This is actually for Robert Marsh...but I welcome comments from all. I have been waiting for someone to post a similar thread, but haven't seen anything, so here it goes...

I have been watching all the excitement over the new data center and the new white box servers that will be introduced in the next few weeks. I am also very excited with these new features. However, it also makes me a little nervous...

When Rackshack.net started up over a year ago, I watched and listened for over 8 months on different forums and mailing lists. The complaint was always that the prices were great, the speed was good and the support sucked. This was mainly due to the learning curve that took place when all the RAQ's came in. It took quite a bit of time for your people to get up to speed on the products. Rackshack really took a lot of heat for a long time. If you couldn't admin/support your own RAQ, you didn't go with RackShack.net.

When these next 200+ servers come online with RedHat OS, Windows, Plesk CP, different hardware...will you be ready to support these new products?

Are you adding people to support the additional load these "new technologies" (new to what you are currently supporting)? My guess would be that you are going to run into a lot more hardware issues with these boxes than the RAQ's.

How will the support for current customers with RAQ's be affected? Will the RAQ customers be moved to the back row behind the higher dollar White box users?

Don't get me wrong...I am a big fan of RackShack and have been very happy with my server over the last three months. I think that Robert Marsh is doing a great job of communicating with the users/customers to find out what they want/need. You guys are making huge steps and it is very exciting.

My main concern is that the customer service/support stays greater than or equal to its current level for all customers.

Some of the words I live by... "Always forward...NEVER backwards".

I look forward to comments...

Good question, I also await an answer.

I couldn't agree more, thats why others and myself have been nagging about server specs, windows box configs etc,

I think we want to see some direction.

(There was a definite direction when it was just the RaQs)

I also think maybe some sort of questionaire to existing customers about what services they want etc is a good idea, well maybe not a great idea, but better than to have an open forum about it, like whats happening now, it doesn't give people equal oppurtunity. People are wanting this and wanting that, but you can't make everyone happy. I don't want the loudmouths (maybe even myself included) to shape the future of RackShack. Like for instance I have been fairly "anti-adult content" in a few threads, but I hope that doesn't change Robert Marsh's mind about what his company offers, just because of me and my opinion.

I signed up with RS in July. Everything was going great until November 1st, when suddenly BANG! drop off the air for 2 hours.



(small gripe, sorry)

Excuse me for being so rude but this is one reason why I don't participate in these forums so much is because of stuff like this.

I would like to know where Rackshack's subtitle is "Come to us so we can hold your hand and teach you how to be a web host" ?

The ONLY time people have problems with their Raq's is when they customize them... when they have to download every patch known to man just because it's there... whether or not it does something different or not. Some people live to wake up and see if a new feature or patch is available so they can install it on their Raq. EVERYONE's Raq is identical when it's a new install. The Raq software DOES NOT have problems until it's CHANGED. Everyone seems to want every feature found in a server else that costs 3 times as much so to get those features let's install an update! Let's install a new feature! Let's put on the latest patch!

For a truely managed server from anywhere you pay top dollar for because the NOC MANAGES the server. Rackshack is NOT a managed server provider. As you said, if you don't know how to manage your own Raq don't go with Rackshack. GREAT!!!! Tha'ts THE POINT! If you don't know what you're doing then don't get in the hosting business!

So, if you do NOT KNOW LINUX... then you know what? Don't get a linux machine!!! How can it be ANY more obvious?

Rackshack should have ONE job as far as the servers go.... fix the HARDWARE (including connections). It is NOT their job to staff linux experts so they can fix every problem a person has. If the HARDWARE on a linux server is funcitioning properply, and the software was installed properly, you will have NO PROBLEMS and with Plesk it makes it real easy to manage. But it will never be good enough for most of the people here... they will have to tweak it, update it, change it, edit it... what ever it takes so they can offer what someone else does for $500/month but only pay half that.

If you want a managed server, then pay the price.

Many questions and thoughts and I'm not going to try and respond to all of them.

There is a reference to the 200 new servers coming....

He're what I have to say:

We've come a long way in just 10 months. We've made mistakes and we'll make more mistakes. We've learned a lot and we'll learn a lot more. We've been pretty open and we'll continue that policy. How many other company's CEOs participate in online forums an dseek customer input? How many hosters provide their MRTG graphs online? How many hosts have webcams into their offices? I KNOW that it is not many.

We've succeeded because we have continually pushed the envelope with expanded offerings, features, inclusions, etc.

I've noticed the market changing. Our server volume has increased each quarter that we've been doing this. In the last quarter, we've averaged over 250 new servers each month. In one month, we did 310 new serves that month. Today, we now have between 1500 and 2000 servers online. That's in just 10 months with some months being jusy 50 to 75 in a given month.

What I mena to say is that 200 is basically a yawn for our team. Our goal is to increase our volume from 200-310 servers per month to over 500 new servers per month.

In order to do this, we need lots of new offerings. We need hardware we can fix and not have to send it back to the manufacturer. We need flexibility to deliver what our customers want. We need the power of Linux with the ease of use of a quality control panel.

This will take a lot of effort and planning. When we started Rackshack, we had less than 90 Mbps of network capacity, now we have about 1600 Mbps of capacity. Over the next few months, well add another 2000 Mbps of additional capacity.

My outlook on these dedicated servers is that our primary responsibility is to configure the server, get it on the wire, and keep it and the network functioning. We are not here to manage your servers but to provide basic support services. That's what makes our offering so compelling. The new offers will be even more compelling. With all of that said, we try to provide the best possible support and I think most everyone will agree that our supportr has greatly improved over the last 10 months.

I've tried to get the pulse of our customers over the past few weeks with posts to these boards and also some emails to a few of our Rack Shack customers.

Bottom line:

I'm prepared to take Rackshack to that next level. It is reported that Verio hosts over 5000 dedicated servers. I'd like to pass them up by the middle of next year! YOu can rest assured that I'll keep working hard with our team to provide the best possible products and services.

Thanks again for everyone's support!

HeadSurfer,

I'm completely behind you to support growing to surpass Verio but please... only copy that part of their business model that pertains to size.

I was once with them and I had absolute nightmare problems with them.

Your company has better performance, better service, better pricing. Rackshack is from all I can see totally and completely unique in its approach to doing business. A big company growing to huge that continues to keep a flesh to flesh finger on the pulse of its client base.

Nobody does it better HeadSurfer and in my mind, it's not just the price that sets this company apart from the rest.

You go girl!
Shortness

The intent of my post was to ask for a direction for where HS was heading with the company, what his intentions for supporting these new servers will be. I WAS NOT suggesting that RackShack "manager our servers". In fact I take exception to that Rastoma...I do not need Rackshack for support issues, other than the things I have no control over...i.e. reboots, PTR Records, questions about monitoring, bandwidth, etc. I think you will find that out of the 450+ posts I have I have only started maybe a half dozen. I do not need the support to admin my server...I know what I am doing...or I know where to find the answers.

I just wanted clarification...I thought they had 700 servers that they were supporting with full time staff. Reboots can take way too long...so when you are saying you are going to be adding almost 1/3 the servers (from what I thought you had). I wanted to know if there were plans for more people, so if I need a reboot or something I have no control over...I can feel comfortable that it will happen quickly...that I won't have to wait on a tech that is dealing with something else.

HS, thanks for answering the questions. That was all I was looking for.