What hosting do I need?

deicistdeicist Manchester, UK
edited January 2007 in Internet & Media
Hi guys, hope someone can help me with this. Currently I have 5 or 6 websites running on my server at home. Nothing too fancy, just a couple of my own sites and some for friends etc. Now however one of my sites is getting a lot of htis and I'd like to move the whole kit and caboodle to some kind of dedicated hosting package. However, having never used any kind of web hosting before I'm unsure what I need. Ideally, I'd just like a server completely under my control (via RDP or something) that I can do anything I want to, sat in a rack somewhere. However, I don't think I can afford to rent rack space for what basically amounts to a hobby project. So, here's what I need from hosting:

Unlimited domains / subdomains (control of A/MX records?)
unlimited EMail accounts (with webmail)
ftp (or something) upload and control of hard drive
MYSQL database access (both from the website, and direct access to transfer my current data)
PHP scripts
Ability to install Joomla for some of the sites

Basically I want to be able to install pretty much whatever I want on the sites and have access to the file structure of the site. I doubt I'll need massive amounts of bandwidth (I get around 500 unique users a day on my current site) but that might change in the future.

So, can anyone suggest a hosting package that will give me what I want?

A friend suggested this. Has anyone got any experience with them? Good / bad company?

Comments

  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited January 2007
    It sounds like you need a dedicated server if you want that much control. There's always a balance, however, between control and cost. The more control you get, the more expensive it is. Chances are, with that Gatorhost, you're getting a virtual server, which in your case, might work. If these aren't high-powered sites that you're hosting, then the downside of a virtual server won't really affect you (the downside being CPU and Disk I/O performance - you're sharing the physical hardware with other servers, even though it "appears" to be a dedicated server).
  • RobRob Detroit, MI
    edited January 2007
    Those hostgator packages are just shared hosting accounts with a reseller interface as far as I know. Nothing special, and IMHO not a company of choice.

    A dedicated hosting package for 6 hobby domains? A dedicated hosting package should house a thousand hobby domains, seriously. Unlimited domains? Unlimited emails? I strongly recommend taking a close look at what you actually use and purchase the appropriate plan. The word 'unlimited' is used in the hosting industry to attract people that have no idea what they need.

    You should expect a 'control panel' and not RDP that gives you full control of your settings. Unless you plan on going into the hosting business, skip the reseller plans. They call them reseller plans because they are designed for you to enter the hosting market as a supplier. You can still 'resell' to your friends from a standard shared account.

    You are right about paying to have a server sit in a datacenter. When you get to this point, you know it.

    If I were asked to make a recommendation I would point you to the top right of this page.
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