Making the Switch

[Ho$ter5]

Are there any companies that have recently moved from a shared platform to a dedicated server? How successful has the transition been?

[administrator]

Very good question hoster.

I know of a few companies who have or are making the transistion, but I can't speak from experience on the results. Hopefully as our boards start to grow, someone 1st hand will be able to answer

[jmack]

I haven't actually done the transition (always been on colocated platforms and just recently a small shared account) but can give you a heads up on what to expect.

It really depends on what kind of dedicated server you have - does the hosting company provide you with a server that has a fresh install of the OS and leave the rest of the config to you, or do they provide a ready-to-go platform that only needs your site content to get up and running? My response is from the start from scratch approach (more like colocation I guess) but still may provide some ideas for you.

Unless you are super-prepared and have covered _every_ base, there will be some bumps with the transition. The key is to test, test, and test until the cows come home.

The thing to remember ***ut shared platforms, in most cases, is the hosting company manages the infrastructure - OS, Webserver config, databases, developement platforms, security, backups, just to name a few. With a dedicated setup, you would might now be responsible for some of that, save for backups maybe. For sites on a shared platform, all you generally manage is your site - and not much else, as you rely on the hosting company to deal with the nitty-gritty details like ensuring php support is up and ready, virtual host configs and that backups are taking place.

My recommendation would be to try and duplicate, to the best of your ability, your current shared hosting environment on a server in your home or office. If that means starting from scratch, so be it, as it will aid in your management experience of your future dedicated platform, unless you feeling like paying the hosting company for making a Apache change or something trivial like that. As well, if this means setup of database and mail server, well, good luck. If you don't manage those services yourself currently and plan too in the future it's something to take into account.

If you don't have experience managing a dedicated server, or no one on your team does, it will be a challenge. You will run into issues that you can't solve and may have to ask for outside help - but that's fine because not everyone knows everything If you are on the open source side of the world it's alot easier as the support community is extensive and you can get answers or ideas fairly quickly, with accuracy too.

Hope this helps. As Chad said, I'm sure more people will offer feedback from firsthand experience. If you have any specifics ***ut your setup I wouldn't mind hearing ***ut them - just to see exactly where you are coming from.

Disclaimer: I don't actually work at a hosting company, so... take it as such.

regards,

[HostZone]

If you have the money you can find some fairly cheap dedicated servers out there, the cheap ones tend to not be managed of course. If you want to learn, find one of these and again try to duplicate your existing platform and try moving over your own site or a secondary site that does not neccesarily have to be up and running 24/7.

I got a cheap dedicated a while back and learned this way, I left all my accounts as they were and just played for a couple of months on a server to get the gist of what all was involved. Things like OS updates, security, WHM and Cpanel updates, installation of new programs related to the hosting business and so on. Worth the education if you ask me for a very small price. Just got to find a server with no setup fees, month to month payment and affordable. Even if you keep it for just a few months, and spend a few hundred on it, the education you can get from doing so is way beyond the money you just spent on it.

[TechPad]

We did a move from a shared environment to a dedicated not too long ago and there was a learning curve involved. We chose a managed server company and I will tell you that any company you choose for dedicated service, the most important thing is support. If you mess something up in your config or need to make a change fairly fast, support will make all the difference.

I totally agree with HostZone there it is a learning experience that is completely worth it, and the benefits of being on your own server is really worth the time and sometimes frustration.

[lostworldx]

With a dedicated server, you are responsible for the management end that you aren't responsible for with a shared hosting plan. However, many companies offer phone and e-mail support 24x7 to assist you in your ventures of managing the servers and making the transition from a shared hosting plan. Forums are also available for managing different operating systems on dedicated servers. Control panels are easy interfaces to utilize that many hosting companies offer to their customers to easily manage tasks.

--
Best Regards,

Andy Contreras
Exclusive Hosting Agent
LostWorldX Hosting Services

E-mail: andyc@lostworldx.com
URL: www.lostworldx.com

[ilyabern]

Ho$ter5,

I am glad to see an interest like yours. We have seen hundreds of people move from shared to dedicated hosting. What is your email so that I can send you something to try out? Also write me if you would like to know specifically what it is like. Our support is able to help during transitions.

Regards,

Ilya Bernshteyn
ilya@eBoundHost.com

[andrenym00]

I may be interested in dedicated managed hosting. I've taken my bandwidth to the extreme. lol