Deciding between VPS and Dedicated : Feature Sets?

stegic · 02-11-2003, 02:17 PM

I am considering singing up for a VPS account. I am also thinking about going the co-located/dedicated route. I would like to know how flexible the VPS system under FreeBSD is? What I really need to know is whether root access is available? Whether you can set up your own SMTP, POP server, for non-spam purposes ofcourse? Also, what is the performance like? And the bandwidth? I am sure these answers are out there somewhere, just was wondering especially about the mail server. Also, is there any way I could test VPS? I mean, could I sign up for the service, and then after 30 days and extensive testing, if it doesn't work for me, get my money back?

Many thanks,
Ivan.

FH-Dave · 02-11-2003, 02:45 PM

Ivan,

1. You get full root access. You can even set up your own firewall (using iptables on linux or ipfw on freebsd). Run tcpdump and the like.

2. You can pretty much install any software you want, replace sendmail with qmail / postfix / exim, install djbdns instead of bind, or try using thttpd instead of apache. You can install your own php modules etc.

3. Performance - this is quite relative. See how this forum performs for example. Give me more hints about what you'd like to know regarding this one.

4. Bandwidth ? As in how much bandwidth or as in how fast can the data be transferred? The traffic allowance is listed on the pricing page http://www.fluidhosting.com/vps/pricing.php as for the size of the pipe: the FreeBSD setting is a bit different to Linux.

FreeBSD defines maximum bandwidth e.g. 5mbps - 10 mbps whereas Linux defines minimum bandwidth (guarantee).

We currently set FreeBSD bandwidth to 5mbps however if you have special needs we can adjust it.

5. Testing - contact us separately (click Contact at the navigation bar above)

Please also be aware that as of now we only officially sell Linux VPS service. There are several things in FreeBSD that prevent us from offering the service. The stability has been very good, however we can't bill people on their usage yet

Regards
Jim

stegic · 02-11-2003, 02:54 PM

Thank you for the reply... you've answered all my questions exceptionally. Thanks. I looked at the pricing, and it seems pretty reasonable for the starting price of $25. Knowing that I can install and use qmail and any other software is really super. Really! I do however have two further questions though. Firstly, when are you planning to role out the BSD hosting? Secondly, are there any back up drives/ back up mechanisms available to backup certain directories in this package?

stegic · 02-11-2003, 02:56 PM

Oh, one more thing... when logging in to the machine... does it *seem* like I am using my own server? I mean... the directory structure etc. is all the same as it would be on a regular server?

FH-Dave · 02-11-2003, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by stegic
Firstly, when are you planning to role out the BSD hosting?

There is no fix ETA on FreeBSD VPS yet. From the tests we have done so far, it is basically ready. However, we are still reluctant to offer it to the public because the resource usage for this VPS will still be unmetered. Thus, you can use more than your allocated resource (bandwidth, CPUs, etc) for free.

Quote:

Secondly, are there any back up drives/ back up mechanisms available to backup certain directories in this package?

All of our VPS servers will come with a 2nd backup hard drive where you can even backup your whole VPS to. If your VPS fails, you can always recover your VPS from the last backup.

Quote:

Oh, one more thing... when logging in to the machine... does it *seem* like I am using my own server? I mean... the directory structure etc. is all the same as it would be on a regular server?

Yes. All directories structure will be the same as it would be on a dedicated server.

stegic · 02-11-2003, 03:12 PM

> Thus, you can use more than your allocated resource (bandwidth, CPUs, etc) for free.

And this would be a problem? Why??

>All of our VPS will come with a 2nd backup hard drive where you can even backup your whole VPS to. If your VPS fails, you can always recover your VPS from the last backup.

That's excellent. How much back up space is available, and does it count into the allocated quota you have when you purchase the account.

I thought of another question, and perhaps you already answered this... is it possible to UNinstall stuff? I am not a HUGE fan of SendMail, and love qmail. I would like no sign of sendmail when I configure my server. This is possible, right?

And, is it possible to "reboot" your own VPS?

FH-Dave · 02-11-2003, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by stegic
> Thus, you can use more than your allocated resource (bandwidth, CPUs, etc) for free.

And this would be a problem? Why??

I know you would ask that

We will think of an alternative way to measure at least the bandwidth usage. And if we feel comfortable with it, we will release it to few customers only.

Quote:

That's excellent. How much back up space is available, and does it count into the allocated quota you have when you purchase the account.

The backup space does not count towards your VPS quota. You can backup up to your VPS quota.

Quote:

I thought of another question, and perhaps you already answered this... is it possible to UNinstall stuff? I am not a HUGE fan of SendMail, and love qmail. I would like no sign of sendmail when I configure my server. This is possible, right?

I will leave this part for Jim to answer

Quote:

And, is it possible to "reboot" your own VPS?

On Linux VPS, you can login to your VPS control panel (hosted on separate server) where you can stop/start your VPS to emulate the "server reboot". Jim will confirm this for FreeBSD VPS.

stegic · 02-11-2003, 04:04 PM

I really like this forum. This was a great thing for you guys to come up with. Whose bright idea was it? Eh??

)

It's great that you have the control panel hosted on a separate server. Is there any demo of the panel? I looked at all the documentation that you have on the VPS pages... looks great, but I didn't see a demo.

FH-Dave · 02-11-2003, 04:17 PM

Quote:

I thought of another question, and perhaps you already answered this... is it possible to UNinstall stuff? I am not a HUGE fan of SendMail, and love qmail. I would like no sign of sendmail when I configure my server. This is possible, right?

FreeBSD comes with sendmail as part of the operating system, along with openssh and bind.

Just as a real FreeBSD installation (on a dedicated server), you can completely replace them with your own (sendmail, ssh, bind), however you should leave the default version there - although they won't be loaded / used.

FreeBSD has a clear directory structure that governs this.

The standard stuff goes into /usr/bin /usr/lib etc.

The additional stuff that you install will go into /usr/local/bin /usr/local/lib etc.

You can control which one gets used from /etc/rc.conf as usual.

Quote:

And, is it possible to "reboot" your own VPS?

Yes confirmed, you can also shutdown / start your VPS from the control panel.

stegic · 02-11-2003, 04:25 PM

Oh, this is really excellent news. I have one last (yeah right) question... we get one static IP with one hosting account. Does this include having access to NS records for the domain(s) we chose to associate with this IP?

FH-Dave · 02-11-2003, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by stegic
I really like this forum. This was a great thing for you guys to come up with. Whose bright idea was it? Eh??

)

Thank you for your feedback. I think I should be thankful for Jim for his persistence in convincing me to setup this forum and also for his hard work setting up the forum for us

Quote:

It's great that you have the control panel hosted on a separate server. Is there any demo of the panel? I looked at all the documentation that you have on the VPS pages... looks great, but I didn't see a demo

At this moment, we do not have a VPS demo. Well, we do at one point offer a 3 day trial for our VPS. But we decided to close it down as soon as we discovered some people has used our VPS to launch a DOS attack against other network

We will put some screenshots for our HSP Complete control panel.

FH-Dave · 02-11-2003, 04:49 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by stegic
we get one static IP with one hosting account. Does this include having access to NS records for the domain(s) we chose to associate with this IP?

Yes you have full access to the NS records through the control panel. You can also run your own DNS servers if you have 2 IPs.

stegic · 02-11-2003, 04:54 PM

---
we discovered some people has used our VPS to launch a DOS attack against other network We will put some screenshots for our HSP Complete control panel.
---

The cheek of some people!! Screenshots would be great to see!

FH-Dave · 02-11-2003, 05:03 PM

This screenshot is pretty old but it should give you an idea of the "look and feel" of the control panel

This one shows the list of applications installed in a Linux VPS

02-11-2003, 02:17 PM	#1
stegic Registered User Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Minneapolis Posts: 9	Deciding between VPS and Dedicated : Feature Sets? I am considering singing up for a VPS account. I am also thinking about going the co-located/dedicated route. I would like to know how flexible the VPS system under FreeBSD is? What I really need to know is whether root access is available? Whether you can set up your own SMTP, POP server, for non-spam purposes ofcourse? Also, what is the performance like? And the bandwidth? I am sure these answers are out there somewhere, just was wondering especially about the mail server. Also, is there any way I could test VPS? I mean, could I sign up for the service, and then after 30 days and extensive testing, if it doesn't work for me, get my money back? Many thanks, Ivan.

02-11-2003, 02:45 PM	#2
FH-Dave Fluid Hosting Staff Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 3,302	Ivan, 1. You get full root access. You can even set up your own firewall (using iptables on linux or ipfw on freebsd). Run tcpdump and the like. 2. You can pretty much install any software you want, replace sendmail with qmail / postfix / exim, install djbdns instead of bind, or try using thttpd instead of apache. You can install your own php modules etc. 3. Performance - this is quite relative. See how this forum performs for example. Give me more hints about what you'd like to know regarding this one. 4. Bandwidth ? As in how much bandwidth or as in how fast can the data be transferred? The traffic allowance is listed on the pricing page http://www.fluidhosting.com/vps/pricing.php as for the size of the pipe: the FreeBSD setting is a bit different to Linux. FreeBSD defines maximum bandwidth e.g. 5mbps - 10 mbps whereas Linux defines minimum bandwidth (guarantee). We currently set FreeBSD bandwidth to 5mbps however if you have special needs we can adjust it. 5. Testing - contact us separately (click Contact at the navigation bar above) Please also be aware that as of now we only officially sell Linux VPS service. There are several things in FreeBSD that prevent us from offering the service. The stability has been very good, however we can't bill people on their usage yet Regards Jim __________________ Do to others what you would want others do to you.

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02-11-2003, 02:54 PM	#3
stegic Registered User Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Minneapolis Posts: 9	Thank you for the reply... you've answered all my questions exceptionally. Thanks. I looked at the pricing, and it seems pretty reasonable for the starting price of $25. Knowing that I can install and use qmail and any other software is really super. Really! I do however have two further questions though. Firstly, when are you planning to role out the BSD hosting? Secondly, are there any back up drives/ back up mechanisms available to backup certain directories in this package?

02-11-2003, 02:56 PM	#4
stegic Registered User Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Minneapolis Posts: 9	Oh, one more thing... when logging in to the machine... does it seem like I am using my own server? I mean... the directory structure etc. is all the same as it would be on a regular server?

02-11-2003, 03:12 PM	#6
stegic Registered User Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Minneapolis Posts: 9	> Thus, you can use more than your allocated resource (bandwidth, CPUs, etc) for free. And this would be a problem? Why?? >All of our VPS will come with a 2nd backup hard drive where you can even backup your whole VPS to. If your VPS fails, you can always recover your VPS from the last backup. That's excellent. How much back up space is available, and does it count into the allocated quota you have when you purchase the account. I thought of another question, and perhaps you already answered this... is it possible to UNinstall stuff? I am not a HUGE fan of SendMail, and love qmail. I would like no sign of sendmail when I configure my server. This is possible, right? And, is it possible to "reboot" your own VPS?

02-11-2003, 04:04 PM	#8
stegic Registered User Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Minneapolis Posts: 9	I really like this forum. This was a great thing for you guys to come up with. Whose bright idea was it? Eh?? ) It's great that you have the control panel hosted on a separate server. Is there any demo of the panel? I looked at all the documentation that you have on the VPS pages... looks great, but I didn't see a demo.

02-11-2003, 04:25 PM	#10
stegic Registered User Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Minneapolis Posts: 9	Oh, this is really excellent news. I have one last (yeah right) question... we get one static IP with one hosting account. Does this include having access to NS records for the domain(s) we chose to associate with this IP?

02-11-2003, 04:54 PM	#13
stegic Registered User Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Minneapolis Posts: 9	--- we discovered some people has used our VPS to launch a DOS attack against other network We will put some screenshots for our HSP Complete control panel. --- The cheek of some people!! Screenshots would be great to see!