Thinking of expanding a small host

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dr_dats

New member
I've got a few people on a reseller account and want to push everything onto a VPS or small dedicated server (probably a small dedicated server). I've outsourced the support when I'm not arround (im retired so I have a lot of time on my hands) and things have run rahter smooth for the past 2 years. and the clients are rather happy with things. I want to expand a bit, and I have a few questions on how to procede with a few things.

First off, I'm guessing its a good idea to have my "Hosting company" website on a different server, in a different data centre on a shared hosting account elsewhere incase the server goes down. This way, support tickets still come through and the company site is still up. Is this a wise move? I'd obviously need a host that would allow me to have my own private nameservers for the domain.

Second question, on a deddicated server or a VPS, is it wise to install the accounts in cPanel under the username of root, or should I create a "reseller account" with unlimited resources and place everything under that reseller account? Im just thinking in terms of security for this one here. With what limited knowledge I have on Linux, I know its not wise to do anything under the username of root.

Cheers!
 
I can see the benefits in having your hosting company on another server but you can keep it on the server with clients just create a Twitter encase you experience downtime your able to update that (because your website) will be down. This will let the clients know immediately about the situation and not be left in the dark.

Your idea about having the website on another server due to support tickets is a great idea and I'm pleased to see your thinking about the 'what if's'. Finding a host that will allow for private name servers shouldn't be an issue just make sure you ask them immediately about your request so your valuable time is not wasted.

In regards to your second question I like the way your approaching the issue and I would do exactly what you said. With having the username root you could experience some security issues; it's hard for me to say exactly what they would be. I hope I've shined some light on your situation. Best of luck to you and your clients!
 
Having your website on the same server shows that you trust that server, but it is good to put it on it's own account because the server could go down, or the load of clients using your site and billing system will cause a drain on your resources so why not devote a small VPS to your site?

Place everyone under a reseller account. I find this is better when it comes to moving your clients to another server easier. As for security, that will depend on what you have in place for the server it's self.
 
How do you have your website on another server? Isn't your domain linked to your hosting account? Or do you use a different domain to run your business and then use a reseller account for hosting the site?

This is an intriguing idea.

Mark
 
Personally, I recommend that you keep your web hosting site seperate from the customer sites. It's not about trust, but rather reliability. Hacks and spams DO happen - last thing you'd want is if your system was routed, that YOUR site would also be in the group. It's stressful enough to get your customer sites back online, you don't need to be worrying about your site too (in order to communicate with them).

Billing should definitely be on a different site/server.

If you're on a VPS or Dedicated server, there is no issue with using the default setups for packages etc, you should not need to create a reseller account for that. Creating a "root_budget" package and then assigning a user to that will not create any more security issue than having "username_budget" as the package name. It's just a matter of how it's viewed in the WHM interface.

For private nameservers, you can create your own on the VPS or Dedicated server for your customers. You can then have your own nameservers managed through your domain registrar if you wanted.

You COULD setup a hosting account for your own website with another hosting account - get the minimal hosting package, and keep the site separate from your customer sites. This would be a cheaper route in keeping things separate (rather than having to purchase multiple VPS packages/machines).

We use 6 different servers for our own site - everything seperate from each other so that customers are always have the ability to be in communication with staff. With your own customers you should be running TWO seperate machines for DNS and not using just your primary server for everyone to be on.

Also, be aware, if you are using your own server and put your account on the same machine as your customers, you MAY run into the situation where you are unable to contact the customers (should the drive fail etc) - or you may have the problem of mail being routed directly to accounts on the same server, rather than to a remote place (say they were moving from one host TO you).

These are all things to keep in your mind as you continue the expansion. If you have any questions, I'd be more than happy to discuss possible solutions with you.
 
Put your main site on a small vps somewhere. This will save you some face if your server has an outage of some sort. You'll still be able to put up info for clients, field support tickets, etc. That's probably the easiest way of avoiding the fiasco.
 
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