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Hi,
I'm a web developer who hosts approx. 20 sites with this number likely to increase to around 40 over the next 12 months. I have managed a dedicated Linux server for a number of years but it is time to upgrade and I'm tired of having to manage updates, etc. So, I've decided to look for a fully managed server, that allows me to do general maintenance, such as adding new sites, SSL certs, etc, using a web based control panel.
I'm looking for following kind of package.
~ 2GHz, 1GB RAM, Linux.
100GB month bandwidth.
5 IPs initially, potentially more in future.
Automated backups.
cPanel and WHM control panels.
Good telephone support.
Fully managed (server provider performs updates, maintenance, etc).
Root access.
Flexible (I want to be able to tweak PHP settings, potentially adding new modules or would like the provider to do this for me - for a fee if necessary)
Reliable in terms of uptime and support.
Server must be in UK (with UK IPs).
Any recommendations or advice would be much appreciated. I have dealt with a few hosting providers before and in my experience many of the cheapest have been unreliable. I am hoping I can get something good though for approx. ?0 month but I may not be very realistic here. Please tell me if not.
Cheers!
Steven£50 is not realistic at all, unfortunately. I'd suggest taking a look at <!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.coreix.net">www.coreix.net</a><!-- w --> though.I would advise trippling your budget to about £150 + VAT and then you might be getting close to the requirements. UK hosting is not as cheap as the USRusI would advise trippling your budget to about ?50 + VAT and then you might be getting close to the requirements. UK hosting is not as cheap as the US
I was afraid this may be the case, lol. Is there a particular requirement I detailed in my first post that could be reduced to bring down the price?
For example, I stated 100GB bandwidth but 10GB would be a healthy minimum for me at the moment (as long as additional bandwidth can be purchased if needed).
I have no idea how much additonal IPs cost, etc, so would reducing the number of IPs to 2 or 3 bring the price down significantly?
Most of my sites are small and I could perform my own backups if this would bring the price down further.
I may have to look at a reseller account if I can't get the price down significantly (definately under ?00 month) but I'd liek to avoid this if poss.
CheersWell a rough price break down (General figures for a medium level datacenter on a high commit of machines)cPanel License £15/mocost of hardware (Decent spec machine) £30/mocost of colocation £25-30/mo per machineThats £85/mo excluding VAT for a decent box. Add on support costs/ bandwidth and profit..Quickly adds upThank you vaserv, that was very useful.
I will have another look at my budget to see if I can get raise it to £100 - £120 month, or more, although I don't think I can justify more than that at this time.
With a revised budget of around £100, with a slightly relaxed set of requirements as listed below, can anyone point me in the direction of some good potential hosts?
Mid-level hardware (~2GHz / 512MB RAM / Linux/BSD).
Minimum 10GB month bandwidth (extra available at reasonable cost).
2 IPs (with additional available at reasonable cost).
cPanel and WHM.
Fully managed (security updates, new versions installed, etc).
Telephone support.
Reliable.
Hosted in UK (with UK IP addresses).
Root access.
Cheers!Even 100 is barely scratching the surface for a decent managed server.
Couple of points:
1) If you want root access, most good managed companies will not help you. It is not possible to have you AND the management company both with root access, since there is no way for them to really offer a true guarantee if you have root and can muck things up at any time.
If you have a good managed company doing your server admin, then you shouldn't need root. You can get root WHM, which should be enough for most of your stuff, and then contact them for anything specific that truly requires root execution.
2) Your price is not realistic, unless you don't really need true managed services. But if you're looking for a company that offers true management, with phone support, quick response, etc.. you should double or triple your price. Consider the prices charged by a company like <!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.rackspace.com">www.rackspace.com</a><!-- w -->. Do you really need that level of service? That's what I consider true management.. and there's not a chance you'll get that for 100 pounds.
That all being said, I believe <!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.rochen.com">www.rochen.com</a><!-- w --> offers managed services in the UK. You could try contacting them for a quote.Actually rackspace in the UK do have servers starting around the £140 mark. .. This is above your budget and would be plesk but if you want good management at a good price and were willing to up your budget the extra £40 then talk with them. You wont regret it.
-MattI think what you should do is get any server that looks good to you from the UK, and then hire someone like Platinumservermanagement to do the administration work for you. That will be much cheaper. I think there are better companies who do admin work. In your case, however, seeing as you are strapped for cash, they are the cheapest and still do comparable work. I am not too familiar with UK providers, unfortunately. If I was, I would throw some names at you. Can I ask why you want a UK provider? You can get a very nice server on the East Coast of the US and not give up too much latency (if you are on a good network). You also won't find too many providers who will give you just 100GB of transfer per month. The standard minimum is around 1TB with a few still providing 500GB and maybe one or two providing 300GB. If you want to get only 100GB of transfer, you'll have to colo and that is a whole other ball game.EDIT: I stand corrected. Just saw that serverpronto offers servers from $29/mo. I don't know about CPanel, UK or Management options they offer, but, they do come with just 200GB of transfer. 
You also won't find too many providers who will give you just 100GB of transfer per month. The standard minimum is around 1TB with a few still providing 500GB and maybe one or two providing 300GB. If you want to get only 100GB of transfer, you'll have to colo and that is a whole other ball game.
Bear in mind that this is because most hosts bundling huge amounts of bandwidth with dedicated servers are overselling it to a huge degree. If someone actually used the full amount they were paying for in a lot of cases the host would barely break even and in extreme cases I know of, their uplink ports would be saturated. It might be worth checking with a provider whether this is the case (although I doubt you'd find many who would tell you the truth).
If you're after something like this perhaps look for a smallish host who will be flexible and agree to put together bespoke packages for you.
For a managed service anywhere even close to your budget I'd recommend picking up a good quality server in UK and then spending $30 - $50 on a management plan from someone like serverwizards or platinumservermanagement. You might even be lucky and find a host who can arrange this management for you so you only get 1 monthly invoice
KrisIf you want root access, most good managed companies will not help you. It is not possible to have you AND the management company both with root access, since there is no way for them to really offer a true guarantee if you have root and can muck things up at any time.
I'm not too bothered about having root access, in fact, I'd rather not have it as long as the hosting provider would be willing to do a couple of small things:-
- Possibly make minor PHP configuration file changes.
- Keep me informed of updates of Apache / MySQL / PHP so I can make sure sites are ok. The idea of a host performing a major update to MySQL that breaks compatibility is the kind of thing that worries me.
Actually rackspace in the UK do have servers starting around the ?40 mark. .. This is above your budget and would be plesk but if you want good management at a good price and were willing to up your budget the extra ?0 then talk with them. You wont regret it.
Am I allowed to ask if Rackspace is generally accepted as being a well renowned and reliable business to go with? I've read some good recommendations and have spoken briefly to a sales guy on their site's 'live chat' but have not seen any prices yet. ?40/mo upwards is not out the question if I can have total piece of mind. I will check out Plesk again, but I like what I've seen of cPanel / WHM so a provider in the same kind of league as Rackspace but offering and supporting cPanel would be my preference. Can I ask for other UK alternatives offering Rackspace type reliability / pricing?
I am not too familiar with UK providers, unfortunately. If I was, I would throw some names at you. Can I ask why you want a UK provider? You can get a very nice server on the East Coast of the US and not give up too much latency (if you are on a good network).
You also won't find too many providers who will give you just 100GB of transfer per month. The standard minimum is around 1TB with a few still providing 500GB and maybe one or two providing 300GB. If you want to get only 100GB of transfer, you'll have to colo and that is a whole other ball game.
I think my main concern would have been added latency and that the server's IPs would be registered US. I was under the belief that Google paid some attention to IP Geography for ranking some sites. Would I really be ok with going with a US company? Seems quite a bit cheaper, what other things are there to consider? If they offer 24/7 support, email or telephone doesn't seem like a major concern even with the time difference.
As for bandwidth, I won't turn my nose up at 1TB, only likely to use 100GB tops though.
Thanks for all advice so far, any more suggestions much appreciated.Steven,
It might be worth your while just firing off a few emails to providers in the UK that look like they might be able to help and once you whittle down that list based on their responses, perhaps post a list here and ask for some opinions?
Hosts aren't actually allowed to advertise here but it's normally a good thing to start chatting to a few potentials early on as they might be able to offer some useful suggestions which, even though you don't end up buying from them, will help you make a decision later.
Kind regards,
KrisIt might be worth your while just firing off a few emails to providers in the UK that look like they might be able to help and once you whittle down that list based on their responses, perhaps post a list here and ask for some opinions?
Thanks Kris. I'll start doing that now and give an update in a couple of days time.
CheersGiven your budget, and the number of domains you host, you may find it better to go for a multiple-domain account to start with and then move to a dedicated server when your budget allows for a quality soution. Be very careful to check that the level of management provided matches what you want.
Going with a rock-bottom-price server with little or no managment will quickly come back to bite you when you have a problem with an important customer's website and can't get any support from your provider!I'm not too bothered about having root access, in fact, I'd rather not have it as long as the hosting provider would be willing to do a couple of small things:-
- Possibly make minor PHP configuration file changes.
- Keep me informed of updates of Apache / MySQL / PHP so I can make sure sites are ok. The idea of a host performing a major update to MySQL that breaks compatibility is the kind of thing that worries me.
Am I allowed to ask if Rackspace is generally accepted as being a well renowned and reliable business to go with? I've read some good recommendations and have spoken briefly to a sales guy on their site's 'live chat' but have not seen any prices yet. ?40/mo upwards is not out the question if I can have total piece of mind. I will check out Plesk again, but I like what I've seen of cPanel / WHM so a provider in the same kind of league as Rackspace but offering and supporting cPanel would be my preference. Can I ask for other UK alternatives offering Rackspace type reliability / pricing?
I think my main concern would have been added latency and that the server's IPs would be registered US. I was under the belief that Google paid some attention to IP Geography for ranking some sites. Would I really be ok with going with a US company? Seems quite a bit cheaper, what other things are there to consider? If they offer 24/7 support, email or telephone doesn't seem like a major concern even with the time difference.
As for bandwidth, I won't turn my nose up at 1TB, only likely to use 100GB tops though.
Thanks for all advice so far, any more suggestions much appreciated.
Before making our decision to goto rackspace we tryed:
netbenefit - (came out at ?70 a month for same spec as we got at rackspace - because of wanting 100gig bandwidth)
There response to emails were slow and while I got the initial quote over chat the follow up email promised never arrived.
Datapipe - (Only real competition we could see to rackspace as far as service, but they couldnt beat our rackspace quote and there best would have been ?98 a month)
Sounded like a nice setup however I couldnt justify the extra they charge.
DSVR - (Said for ?00 they could only do their VPS package)
Didn't get a dedicated server quote.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
That was back in July.. Maybe try Datapipe to see what they can offer you as they are definatly a tight operation... Rackspace quality I couldnt say as I havent tryed them. But feedback on WHT is good.
-Matt
I'm a web developer who hosts approx. 20 sites with this number likely to increase to around 40 over the next 12 months. I have managed a dedicated Linux server for a number of years but it is time to upgrade and I'm tired of having to manage updates, etc. So, I've decided to look for a fully managed server, that allows me to do general maintenance, such as adding new sites, SSL certs, etc, using a web based control panel.
I'm looking for following kind of package.
~ 2GHz, 1GB RAM, Linux.
100GB month bandwidth.
5 IPs initially, potentially more in future.
Automated backups.
cPanel and WHM control panels.
Good telephone support.
Fully managed (server provider performs updates, maintenance, etc).
Root access.
Flexible (I want to be able to tweak PHP settings, potentially adding new modules or would like the provider to do this for me - for a fee if necessary)
Reliable in terms of uptime and support.
Server must be in UK (with UK IPs).
Any recommendations or advice would be much appreciated. I have dealt with a few hosting providers before and in my experience many of the cheapest have been unreliable. I am hoping I can get something good though for approx. ?0 month but I may not be very realistic here. Please tell me if not.
Cheers!
Steven£50 is not realistic at all, unfortunately. I'd suggest taking a look at <!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.coreix.net">www.coreix.net</a><!-- w --> though.I would advise trippling your budget to about £150 + VAT and then you might be getting close to the requirements. UK hosting is not as cheap as the USRusI would advise trippling your budget to about ?50 + VAT and then you might be getting close to the requirements. UK hosting is not as cheap as the US
I was afraid this may be the case, lol. Is there a particular requirement I detailed in my first post that could be reduced to bring down the price?
For example, I stated 100GB bandwidth but 10GB would be a healthy minimum for me at the moment (as long as additional bandwidth can be purchased if needed).
I have no idea how much additonal IPs cost, etc, so would reducing the number of IPs to 2 or 3 bring the price down significantly?
Most of my sites are small and I could perform my own backups if this would bring the price down further.
I may have to look at a reseller account if I can't get the price down significantly (definately under ?00 month) but I'd liek to avoid this if poss.
CheersWell a rough price break down (General figures for a medium level datacenter on a high commit of machines)cPanel License £15/mocost of hardware (Decent spec machine) £30/mocost of colocation £25-30/mo per machineThats £85/mo excluding VAT for a decent box. Add on support costs/ bandwidth and profit..Quickly adds upThank you vaserv, that was very useful.
I will have another look at my budget to see if I can get raise it to £100 - £120 month, or more, although I don't think I can justify more than that at this time.
With a revised budget of around £100, with a slightly relaxed set of requirements as listed below, can anyone point me in the direction of some good potential hosts?
Mid-level hardware (~2GHz / 512MB RAM / Linux/BSD).
Minimum 10GB month bandwidth (extra available at reasonable cost).
2 IPs (with additional available at reasonable cost).
cPanel and WHM.
Fully managed (security updates, new versions installed, etc).
Telephone support.
Reliable.
Hosted in UK (with UK IP addresses).
Root access.
Cheers!Even 100 is barely scratching the surface for a decent managed server.
Couple of points:
1) If you want root access, most good managed companies will not help you. It is not possible to have you AND the management company both with root access, since there is no way for them to really offer a true guarantee if you have root and can muck things up at any time.
If you have a good managed company doing your server admin, then you shouldn't need root. You can get root WHM, which should be enough for most of your stuff, and then contact them for anything specific that truly requires root execution.
2) Your price is not realistic, unless you don't really need true managed services. But if you're looking for a company that offers true management, with phone support, quick response, etc.. you should double or triple your price. Consider the prices charged by a company like <!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.rackspace.com">www.rackspace.com</a><!-- w -->. Do you really need that level of service? That's what I consider true management.. and there's not a chance you'll get that for 100 pounds.
That all being said, I believe <!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.rochen.com">www.rochen.com</a><!-- w --> offers managed services in the UK. You could try contacting them for a quote.Actually rackspace in the UK do have servers starting around the £140 mark. .. This is above your budget and would be plesk but if you want good management at a good price and were willing to up your budget the extra £40 then talk with them. You wont regret it.
-MattI think what you should do is get any server that looks good to you from the UK, and then hire someone like Platinumservermanagement to do the administration work for you. That will be much cheaper. I think there are better companies who do admin work. In your case, however, seeing as you are strapped for cash, they are the cheapest and still do comparable work. I am not too familiar with UK providers, unfortunately. If I was, I would throw some names at you. Can I ask why you want a UK provider? You can get a very nice server on the East Coast of the US and not give up too much latency (if you are on a good network). You also won't find too many providers who will give you just 100GB of transfer per month. The standard minimum is around 1TB with a few still providing 500GB and maybe one or two providing 300GB. If you want to get only 100GB of transfer, you'll have to colo and that is a whole other ball game.
EDIT: I stand corrected. Just saw that serverpronto offers servers from $29/mo. I don't know about CPanel, UK or Management options they offer, but, they do come with just 200GB of transfer. You also won't find too many providers who will give you just 100GB of transfer per month. The standard minimum is around 1TB with a few still providing 500GB and maybe one or two providing 300GB. If you want to get only 100GB of transfer, you'll have to colo and that is a whole other ball game.Bear in mind that this is because most hosts bundling huge amounts of bandwidth with dedicated servers are overselling it to a huge degree. If someone actually used the full amount they were paying for in a lot of cases the host would barely break even and in extreme cases I know of, their uplink ports would be saturated. It might be worth checking with a provider whether this is the case (although I doubt you'd find many who would tell you the truth).
If you're after something like this perhaps look for a smallish host who will be flexible and agree to put together bespoke packages for you.
For a managed service anywhere even close to your budget I'd recommend picking up a good quality server in UK and then spending $30 - $50 on a management plan from someone like serverwizards or platinumservermanagement. You might even be lucky and find a host who can arrange this management for you so you only get 1 monthly invoice
KrisIf you want root access, most good managed companies will not help you. It is not possible to have you AND the management company both with root access, since there is no way for them to really offer a true guarantee if you have root and can muck things up at any time.
I'm not too bothered about having root access, in fact, I'd rather not have it as long as the hosting provider would be willing to do a couple of small things:-
- Possibly make minor PHP configuration file changes.
- Keep me informed of updates of Apache / MySQL / PHP so I can make sure sites are ok. The idea of a host performing a major update to MySQL that breaks compatibility is the kind of thing that worries me.
Actually rackspace in the UK do have servers starting around the ?40 mark. .. This is above your budget and would be plesk but if you want good management at a good price and were willing to up your budget the extra ?0 then talk with them. You wont regret it.
Am I allowed to ask if Rackspace is generally accepted as being a well renowned and reliable business to go with? I've read some good recommendations and have spoken briefly to a sales guy on their site's 'live chat' but have not seen any prices yet. ?40/mo upwards is not out the question if I can have total piece of mind. I will check out Plesk again, but I like what I've seen of cPanel / WHM so a provider in the same kind of league as Rackspace but offering and supporting cPanel would be my preference. Can I ask for other UK alternatives offering Rackspace type reliability / pricing?
I am not too familiar with UK providers, unfortunately. If I was, I would throw some names at you. Can I ask why you want a UK provider? You can get a very nice server on the East Coast of the US and not give up too much latency (if you are on a good network).
You also won't find too many providers who will give you just 100GB of transfer per month. The standard minimum is around 1TB with a few still providing 500GB and maybe one or two providing 300GB. If you want to get only 100GB of transfer, you'll have to colo and that is a whole other ball game.
I think my main concern would have been added latency and that the server's IPs would be registered US. I was under the belief that Google paid some attention to IP Geography for ranking some sites. Would I really be ok with going with a US company? Seems quite a bit cheaper, what other things are there to consider? If they offer 24/7 support, email or telephone doesn't seem like a major concern even with the time difference.
As for bandwidth, I won't turn my nose up at 1TB
, only likely to use 100GB tops though.Thanks for all advice so far, any more suggestions much appreciated.
Steven,It might be worth your while just firing off a few emails to providers in the UK that look like they might be able to help and once you whittle down that list based on their responses, perhaps post a list here and ask for some opinions?
Hosts aren't actually allowed to advertise here but it's normally a good thing to start chatting to a few potentials early on as they might be able to offer some useful suggestions which, even though you don't end up buying from them, will help you make a decision later.
Kind regards,
KrisIt might be worth your while just firing off a few emails to providers in the UK that look like they might be able to help and once you whittle down that list based on their responses, perhaps post a list here and ask for some opinions?
Thanks Kris. I'll start doing that now and give an update in a couple of days time.
CheersGiven your budget, and the number of domains you host, you may find it better to go for a multiple-domain account to start with and then move to a dedicated server when your budget allows for a quality soution. Be very careful to check that the level of management provided matches what you want.
Going with a rock-bottom-price server with little or no managment will quickly come back to bite you when you have a problem with an important customer's website and can't get any support from your provider!I'm not too bothered about having root access, in fact, I'd rather not have it as long as the hosting provider would be willing to do a couple of small things:-
- Possibly make minor PHP configuration file changes.
- Keep me informed of updates of Apache / MySQL / PHP so I can make sure sites are ok. The idea of a host performing a major update to MySQL that breaks compatibility is the kind of thing that worries me.
Am I allowed to ask if Rackspace is generally accepted as being a well renowned and reliable business to go with? I've read some good recommendations and have spoken briefly to a sales guy on their site's 'live chat' but have not seen any prices yet. ?40/mo upwards is not out the question if I can have total piece of mind. I will check out Plesk again, but I like what I've seen of cPanel / WHM so a provider in the same kind of league as Rackspace but offering and supporting cPanel would be my preference. Can I ask for other UK alternatives offering Rackspace type reliability / pricing?
I think my main concern would have been added latency and that the server's IPs would be registered US. I was under the belief that Google paid some attention to IP Geography for ranking some sites. Would I really be ok with going with a US company? Seems quite a bit cheaper, what other things are there to consider? If they offer 24/7 support, email or telephone doesn't seem like a major concern even with the time difference.
As for bandwidth, I won't turn my nose up at 1TB
, only likely to use 100GB tops though.Thanks for all advice so far, any more suggestions much appreciated.
Before making our decision to goto rackspace we tryed:
netbenefit - (came out at ?70 a month for same spec as we got at rackspace - because of wanting 100gig bandwidth)
There response to emails were slow and while I got the initial quote over chat the follow up email promised never arrived.
Datapipe - (Only real competition we could see to rackspace as far as service, but they couldnt beat our rackspace quote and there best would have been ?98 a month)
Sounded like a nice setup however I couldnt justify the extra they charge.
DSVR - (Said for ?00 they could only do their VPS package)
Didn't get a dedicated server quote.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
That was back in July.. Maybe try Datapipe to see what they can offer you as they are definatly a tight operation... Rackspace quality I couldnt say as I havent tryed them. But feedback on WHT is good.
-Matt