Thanks for looking at yet another one of these threads...here's my situation: I'm starting a new site that will be mostly database driven (mysql) and I'm figuring a managed dedicated server is my best option.
?Although traffic won't initally be high, it could get busy after a few months and by going for dedicated initially, I'll avoid the hassle of migrating from a shared plan down the road. Is there another option that makes more sense?
?I'm familiar with cpanel/whm and would most likely want that installed. I checked out Plesk which seemed confusing to me and direct admin which was a bit easier to find my way around. Is there any reason not to stick with cpanel/whm despite the extra monthly fee?
?Given my limited knowledge of server administration (I'm not a complete noob, but not THAT experienced), I figure that I'm better off with a managed plan where I can call support at any time and get problems solved quickly. Can I get away with self-managed and not have to deal with major server headaches?
?I'd like to find something under $200/month, and maybe even under $150/month. Is it possible to find something reliable in that price range?
Thanks in advance for any advice, suggestions and recommendations for hosts.
-RobThis post should be moved to the Managed Servers forum.Hi Rob,I think you have the right idea - but, I think that you might be better served by not having a control panel (at least on the server itself). This will allow you to grow a little bit more than you would if the control panel was loaded onto the server, which would give you a bigger revenue stream for the same ammount of money that you'd be paying for the server (the same could be said about DNS services). Did you have any server specs in mind for your server? If you can give us an idea of what kind specs you'd be looking for, I'm sure we could give you a better idea as to where to look
. Also, for every prospective host that you contact - I would ask them what their definition of management is, as it tends to vary wildly from company to company.Hope this helps....Rob, For around $200 you can get a Dual Xeon with Dual HDDs, for around $150 you can get a Dual Pentium 4For manged $200 you could get an "ok" server, as if it really is managed that should cost between $50-$150. As someone said before, make sure you ask about what they considre managed.yeah, right! with such money I think you can get good stuffThanks for the replies.
If I don't have a control panel installed on the server, how would I do things like set up email, view stats, create and edit databases, etc.?
As far as server specs, it's tough to say, simply because I don't know what would be required. The biggest priority is speed for anyone visiting the site. Will users notice a difference between a Pentium 4 3GHz and a 2.2Ghz 512KB Cache Athlon64? (I use those as an example because that's what I've found within my budget from a couple of hosts that get high marks from WHT users.)If I don't have a control panel installed on the server, how would I do things like set up email, view stats, create and edit databases, etc.?Well, I never said no control panel entirely - just that it shouldn't be installed on the server itself. Control panels like H-Sphere run off a centralized CP server for the cluster (which your server would be plugged into), which means that only services such as Apache, MySQL, FTP Server, E-Mail Server, etc., etc. would be installed on your server - with everything being controlled from another server on the same network.Hope this clarifies things....• I'm familiar with cpanel/whm and would most likely want that installed. I checked out Plesk which seemed confusing to me and direct admin which was a bit easier to find my way around. Is there any reason not to stick with cpanel/whm despite the extra monthly fee?Cpanel while is easier for some clients to get used to, it's also a little bit of a resource hog compared to some of the other controlpanels out there. So if you do need a control panel - if at all - then choosing directadmin would be a better idea. It's a very low on resource useage comparatively. • Given my limited knowledge of server administration (I'm not a complete noob, but not THAT experienced), I figure that I'm better off with a managed plan where I can call support at any time and get problems solved quickly. Can I get away with self-managed and not have to deal with major server headaches?Self managed servers are great for people who have a lot of experience in dealing with systems. I would suggest getting a managed server even if you are somewhat of a power user. Cost of fiing problems after the fact will run sometimes into $$$'s later. Not dealing with the hassel is important at the beginning. • I'd like to find something under $200/month, and maybe even under $150/month. Is it possible to find something reliable in that price range?For the best pricing possible - have a look at the offering section on the site. Also , post the kind of hardware you are wanting. $200-ish is a good budget and you should be able to get a very nice start up server at that price.
?Although traffic won't initally be high, it could get busy after a few months and by going for dedicated initially, I'll avoid the hassle of migrating from a shared plan down the road. Is there another option that makes more sense?
?I'm familiar with cpanel/whm and would most likely want that installed. I checked out Plesk which seemed confusing to me and direct admin which was a bit easier to find my way around. Is there any reason not to stick with cpanel/whm despite the extra monthly fee?
?Given my limited knowledge of server administration (I'm not a complete noob, but not THAT experienced), I figure that I'm better off with a managed plan where I can call support at any time and get problems solved quickly. Can I get away with self-managed and not have to deal with major server headaches?
?I'd like to find something under $200/month, and maybe even under $150/month. Is it possible to find something reliable in that price range?
Thanks in advance for any advice, suggestions and recommendations for hosts.
-RobThis post should be moved to the Managed Servers forum.Hi Rob,I think you have the right idea - but, I think that you might be better served by not having a control panel (at least on the server itself). This will allow you to grow a little bit more than you would if the control panel was loaded onto the server, which would give you a bigger revenue stream for the same ammount of money that you'd be paying for the server (the same could be said about DNS services). Did you have any server specs in mind for your server? If you can give us an idea of what kind specs you'd be looking for, I'm sure we could give you a better idea as to where to look
. Also, for every prospective host that you contact - I would ask them what their definition of management is, as it tends to vary wildly from company to company.Hope this helps....Rob, For around $200 you can get a Dual Xeon with Dual HDDs, for around $150 you can get a Dual Pentium 4For manged $200 you could get an "ok" server, as if it really is managed that should cost between $50-$150. As someone said before, make sure you ask about what they considre managed.yeah, right! with such money I think you can get good stuffThanks for the replies.If I don't have a control panel installed on the server, how would I do things like set up email, view stats, create and edit databases, etc.?
As far as server specs, it's tough to say, simply because I don't know what would be required. The biggest priority is speed for anyone visiting the site. Will users notice a difference between a Pentium 4 3GHz and a 2.2Ghz 512KB Cache Athlon64? (I use those as an example because that's what I've found within my budget from a couple of hosts that get high marks from WHT users.)If I don't have a control panel installed on the server, how would I do things like set up email, view stats, create and edit databases, etc.?Well, I never said no control panel entirely - just that it shouldn't be installed on the server itself
. Control panels like H-Sphere run off a centralized CP server for the cluster (which your server would be plugged into), which means that only services such as Apache, MySQL, FTP Server, E-Mail Server, etc., etc. would be installed on your server - with everything being controlled from another server on the same network.Hope this clarifies things....• I'm familiar with cpanel/whm and would most likely want that installed. I checked out Plesk which seemed confusing to me and direct admin which was a bit easier to find my way around. Is there any reason not to stick with cpanel/whm despite the extra monthly fee?Cpanel while is easier for some clients to get used to, it's also a little bit of a resource hog compared to some of the other controlpanels out there. So if you do need a control panel - if at all - then choosing directadmin would be a better idea. It's a very low on resource useage comparatively. • Given my limited knowledge of server administration (I'm not a complete noob, but not THAT experienced), I figure that I'm better off with a managed plan where I can call support at any time and get problems solved quickly. Can I get away with self-managed and not have to deal with major server headaches?Self managed servers are great for people who have a lot of experience in dealing with systems. I would suggest getting a managed server even if you are somewhat of a power user. Cost of fiing problems after the fact will run sometimes into $$$'s later. Not dealing with the hassel is important at the beginning. • I'd like to find something under $200/month, and maybe even under $150/month. Is it possible to find something reliable in that price range?For the best pricing possible - have a look at the offering section on the site. Also , post the kind of hardware you are wanting. $200-ish is a good budget and you should be able to get a very nice start up server at that price.