[Mediawiki-l] Who do you use for Hosting?

Thu Nov 27 18:33:52 UTC 2008

SliceHost offers a pretty nifty VPS service (comparable to Linode's, I
think).  Not a lot of hand-holding (beyond some good tutorials), but no crap
to get in your way if you know what you're doing.

At this point, the only significant difference between a proper VPS and a
dedicated server that I see actually favors the VPS: With a VPS, you can
instantly adjust your resource allocations without the need for any physical
hardware changes; with a dedicated server, you're locked into your
configuration unless you want to pay your host to send someone to physically
swap out the parts.

I wouldn't look at VPSes as somehow below dedicated servers, since a VPS can
be just as fast as a dedicated machine (or faster in the average case, since
VPS hosts are generally going to have monstrously beefy rigs).  Rather,
they're more flexible alternatives that have the physical hardware
abstracted away from your concern.

On Thu, Nov 27, 2008 at 12:34 PM, Momma <mommahatesspam at gmail.com> wrote:

>
> Here's how I look at it:
>
> SHARED SERVER (Cheapest): You buy one or more accounts from an ISP to host
> your domain(s).  There may be 500 other user accounts on that same machine.
> You have no root access and have resource limits like total disk space,
> monthly bandwidth, number of databases, email accts, ftp accts, etc...
>
> DEDICATED SERVER (most expensive): You lease an entire machine from a
> service provider.  For an unmanaged system (what I have), the provider puts
> it online with the software you order and gives you the keys. You have
> complete root access to the machine and no one else has access it to unless
> you so permit.  You are completely responsible for managing the server.
>
> VIRTUAL SERVER (middle tier cost):  Your website is very  popular and you
> are either exceeding your disk or bandwidth allocation, or your ISP is
> going
> to kick you off because you are using too much CPU and hurting his other
> 499
> users.  A dedicated server is too expensive or complicated for you to
> manage
> -- or maybe more power than you need.  The next viable option is a VIRTUAL
> SERVER.  Instead of there being 500 indiv. user accounts on the machine,
> there may be 10 total virtual servers.  To you, it appears that you have a
> dedicated server and have much of the control as if you owned the whole
> machine.  You can host as many domains, or use as many resources, as your
> account allows.  The actual root-type capabilities depends upon the virtual
> server software being used.  I believe Virtuoso is a popular package.  Find
> an ISP that provides virtual servers and see what system they provide and
> google for more info on capabilities.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: mediawiki-l-bounces at lists.wikimedia.org
> [mailto:mediawiki-l-bounces at lists.wikimedia.org] On Behalf Of Steve
> VanSlyck
> Sent: Thursday, November 27, 2008 12:18 PM
> To: MediaWiki announcements and site admin list
> Subject: Re: [Mediawiki-l] Who do you use for Hosting?
>
> OK. Lemme see if I got this right.
>
> There are two boxes in my living room. One in Larry and one is Curly.
> Larry is a shared server and Curly runs some virtual servers. On the
> Larry shared server everybody shares all the same apache settings like
> memory limits and such, so Mo, Groucho, and Zeppo are kindof in lock
> step in some (or many) ways. I guess here that the processor itself has
> to  manage conflicts and allocate resources
>
> On the Curly virtual servers, Harpo, W. and Bill C., can "change" the
> settings of their virtual server in many more ways. One can have a 500Gb
> memory limit for some process and another can limit his to 5K. The
> virtual server software manages conflicts and allocates resources.
>
> Ignoring the probably incorrect examples I've given, is that generally
> correct in concept?
>
>
>
> Boris Steipe wrote:
> > Yes, but that box pretends to be several different boxes all at the
> > same time. Each of those is "virtual".
> >
> >
> > On 27-Nov-08, at 10:35 AM, Steve VanSlyck wrote:
> >
> >
> >> I don't understand how any software could run on anything other than a
> >> computer I can point at. How is this in any way virtual? There's gotta
> >> be a computer somewhere.
> >>
> >> Matt Browne wrote:
> >>
> >>> Real hosting is when it's hosted on a physical box.  Either a
> >>> dedicated
> >>> server or a shared server.
> >>> Virtual hosting is where a virtual machine hosts your site.  So,
> >>> your site
> >>> would have a dedicated virtual machine, but this virtual machine
> >>> is on a
> >>> machine that hosts some other virtual machines.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> 2008/11/27 Steve VanSlyck <s.vanslyck at spamcop.net>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>> Wot's the difference between real hosting and virtual hosting?
> >>>>
> >>>> Troy Wical wrote:
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>> On Nov 26, 2008, at 10:08 AM, Matt Browne wrote:
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>>> Just out of curiosity. Who do people use for hosting their
> >>>>>> Mediawiki
> >>>>>> sites?
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>>
> >>>>> I've used JaguarPC.com for several years now.  Their "gigadeal"
> >>>>> package sets the bar in regards to virtual hosting features and
> >>>>> cost.
> >>>>> Customer service has been top notch and I know several others that
> >>>>> have nothing but good things to say about them.
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
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