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Startup hosting provider questions
I'm thinking of starting a hosting provider company. I have a couple low end boxes atm 1 main server for everything 1 extra nameserver and 1 that mirrors the first.
What would people recommend as good base amount or is what I have fairly solid for now (~10 clients mostly using cms)?
And what are these storage servers I keep seeing? Is it possible to assign a client more space without them noticing there files are on two servers?
Seeing as tho I only buy low end boxes I don't own the IP address is there any way to auto switch if the main goes down?
Cheers
Thanked by 1GoatSeller
Comments
selling vps or shared hosting or both?
shared hosting for now untill i feel i have everything stable and can get the capital together and knowledge for vps hosting. Im using ispconfig3 atm so the ability is there to do vps hosting
just fyi my servers arre 3gb 4 core 50gb hdd vps with a 512mb nameserver
ah nice : ) Costs quite a lot of money to do vps hosting also you gotta have backup money too, i have been selling vps for 6 months now it is very hard at 1st and is a 24/7 job as well.
I sell shared hosting and vps been selling shared for 2 years now, good luck i wish you the best.
Inbox me if you wanna talk more.
thanks ive dropped you a line.
anyone else please feel free to pass on your wisdom as i try entre this vast market
Summer in 3....2....1....
It's so hard to compete in the Hosting industry, be aware you won't make a profit straight away. You need to look for a gap in the market, do you have basic server management knowledge? Do you have the basic needs? Billing area? Control panel sorted?
I don't even...
You need at minimum dual 16 core CPUs (on a dedicated server) to be able to house 100-150 clients, and even that would be pushing it. SSD at minimum, 1Gbps uplink with 20TB - 30TB bandwidth, lots of ram (32GB+) and you need large IP allocations ($0.30 per IP from larger providers or DCs)
You also need WHMCS & SolusVM (or your choice of server managment panels) which cost at least $30/monthly or $400~ yearly.
Do you really have the capital? High spec nodes (dual 32 core, 128GB ram, 1-2Gbps uplinks, SSDs will run you $1000+ per server + IP fees + DC colocation costs.
You also need to consider existing market competition, SEO, website protection (DDoS), advertisment & lots more.
It gets very complex & if you do this without a proper business & entry plan, it will fail and you will deadpool.
The market isn't vast. In fact, it's completely saturated.
I see your problem already.
You could make /home NFS-shared across the Internet from LEBs...
Sorry, I couldn't resist.
You're paying LEB prices ($7/mo?) for that? Which craptacular host is it?
Unless you have like an "edge", I wouldn't recommend going into the shared hosting business. Like @raindog308 said, it's completely saturated. Seriously every idiot that knows how to buy WHMCS and hook it up with cPanel can offer shared hosting (not that it's a smart idea, but that's another subject). So unless you can really surpass that and be different from others, you could have a chance.
An edge could be like a unique location or a custom control panel.
@viCommunications
I know at some point im goin to want a dedicated server but for now whilst i can still play about and get to know what i like and what i want to use would you agree my setup is ok?
as for marketing etc i was thinking of aiming local, low cost hosting for my local area. small startups or those without a web presence that sorta thing and those who just want somewhere to ramble their mind on the web
once i feel i have something then move on to the bigger fish. no point jumping in the sea when you're only just learning how to swim!
my controll panel is ispconfig3 with billing module and im currently in the process of creating my own client area using the api scripts. i find it easy to use and from a client aspect soo much less clustered
@raindog308
I know what you mean vast just seemed right lol.
As above i know the low end boxes arent great for real stuff but for now you gotta admit its not a bad way to start.
i did look at building my own 16 drive hdd server to get hosted somewhere but was goin to run everything from it (controll panel website mail ...) but went against it for now but it seems like its a common thing.
that "craptacular" host was dotvps. Ive never had a problem with them in the past year. i got 1 3gb 4 core 50gb hdd, 1 3gb 4core 70gb hdd and 1 (correction) 128mb 10 gb hdd vps from them. i live in uk so its pretty fast for me
all from here http://lowendbox.com/blog/dotvps-7month-1gb-kvm-and-7month-3gb-openvz-in-maidenhead-uk/
Your comment on some kind of differentiator is spot on.
There are big hosting companies with custom panels - e.g., Dreamhost. I'm not sure (a) something an individual or small team is going to build something nicer, or (b) that a custom panel is really a differentiator. Not only do some users specifically want cPanel (easy to move, familiarity) but I don't know how many would really consider it.
But anyway..."what makes you different" is the question to answer.
I completely disagree, for one, big businesses, websites with a fair amount of traffic harly use shared hosting.
Secondly not all domains get a reddit traffic spikes.
A 2-4GB xen/kvm VPS with 200GB disc space is good enough to to host 100-200 domains. Provided the your VPS host is stable and a backup node would be awesome to provide higher stability.
pobs what makes me different is im a mechanical engineer trying to go into web hosting lol. atm the clients i have are essetially paying for my servers (breaking even
) so not doin bad like you say i do need that edge 
thanks srvrpro! i knew i wasn't too far from the right track. besides if think if i ever had a client that needed more resources than i currently have id just get a new server and move them to that (at a price increase of course) so that others on that node would not suffer this giving them dedicated resources without the technical requirements of rolling your own so to speak
also when would the need for kvm or xen arise?
Well if you are learning you should do that first, get a vps, install bits and bobs, set stuff up, configure apache, php, etc to get used to the basic needs, then start a webhost. But as stated above it is really hard to stand out unless you target a different market, non cPanel or bit of both. If you think you'll need a backup plan, get a Fully managed server. I did that when I owned a webhost brand, just in-case I needed a hand to fix something.
Check out: http://www.webhostingtalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=94
I would not admit any such thing.
Reseller hosting from a reputable provider is a way to start.
Managed VPS hosting from a reputable provider who provides 24x7 support (e.g., WiredTree, KnownHost, etc.) is a way to start
LEBs are not a good way to start, and a single home-built server is not a good way to start either.
@raindog308 I agree, reseller hosting from a reliable provider is a great way to start a webhost then expand with your business.
Don't listen to those guys, an LEB is perfectly suitable.
Jeez....
@Licensecart ive been in and out of webdesign since i was younger win 95/98 era learning coding and linux along the way as a hobby so i understand the logistic of how apache works, php html and databases.
being a gamer too i never switched to linux just easier to stay on windows and not be creative.
now ive got a job and some spare cash i thought hell why not
@raindog308 defo not a home server tried it once for sending files to and from uni ...fail
so far from what im gathering there isnt really a right way just as long i can ensure what i do is stable and secure and sometime soon move over to a dedicated system or speak to a datacentre
Though I don't suggest them(gvh) if you care about your clients as they are bound to just shutdown your vps for no reason.
Just a heads up. The best advice comes from experience in this industry, not from what random people tell you. It's evident that there are definite ways to stand out and succeed in this industry, but those ways are off the normal "cookie cutter" path everyone takes. But unless they're stupid, nobody is going to release those "trade secrets".
I've learned how to succeed through mistakes costing me thousands of dollars. I've took $400 in investments and turned that into tens of thousands of dollars in 1 year. Think outside the box and you'll succeed too.
Sounds good, however I don't recommend GreenValueHost one bit not after their actions lately and Jon not keeping to his apology. So if you are with them, pack your bags.
I wouldnt know as joined today been reading alot tho just never contributed. And as for how a company is i would have to try them first before making up my mind even if against the word of others. i went with dotvps even tho a few people said not to when i first bought my vps havent looked back since!
although im a bit edgy with the take over and not 100% sure how to move my servers if i felt i needed to
@ginner159 It's an interesting field to be in, I can safely say in the decade I've been doing it, starting off simply hosting some local friends with bands, businesses, and wild ideas - to managing servers for folks I met on a forum in TN - it can take you everywhere!
Big suggestions I can offer from my experience from starting out local:
All in all just keep it rolling, I've been doing this in my own little niche, thus why I've been rolling around here trying to get my self up to par on some VPS tech and what too folks are wanting! In the time I've been doing this it went from Dual P3's to Multi-Core-Multi-Processors - now to folks wanting 2 cores and 128mb of ram :-) Quite the ride!
Good luck in your endeavours! If you have any questions specifically or I can be of assistance reach out to me, happy to help!
I didn't ask you to recommend us Mike, and I didn't imply anything about us either. I was giving advice speaking as an individual, not on behalf of GVH.
The fact that most of LET's "frequently active" user base has an account with us is enough for me to say here that we're not as bad as you're trying to make us out to be.
I'm not trying to make you as bad as I claim you can do that yourself:
Apology (Full of Lies): http://lowendtalk.com/discussion/20631/an-apology-to-the-let-community-a-plead-for-forgiveness-and-a-start-of-a-new-beginning
You are right. However:
(a) you have been in business less than two years
(b) you are 17
(c) you have never run a shared hosting company or offered shared hosting services
So you are hardly someone who has "experience in this industry".