Re: [cobalt-users] 200 user limit ?

[Jeff Lasman <jblists@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At 11:13 AM 2/27/00 -0800, you wrote:
> Has anyone trie using Maxim as a co-locate solution??
> http://www.maxim.net If so can you tell me what you think??

Well, let's look at them, their prices, and their claims:

From their page at <http://www.maxim.net/>

> Maxim's high performance Colocation Data Center is
> located in the heart of bandwidth rich Silicon Valley.
> Our multi-homed, high capacity fiber network has
> diverse routes to multiple public and private peering
> points.

Silicon Valley is bandwidth rich for certain.  It's also go the most users 
of bandwidth of any geographic location in the U.S., and it's famous for 
being congested all the time.  Be sure to ask them specifically which 
peering points they'll use for YOUR colocation.  I can guarantee you that 
anyone connecting to you through Mae West will have a horrible experience 
during any heavy use periods, which in Silicon Valley is between 8 am and 
midnight, PST (-0800).

From their page at <http://www.maxim.net/colocate/index.html>:

> All of our Colocation Programs include the following
> standard features
>
> No Data Transfer charges

True, but THEY DO CHARGE for the speed you want to connect at... In 
practice this is much more than Data Transfer charges for MOST websites, 
and severely limits your site, especially if more than three or four people 
will look at it at a time.

> No setup charge to integrate your machine into
> our network
> Fast Setup Time (24 hours or Less)

The above two points are in their favor.  They're not the only company 
offering these features; lots of others do as well.

> Class C internet address ? Up to a full Class C
> address block

They don't charge for these, and this is excellent.  However, you only need 
a lot of these IF you're hosting a lot of sites with either their own 
anonymous FTP sites or their own secure servers.

> 9" wide X 24" tall X 19" deep rack space per
> server

Huh?  You're colocating a RaQ, right?  Do you need 24" of space for a 
RaQ?  I'm not even sure what this means; it makes no sense.  Rack-space is 
NOT measured in inches anywhere else.

> Daily/Weekly/Monthly/Yearly interface traffic
> graphs for your fully routed and isolated port

Of course; this is simply a byproduct of the shaping software they use to 
limit you to the amount of bandwidth you buy.  Mixed benefit.

> Support from our Technical Staff to keep your
> server running 7 X 24

Doesn't say if their service is 7 X 24, though.

> Secondary DNS

This is something a lot of colocation companies are now offering at no 
extra charge.  We've just started including it in all of our colocation prices.

> Two hop access to the Internet!

Two?  You mean they're being honest and not saying a "direct" connection?  Wow.

This is marketing hype at it's best.  The Internet extends all the way into 
my servers, and into all the servers at my colocation.  It even extends 
into my spare bedroom.  Do they mean two hops to someone's backbone?  If 
so, whose?  And through what?  If through Mae West, beware.

From <http://www.maxim.net/colocate/pricelist.html>:

> Rack Space - $250 per server per month
>
> Bandwidth - To calculate your monthly bandwidth
> charges:
>
> 1. In Column One select the bandwidth cap you
>    wish applied to your server
> 2. Column Two shows your monthly bandwidth
>    charges
>
> ...<stuff deleted from middle>...
>
> Bandwidth        Monthly
> Cap - In Mbs     Bandwidth
>                  Charge
>
> 0.5              $  50
> 1                $ 200
> 1.5              $ 300

This means that for one colocated server with a T-1 speed connection to the 
Internet you'll pay $550/month.  Ouch.

Jeff

--
Jeff Lasman <jblists@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>