Re: [cobalt-users] Need advice on Colocating or Self Location

[Jeff Lasman <jblists@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Chris \"Oger\" Gebhardt wrote:

> While the items Jeff lists are all valid, I would submit that not everyone
> needs such robust facilities.

There are people who think our 24/7 security-guarded solution isn't
robust enough <smile>.

> When we first opened our doors in 1995, we hosted 30 domains off a single
> ISDN.  It would burst up to a whopping 128kbps.   It worked great until DSL
> came into town, and we gave that a try.  Next came T1.

When we opened our doors in late 1994, we also used ISDN, with an
autodialing modem to remake the connection each time it broke (ISDN
modems reconnect in only milliseconds) and a dedicated ISDN connection
at our upstream.  We charged $30/month for 10 megabytes of data on a
one-gigabyte drive; we run a Slackware distribution, it used Linux
kernel version 0.99.

> We now host over 500 domains on a single T1 we purchase from a second-tier
> provider at a cost of about $500 / month.

Which is how my ex-partner started.  Except he couldn't get a T-1
cheaper than $1,000.  Please tell us where you are and who provides T-1s
at that price.  At that price I'm tempted to install it in my home
instead of putting up with the poor service I get from aDSL now that all
the sDSL providers appear to have gone out of business.

> We have a DSL failsafe.  Our
> climate control and backup power is adequate, but not mind-numbing.

You can get "out" via DSL if your T-1 goes down, but how do you get your
IP#s rerouted so customers can see your sites?

Are you telling me you run BGP yourself and advertise your own routes
with one T1 and a DSL backup?  Or are you telling me you're getting them
both from the same provider?  If you're getting them both from the same
provider, and if they use the same underground conduit between you and
them, then that's hardly failsafe.  It's just a false sense of security.

> If you're thinking about hosting your own company's website, you can get a
> lot of bang-for-your-buck by running in a DSL line and firing up your RAQ.

If you're only thinking of hosting your own company's website, I
maintain most people get the most bank for their buck with a shared
hosting solution (read: $20 account with some hosting company).  If your
company or your website is larger, I'd recommend your own system in
colocation, for anywhere from $100 to $400 per month including the
machine.

> No, you won't have the robust facilities and failsafes a colo provider can
> offer, but for the difference in price, it's an option to explore.   If your
> company is like mine, they would not stand for having the server off-site.
> That was another big consideration.

One of our clients feels that way.  They have to, they're a bank.  So we
host their main website, and they host their own secure server for their
online banking solution.

Another of our clients feels that way and has a closet in his office
with a lot of Cobalt RaQs in it.  To each his/her own, I say <smile>.

> E-mail me off-list if you want more info on "growing your own."  With
> respect to Jeff and the other reputable colo providers, I've got no axe to
> grind....

And email me either onlist or offlist if you're looking for professional
colocation solutions or professional consultation <smile>.

(Can I write that here <wry grin>?)

May I point out two things, Chris... again with no axe to grind...

1) The original poster, John D. Gorena, made it very clear he wasn't
writing about hosting his own web site.  He said "hosting for others".

2) There are actually good rasons (and maybe an RFC or two) on the
subject of top-posting and overquoting.

Thanks <smile>.

Jeff
-- 
Jeff Lasman <jblists@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Linux and Cobalt/Sun/RaQ Consulting
nobaloney.net
P. O. Box 52672, Riverside, CA  92517
voice: (909) 778-9980  *  fax: (702) 548-9484