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Indecision-Keep doing shared reseller or go VPS?
| Posted by bettysue, 02-01-2005, 01:41 AM |
| Hi to all the guru's, guruettes, and newbies,
I have been lurking for a month or so doing reading, reading, and more reading here.
I am at the point where I need to decide whether to find yet another different shared reseller account, or go to an economic VPS plan.
I would say in the last 6-8 months, I have had to change reseller accounts about 4 times. Mainly due to downtime, MySql burps, server attacks on the host, poor technical support, etc.
I also get accounts at 2 different hosts and split the sites I host between them. I have added several small business shopping cart stores mainly using Zencart. That makes it even more important that I am on a stable service as if they lose business, so do I.
This is a venture I took on, as I enjoy web site design and am disabled and can't work at a regular job. Needless to say, I am not in the black yet, and am still in the low pricing to intice clients. This results in having to sign up with cheap sources, which is a neverending cycle of problems and loss of income. Loss of income is the last thing I can do because of my disability.
Right now I am hosting 26 small sites split between 2 reseller accounts. The accounts are with the same place, but the accounts are individual so I can have them on 2 different servers. Problem with this is the servers keep alternating going down.
I have read the reviews for both resellers and VPS providers. I have visited site after site. All that has done is confuse me even more as to what I should do.
As discussed here many times, I've been burned by the "to good to be true" deals, yet cost has to be a major factor for me.
Any to top it off, besides being physcially disabled - I'm a natural blonde!
Any advice, suggestions, and ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Thank You,
Betty
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| Posted by idologicJeff, 02-01-2005, 02:01 AM |
| I personally advise against VPS for purely financial reasons.
Comparing an advanced reseller account to a VPS with roughly the same resources, you get more from an advanced reseller, and often its less expensive.
Here is an argument:
VPS's require resources for the OS. This is the benefit of VPSs in that you get root. However not all of your resources are being used to support clients and accounts which presumably are paying for your expenses.
Advanced reseller accounts (although no root) do not attribute the diskspace being used by the OS, device drivers, network services or any of that to you. It is resources essentially eaten up by the host.
So if the advanced reseller account gives you X amount of resources which you can generate revenue from, and since most advanced resellers accounts are often at least as expensive as or less than VPS - this means that your revenue per metric resource has a higher return.
When you get a VPS (for root), there is a cost, and that cost is a lower return per metric resource.
Cheers
Jeff
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| Posted by genabit, 02-01-2005, 02:34 AM |
| Sounds like a good argument for going with an advanced reseller :-) I'm in the same boat as Betty.
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| Posted by reanncw, 02-01-2005, 03:06 AM |
| Seeing your situation, you would be best off with a reseller account. There's still those nitty gritty stuff about server administration which you wouldn't need to bother about if you use a reseller account.
BTW, you can always state your budget and requirements so that the members can recommend providers.
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| Posted by Profuse-Will, 02-01-2005, 03:09 AM |
| Thats correct server administration these days prices more than a VPS unless you know what your doing you should be fine. Or you can look for managed VPS which can help you out.
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| Posted by bryonhost1, 02-01-2005, 04:13 AM |
| Hi!
Plus...if you wanted to have a small VPS just to learn the nitty-gritty stuff...they are quite cheap..or at least...a small one is.
I've grown quite attached to my Virtuozzo VPS. I am so glad I can downgrade to the $29.95 level...or lower...if i want to keep it.
I have a ton of reseller accounts...and that's how I'm going to start. 24/7 monitoring by Alertra and Websitepulse. Fallover and load balancing as well as an option for outsourced DNS with UltraDNS. Fun..fun...fun!
Bryon
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| Posted by bettysue, 02-01-2005, 05:00 AM |
| I've seen some VPS offers for the under $30 range. Problem is that the disk space is lower than my current reseller accounts.
As Jeff pointed out, I had never even thought about the fact that the OS and add-ons would eat at the disk space. I have no clue how much space the OS, server software, i.e. Apache, Control Panel, WHM, Fantastico, Php, Perl, etc. would take up.
I've found a couple of managed VPS plans that look like they come with most of the needed software included/installed. Again however, I'm clueless as to how much space all this would consume.
I also have wondered if the ones that say you can reboot the server from your own computer, really do reboot on command.
For all I know, pushing the re-boot button, might just light up a red light where the server is, and someone walks over and kicks it to get it running again
If I had the extra $29.95/month, I would try a VPS out as well as keep my reseller account until I decided if I could handle the hosting required for the VPS.
Unfortunately, the $29.95 right now helps buy the cartons of cigarettes I suck down while waiting for my reseller hosts to fix the problems.
Thank y'all for the great advice thus far. Feel free to leave more!!
Betty
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| Posted by bryonhost1, 02-01-2005, 05:36 AM |
| Hi!
I don't tolerate hosts that have a lot of downtime or excuses...it's been a lot of work...but...I have a nice collection of fairly inexpensive and reliable hosts.
I think the key is testing them before you put client one on any of them. There are no guarantees, though...which is why I mirror one account on three...backup all files locally...and do the fancy DNS stuff.
Virtuozzo accounts have no overhead as far as space used by the oS. If you signup for one with 10GB...you get 10GB. Only the freeVPS's do that on the overhead...which is not good, IMHO.
Or at least the ones I have don't..I can't say that's the same everywhere.
I made the mistake of only allocating 500MB for the freeVPS server..the OS files take up more than half that...and that's before I add lynx, gcc, Etc.
The only thing that comes with that is a command line FTP (hate it) PERL and a web server.
I'm not a big fan of setup fees...but...to get the cheaper VPS's...you're prolly have to pay some.
You can really stop and start these servers from the control panels...Virtuozzo has their power control panel..none of my VPS's have Plesk...but that's the next thing I'll get. Maybe.
Bryon
Currently listening to: Pink Floyd
Last edited by bryonhost1; 02-01-2005 at 05:50 AM.
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| Posted by bettysue, 02-01-2005, 03:15 PM |
| Are your hosts VPS accounts or reseller accounts?
Whichever they are, anyone is more than welcome to PM me (after I make 2 more posts!) names, suggestions, etc.
While I realize I should be naming and reviewing the hosts I am/have been with. I don't want to burn my bridges and risk my sites until I have moved my services.
b
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| Posted by bryonhost1, 02-01-2005, 05:47 PM |
| Hi!
Both. I have normal reseller accounts and VPS accounts as well.
I'll PM you later.
Bryon
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