Re: Host recommendation? (AffordableHost escape plan)

comphelp@toddh.net (Todd H.) wrote in news:84d5s46vbg.fsf@ripco.com:

> Basically, I'm looking for the Affordablehost of old and an easy
> transition for about 12 domains. What's important to me:

Im sure you will get many suggestions but Id like to pop in a couple of
comments. Not to piss anyone off, but it sounds like you are ready to
move up.

(A) Cheaper sites are cheaper sites. That comes with pros and cons.

(B) All eggs in one basket also comes with pros and cons. Ease of
watchdogging but also having everyone mad at you at the same time if
things go wrong. Even if you find a new hosting site I would look into
making sure that your customers have proper split DNSs (primary and
secondary). And split sites have advantage also when things fall out. Id
have other recommendations also about fortifying domains.

(C) It sounds like you have a very involved list of desires in a hosting
site. If you have knowledge above the average user then maybe you could
consider doing a host. Its really not a huge step up. Any old junk
computer in the closet would handle a hundred customers with full ISP
services quite easily. And probably much better than anyplace that they
will share the machine with hundreds of other sites and have to operate
with heavy restrictions

Other than that Im afraid I have no recommendations. I run a server for
all my ISP needs, and have accounts with an excellent service for things
I dont care to play with but its definetly not a site which would
consider itself affordable when compared to others.

Gandalf Parker
--
I used them, they used me
now I am my ISP.
With a knick-knack paddy-whack
debian linux clone
I am now my /root at /home

On 06 May 2005 Todd H. wrote in alt.www.webmaster

> I'm considering maybe splitting
> folks across two places because one's bound to go to hell at some
> point

Ain't that the truth.

--
Don

comphelp@toddh.net (Todd H.) wrote in news:84sm109jo5.fsf@ripco.com:


> I appreciate your response however. I'm considering maybe splitting
> folks across two places because one's bound to go to hell at some
> point and it'd be nice to have the fleixbility to move folks around
> quickly in case of trouble.

OK then keep these things in mind (and for other readers). No matter who
you have, and no matter how they make it sound, you are NOT stuck using
ALL of their services. And to jump from company to company trying to find
one that does everything perfect is asking for a heart condition. Search
for one that does key features well and then piecemeal the other services
across the net.

DNS: If the site goes down, and DNS works, it lessens the blow. It shows
that the site exists, and most sites will hold email for 5 days of
delivery efforts before bouncing it back to the sender. Primary and
Secondary DNS used to be traded by sites on different sides of the
country, on different power grids, on different backbones. Very stable.
Now, you check a sites primary and secondary dns the IPs are 1 number off
from each other and the traceroute is completely the same except for the
very last hop. Thats just fakery. There is no way to even tell that its
not 2 IPs on the same machine. IF you see that then I recommend you
arrange your own secondary with someone else. The primary should be
whoever has the nicest managment tools for it.

EMAIL: same thing with emails. Having the secondary MX on the same
system, same company, same power grid, same backbone.. rather defeats its
purpose. SInce many hosting companies tend to do email badly I often use
the hosting company as the secondary while I use an email service as
primary.

WEB PAGES: split pages up. My favorite formula is to use a stable, multi-
homed, nice managemnt tools, CGI supportingm does backups, has backup
power supply, hosting site with great support.. for the main page.
Usually to keep the price down that comes with the detriments of small
storage, small bandwidth limits or pay by bandwidth use, and very little
perks in things like email. THEN I shop for a cheap site which offers
none of those good features but lots of storage and bandwidth, which
usually comes with some shakiness in whether or not they will stay up.

But now you have a stable front page. It will always be there. Put large
graphics and sound files and downloads on the cheap site. If that site
disappears then the page is still there but some graphics just dont work.
The backend site is easily replaced. Link to web forums or blogs or
anything else you want to add but keep them on other sites than the main-
page one.

BARTER: sometimes you can barter your services for ones you need. (by the
way I have a server with a lot of crappy web pages which is why Ive begun
hanging out here Just kidding. I dont offer even half of the
services you wanted.

Gandalf Parker