04-08-2010, 01:50 AM
Choosing a good host....
In my opinion when looking for a host you need to do quite a bit of research. If you are the buyer looking for hosting you want a company that has experience, good support and a good price. Depending on what your hosting you will pay more for better support or a better host, Why people who are looking for hosting just look for the cheapest and fastest thing they can find is beyond me. They don't understand you get what you pay for, but hey its cheap right that's the only thing that matters right ? Wrong. Think, sure you getting a good price but how good is your quality ? Does the support staff care about your problem or are you just another account number to them? also Using support tickets are they responsive with quick and accurate data or do they give you the same old same old which a lot of hosts do. Its time to put a little more money forward so receive so much better. This goes for all Shared, Reseller, VPS and dedicated servers.
What i found when choosing a host was that look for a a company who is still growing and not "Huge" yet in the industry. I have found that the big web-hosts out there don't really care about you, they have thousands of other clients that are paying why should they care if your dissatisfied ? But then again you don't want to go and pick a host that completely new and doesn't know everything yet. That's just not a good idea, if you have a problem and they don't knows whats wrong or where to start fixing it your defiantly in trouble. I found that host that have been around for a few years and that are still growing who have a good amount of clients do perfectly there is a good balance of knowledge and support. So basically they have been around to know what they are doing but at the same time do care greatly about your satisfaction.
When researching your host its always a good idea to just do something as simple as a google search with the word "Review" right after the host name, yes i know real basic stuff but you will find alot of forums dedicated to hosting reviews and you will find out any problems people have had with the host and how the host handles their problems and their response times. Also even just talking to their online support fine out if they are using their own servers and where they are located of if they are just a reseller from somewhere such as "ThePlanet", "FDC Servers" or "SoftLayer". Them being resellers of these major companies isn't that bad, usually if you good you can spot when a host is a reseller. (Maybe that's just me seeing how i am currently a reseller of "ThePlanet" and i see the deals resellers get everywhere and its a give away, such as most hosts offering only 2000gb bandwidth plans on dedicated servers.) Never the less Do your research.
All of the above goes with any type of hosting you are looking for but you might need something specific, or need to host something which not all hosts allow such as IRC, Proxies, Porn, Warez, Photo or file uploading sites. Most of what i have just mentioned most hosts will not allow you to host on their basic Shared or reseller packages. For instance Proxies tend to use high amounts of the cpu meaning if you were on shared hosting your proxies could affect the server which in turn would affect everyone else hosted on that server. Same goes for Photo / File upload sites they require high amount of disk space and a host who shows that they offer "Unlimited" space and bandwidth (which isn't true simply cause of the fact that it doesn't exist) wont allow you to host such content, they will probably label it under abuse.
If you having one of the problems about then its time for you to upgrade to a VPS or a Dedicated server. Yes this is a little more pricey but then again you have a lot more resources. Now instead of you using shared hosting which there could be 200 other clients of the same server as you you pay more and now are able to use a certain set of the cpu and ram available for the server (Assuming you are going with a VPS [Virtual Private Server]). But dont go over board when you don't need to, there is always the choice to upgrade when you need to. No bother paying some outrageous amount of money for the best of the best when your websites are just starting out. Most hosts when upgrading will transfer everything for you to your new server assuming you are moving to dedicated. Sure they probably wont advertise this but think about it. Your basically telling them you are wanting to give them more money but need a way to transfer your data from server to server, if you talk to them enough they will do it for you.
Now, if your on a dedicated server there are a whole bunch of new responsibilities, As well as your monthly price is going to go up, but as i stated before so reason to just jump into dedicated servers when all you need is a VPS with median specs. Now that you have your dedicated server you will start having to learn more about it as in knowing what OS (Operating System) to use as well as what CP (Control Panel) to get and will most likely have to pay licensing fees depending on what you choose, But yes there are free ones. Also you will now be setting up your own nameservers is you didn't already do when you had a VPS meaning now your domains are going to use your hosts generic nameservers which are most likely "NS1.YOURHOST.com" and "NS2.YOURHOST.COM" they once you set them up will be for example "NS1.YOURDOMAIN.COM" as well as "NS2.YOURDOMAIN.COM" or what every you would like.
Not to scare any ones but the problems you come into will be more difficult when using a VPS or Dedicated server for several reasons. When hosts set up their shared hosting they set the servers they use for shared to a good all around configuration. When on the other hand when you are using your own dedicated server you are configuration the server to the best possible configuration for what ever you are hosting. But never fear this is where you can always ask your host for help IF you have bought or your server comes with support. You can find good deals on servers but they will not be managed and the host will provide very little assistance with your problems. But then again on the other hand, you could pay more and get your server managed, which cause be more stress free for you if you come into problems. Depends on your budged and what your intentions of hosting are.
There is another option you could do for hosting, which is Colo (Colocation Hosting) which in simple terms is you buying or building your own server then paying a data center to allow you to run your server and use their bandwidth basically just house the server. But there are many different options you need to consider while doing Colo. Some might be for instance how far away if your data center you plan to use and are you able to visit on site and modify you server as you wish ? You will also need to provide your data center with the power, bandwidth and space needs for your server also such as if its rack mounted or tower. Also your server specs is it cheaper for you to spend all that money on a server and pay for Colo which is a lot cheaper then paying for a Dedicated server, but how long with that server be up to data ? Do you plan on upgrading it or would it be cheaper for you to use a different method besides Colo.
There are just some things to consider while choosing the right host for you.
I hope this has helped some people with their decision.
The thoughts and opinions stated here are just of my own (fattwam) you may have different views on all of this.
Thanks for reading, and what do you think ?
fattwam
In my opinion when looking for a host you need to do quite a bit of research. If you are the buyer looking for hosting you want a company that has experience, good support and a good price. Depending on what your hosting you will pay more for better support or a better host, Why people who are looking for hosting just look for the cheapest and fastest thing they can find is beyond me. They don't understand you get what you pay for, but hey its cheap right that's the only thing that matters right ? Wrong. Think, sure you getting a good price but how good is your quality ? Does the support staff care about your problem or are you just another account number to them? also Using support tickets are they responsive with quick and accurate data or do they give you the same old same old which a lot of hosts do. Its time to put a little more money forward so receive so much better. This goes for all Shared, Reseller, VPS and dedicated servers.
What i found when choosing a host was that look for a a company who is still growing and not "Huge" yet in the industry. I have found that the big web-hosts out there don't really care about you, they have thousands of other clients that are paying why should they care if your dissatisfied ? But then again you don't want to go and pick a host that completely new and doesn't know everything yet. That's just not a good idea, if you have a problem and they don't knows whats wrong or where to start fixing it your defiantly in trouble. I found that host that have been around for a few years and that are still growing who have a good amount of clients do perfectly there is a good balance of knowledge and support. So basically they have been around to know what they are doing but at the same time do care greatly about your satisfaction.
When researching your host its always a good idea to just do something as simple as a google search with the word "Review" right after the host name, yes i know real basic stuff but you will find alot of forums dedicated to hosting reviews and you will find out any problems people have had with the host and how the host handles their problems and their response times. Also even just talking to their online support fine out if they are using their own servers and where they are located of if they are just a reseller from somewhere such as "ThePlanet", "FDC Servers" or "SoftLayer". Them being resellers of these major companies isn't that bad, usually if you good you can spot when a host is a reseller. (Maybe that's just me seeing how i am currently a reseller of "ThePlanet" and i see the deals resellers get everywhere and its a give away, such as most hosts offering only 2000gb bandwidth plans on dedicated servers.) Never the less Do your research.
All of the above goes with any type of hosting you are looking for but you might need something specific, or need to host something which not all hosts allow such as IRC, Proxies, Porn, Warez, Photo or file uploading sites. Most of what i have just mentioned most hosts will not allow you to host on their basic Shared or reseller packages. For instance Proxies tend to use high amounts of the cpu meaning if you were on shared hosting your proxies could affect the server which in turn would affect everyone else hosted on that server. Same goes for Photo / File upload sites they require high amount of disk space and a host who shows that they offer "Unlimited" space and bandwidth (which isn't true simply cause of the fact that it doesn't exist) wont allow you to host such content, they will probably label it under abuse.
If you having one of the problems about then its time for you to upgrade to a VPS or a Dedicated server. Yes this is a little more pricey but then again you have a lot more resources. Now instead of you using shared hosting which there could be 200 other clients of the same server as you you pay more and now are able to use a certain set of the cpu and ram available for the server (Assuming you are going with a VPS [Virtual Private Server]). But dont go over board when you don't need to, there is always the choice to upgrade when you need to. No bother paying some outrageous amount of money for the best of the best when your websites are just starting out. Most hosts when upgrading will transfer everything for you to your new server assuming you are moving to dedicated. Sure they probably wont advertise this but think about it. Your basically telling them you are wanting to give them more money but need a way to transfer your data from server to server, if you talk to them enough they will do it for you.
Now, if your on a dedicated server there are a whole bunch of new responsibilities, As well as your monthly price is going to go up, but as i stated before so reason to just jump into dedicated servers when all you need is a VPS with median specs. Now that you have your dedicated server you will start having to learn more about it as in knowing what OS (Operating System) to use as well as what CP (Control Panel) to get and will most likely have to pay licensing fees depending on what you choose, But yes there are free ones. Also you will now be setting up your own nameservers is you didn't already do when you had a VPS meaning now your domains are going to use your hosts generic nameservers which are most likely "NS1.YOURHOST.com" and "NS2.YOURHOST.COM" they once you set them up will be for example "NS1.YOURDOMAIN.COM" as well as "NS2.YOURDOMAIN.COM" or what every you would like.
Not to scare any ones but the problems you come into will be more difficult when using a VPS or Dedicated server for several reasons. When hosts set up their shared hosting they set the servers they use for shared to a good all around configuration. When on the other hand when you are using your own dedicated server you are configuration the server to the best possible configuration for what ever you are hosting. But never fear this is where you can always ask your host for help IF you have bought or your server comes with support. You can find good deals on servers but they will not be managed and the host will provide very little assistance with your problems. But then again on the other hand, you could pay more and get your server managed, which cause be more stress free for you if you come into problems. Depends on your budged and what your intentions of hosting are.
There is another option you could do for hosting, which is Colo (Colocation Hosting) which in simple terms is you buying or building your own server then paying a data center to allow you to run your server and use their bandwidth basically just house the server. But there are many different options you need to consider while doing Colo. Some might be for instance how far away if your data center you plan to use and are you able to visit on site and modify you server as you wish ? You will also need to provide your data center with the power, bandwidth and space needs for your server also such as if its rack mounted or tower. Also your server specs is it cheaper for you to spend all that money on a server and pay for Colo which is a lot cheaper then paying for a Dedicated server, but how long with that server be up to data ? Do you plan on upgrading it or would it be cheaper for you to use a different method besides Colo.
There are just some things to consider while choosing the right host for you.
I hope this has helped some people with their decision.
The thoughts and opinions stated here are just of my own (fattwam) you may have different views on all of this.
Thanks for reading, and what do you think ?
fattwam
![[Image: LiGzX.png]](http://imgur.com/LiGzX.png)