Reliable Host w/Large (or unlimited) Traffic Options?

[MarcieZoob]

We are working with a ski resort who has a live webcam on their site. Unfortunately, their original hosting service only offered stats by the month so we cannot view traffic statistics for the winter months when the webcam was accessed most frequently - we have no way of knowing if they will need 10gb or 100gb a month for the webcam alone. The client wanted to move away from the original host for various reasons.

We found an unlimited service that we're using but the site has been offline an average of one hour a day (and it's not the ski season yet), plus tech support is only offered during Pacific Time business hours (we're on East Coast time).

Does anyone have a web host that they HIGHLY recommend with 24/7 service and possibly unlimited or 300 - 500 gb of traffic allowance a month? Service and uptime are key, not to mention affordability.

[sjk]

I've used B2NetSolutions before for the setup of a shoutcast hosting service. I haven't had any contact with them in quite some time, but as I recall they were always up and offer tons of BW. If I had to set up any shell type stuff, I'd probably outsource it to them. Hope it helps.

[ADAM Web Design]

Now Marcie, you're a very intelligent woman. I expect more out of you than to fall for the "unlimited traffic" hosting bit. I gotta say, I'm a wee bit disappointed in you, young lady.

For those who might not know why "unlimited/unmetered bandwidth" is bad, here's an explanation:

No matter what, every bandwidth connection has a physical cap or limit per second that it can process (for example, dialup is 56 Kb/s). And since there's a limited amount of time in a month to process said bandwidth, that means that it maxes out at a certain point (bandwidth per second x 2,678,400, or the number of seconds in a month).

Now...consider that if the host doesn't meter the bandwidth, bursts/spikes can come through its network and right into the network card of the server you're hosting your site on. And if repeated traffic comes through to the point where the server can't handle the bandwidth request, it's lights out on the server. This is the reason, as much as any, that your client's site is going down an hour a day.

So let's recap, kids. Unlimited/unmetered bandwidth is a figment of our imagination, just like fairies, leprechauns, and FOX sitcom writers who don't cater to the lowest common denominator whenever possible.

Having said all of that, my boys down at Sectorlink can handle that request for you without any difficulty. They upgraded their bandwidth I think 4.5 times its original last year, and they're right in Michigan so they're about as physically close to you as a host can get (even though I know Michigan's a pretty big state, and I don't have a clue where Harbor Springs is.) They've also been running without downtime on any of the sites I've built since July of 2003. They were even up during the blackout on their gas generators.

I guess it would help to know what your definition of "affordability" is, too. I'd consider Sectorlink "low middle" as far as their pricing goes. They're not the cheapest host in the world, but for what they offer and the service level they've been at with me for the past 3.5 years, it's the best value. And to me, if I've gotta spend an extra $40/$50 on my server just to be sure that I'm not going to waste hours on end with downtime issues every month...hey, here's $40/$50, make it happen, thanks very much and I'll be quiet as a mouse unless I can't do something myself.

The only downside I find is that every other employee there seems to be named Jason for some reason, so if you're trying to email or call them back, it makes it a bit difficult. So ask for the last initial.

[MarcieZoob]

Originally Posted by ADAM Web Design

Now Marcie, you're a very intelligent woman. I expect more out of you than to fall for the "unlimited traffic" hosting bit. I gotta say, I'm a wee bit disappointed in you, young lady.

My not knowing is why I posted this topic, looking for some help.

[ADAM Web Design]

Yeah, I know. I guess we're all capable of not knowing things from time to time. I just figured with your intelligence and experience that you would have long encountered and dealt with it by now. So I guess "surprised" is a more accurate word.

[sjk]

Originally Posted by MarcieZoob

My not knowing is why I posted this topic, looking for some help.

There's no such thing as "unlimited" BW as Adam pointed out. You can cluster servers across aggregate VLAN segments to lift the Layer I constraints, but once you start getting in to that, obviously your hardware costs go up and eventually there is a limit to some end. Not a good idea to depend on such a solution. My best suggestion would be to use your existing hosting company for the main website - then outsource the webcam stuff to a third party. You can get your own dedicated box at ThePlanet thru B2Net if you want. Or probably the best idea would be to start with their “Infinity” plan which gives you 50GB for $21/month – and upgrade to a dedicated if it turns out that you need more than 50GB/month for the webcam service. I’m guessing; but I think they might be clustering within ThePlanet’s network to provide the “unmetered” bandwidth at a higher cost with less available network throughput. Who knows, but I wouldn’t want to be on that segment so I’d stay away from that option if I were you. Every dedicated box with ThePlanet comes with 1200GB/Month so they aren’t overselling you with their dedicated boxes. I get the same servers from ThePlanet, but I have no idea how they get the pricing that low. I think that because they've had a relationship with them for longer - they probably get a special loyalty discount or something.

Sorry Adam, not meaning to undermine your recommendation, I just can’t vouch for the SectorLink NOC. Pricing looks good though.

[ADAM Web Design]

No offense taken. You've got a well-formed, intelligent opinion, and I've got a well-formed, intelligent opinion. That gives Marcie two solid options, which helps her out in the end, and that's the name of the game.

[cyanide]

Hi Marcie,

I noticed you were using one of those webhosts.
I was going to shake my finger(tsk, tsk) at you... but, then I forgot lol


--Web Hosting | Webmaster Help

[MarcieZoob]

Originally Posted by cyanide

I noticed you were using one of those webhosts.

I assume you are speaking of our ski client. We're not happy with the service we found for the webcam traffic but it's all they can afford. Being a seasonal service, a high price tag is not an option for them.

If you're referring to the host we use, well, wag your finger all you want. We have hosted our sites locally with very disappointing results - constant downtime, tech support only open during business hours M-F, email unavailable (especially on weekends)... We are a reseller of an amazing hosting service - no one can give us what our affiliate does for the price, service, uptime, features, tech support, 10-minute-or-less response time... the list goes on.

So feel free to wag your finger at me all you want. I'm not ashamed. My goal is to provide my clients with affordable hosting services and unfortunately nothing is offered at the local/state/region level that even comes close to what we have now.

[cyanide]

Well, I was half-joking, no need to get uptight

So, if you're already offering hosting, what's the problem?

Stating your budget would help too.

It's true that unlimited bandwidth doesn't exist, but even if it did, the server would crash and burn long before, not to mention getting kicked off the server for utilizing too many resources.

At 500G / month, you're pushing semi-dedicated server territory


Web Hosting | Webmaster Help

[ADAM Web Design]

I'm going to throw a bit of a curveball out here...does the webcam bring in sufficient business to the lodge to justify a certain amount of extra money per month? And what would that something be? Depending on what it is, the cam may not even be necessary. It almost sounds like it's not a justified expense.

[MarcieZoob]

Originally Posted by ADAM Web Design

...does the webcam bring in sufficient business to the lodge to justify a certain amount of extra money per month?

The webcam is a live shot of the ski hills and is used by people downstate and locally. It's the one thing on the website that people use the most - phone calls and email prove that. In looking at stats this month, it's being used everyday (for what reason, I do not know...).

[ADAM Web Design]

Hmmm. This is a bit tricky, because it's a seasonal thing then, but here's what I'd suggest doing, whatever host you go with:

1) Figure out what you're using right now in terms of resource, including bandwidth (yes, I know it's the offseason, but there's a reason which I'll get to). Programming languages you use, databases, storage space, etc.

Once you've got all this information, shop around for hosting plans that fit it to get an idea of your base hosting plan cost range without the bandwidth you'd need in the wintertime. No matter what the situation, this would be your minimal cost.

2) On to the bandwidth part of the equation. Most hosts will sell you extra bandwidth by request. The costs of this vary depending on the host and the type of bandwidth, and I can't really speculate on what that would cost.

You may not know how much bandwidth your ski hill cam is going to use, but at least you do know when it's used (since it would likely be one of those November-April things, or whenever the ski season is). So...before you get hammered with extra costs, prepay for the bandwidth (this can often save you 25-50%). Some hosts will even let you "carry over" prepaid bandwidth from month to month based on the circumstances. You should investigate, since a good host will work with you on this.

[Deep13]

For shared hosting I would recommend Dreamhost, they provide good service at pretty decent rates...

For dedicated sever I would recommmend..ThePlanet, I have 2 servers with them for past 1 year...their customer support is very good (sometimes they fail to reply quickly but thats rare), server uptime is very good and rates are also reasonable..

They offer servers with Unmetered Bandwidth too..costs $239 to $439 a month...

Regards
Deep