30 questions that you should ask your hosting provider

30 Questions you should ask a provider before signing a contract

Jochen WeilandTYPO3 Conference San Francisco 2013

Donnerstag, 30. Mai 13

30 47 Questions you should ask a provider before signing a contract

Bonus!


jweiland.net

• TYPO3 Service Provider

• 9 full-time employees6 of them Certified TYPO3 Integrator

• Hosting more than 29.000 TYPO3 domains


Are all Hosting Packages the same?

Just decide based on price?


Everything free?


Rule #1

Read the fine print!


Types of Hosting


Root Server

• You need to know Linux:

• Kernel Updates

• PHP, MySQL, Apache Updates

• Security Updates

• Firewall Configuration

• Full Responsibility / Liability


V-Server

• Like Root Server, but virtualized

• Multiple V-Server share Physical Server

• Guaranteed Resources?


Managed Server

• Provider takes care for Configuration and Updates

• Customer takes care for his Applications


Shared Hosting

• Server shared by multiple Customers

• Provider takes care for Configuration and Updates

• Customer takes care for his Applications


Cloud Hosting

• Similar to V-Server

• CPU, RAM, HDD configurable


Questions to be asked


Technical Stuff


How is the Server connected to the

Internet Backbone?


Hard Disk RAID?


Do you haveSSH-access?

(Updating TYPO3 via FTP isn't fun)


Can you configure Symlinks?

(Mix and match TYPO3 Projects and TYPO3 Versions)


Which MySQL Version?


Maximum Size of a Datebase?

(TYPO3 Projects often use several GB)


Size of the Database included in Webspace?


mysqldump available?(Easy Backup even of very large Databases)


Configuration of max_packet_size?

(For Importing large Databases)


Just FTP or SFTP?

(Encryption for Security)


Perl available?(Needed for some TYPO3 Extensions)


geo-ip Database?


More Tools

• ImageMagick

• GraphicsMagick

• fetchmail

• xpf

• wk2html


Are Backups available?

(ToS: Customer is always responsible)


• "IT IS SOLELY SUBSCRIBER'S DUTY AND RESPONSIBILITY TO BACKUP SUBSCRIBER'S FILES AND DATA ON [Name of Provider] SERVERS"


Number of Backups?Retention Time?


Does Backup include EVERYTHING?

(Files, Databases, E-Mail Accounts)


"Unlimited Plan"

• [Name of Provider] will not attempt to back up accounts that exceed 50,000 files or 30 Gigs of space for any reason.


Can the Customer access the Backups?


Restoring from Backup?

What does it cost?


How long does it take to Restore

from Backup?


.htaccessmod_rewrite


cronjobs available?


Minimum cronjob Interval?


Maximum File Size?(Logfiles, Database-Dumps can be large)


Which PHP Version is available?


php_cli available?(Needed for TYPO3 Flow and Neos)


Can You Configurephp.ini?


Can You Install add'l PHP Modules?


What is the Memory Limit in PHP?

(Some applications need 128 to 256 MB)


E-Mail


What is the maximum size of one E-Mail Box?


How many E-Mail Accounts?


Total Storage Space for E-Mail Accounts?


Maximum Size of E-Mail Attachments?


Are Spam & Virus Filters available?


Can you define your own filter rules?


E-Mail Access via Webmail?


E-Mail Cluster or Single Server?


Backup / Restore of E-Mail Boxes?


The Data Center


Redundant Connections with multiple carriers?


Total Bandwith to the Internet in Gb/s?


Redundant Cooling?


Uninterupteble Power?


Local Diesel Storage?


Manhattan, NYCNovember 2012


Hosting Contract


Disk Space

• But pay attention:

1 GB additional Space will cost you 300 bucks per month!


Disk Space

• But pay attention:

1 GB additional Space will cost you 300 bucks per month!

"Disk space exceeding that allowed in the tariff will be charged at 1 Cent per Day

per Megabyte"

Sounds OK...


"[Name of Provider] guarantees a 99% Availability of its Infrastructure on a

yearly basis"


Let's do the Math

• 1 Year has 365 x 24 = 8.760 hrs

• 1% Downtime = 87,6 hrs

• That's 3 days, 15 hrs per Year


99,9% Availability

• Downtime 8:45 hrs / Year max.


Domains

• Which TLDs are available?

• Domains with External Registration?

• Can you configure Nameserver Settings?


Pricing


• "...will automatically renew Subscriber's Hosting Account by charging the applicable fee for the non-promotional rate..."


Support

• Business Hours?

• Toll-Free Phone Number?

• Ticket System?

• Service Level Agreement?

• Compentence?


Questions ?


Jochen Weiland• [email protected]

• Twitter: @jweilandnet

• facebook.com/jweiland.net

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30 questions that you should ask your hosting provider

Documents

root server

managed server provider

shared hosting server

typo3 service provider

vserver cpu

email cluster orsingle

typo3 flow

typo3 versionsdonnerstag