicated servers for $70.00 'per' month - not possible. Best of luck to you! I hope you find a great server and datacenter.
    We develop brand identity for the web.
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  7. #7
    Given your first point, does that mean your looking for a managed server ?
    Data Republic - UK Managed Servers - Server Management - Managed Backup/R1Soft
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  8. #8
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Location
    EU - east side
    Posts
    21,920
    Hm, well it's too late for me to edit it again. :[
    Post edited. You can always report your post if you need to edit it after 15 minutes while you can do it yourself.

    Please read http://www.webhostingtalk.com/announcement.php?f=1&a=59 as well.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    1,355
    How much bandwidth do you require?

    What location of the server would you prefer?

    Any special requirements such as a control panel, management etc?
    ServerTag Technologies - Everything you need for hosting activity
    A Canadian company providing top notch site hosting, servers and colocation services

  10. #10
    Looking around you can certainly find good hosts to meet the specifications that you have mentioned.

    Keep in mind that in most cases the quality and level of management is going to be tied to your costs and be very certain that you define the levels of management with your choice as what many may call managed hosting is really semi-managed.

  11. #11
    Maybe what you can do is get a server from one company. And get another company to take care of your server. There are some good server management companies. Take a look around WHT.

    That would actually get you the best combination.
    More than decade with webhosting!

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    Massachusetts
    Posts
    48
    Yes, I am looking for a managed server. As managed as humanly possible, in fact.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    Massachusetts
    Posts
    48
    Quote Originally Posted by sTag-Dan View Post
    How much bandwidth do you require?

    What location of the server would you prefer?

    Any special requirements such as a control panel, management etc?
    I'm looking for at least 4TB's of bandwidth per month, and I personally prefer cPanel along with Shell and Root access.

    As I mentioned in my last post, I would like for my server to be as managed as possible.

    My budget can be extended as far as $400 per month if the provider, the server, and the service all turn out to be worth it.

  14. #14
    It's harder to get recommendations when you don't answer the questions people have asked you, since managed is not the same everywhere, and not every company offers management for all Linux distributions, or at all when it comes to Windows.

    If you're expecting management that will hold your hand and add simple things for you in your control panel, it might be more costly, as a lot of companies only deal with your server's backend, keeping things patched and working, as well as most likely not offering any sort of support for your applications or 3rd party applications running on the server.
    478east
    High Bandwidth Servers
    Custom Hosting Solutions

  15. #15
    So, Fully managed with cPanel and 4TB of bandwidth. For under $400 a month.

    That sounds doable, but what sort of spec are you looking for ?

    Or do you want the provider to advise on that, based on what you will use it for.

    With management & cpanel your going to get root accessin the form of access to WHM, but having root ssh access while doable does somewhat negate the fully managed effect.

    If you have an idea on the spec and location, I'm sure that will help you get some recommendations.
    Data Republic - UK Managed Servers - Server Management - Managed Backup/R1Soft
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    R1Soft Agents Monthly !

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    Massachusetts
    Posts
    48
    The server is going to be running a social networking website that's going to have an audio/video chatroom among other things which is why the bandwidth is a big concern of mine. As such, I'm just looking for a server that has scalability and stability to perform such tasks day in and day out so recommendations from providers and users here is definitely appreciated.

    More than anything, knowing that I do have Root/SSH access is good in case I have a website developer or someone who needs to go access something like the SSH as part of an installation for something or to modify something existing to suit our needs. It's more of a "just in case" than anything else.

    Location isn't a huge concern as long as it isn't somewhere all the way across the US or in another country.

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Houston, Texas, USA
    Posts
    3,262
    Besides getting a beefy server initially, you could take advantage of virtualization tools to ensure that your server is portable and upgradeable. With a Xen server you will have the ability to migrate the whole instance to another beefier server should you need more resources.

    For example, if you start out with a quad core running Linux+Xen as the kernel and later on find out your server can't handle the load as it is, ask the provider to live migrate your server to a 8-core or 16-core server. The live migration is accomplished with zero downtime (thanks to virtualization). No configuration changes are involved in the process. Not even IP or DNS.

    As discussed, support is key. The meaning of "managed" amongst providers varies greatly unfortunately. So be sure to get those support questions out of the way (and keep copies of the conversation handy just in case .

    Regards
    UNIXy - Fully Managed Servers and Clusters - Established in 2006
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  18. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by cristibighea View Post
    as a lot of companies only deal with your server's backend, keeping things patched and working, as well as most likely not offering any sort of support for your applications or 3rd party applications running on the server.
    True, managing your server and the applications that you choose to deploy can be two very different things. While you should certainly expect your host to be familiar with running a server it is very doubtful that they will have anyone familiar with a particular piece of software and this is why you would normally have a webmaster or make sure that the vendor for the software has good support.

    Keep up good lines of communications with your host, not only with your expectations for your current requirements but with your expectation for future growth so that you can develop a seamless migration plan.

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Manila
    Posts
    301
    Quote Originally Posted by AGDave View Post
    Oh. I wasn't aware of that. Thank you for letting me know.
    Maybe next time you can read the rules first before posting?

    Regarding your point #1, are you looking for a provider that can offer you full management? Or maybe are you open to option of getting management elsewhere? It may be cheaper doing that.

  20. where are you located again?

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