dedicated queries

[dvk01uk]

I am seriously thinking of taking on a basic dedicated server with you but want to check a few things first


can the server be configured to allow me to user my own antivirus /antispam on it

can the smtp server be set to use port 587 as an alternative to port 25 as so many ISPs in UK block port 25 for all smtp servers except their own & I need to send via my own mailserver rather than an ISP server because of the frequency of sending large files to antivirus companies

I work with the majority of antivirus companies in investigating malware & have a liaison forum which gets a lot of traffic

I currently use between 150 & 200gb per month of traffic but that can peak to 400gb or so on occasions

what protections do you have in place against ddos attacks

[Pazeh]

welcome to Hostgator

As far as I know, port 26 is used for STMP too.

[quietFinn]

Originally Posted by dvk01uk

can the server be configured to allow me to user my own antivirus /antispam on it

Basically you can install whatever you want in your server.
But it's good to remember that HG does not support that kind of installations, and if it breaks your cPanel you are pretty much on your own

Originally Posted by dvk01uk

can the smtp server be set to use port 587 as an alternative to port 25 as so many ISPs in UK block port 25 for all smtp servers except their own & I need to send via my own mailserver rather than an ISP server because of the frequency of sending large files to antivirus companies

You can run smtp also on another port, you can choose the port number.

[Goddess Dix]

Originally Posted by dvk01uk

I work with the majority of antivirus companies in investigating malware & have a liaison forum which gets a lot of traffic

I currently use between 150 & 200gb per month of traffic but that can peak to 400gb or so on occasions

what protections do you have in place against ddos attacks

on the dedicated, basically, you're in charge of your own box and you decide what you run on it and how. the configuration hg hands you will have the basics set up and will run out of the chute, but the bells and whistles are yours to determine.

if you have problems and have a managed dedicated, hg will help you (except with certain things, like software you've installed yourself or managing the configserver firewall, for example), but by and large, you can handle it however you want. it's your party, man.

[kmaw]

Originally Posted by Goddess Dix

if you have problems and have a managed dedicated, hg will help you (except with certain things, like software you've installed yourself or managing the configserver firewall, for example), but by and large, you can handle it however you want. it's your party, man.

Often I've found they're really good to help out even with things they don't "support", but in the end if they can't find the problem, they've always got that escape....

[Goddess Dix]

Originally Posted by kmaw

Often I've found they're really good to help out even with things they don't "support", but in the end if they can't find the problem, they've always got that escape....

that's good to hear.

[dvk01uk]

my existing dedicated server was so badly misconfigured by the hosts that it works like a virtual server rather than a full dedicated one

My server admin guys who work with servers full time so know what they are doing have never seen one like it & taht is why I asked if HG did the same sort of misconfiguration as my existimg hosts 123-reg who have useless support

Looks like from the comments here & elsewhere I have read HG will be where I am moving to

[Sam]

Originally Posted by dvk01uk

123-reg who have useless support

Is that 123-reg that are owned by Pipex? if it is then your not the only one that thinks there support sucks, i left them for HG 2 years ago.

[GvilleRick]

I've just started with a dedicated server here as well. I worked for three years for another hosting company and had root access and helped in configuring the servers there when needed. The dedicated I have here is configured much the same and I have been able to add additional features such as the configserver firewall and mail programs that help a lot in managing the server as well.

[dvk01uk]

how log does it normally take to set up & get active

I ordered it yesterday & am waiting

[Goddess Dix]

time varies, but a couple days is a normal wait and i'm not sure about how weekends impact it. should be coming, though...

[dvk01uk]

and how long does it normally take to get full forum access and be approved

I have sent an email to wesly as suggested in the sticky

[Sam]

Originally Posted by dvk01uk

and how long does it normally take to get full forum access and be approved

I have sent an email to wesly as suggested in the sticky

It depends if Wesley is working or not if he is working you will Probably get activated today

[mike240se]

What is this confiserv people keep talking about? Is it run on the box before we get it? I was figuring i would have to setup my own firewall with iptables, etc as i always do with linux boxes but you mentioned configserv's firewall? i am also thinking of getting an unmanaged account to resell webhosting. I have many years of experience in linux (15+) but never have run centos or whm. I have run apache but dont have experience with dealing with hogs since i am always the only person using my servers in the past, so i am not sure how that works (well not really) i was told the first level unmanaged has a celeron processor which was upsetting since most are getting p4's. i havent heard back from sales yet since yesterday so i havent had my list of questions answered. mainly what you get as a traceroute with a dedicated on hostgator, does it end in theplanet or hostgator.com? and some others such as extra hardware, etc. thanks mike

[Sam]

Originally Posted by mike240se

What is this confiserv people keep talking about? Is it run on the box before we get it? I was figuring i would have to setup my own firewall with iptables, etc as i always do with linux boxes but you mentioned configserv's firewall?

configserver are a server company that make security products for cPanel/WHM (www.configserver.com)

None of there stuff will be on your box unless you pay them too do it or you install it yourself

mainly what you get as a traceroute with a dedicated on hostgator, does it end in theplanet or hostgator.com?

If its a managed dedi it will end at theplanet.com and if its an unmanaged it will end at ev1servers.net

[mike240se]

Originally Posted by Sam

configserver are a server company that make security products for cPanel/WHM (www.configserver.com)

None of there stuff will be on your box unless you pay them too do it or you install it yourself



If its a managed dedi it will end at theplanet.com and if its an unmanaged it will end at ev1servers.net

wow they do alot, you know, i was thinking i wouldnt bother since i could do all that myself but considering how long it would take me to do it all manually, $100 seems well worth it. Although on their site its $100 its mentioned as higher above, am i missing something?

[slapshotw]

Originally Posted by Sam

None of there stuff will be on your box unless you pay them too do it or you install it yourself

Some things (like their firewall) you can install yourself, some things they only give if you pay them. Here's an example package:

http://configserver.com/cp/cpanel.html

Their services are worth every penny, even to the seasoned linux pro, because they're experts at WHM and cPanel.

[mike240se]

Originally Posted by slapshotw

Some things (like their firewall) you can install yourself, some things they only give if you pay them. Here's an example package:

http://configserver.com/cp/cpanel.html

Their services are worth every penny, even to the seasoned linux pro, because they're experts at WHM and cPanel.

yes i am figuring that out, cause i dont have experience with whm or cpanel backend i think its worth it. but i am still not sure if i should start with a reseller plan. I was going to but it doesnt seem i can offer competititve rates with a reseller plan which is why i was thinking of jumping to a dedicated. most companies are offering huge amounts of space and bandwith, and i dont like the practice of offering your customers more than you have becuase you figure they will never use it, because they can, and then what? there is nothing you can do about it! maybe i just have a lot to learn, i am mostly going to be selling to my own business clients (web design, etc) but wanted to also sell on the net. do most people start with a reseller? i would like to manage my own server because i am used to that but then again, what if it goes down at 5am and i am sleeping, i wont have help, so thats why i am leaning towards the reseller cause hostgator will get it back up for me. but then again, if a box is well configured i dont know how often you would really have that problem,but again.... thanks

[gtgeorge]

Originally Posted by mike240se

yes i am figuring that out, cause i dont have experience with whm or cpanel backend i think its worth it. but i am still not sure if i should start with a reseller plan. I was going to but it doesnt seem i can offer competititve rates with a reseller plan which is why i was thinking of jumping to a dedicated. most companies are offering huge amounts of space and bandwith, and i dont like the practice of offering your customers more than you have becuase you figure they will never use it, because they can, and then what? there is nothing you can do about it! maybe i just have a lot to learn, i am mostly going to be selling to my own business clients (web design, etc) but wanted to also sell on the net. do most people start with a reseller? i would like to manage my own server because i am used to that but then again, what if it goes down at 5am and i am sleeping, i wont have help, so thats why i am leaning towards the reseller cause hostgator will get it back up for me. but then again, if a box is well configured i dont know how often you would really have that problem,but again.... thanks

We started as a reseller and regret that as the first 2 years were very slow due to the restraints imposed being a reseller. If you can swing it and are serious about being a host, go for the dedicated box.

[slapshotw]

I started as a reseller but now have a dedicated as well.

Have you considered a fully managed dedicated so you get HG's help? And even if you're on an unmanaged dedicated, you can always get HG's help in an emergency situation for a small fee. And if the box is down because it's a datacenter or physical box problem, they'll of course take care of that for you.

[mike240se]

Originally Posted by slapshotw

I started as a reseller but now have a dedicated as well.

Have you considered a fully managed dedicated so you get HG's help? And even if you're on an unmanaged dedicated, you can always get HG's help in an emergency situation for a small fee. And if the box is down because it's a datacenter or physical box problem, they'll of course take care of that for you.

well i cant really afford a managed server right now, i thought it would be dumb to pay someone $100 a month to do something i have been doing for almost 20 years but i know its different slightly from what i have been doing, cause i havent been maintaining linux hosting boxes just linux boxes. Another reason i am a little iffy is the amount of companies out there selling hosting for dirt cheap right now, i cant see how i could possibly sell accounts in such an enivroment except to my direct local customers which arent enough to make any money on hosting. You guys find the market isnt too saturated and you can still make money? also when you do a unmanaged, i assume your responsible for os upgrades, kernel builds, and cpanel/whm updates? what about fantastico and site builder, are they installed on a unmanaged server? what if you rebuild your kernel and it wont boot? how do you fix that if you cant get to the console? or are you given full kvm over ip console access? thanks again

[Sam]

Originally Posted by mike240se

also when you do a unmanaged, i assume your responsible for os upgrades, kernel builds, and cpanel/whm updates? what about fantastico and site builder, are they installed on a unmanaged server? what if you rebuild your kernel and it wont boot? how do you fix that if you cant get to the console? or are you given full kvm over ip console access? thanks again

Yes you are responsible for os updates, kernels and cpanel updates.

Fantastico is installed on the server, but sitebuilder isn't so you would need to buy a license for that.

If your box won't boot you would need to pay HG to fix it or reload the OS

[mike240se]

gtgeorge, can you elaborate on reseller hosting holding you back? was it because you couldnt offer larger plans? i cant see how anyone can compete with hostgators shared plans. if you dont mind me asking, how much administration does it take to keep the servers up and running? constant, daily checking i would assume? how often do issues arrise with various other stuff? apache and mail for example,. the only issue i am worried about is when i am sleeping, i do it 8 hours every day and wont be available to service requests, i doubt many customers will deal with waiting for 8 hours, but its not that bad.

[mike240se]

i am leaning towards a unmanaged dedicated server with centos v4. i am also looking at the confiservers service but am not sure, i dont really have the extra money for that. i assume alot of that comes pre done on the servers since hostgator sets them up for you like their managed servers. atleast thats what i heard. so all that should mostly be done except maybe a couple things.

do the dedicated servers run their own name servers? i assume so? do they dcome preconfigured with apace 2.0 and mod security? thanks

[slapshotw]

Although HG does some things to harden the server, you will not regret paying the configserver money. If you don't want to pay for them, at least download and install all the free tools they offer.

You can set the hostname to whatever you want on a dedicated, but as I mentioned in your other thread, the hostname for reseller servers are generic and not hostgator-branded.

You can install Apache 2, but hostgator only officially support Apache 1 at this time. Mod_sec is installed, but you can add additional rulesets if you want.