Hosting TutorialPlease use this tutorial to resolve any myths or questions you may have regarding hosting before continuing your search for a hosting provider.Chapter One - Overview Chapter Two - Relative Pricing Chapter Three - Space Requirements Chapter Four - Bandwidth Requirements Chapter Five - Email Information Chapter Six - Counters and Statistics Chapter Seven - Real CGI-Bin Chapter Eight -Control Panel Chapter Nine - Mailing Lists/News Letter Chapter Ten - E-Commerce Chapter Eleven - FTP Chapter Twelve - Connection and Reliability Chapter Thirteen - Support Connection and ReliabilityOverviewConnection Speed Connection Reliability Machine Quality Facility Quality Overview The number one reason people list for leaving a Web Host is bad support, the number one reason they give for choosing a new host is Connection Speed. The thing they should be concerned with the most is Reliability. Reliability of connection and, of course the system. I would rather go with a Host that has 2 T1 connections to different networks, than a host that has an OC-12 to just one. I would look up the solutions to my problems at the library and on the internet rather than sacrifice redundancy for toll-free support. A host must spend the money on backup power, backup air, backup machines, backup tape, and backup networks. No amount of speed can overcome a downed network, no 800 number can fix a broken drive. For your site to be available 100% of the time, there must be 100% commitment on the part of your hosting provider to: quality, redundancy, and reliable support. Back to the top Connection Speed We use bandwidth on demand connections. We are not choked off by fixed transfer rates. Our speed could most accurately be described as several times better than OC-3, but this doesn't even begin to tell the story of our bandwidth potential. Our choice of location for the Network Operation Center was to put us in the same building with 2 major internet backbones. We do not need to connect thru telecom lines (like a T1 or T3) we have fiber optic connections to our bandwidth suppliers just downstairs from us a bit. Back to the top Connection Reliability Our choice of location makes it impossible for us to go down due to telecom line failure (we don't have one) Frontier/Global and Qwest both use countless redundant connections to make sure their networks don't go down. Even if an entire network should go down, we have 2 spares. Yahoo uses Frontier/Global only, we use Frontier/Global and Qwest and GTE. Back to the top Machine Quality There is an ISP by my house that uses regular PC's, not even all the same type, to hold their clients valuable files. Some hosting companies are run so poorly that they cannot afford to buy good servers. We use Industrial Strength, rack mounted, redundant everything machines. We have to; our business depends on it; we host our own files on these machines. There are now over 400 machines in our Network Operations Center and we have plenty of spares, spare parts and staff on hand 24 hours a day to take care of any problem that should arise. Back to the top Facility Quality Our Network Operations Center is equipped with Uninterruptable power supplies, battery backup, and generator backup. The NOC is kept at 65 degrees (for the servers -- not the people) We use a very expensive halon fire suppression system because it won't hurt the electronics, allowing us to return to operation as soon as possible in the event of fire. Tons of planning and a similar amount of investment have gone into making Rosserver.com your best choice for reliable hosting. Back to the top
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