Subject:OT: recommendations for a web host anyone ?

Posted by: Spirit

Date:8/8/2002 12:31:08 PM

I'm with a completely unreliable and frustrating web hosting company (webaccess.net.au). My site seems to always be down with the dreaded "cannot find server" and the so-called support desk doesn't reply to my email (even nice ones).

Can anyone recommend a good hosting company ? My yearly contract is about to expire and now's a good time to jump ship !

Thanks for any recommendations

Subject:RE: OT: recommendations for a web host anyone ?

Reply by: groovewerx

Date:8/8/2002 1:09:20 PM

if youre on dsl or cable why not host it yourself?

Subject:RE: OT: recommendations for a web host anyone ?

Reply by: Iacobus

Date:8/8/2002 2:05:18 PM

His ISP might not have features he otherwise could have with a hosting provider, like a RealAudio server.

Spirit: So far, I like OLM.net a lot. Think I got the "Host SE-3" plan through CNET.com for a substantially less price.

There's not a lot of hand-holding, so be aware of that. Rock solid as far as performance so far though.

HTH,
Iacobus

Subject:RE: OT: recommendations for a web host anyone ?

Reply by: groovewerx

Date:8/8/2002 3:14:47 PM

hate to sound argumentative here but the same software isps use is available to us all and most times are free. realaudio sever is one of them along with apache webserver and iis. if you're on cable or dsl and you have recent windows, you can host a website on your own.

Subject:RE: OT: recommendations for a web host anyone ?

Reply by: Iacobus

Date:8/9/2002 12:42:43 PM

Yes...and no. ;)

My ISP (AT&T Broadband) does not have a RealAudio server and up until recently had FrontPage extensions for all their subscribers. Not anymore. Not a big deal for those who like to muck around in HTML but it's certainly not Web hosting company material. You really don't get a lot of space either. (I've got 10 MB. Not exactly a lot for multimedia.) I can't even use forms.

One can definitely set up a Web site and all using one's own ISP Web space but don't expect a lot of storage and other whistles to go with it.

Iacobus

Subject:RE: OT: recommendations for a web host anyone ?

Reply by: groovewerx

Date:8/9/2002 1:30:19 PM

perhaps i wasn't clear...

i'm talking about serving it yourself from home and eliminating the need for offsite hosting and webspace.

then you are only limited by the size of your hard drive.

for instance: if you've got windows 2000, frontpage, and 10gb of mp3s, all you need is a broadband connection and you can use your pc as a server thus becoming your own host.

if you want to stream the audio, install realaudio server. its free.

you don't have to go through your isp for anything other than the connection. you can even run your own email server from the same pc.


here's how: http://www.dslwebserver.com/

Subject:RE: OT: recommendations for a web host anyone ?

Reply by: jdg

Date:8/9/2002 2:32:40 PM

i think the point MD was talking about was its NOT LEGAL to host your own servers according to your ISPs AUP. doing so can cause them to disconntinue your service post-hast.

Subject:RE: OT: recommendations for a web host anyone ?

Reply by: Spirit

Date:8/10/2002 3:41:16 AM

Er thanks - an interesting option. I will be on broadband in the next month or so, but I think a host might be easier.

Subject:RE: OT: recommendations for a web host anyone ?

Reply by: groovewerx

Date:8/10/2002 7:19:39 AM

consider this:

1. if you diy (do it yourself) it will cost you nothing more than you pay for regular isp service.

2. if you average less than 100 hits daily, your isp won't notice you. if you get more than that you should go with verio.

3. if you host it yourself you'll have full control of your website. no mysterious suprises.

4. if you are not confident in your ability to diy, you should always get the guy that does it everyday.

Subject:RE: OT: recommendations for a web host anyone ?

Reply by: Chienworks

Date:8/10/2002 1:29:27 PM

Generally speaking, cable providers do not allow you to host a server on your own connection. The cable connecting you to the central office is shared by many users and if your connection starts drawing lots of bandwidth it slows the other customers down. So, while cable does provide very high bandwidth, this is only practical because most users will use very little of it at any given time. Many cable companies will scan your connection for server ports and if they are found you will often be disconnected on the spot.

On the other hand, most DSL providers don't care what you do with your line since your line is a dedicated connection between you and the central office. Loading your line down with lots of data transfer doesn't affect other users (or actually affects them very little). Unfortunately, overall DSL seems to be a little less reliable than cable and is not as widely available.

Third party hosting is still a good option. I have several business acquaintances using Verio and all are quite pleased with the service. Probably the only downside is that they provide lots of services, but not much space for your money. A $99/month package only includes 400MB, and media files will fill this up rather quickly. More space increases the price rapidly.

Subject:RE: OT: recommendations for a web host anyone ?

Reply by: Iacobus

Date:8/10/2002 1:46:40 PM

Ahhh, now I understand.

jdg is indeed right. It isn't wise to use one's cable modem connection as a host. That will, indeed, be grounds for termination with most, if not all, broadband ISP's.

FWIW, I've got 500 MB and a RealAudio server through my Web host for about $118 for the whole year. 500 MB isn't exactly a whole lot for oodles of multimedia, but it'll do li'l ol' me just fine. :)

Iacobus

Subject:RE: OT: recommendations for a web host anyone ?

Reply by: vanblah

Date:8/10/2002 3:08:59 PM

Also, while downstream throughput may be 1.5Mbps, upstream may be throttled to 256K (not all broadband providers do this), which is fast but not as good as someone with a dedicated trunk line. Since you are wanting to stream multimedia I'd find someone with the best bang for the buck.

Also, you may want to consider cost of ownership. Hosting a website is fairly easy, but when I was hosting my own I ended up tweaking more than I wanted to. I work as a sysadmin every day, and the last thing I want to do is come home and do it some more.

Doug