Development web hosting

theres always one

although it is a good question.

 

Hamlesh.com is my IT consultancy, HostPlanetUK is my hosting company (no site at present). On the hosting side I am only working with blue chips at present, the info from above is a package I will be offering to individuals and small businesses when the services/site get launched.

NOC is based in Reading UK. I have a room at harbour exchange of telehouse (4 cages), a couple of racks at dedipower, a rack at Level3 in London, 10 racks with The Planet in the US, 2 racks with ev1 in the US.

Heres le network at present / so far.



I cant disclose what we are doing for neither IBM or Pepsi (NDAs have been signed).

EDIT: BTW I didnt think you were being an arse glad to answer questions as long as they are put so politely

 

nice setup

thanks for answering its always interesting to see what other people are up to.

 

You see, here's the major problem.

The only London DC known as 'harbour exchange' is Redbus, London I. The 2 Telehouse sites are Telehouse North and Telehouse East.

Also, you have a couple of racks 'at dedipower' yet you don't even have your own IP space or your own AS#? Surely a company of that size would be a full LIR? Hell, we've not got 1/10 the facilities you describe yet we'll be a full LIR before the year is out - we've at least had PI space since the beginning!

More importantly though, 1000gb of transfer on a virtual hosting account for £150/year is sheer lunacy. You do realise that just because ev1 have promised you 1000gb of transfer doesn't mean that your P4 server can push that amount of traffic without keeling over when you include overheads such as MySQL, PHP and your MTA?

I *am* being an arse now but as a respectable provider it really annoys the hell out of me when I see things like this.

I'm sure you're a great guy and you mean well but save the bull**** for those who are really talented at it (there are plenty).

Edit: Oh and your company doesn't exist

 

Just to address a few of the issues.

My bad on the harbour exchange thing, that was meant to read "Harbour exchange of Redbus Interhouse".

I know what you are saying about the other stuff, its just not something we have got into place yet. The hosting side is getting pulled out from the consultancy side for this very reason, nothing is setup as well as it should be.

I spend most of my time running from meeting to meeting and doing development work, getting in some technical folks to sort exactly this kind of stuff out before we do go live.

As for the data transfer, I know exactly what you are saying, thats why the shared hosting is running on distributed servers, mysql load will be split between a couple of dual xeon machines, apache will be load balanced between a couple of dual xeons, and the data will be held on another bunch of xeons, all interlinked. Its not on standard P4s on the shared side.

As for companies house registration, yeah your right, but as I said, thats why its all getting split up and sorted out, its a right mess at the moment.

If you want to carry this on off the forum I'd be happy to

 

Your forgot what DC you were in? That must be difficult when you're trying to install equipment - "excuse me, did I leave my servers here?".

But you were just trying to sell hosting to the guy who started this thread! The above is basically an open admission that everything you stated previously was complete and utter tosh!

Even if that were true, 1000gb is still ridiculous!

Feel free to correct me but I think you've decided you're going to have a go at selling webhosting - fair enough. You've got yourself a box from Dedipower and a box from ThePlanet/Servermatrix - fair enough.

This is where it starts to go a little pear shaped with promises of 1000gb transfer per month, imaginary networks and a client list IBM and Pepsi would be quite interested to see .

If you want to sell webhosting, that's great but please do it honestly. I understand you want to offer something 'more' than the other budget providers but honestly, if you know what you're doing and provide a good service to your customers you can make a go of things without all the lies and deception.

 

Godaddy.com

for $9.95 per month

1000MB disk space
50Gigabytes bandwith
50 Email accounts


The ASP is horrible though. Don't know about PHP but if you choose the windows server, php is horrible too.

Besides that, they rock!!!

 

If this is to become a hosting recommendation thread, www.3dpixelnet.com. Excellent hosting
It's run by the guy who used to run deviantpc, I'm sure the elders amongst us will remember that. Good to have a proper host (not a 16 year old cowboy with a rackshack box) who's also part of the community.

 

i use lcn.biz , bit more pricey than some of the company's mentioned but good never the less!

 

This isn't a slur on 3dpixelnet, I know nothing of them and rackshack (ev1) really aren't that bad as budget providers go but I thought this was pretty amusing.....

 

Not to butt in, but seriously, haven't you got anything better to do?

I have a Fasthost's reseller account. In the past I have used this account for, to name a few, Credit Suisse, Ish, MSN Money feeds, Sky and a few other clients. Granted we've moved them on since but they were still on fasthosts servers.

This was about 2 and a half to 3 years ago, when fasthosts were going though a rocky patch too.

So doesn’t matter how big or small you are, its how well you can sell a company something. Therefore I see no reason from my own experience why hk hasn't had dealings with IBM and Pepsi etc.

As for companies not existing? You obviously don't know that much about business, I don't pretend to, but I do know enough.

Just because companies aren't listed in the company house, doesn't mean they don't exist. The company house is either optional or if you're an LTD.

They could be a partnership, sole trader or simply trading as, and you'll find many hosting firms actually are because the benefits from being an LTD aren't reflected too well in this industry as you're only providing services, with very low overheads, and contracts that have complete break points.

Also as a LTD you have to keep strict accounts, which isn't cheap for a company just starting up. If you don't keep strict accounts you'll end up totally facked later on as it is a legal requirement now. And the list goes on for the expenses involved in becoming a legal LTD.

The only people that need to know about your company is the IR and your bank. And you wouldn't have access to any of that information.

Also as long as you have terms and conditions available on request you can promise anything you like. I can offer 10,000GB a day if I wanted to, but terms and conditions apply. You only need to inform the customer terms and conditions apply at the signup period.

I do design, marketing and branding etc... But my company does mobile phones, contracts, hosting, service contracts, repairs, networking, new/used/imported cars, clothes, the list goes on...

I've made sure I don't need to worry about any of that, all I worry about is the profits. I have others to worry about what they're doing as I lay my company out to them as if it was their own, they can earn whatever they like, more profit they make, more money they earn. I just take the percentages. Anyone can sell anything to anyone, just have to give them the incentive and the confidence. So far it's worked a treat.

Anyway, it doesn’t matter what you sell, it's how you sell it.

You can pick all you like at me, I don't care, I’m a business man, in business your conscience and any morals go out of the window. If you can't do that then you're not even half the business man you could be. Harsh but true.

The way I see it, business men are simply con-artists with cards and suits. We use exactly the same techniques, to get exactly the same thing.

End of the day, picking at what he knows and doesn't is useless. I can run a car, doesn't mean I know how everything under the hood works. But I know I have people who do.

Right, I don't have to set foot in the office for another 4 weeks, but I'm betting you're back tomorrow. So how about we leave it where it is and get on with our own.

 

Satan - that's all great but...

a) No, I didn't have anything better to do at the time and I was trying to protect potential 'customers' being taken in by such blatant lies
b) I said the company didn't exist because it doesn't. If "hostplanetuk" is a sole tradership or a partnership, it is not a company. I know that's being picky.
c) All of the 'technical' info hk gave was complete bare-faced lies!
d) I don't think being a 'con artist in a suit' is a good way to run a business in the long-term.

 

I'm 22, 4 and a half years running now, and I'm dipping into a sideline with some major property development.. Long term maybe not, but i've always set out so I don't have to work all of my life. How about you?

And for your benefit, Company = A business enterprise. All the above is a company, even trading under your own given name is seen as a company.

And lies to you may not be lies to him, simply a different level of understanding, as I previously said. He may not know the in's and out's, but then again, he might know people who do, and those people are the ones who deal with it all.

I could get one of my sales team talk to you all day long about in insides of a pc, I know he doesnt know a thing about the insides, he knows, and you know... but end of the day hes only tying to give as much information as he currently knows, right or wrong, he knows no better.



Btw, are u reading it correctly? He's offering a total of 1200GB per year, 100GB a month transfer. And a hosting space of 1GB. Need some reading glasses? I'm no hosting techie but doesn't seem so amazing...

 

I do love a good debate!

I enjoy my work, my work defines who I am, I have no idea what I'd do with my time if I wasn't working. I'm just a boring sod I suppose.

I always thought the UK definition of a company was that it was a corporation? Maybe I'm mistaken but I don't think so.

That's the kind of thing people say to cover up blatant lies . Saying that you have facilities which you obviously don't is mis-representation.

The thing is, I don't need to be a superb salesman because I believe in what I'm selling and I can convey that belief to my customers in a manner that they understand. That's how I've made my business a success and that's how I intend to proceed in future. Businesses set up on a basis of deception, half-truthes and ruthless sales tacticts, 'to make a quick buck', are the ones that fail leaving customers high and dry.

I refer to:

100gb for £150 p.a. would still be ridiculous though.

 

You're mistaken, ask anyone doing anything from GCSE level business studies... or even pop into the CAB... hell even the oxford dictionay

Anyone with half a cell would take the 1000GB remark as a fun exaggeration, I gave you the benefit assuming that you didn't take this as fact.

Even then, 1000GB would be possible with load balancing over multiple servers i'm sure, and I don't even deal with this stuff.

A tip in business, if you want a big buck from the blues (Credit Suisse for example had a fair few mil to offer), you tell them what they can expect from you, obviously more than what you currently have standing, but as soon as they sign the contract you can then ship in the bodies to do what you've offered and make your money. It's the most common state in business i know.

I've partnered up with over 15 companies through many contracts, and they use exactly the same tactics.

End of the day, you take everything you read for fact, obviously you can't see the humor in his comment, maybe it was a joke between two, but I'm sure most of us got it..

And 100GB for £150/year isn't a shocker to me...

5Gb Disk Space
100Gb Transfer
$25/month!

From madcow hosting (MCH).

1Gb Disk Space
100Gb Transfer
$8.95/month

From ULTRAiHOST.

1Gb Disk Space
100Gb Transfer
$65/year

From Fast-Host (not Fasthosts).

1.5Gb Disk Space
100Gb Transfer
$49.99/year

From One Million Host LTD.

And the list is endless, can't be arsed to type any more.

Oh and I have no need to cover up lies, I only state the possible, just so happens I find most things possible. No matter how improbable, i never seem to find it impossible.

Maybe I think things out a little more

And don't let your work define who you are, that's very unhealthy!

 

You might be right. I don't think I actually have an Oxford Dictionary here so I'll take your word for it .

Most of what you say makes sense and I wouldn't argue with it but the webhosting industry is a little different nowadays....

You see, that's not the case for most people. Most people take things they read as gospel truth, regardless of who is saying it. People will buy a service with 1000gb bandwidth over one that "only" offers 10gb because they think they're getting a better deal. Like you, they don't understand the logistics behind it. That's why I'm constantly rescuing clients who have taken such plans from other companies in the past.

Sure it's possible but not for £150 p.a.

Of course - I have done this in the past and will again in future. If a customer comes to us wanting to lease 10 Dell 1750 servers with varying specs, we sure as hell don't keep them in stock, we'll take the client's order then order the servers in. However, the kind of facilities hk claimed to have are not the kind of thing you can set up overnight - it takes months of planning and tens/hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of equipment. It wasn't exaggeration, it was complete and utter bull!

No joke - nothing to get.

As for those plans you quoted, again this is only because you don't understand the industry. It is possible to get a server from a company such as ev1 for £60/month with cPanel or similar which allows them to start hosting immediately with no knowledge of how to manage the system. They'll then buy a professional looking web template and start selling hosting to the public who, like you, don't know any better. Most likely the server will be compromised by some script kiddies, the kid running it will run out of cash and shut up shop or just get bored when the school holidays are over. I'm not exaggerating - these people are the bain of the hosting industry.

See why I'm bitter now?

 

Understandable, but hes not offering 1000GB/month, hes offering 100GB/month.

Doesn't seem to me like he's pitching too high. And as for those hosts, they were all listed as 5/5 hosts and given some sorta editors hosting awards. And customer reviews were all positive, many adult video sites were recommending it.... I might investigate them later *adds to favorites*

And as for being bitter, I see bad design everywhere I go, but I really couldn't give less of a ****, lifes to short to get bitter about things

Hell, infact I love it when people design ****, means when I invite the ceo's to a meeting they're going to be knocked back by our designs

But like I say, I don't know as much as you do about you're industy, and I don't need to

I've read what he said over and over again, yet I can't see how you actually read he was offering 1000GB, even more so as he was stating he would kick up a hissy fit over it. And I suggest people get out some more, I do a 3 mile run every morning, I find it clears the head a treat and makes you feel that bit better though the day

 

100gb/1000gb, makes no odds. It's still ridiculous.

You do realise that most of those 'awards' are yours for around $50?

I see what you mean. It's nice when a customer calls you and says "wow, I wish I'd used you to begin with" but the problem is that so many people will hand over £150 for a year's service upfront to someone like hk, realise it's absolutely awful then have to pay all over again to get a service that works! I'd much rather they came to us in the first place.

Btw, just in case you think I'm just posting this because I'm a disgruntled competitor, our main area of business lies in dedicated servers and co-location - we sell to people like hk.

Thanks for a nice debate though, I do respect your opinions but in this context they don't really work. If you ever want to know more about the hosting industry, feel free to drop me an e-mail, I can even put you in touch with people far more knowledgable than I.

 

Going back to the original post by HK... IBM - the richest enterprise in the world... relies on a kid from University in England for connectivity/servers... yea right.


Satan you obviously don't know what your talking about here, you're posts come across as you think you're some kind of business genious, when it's coming across as total tosh, as it's nothing to do with the current issue.


What HK is doing is fraudlent as it's complete bull. 100GB/mo for £150pa on a UK server... yea right, and I'm the fairy god mother.


As you're so uninformed on this topic, it's basically like trying to sell a Pentium 1 chip as an XP3500+ on these forums. If you condone this kind of activity in business then I suggest you keep quiet about it.


So, did you get to touch Britney Spears HK? What, with all these major links to Pepsi and all...?


Oh, plus, my father works for the MOD... I know how they outsource their work... and it's not to 19 year old kids.


This thread has given me a good laugh though, thanks for that.

 

How is what I have said "tosh"?

And IBM isn't the richest enterprise in the world. You'll find most companies outsource, you have no idea what he did for IBM, could have been the organisation of letterheaded paper for all you know

What's MOD got to do with anything?

And no I dont think I am a business genius.

And it's been good Adam