Time to change hosts...

Chris D

XenForo developer
Staff member
OK.

We are definitely needing to change hosts and therefore any advice is appreciated.

Our current host is Heart Internet and we're not particularly happy with server performance and a few other things. We've experienced several major outages over the last few months.

This is our current VPS package:

4 cores @ 2.2GHz
4GB RAM
30GB HD
100mbps
Unlimited bandwidth

Cost: Around £50 GBP per month.

Our current host is in the UK, but location doesn't particularly matter as we have a wide visitorship.

More than anything reliability is the key, but we don't necessarily want to pay much more (we struggle to meet the server costs as it is).

Yeah, any comments, feedback or suggestions welcome :) Thank you.
 
Thank you Peter.

On a semi related note, how much down time have you all had in the last year? At one point we were having an outage of about 30-60 minutes every week. Things have improved recently to be fair...
 
Thank you Peter.

On a semi related note, how much down time have you all had in the last year? At one point we were having an outage of about 30-60 minutes every week. Things have improved recently to be fair...

We experienced some minor downtime. Once due to a crucial Plesk security patch, and I think the other time I can recall it was due to a power failure outside the hands of the host/data center.

Other than that, the only downtimes we had were self-inflicted.
 
My host is Linode.com since end of April. Very happy with them so far. Only once was there any downtime, and that was scheduled maintenance.

I'm using the cheapest plan ($19.95), so it's not very expensive, but it's sufficient for my needs at the moment.
 
Another vote for Linode - they have a node in London, plus other locations globally - if you ever decide to relocate your VPS to a different geography, it can be done fairly easily.

I'm currently running one Linode out of Tokyo (serving Australia primarily) and another in Newark (global audience but with the majority in UK and US).
 
Their message board software choice is messed up ;) but webhostingtalk.com is a great site for getting reviews and finding specials.
 
* Current approved list
**Exploratory list
*I've used them, tested them, and would recommend them.

** I'm exploring their services now and will report back at a later time

But technically... That last two would still count as "on shore".
 
Linode is great, but can be a bit expensive too. I've been using ThrustVPS for years and only experienced one large downtime when I started. I heard their OpenVZ can be puke though, but the Xens are working great. They're based in UK, but also have servers in USA. Network is better than you get on OVH for example.
 
I'm hunting for one at the moment too Chris. I need a managed hosting provider though as I don't want to be messing with the server settings too much. A few people on OcUK have recommended Vidahost and TSO host who have UK based datacenters. (They're owned by the same company I believe).

They're not cheap, their managed VDS 40 package with 3GB RAM and 4 (Virtual?) Xeon Cores is about £89 a month. They will price match though if you find a comparable quote with a UK provider.

The BigK wrote an interesting article on Liquid Webs storm on demand which I'm also considering at the moment.

Nimbus hosting's prices look good, but I'm not sure how you can compare the CPU power available with their Cloud VPS or VM vs a normal VPS with another company?

What does the following mean? Does is mean there's 24 other sites using the same CPU allocation as would normally be available on a normal VPS?

Nimbus Hosting said:
Physical to virtual ratio of 25:1
 
I've been with Positive Internet for 12 years and they are an excellent host, although not cheap. Might be worth giving them a call and seeing if they have anything they can offer at the price-point you need. (y)

Cheers,
Shaun :D
 
I can't say enough good things about NFO Servers unmanaged VPS/full machines. I've been using them for years and have never had a complaint.
 
I'm currently on https://certifiedhosting.com/ Geek Plan 107.xx for the year, seems to be working good so far. Had moved to them, from lowest "semi dedicated plan" http://thiswebhost.com not too long ago. Their shared plans though, only allow for 250MB database size limits I think it is... for "thiswebhost". And because their semi dedicated hosting was 87.xx every three month, I just couldn't afford it anymore. Hence going to CertifiedHosting.com where they allow 2GB database max size allowed limit.

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Oh god the irony is killing me :D
 
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