Looking to move to HG... But I have a few questions.

[Garrett]

Hi there! I'm currently using a free web host with paid upgrades which is going to be selling itself and it's servers (including the one I am currently hosted on) have been acting finicky. I've decided to move to a paid web host and HostGator seems to have the best value and the better reputation plus ALL of the features I would like to have are here. I am interested in the Hatchling package being that my site is lower traffic an not very large but, before I hit the purchase button I have a few questions...
1) My domain is registered on GoDaddy.com, do I need to transfer it?
2) If I end up having two sites (both will be lower traffic still) and I want two domains, I will need to upgrade to Baby correct? If so, will I be able to separate each site while still remaining on one hosting package? Also, is it easy to upgrade?
3) I read somewhere that the SSH must be registered to an IP for security reasons... What if you have a dynamic IP address?
4) What all is featured in the SSH? (vim, chmod, chown, etc.)
5) Am I allowed to use the service for storing files for personal and college use? (no music, just word, excel, photoshop psd, etc)
6) Do you accept PayPal for payment?
7) How often do the shared hosts have downtime?
8) Where are your data centers located and how are load times across the globe?
Hope these don't seem like stupid questions, I just need to know before I purchase the service... Thanks for your time!!
Garrett

[striddy]

1) No
2) Yes, yes you can host unlimited on baby and yes
3) That is only a temporary measure
5) No
6) Yes
7) Rarely
8) Texas

[GvilleRick]

Originally Posted by Garrett

1) My domain is registered on GoDaddy.com, do I need to transfer it?

No, you only need to change the nameservers to the ones HG will provide in your welcome email.

Originally Posted by Garrett

2) If I end up having two sites (both will be lower traffic still) and I want two domains, I will need to upgrade to Baby correct? If so, will I be able to separate each site while still remaining on one hosting package? Also, is it easy to upgrade?

Yes, to have multiple accounts you would need at least the Baby account. You will manage both domains in the same cPanel but the sites are separate. It is not difficult to upgrade but I would suggest starting with the Baby plan if you expect to have multiple domains fairly soon.

Originally Posted by Garrett

3) I read somewhere that the SSH must be registered to an IP for security reasons... What if you have a dynamic IP address?

This is supposed to be a temporary policy. The latest posts in the forum state that they expect to have it corrected later this week. You do have to request SSH after signing up, it is not provided by default.

Originally Posted by Garrett

4) What all is featured in the SSH? (vim, chmod, chown, etc.)

It is a jailed SSH. The commands you gave are available.

Originally Posted by Garrett

5) Am I allowed to use the service for storing files for personal and college use? (no music, just word, excel, photoshop psd, etc)

I would suggest reading the TOS (link at the bottom of this page) and if you have questions on what is allowed contact sales at hostgator dot com to clarify.

Originally Posted by Garrett

6) Do you accept PayPal for payment?

Yes.

Originally Posted by Garrett

7) How often do the shared hosts have downtime?

Looking through the public areas of the forum should give you some idea of downtime. From my experience HG has less downtime than most similarly priced hosts.

Originally Posted by Garrett

8) Where are your data centers located and how are load times across the globe?

Data center is The Planet with shared servers in Dallas, I believe. Some dedicated servers are in Houston, at least mine is.

[Garrett]

Thank you for your speedy reply!
Is there any way around having a dynamic IP to use SSH? I COULD set it to my college's IP address being that their external IP is static, but would that be a good idea?
and one final question, how good is the support from HG (if any problems arise)?

[GvilleRick]

As we mentioned, the SSH tied to a static IP is a temporary issue. Normally SSH is not limited to a static IP and should be back to normal soon.

I have not had to contact support often but when I have had to use support it has been good. These forums are a great source of peer support as well. There are many areas available after your account is approved.

[Garrett]

Thank you! I'll be signing up when I get home from work this evening! :-)