Questions for your hoster

[faglork]

Somewhat off topic:

It´s a low cost solution.
[...]
Nothing is free, and good hosts arent free too. I my case is important to have a low cost alternative that has the features I need, and about unlimited traffic and storage, it´s just a marketing gamble.
[...]
I do know if I start to use a huge ammount of traffic and storage, bluehost will take some actions.
[...]
But it´s great for a playground, and it´s nor fot my clients , its for me.

Well, if it is *for you*, why not simply install XAMPP ... this is free, runs on your own machine, no costs at all ...

Just my 2 cents,
Alex

[kipper]

Hi,
I have just joined the forum after being impressed by CMSMS.  I run a hosting company myself at www.hostpost.co.uk I have just added CMSMS 1.6.6 on a self installer available to my customers within my scripts package.

Seems to fit within this thread so I thought I'd ask without trying to make it an advert - what is it you want from a hosting provider. Maybe I can learn from it?

To go over a few of the subjects listed above I have read I offer a choice of php4 or 5, have multi databases available, have downloadable error report logs, allow modified .htaccess and php.ini file uploads have phpmyadmin offer unlimited space and have multi domain hosting available.

I can offer SSH access but only on completion of a SSH contract that indemnifies us from server damage from a SSH log in which is keystroke monitored.  I can see very few advantages of having SSH over FTP in most circumstances to be honest and it is a security nightmare. I have not ever had that many problems using FTP client software that makes it that unpractical to use.

Regards
David

[calguy1000]

I can offer SSH access but only on completion of a SSH contract that indemnifies us from server damage from a SSH log in which is keystroke monitored.  I can see very few advantages of having SSH over FTP in most circumstances to be honest and it is a security nightmare. I have not ever had that many problems using FTP client software that makes it that unpractical to use.

SSH access in a proper chroot jail, or in a well secured host is advanageous because
a) it's faster to download the package (wget) and uncompress it.
b) editing files is easier (vi)
c) ftp programs typicallly have a problem when transferring large files, or large numbers of files
d) users transferring files in ascii mode sometimes generates problems, particularly when trying to transfer images, or transfer files and then do a checksum validation
e) I'll say it again... FTP is SLOW!!
f) changing permissions is so much easier in ssh, and actually seeing what the permissions are.... some ftp clients are dumb about this
g) you can have access to the error and access logs in real time (tail -f) which makes debugging so much easier than downloading some huge file that has hours worth of data in it, and trying to find one error message, if one exists.

I've seen numerous hosts that allow ssh access in a chroot jail, and it's always nice to set things up that way. and much faster to do things.

But primarily, the problem with FTP is a) inexperienced users,  and b) buggy ftp clients.   However, having convenient access to the error logs and access logs is by far the most important.   Users can't diagnose problems if they can't see the error messages.

I personally tell people that when they are looking for a host, they shoudl go with one that allows SSH access, and disregard those that dont, just because of the ease of development, debugging, and maintaining.

Edit...

I forgot:
h) the ability to script things like backups, automatic sending of emails, clearing cache, etc, etc.
i)  cron abilities
and there's probably more.

[replytomk3]

For those people without SSH, use your hosting panel's file manager. You can use it to:
1) Uncompress install file that you ftp to your hosting account
2) Move many files at the same time (like for backup)
3) Compress and download files from hosting for backup

and lots of other goodies. Make sure you area aware of these features.

[kipper]

We do not use chroot jail as we have other security measures in place on the server. SHH is there if needed, we just don't hand it out like chips and require a proper contract to be signed for its use. this is to ensure that only the technically competent users have access and treat it with the due respect.

Did you have to sign anything to get access, a disclaimer or likewise?

Cron jobs are directly accessible from our control panel.

FTP could be slow I guess depending on your connection speed. As I get 19.6 MBPS I do not notice any difference to be fair.

[tgnc.org.uk]

Hello,

Here are some more questions to help choosing a hosting provider :

Do you let your customers make .htaccess files to control these webserver features : auth ? rewrite ? headers ? expires ? (disk)cache ?
Do you provide some PhpMyAdmin or so database administration software ? (view, export/backup, import/restore)

And an advice : choose Windows hosting only if you have good reasons AND you master Windows. Hope this is not going to raise a flamewar

Pierre M.

Your talking about "URL REWRITES" and those are Apache based items. You should note that just because you can not make .htaccess .htpasswd files does not mean that your web server does not support some form of URL rewriting or proxy. Some web hosts cash in on these commodities and charge extra.

IMPORTANT is that you obtain web hosting by a company that is not just registered but based in your home country, this is to give you some comeback in legal terms should you have some issues with a web host. For example, the better business bureau in the USA can not help you if your web host is in Finland or Brazil, mainly because US law and legislation does not have jurisdiction in those countries and to go the proper legal channels would set you back a few thousand dollars.

AVOID web hosts that are based in countries that are classed as Tax Havens which is where scams and similar like to trade from.

IMHO, your web host should give you as a minimum access to all the following.

Apache web server
PHP5
MySQL or an MsSQL database
FTP access with additional FTP accounts
Email
Password Protection
SSH bonus but not important as you can perform most of what you will need via FileZilla (Assuming your host is running a server that understands these chmod requests. The alternative is to use the PHP chmod function http://uk3.php.net/manual/en/function.chmod.php to do the work.

If you are in the UK and you want reliable and professional hosting services that are aimed at a tight budget, the host I use and have been with nearly 2 years is about the best I have come across and they do not need your credit card details to rip you off like streamline.net, godaddy.com, yahoo.com, fasthosts.co.uk, names.co.uk and the many other web hosting companys that pose as giving you excelent service and facilities, ignore it...

A good web host has NO capacity / bandwidth or disk size limits.
A good web host has Email facilities that offer unlimited mail boxes
A good web host has SQL databases as part of the deal and most importantly your not tied to one but as many as you like!
A good web host has URL Rewrites as standard and offers password protection on public folders as part of the deal
A good web host has Automated site backups in addition to your own back ups, this means that your site will not go down if a hardware failure is detected on the server but you will be responsible for maintaining your backups if you mess up!!!
A good web host has 24/7 phone support that is FREE and not on a premium rate or revenue earning number.
A good web host has 24/7 email support that is quick and free.
A good web host has the feature to allow creation of CronJobs
A good web host has a control panel that gives all the information you need under one tool
A good web host WILL NOT cost you the earth or throw surprises at you like unexpected bills for over cap limits...

Just to pull up some bench marks that I used in measuring the host I found and use, sadly I got burnt by one host called streamline.net and another fasthosts.co.uk who are also in the firing line, both those hosts still are trying to take money out of my bank for hosting and domain names!!! names.co.uk get a bullet for being rip offs with their domain names and charge £15 to fransfer a domain out of their control!

The host I now use will only accept paypal or similar payment methods which give you and the host a level of security unlike the other thieving, robbing b@stards that seem hell bent on emptying my bank account. Good hosting DOES NOT have to cost you, I can point you in the right direction if you live in the UK.

You will find that the larger a company is, the less accessible that they are and resolving problems is often more difficult and about as painful as having your nails pulled, like I found with streamline.net

Happy host hunting.

[Wishbone]

One rule that I'm now following (after painful experiences) when selecting a shared host is to make sure I select a 'cpanel' host. It seems that hosts that use cpanel have mysql on 'localhost'. My CMSms installs (and other CMS's) on GoDaddy and Yahoo!, who use separate mysql servers, are intermittantly painfully slow (20+ sec page generations). I don't have any issues when I install a CMS on hosting plans with mysql local to the machine.. Blazingly fast.

On the two occasions that I complained about mysql speed to GoDaddy, they gave me the runaround saying that my mysql isn't optimized, blah, blah, but after 3 or 4 emails siting examples, etc, it miraculously cleared up and haven't had a problem with those particular databases... Hopefully they moved me to a "complainer's server" that isn't overbooked.

[kermit]

A good web host has NO capacity / bandwidth or disk size limits.
A good web host has Email facilities that offer unlimited mail boxes
A good web host has SQL databases as part of the deal and most importantly your not tied to one but as many as you like!
A good web host has URL Rewrites as standard and offers password protection on public folders as part of the deal
A good web host has Automated site backups in addition to your own back ups, this means that your site will not go down if a hardware failure is detected on the server but you will be responsible for maintaining your backups if you mess up!!!
A good web host has 24/7 phone support that is FREE and not on a premium rate or revenue earning number.
A good web host has 24/7 email support that is quick and free.
A good web host has the feature to allow creation of CronJobs
A good web host has a control panel that gives all the information you need under one tool
A good web host WILL NOT cost you the earth or throw surprises at you like unexpected bills for over cap limits...

sorry. try again.   those first two.. sooo not right... "unlimited" hosting is a gimmick, it doesn't actually exist.. if it did, it would be very expensive, not the $3.95 a month that ipower currently charges....  

if your host offers "unlimited" hosting, or changes to that business model, and you run more than a small static site (e.g. no php, perl, db, etc) you should switch hosts, as that's a clear sign they're overcrowding servers.

ipower, btw, hits on most, if not all, those points.. and they're a HORRIBLE host...

SSH access in a proper chroot jail, or in a well secured host is advanageous because

(snipped)

some of your arguments are valid.. but only for _some_ users. the bulk of users, even advanced developers, can get by with web-based tools offered by today's modern hosting control panels.. provided that the host is set up properly. i wouldn't even really call it 'getting by'..

i have some cpanel servers.  i can install a shiny new cmsms site on an existing account, including enabling mod_rewrite and pretty urls, in a couple minutes or less, all from a web browser.. . and i've NEVER had to resort to SSH to install, manage, update or upgrade a cms made simple (or any other cms package for that matter) installation.. NEVER.

[wy0453]

very helpful post.. thanks for sharing..

[jpatti]

One of the things I think is most important is the support guy actually knows something.  The host I use is a small, technically-competent reseller.  If I have a problem, even if it's my own stupid mistake, I have an answer rather rapidly cause I'm speaking to him.

We got our ISP the same way, only calling small places, and asking whoever was trying to sell us DSL what they used for NNTP.  First place where the guy answering the phone ever heard of it, they won.  We've been with them for years and years with rare problems.

There is NOTHING more annoying than beating your head against "support" people for twelve hours before being upgraded to be able to speak to someone who ever saw a server before.  They have to spit out all their scripts every time before they let you talk to someone who knows something.  After it's happened a few times, you find yourself very willing to pay more to avoid it.

I like DirectAdmin better than cPanel, and while my host offers SSH, I don't have it on "my" accounts though hubby has it on "his".  I can extract files from the File Manager in DirectAdmin and set cron jobs and that pretty much covers my needs.  I rarely even SSH into our own servers except to shut them down during a thunderstorm.  Hubby insists on SSH though. 

I like my host cause he's a guy who knows his stuff, which beats the heck out of a support desk.  I think this is important.  I try not to bug him, but it's good to know I have real assistance right away when I need it.

[hernanda]

how do you make the backups? Did you write the script on your own?