Forum Moderators: phranque
If you're about to give business to Ev1Server or ServerBeach, then why not just give them a call and ask them?
They'll talk you through it I'm sure.
As for deciding which one is better, without knowing what you need, impossible to answer.
TJ
Ev1 is Rackshack, Serverbeach is kind of a Rackspace Spinoff.....there is no comparison in network quality between them! Rackspace have the best network available today.....ServerBeach via their relationship get to offer it at a lower price with reduced but honest support.
They all allow you to run your own DNS, but if you call them, none of them will recommend running your own DNS unless you are very experienced. They all provide DNS services, and you would be wise to use them at this stage.
If you are inexperienced in the dedicated server market my advice is pay Rackspace. They offer excellent support and will teach you how to manage a server. They are not cheap, but they are worth every penny. Once you know your way around then you should look at the "box providers" like EV1 and ServerBeach.
I keep 2 servers with Rackspace, and have several with ServerBeach. I will never ditch Rackspace because their expertise in support more than pays for their higher hosting costs, but I don't need a large number of servers with them to take advantage of that facility.
The problem I have is that every time I want to add a new feature (new hard drive/managed backup), the prices seem higher than their competitors and I haven't used their support in nearly a year!
Now I'm looking to add a third server I'm checking my options. Anyone have a recommendation on a company that has the same technology,uptime and bandwidth without the added cost where support is not an issue? It has to be freebsd.
I was looking at 800hosting - their prices are very good but won't use without a recommendation! :)
Now for the scoop.....ServerBeach use the same network as RackSpace....the two companies are joined at the hip. ServerBeach don't provide a great deal of support, they have a ticket based system which is slow in comparison to RackSpace's 800 number.......but you get what you pay for!
I have two servers with RackSpace.....I like their support and I'm happy to pay for it, and several servers with ServerBeach....I like their prices!
You have to play the right horse for the right course. When I need highly technical support I call RackSpace......then I apply their knowledge to my cheaper ServerBeach setup.
I have to confess that I feel I'm doing RackSpace out of some revenue....if they charged me double I wouldn't ditch them.....but that is up to them!
Percentages - I agree with everything you say on rackspace - the bandwidth is really starting to be an issue with them - but nice problem to have! ;)
Do server beach do freebsd? I looked on their site and they don't mention it but then again hivelocity didn't mention it and they do freebsd!
Ulimately I'll stay with rackspace if a move means any drop in performance but if I can get the same performance and less support for less money I'll take it.
As far as I am aware ServerBeach don't support FreeBDS as a standard offering. You can of course have it installed if you wish.....I wouldn't...but that is just my preference....and each to his own;)
I would keep at least one server with RackSpace, as I think you will, then balance the price, data transfer and supported hosting environments against everything else.
For me having my data transfer hogs on ServerBeach is the best proposition, but it may not be that way for everyone.
At the end of the day you are primarily buying a network, that is the single most important element once you get to grips with it.
The support you get for a particular server is a big infulence on how much you pay.......for me I like to talk to the guys "in the know" and get to a bottom line quickly. That adds to the cost.....but it is optional!
NetNation.
Thanks for all the help, I'll let you know how they work out.
