Is VPS really a solution?

WebHost Admin · #1 (**permalink**) 05-03-2006, 01:29 PM

VPS is touted as a good stepping ground between reseller hosting and dedicated hosting.

I'm curious how many people here use VPS, and whether you feel it serves as a suitable platform for moving to dedicated hosting?

Colin Web · #2 (**permalink**) 05-03-2006, 07:07 PM

I had a host say I should use VPS but I don't know what it means?

michael · #3 (**permalink**) 06-03-2006, 02:09 PM

VPS - it stands for Virtual Private Server and as admin says it is usually used as a stepping stone between reseller hosting and a dedicated server.

You will be placed on a server with commonly 3-8 other sites and will have a guarantee over the % of memory and processer. For example you may have a guaranteed 128mb which will always be available to you and this may be burstable which means that if more memory is available and not being used by others it will be used by your site too.

Another advantage of a VPS is your site tends not to be affected as much by other sites as they would be on a shared server.

TWD_Tony · #4 (**permalink**) 07-03-2006, 04:56 PM

I have never seen the advantage of VPS or VDS as some people call it...

Okay, SSH access is good, but unless you really need it then why bother? If you need root access to a server environment then go dedicated.

The amount of resources that the VPS/VDS software uses outways the gains IMHO - I'd rather have either a jail shell shared hosting enviornment or a whole server.

WebHost Admin · #5 (**permalink**) 07-03-2006, 05:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Colin Web

I had a host say I should use VPS but I don't know what it means?

See if this FAQ is of any help.

http://www.webhostingworld.co.uk/faq/vps-hosting/

I've also added a sticky post with it linked from in the VPS board, for easier reference.

Host Master · #6 (**permalink**) 08-03-2006, 10:58 AM

I think VPS has its pros but these days it can be just as cost effective to lease a low-end server and screw that over for practice.

michael · #7 (**permalink**) 08-03-2006, 07:13 PM

Yes, I am noticing that prices on servers do tend to be lowering to a more affordable level, however I would be nervous about taking on an unmanaged one.

yellowcar · #8 (**permalink**) 17-03-2006, 02:15 PM

I moved my site from shared hosting to a VPS and the site was actually slower and less responsive.

Agreed, you have more control but I would recommend you avoid the middle step and opt for a dedicated server.

yellowcar

yellowcar · #9 (**permalink**) 17-03-2006, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by michael

Yes, I am noticing that prices on servers do tend to be lowering to a more affordable level, however I would be nervous about taking on an unmanaged one.

Michael - I can understand you being nervous (just as I was) but there really is no need. Once you start looking you will find there is more than enough information available on the net and many who will help you out in the forums (everyone was a newbie as some point!)

yellowcar

monaghan · #10 (**permalink**) 17-03-2006, 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by michael

Yes, I am noticing that prices on servers do tend to be lowering to a more affordable level, however I would be nervous about taking on an unmanaged one.

An unmanaged server is no bigger task to manage than an unmanaged VPS, it's just that you have more resource for your friendly hacker to play with if you get the security wrong

If you have concerns, build a box at home and pop it on your broadband line before the firewall and see if you can keep it secure. If so, then you'll probably be OK with an unmanaged server.

ClookNETAlec · #11 (**permalink**) 03-04-2006, 06:01 PM

Quote:

An unmanaged server is no bigger task to manage than an unmanaged VPS, it's just that you have more resource for your friendly hacker to play with if you get the security wrong.

Although I agree with you, with a VPS you normally do not need to upgrade/secure the OS or Kernel and keeping those up-to-date is critical and can be tricky as well for inexperienced individuals.

triumph · #12 (**permalink**) 01-07-2006, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ClookNETAlec

Although I agree with you, with a VPS you normally do not need to upgrade/secure the OS or Kernel and keeping those up-to-date is critical and can be tricky as well for inexperienced individuals.

I think this is an important note.. But I also think the point of the VPS tier is it offers an upgrade of performance with price. Even though the overhead chews into some of that, I think you would be hard-pressed to get the same level of performance out of a massive shared hosting account that you would out of a well-managed VPS.

triumph · #13 (**permalink**) 21-08-2006, 11:58 PM

The more I research this the more I think I might just skip the VPS and go to dedicated. I still have not made a move yet as I have been seperating my sites off to seperate shared hosting for now, which has bought me some time to figure out what I am going to do.

I am not sure that VPS is the best move for me anymore, when I once was sure of it.