Hello

[VPSFORME?]

There is a lot to read here. My brain hurts.

I've been on shared hosting for a while now, and looking to move to a vps.

i like the managed part, I don't have enough time in the day to learn all that I would have to learn to do it on my own. I'm not computer illiterate, but there is sure a lot to learn about.

I'm interested in hearing how the move to vps has gone for others.

I run a couple websites. The main one is centered around a forum. 799 registered users, maybe 100 or so fairly active, 50 really active, 10-20 at a time right now.

Forum is SMF. over 300,000 posts, a gig of pics, been around since 2005. I am looking to kind of "re-do" the main part, organize and such. it seems when the hosting company has issues with others on the box, and we go down, we lose people. Members just get bored waiting for the site to come back up. It does not happen often, but twice in the last 30 days is too much. I used to host at godaddy, I have a rant or two if you want about them.

At any rate, I hope some of you can share your experiences of going to vps.

ME

[Ron]

You might be more interested in an SDX plan. SDX (or semi-dedicated) is a shared hosting with extremely limited number of accounts on it, so you get tons and tons of resources of a huge beastly machine. Of course the machine is fully and completely managed for you.

The VPS is like a dedicated server. It comes with level 2 managed services and would be ideal if you need the control and root access that having a dedicated server brings, but is not for sites that requires tons of resources, that would be a fully dedicated server with root access.

So the upgrade path is
Power: GigaDeal -> SDX -> Dedicated
Full control: VPS -> Dedicated

I am on a reseller plan and have a sizable forum, feel free to check out my uptime icon in my sig for speed, or go to my homepage to check out the forum.

[VPSFORME?]

Wow that's a pretty big bundle of stuff for the price. Just a few dollars from a vps, though.

I like cpanel too.

Still, I like the idea of being isolated from other web sites.

I'd like to see some sites that use this sdx plan.

[Frank Broughton]

The advantage of a VPS is that you can install whatever you need to run whatever scripts you like (no proxies or irc). This would help in adding new and neat features for your forum as you said you want to upgrade its features no?

With the new version of cPanel around the corner making dramatic improvements to memory usage - a VPS is in the picture still with systems needed more resources.

The SDX plan has limits on daily bandwidth that is a downside to its greater power. That has to be considered also. It is just like a shared account in the matter of what is installed. You could request support install various features needed but they may not want to. With a VPS you do not have this limit.

Go for a VPS (good sale deal currently on right now) and you could always more to a SDX if needed. Get cPanel for your control panel. I started out with the Freedom plan and now have the Apollo.

One bonus advantage to JPC is this forum, some good help can be found by some intelligent people. And you also get me and Vin - I am a crazy whacked out old man and Vin is.... well all three of him are.... hmmmm - just they!

Vin's sites run on a SDX plan http://www.lenon.com/

[VPSFORME?]

I've researched vps on and off for a year. While I may not need the complete control, yet, it's nice to know when I'm ready it's there.

My understanding has always been that it's safer, from the stand point of other web sites on the same box. And that it is more powerful than shared. Am I correct in this assumption?

i just read about the cpanel upgrade on this forum. Less resources=cool.

My mysql db is almost 200 mb, so i guess I would need help doing that.

After JPC does the initial hardening, how hard is it to keep the vps safe and up to date?

Crazy and whacked out, hey? Sound like I'd fit right in...

[Frank Broughton]

Security is a matter of keeping up to date on the control panel software (cPanel/WHM) and up to date on any scripts you have installed.

ConfigServer Firewall (csf) is a great tool for helping with security: http://www.configserver.com/cp/csf.html

It has this nice feature: "Server Security Check - Performs a basic security and settings check on the server (cPanel servers only)"

More powerful than shared: not always true. It depends on what VPS package you get and what you mean by more powerful. It is more powerful in the ability install features as you get full root access. More powerful as far as processor power is relative - it all depends on many variable factors and who your neighbor is. The servers that JPC use around here are pretty powerful shared and VPS.

Do you mind sharing the URL to your forum?

[jason]

Power: as others have said, this depends. If you mean power to do what you want then yes, the vps is more powerful. If you mean raw processor power than the VPS is less powerful.

Why? Think about it this way. Lets say there are 20 accounts on sdx server. All of those accounts share one install of Apache (web server), one install of MySQL, one cPane, one set of mail servers, etc. Also all of those accounts get access to all of the server's reseources (in a round-robin fashion) when they need them. A second server, this time a VPS, has the same 20 clients on it, but this time there are 20 Apache installs, 20 mail servers, 20 cPanels, etc. It is still possible for your script to grab extra memory if it needs it and it is available, but with so many different copies of everything running the available memory is much lower.

Safer: Depends on how you look at it. JPC uses JailShell which is a chrooted environment. In other words, the server is set up in such a way that you can't browse around and find other people's files. Likewise, just about everything you run runs under your account's user id, so you don't have to worry about file ownership and permissions issues and you never have to chmod a file to 777. In other words it is pretty difficult for someone else to get into your files to see confidential information. On a VPS you are even more isolated, but you are not immune to the other people on the server. Someone would have to hack into your VPS instance to see your files, but it is still possible (though perhaps harder) for someone to crash yyour VPS because of something they do on theirs. If one of your neighbors is DDOSed or has a bad script running, they can still crash your instancce.

For a busy site I would probably recommend SDX for the extra (processor) power. I have a VPS myself, but I don't have anything big enough to worry about power issues right now and I like having the flexibility to do things I can't do on a shared server (I'm a tinkerer). If I wanted a no-nonsense, ready to go, hassle-free, powerful server, though, I'd choose SDX.

--Jason

[JPC-Greg]

Thanks Jason, as always you've provided a valuable post and response. I couldn't have said it better myself.

[Frank Broughton]

Ya Jason out does me again... that's it - i am taking my ball and going home. haha Fat chance (some would like that though perhaps ).

[Vin DSL]

Ya Jason out does me again...

Bah!

Don't worry about it, Frankie...

SDX rocks - it's a %#$! monster!

VPS requires a four paragraph apologia. If this and that and something else... well, maybe.. and whatever... it might be better, sort of, kinda... if that's all you want...

That says it all!

[Frank Broughton]

SDX can only host one control panel though right Vin - so no reselling? A VPS indeed is misunderstood and is often misused by many as they do not understand the limitations/varibles. I for one love tinkering like Jason and will someday maybe ready for an unmanaged Dedicated Box - actually that was my first hosting solution back in 1997. Was on some friends gaming box with no control panel and he did all the background work. A VPS is great for me at this time. My accounts are modest in RAM CPU usage and Bandwidth. I need a backup solution now with the new TOS and I am all set. Vin, do you ever come close to the 20GB a day BW limit of the SDX plan?

[JPC-Nick]

SDX can only host one control panel though right Vin - so no reselling? A VPS indeed is misunderstood and is often misused by many as they do not understand the limitations/varibles. I for one love tinkering like Jason and will someday maybe ready for an unmanaged Dedicated Box - actually that was my first hosting solution back in 1997. Was on some friends gaming box with no control panel and he did all the background work. A VPS is great for me at this time. My accounts are modest in RAM CPU usage and Bandwidth. I need a backup solution now with the new TOS and I am all set. Vin, do you ever come close to the 20GB a day BW limit of the SDX plan?

You have a pm

[VPSFORME?]

Thanks for the responses.

SDX looks too good to be true. WOW.

My comments about VPS security were aimed at the difference between shared. Meaning on shared, more likely that someone on the same box causing problems. I understand there is always a way for someone to cause problems.

The price is so close for the two. I am looking at the freedom vps vs. sdx. Freedom on sale now has pretty good ram.

I'll keep reading.