Looking for a new host..

[draggar]

Webair just hasn't been what I've expected (several minor issues) and I've decided, once again, to start shopping for a new host.

I'd like to step up to VPS hosting but I see it can be expensive. I've looked at Hostgator's $20/mo and $30/mo plans but I'd like to look at other options.

I've also looked at the reseller accounts with Hostgator - $25/mo and $35/mo (the second is a little out of my budget right now). I don't plan on reselling it so I think I would want to stay with the regular VPS.

Price is inportant, stepping up means it'll cost more $$$ but I'm sure the sites will perform better.

Unlimited domains (I'm sure this will be obvious to most people but still, have to mention it)

Multiple IPs are needed now. At least 2 but preferably 4-5.

No database limits - I had this issue with Hostmonster (2 hosts ago). Most (well, soon to be all) my sites are CMS (WP / Joomla / and a few others) so I'll needalot ofspace.

Anti-hotlinking. Webair doesn't charge to stop people from hotlinking but they do charge to redirect the hotlink (huh? It's an .htaccess command!)

I'm sure there are other concerns that I have that I just can't think of right now.

This is what I have now:
20GB Storage
350GB Transfer
2 IPs (but I can't seem to get the second IP?)
Unlimited sites, email, plus all the standard stuff which most people here never use).

Edit: What is Virtuozzo panel and how is it? (Why does Hostgator charge for cPanel?)

Just make sure your host doesn't have a limit on inodes. This may hurt you more than the database table limit. I know HG has this limit.

I just saw this - HG says:

[h=1]Inode Limits[/h]

An inode is a data structure used to keep information about a file on your
hosting account. The number of inodes indicates the number of files and folders
you have. This includes everything on your account, emails, files, folders,
anything you store on the server.

There is currently an limit of 100k/250k inodes on our shared accounts.

[h=2]What is the 100k/250k inode limit?[/h]
Shared and Reseller servers only allow 100,000 files per cPanel. This is a
"Soft limit" meaning that while the limit is reached, you will still be able to
upload files. However once the account passes the 100,000 file threshold it will
no longer be included in our weekly backups. Additionally, if the account
happens to exceed 250,000 files then it will be in violation of our Terms of
Service and can result in possible suspension.


TOS Inode violations can consist of the following (however not limited to):

• Continuously publishing and deleting large numbers of files (i.e.
  10,000+)
• If the cPanel account exceeds 250,000 inodes, Please refer to section 7b) of
  our Terms of Service.

http://support.hostgator.com/articles/pre-sales-policies/rules-terms-of-service/inode-limits

 

[INFORG]

I've been using knownhost.com for a while and have been really impressed with service (managed VPS)

 

[draggar]

Not bad, but $35 a month for VS2 is a little put of my price range at this time.

But - $1 / month per additional IP address (start with 2) is very nice.

 

[jdk]

Pm sent. Not sure if it meets your needs, so you would have to look into it a little more.

 

[draggar]

TY everyone for the PMs, it's giving me a few options. (I have a day or two to decide on one option)

With VPS it looks like I might have to deal with more than a control panel interface (i.e. learning the OS?), especially if it doesn't come with one? If I do get a control panel, I'm assuming it'll be the same as the shared hosting that I'm used to?

 

[jdk]

If you are going to get a VPS, you need to look for a 100% monitored and supported VPS. This way if something goes wrong with the OS software, the VPS provider can fix this. IF the VPS includes cPanel, DirectAdmin, etc. you will have the same WHM/CPanel you are used to. A lot of VPS's come with virtuozzo power panel to aid in controlling the VPS.

If you are not familiar with all of this, I would look into getting a reseller account that doesn't limit the number of accounts you can create. Why worry about all the headache of managing your box when you can focus on making money.

 

[draggar]

I've looked into reseller accounts and honestly, I don't think I want to have to worry about that. I do have a couple of people I host their sites for them but I send them a bill and they pay me. They're quite low maintenance for clients.

But - I won't rule them out, one major concern I have is unique IP addresses. I have some sites (well, a group of sites) I'd like on their own IP address.

 

[iHaveThisIdea]

I am about to change hosts, too. Can anyone tell me what I should expect in regards to my main business email account? Will the nameserver transition yield lost emails? thx

 

[draggar]

I've switched twice before and I didn't lose any emails (but - I don't use webmail, I use Outlook). Just change the DNS, confirm the change (/flushDNS, tracert, etc.) and then change the config in your client (or wait a day or two) this way if they come to the new host then they'll sit in the queue until you check it.

 

[thehostdir]

I use Webhost.US.Com they offer fully managed VPS, great service and good uptime.