Hi,

We're considering one of the ServerMatrix dedicated solutions - super server 2.4 with Windows Server 2003, but I would like to ask several newbie questions regarding this offer and dedicated hosting in general, I hope there is someone who can help

1. Can I upgrade the server later? (i.e. additional hard drive, increase RAM size, or 100Mbit NIC, hardware firewall, floodguard etc)

2. If I understand this correctly, we get the Plesk 6.5 100 domains with the server for free - what are the differences, or what advantages do the CPanel and Helm offer when compared to the Plesk?

3. Can I use the SQL Enterprise Manager and Query Analyzer to manage the shared MS SQL database?

4. Do we really need more than 10Mbps uplink? I mean, will our customers see the difference between 10Mbps and 100Mbps uplink?

And finally, some more general questions. Imagine that I would like to host some 2-3 domains on this new server, and these servers are currently hosted elsewhere (on a shared host). Will the Plesk (or any other control panel for that matter) allow me to set up everything and I will only point my domains at registrar to the new nameservers? Does the server come with some mail server software preinstalled? What about nameservers?

I apologize if my questions are too stupid or whatever and appreciate any help, thanks in advance!

rado

[quote=rado]Hi,
1. Can I upgrade the server later? (i.e. additional hard drive, increase RAM size, or 100Mbit NIC, hardware firewall, floodguard etc)
[/quote]
You can do all of the above, about the only thing you CANT upgrade is the CPU

[quote=rado]
2. If I understand this correctly, we get the Plesk 6.5 100 domains with the server for free - what are the differences, or what advantages do the CPanel and Helm offer when compared to the Plesk?
[/quote]
cPanel is linux only, and tbh not really worth getting because of their bad coding (yes it has lovely features but its track record is absolutly pathetic)... I dont know if the SM offer includes plesk for windows or not, either way i prefer helm...
[quote=rado]
3. Can I use the SQL Enterprise Manager and Query Analyzer to manage the shared MS SQL database?
[/quote]
Yes, but only from your SM box - not from your home computer

[quote=rado]
4. Do we really need more than 10Mbps uplink? I mean, will our customers see the difference between 10Mbps and 100Mbps uplink?
[/quote]
Really depends what your doing with the server, but generaly the 10mbps is fine unless you have VERY busy sites serving large files to people with fast connections
[quote=rado]
Will the Plesk (or any other control panel for that matter) allow me to set up everything and I will only point my domains at registrar to the new nameservers?
[/quote]
Certainly will

[quote=rado]
Does the server come with some mail server software preinstalled?
[/quote]
No, you will need to do that yourself, unless of course plesk (if its availiable on windows) will install the software itself. Mailenable requires you to install all software yourself.

[quote=rado]
What about nameservers?
[/quote]
You just gotta set them up and change the settings in your domain admin
[/quote]

[quote=rado]
I apologize if my questions are too stupid or whatever and appreciate any help, thanks in advance!
[/quote]

No question is too stupid, your learning your alowed to ask questions that may seem silly. We all had to do it once.

From my understanding, Plesk 6.5 is offered as a Windows option while Plesk 7 is offered as a Linux option.

Not having used Plesk, apart from the Demo, it does seems a lot easier to use as compared to Helm. Helm is built for flexibility so you get to configure from bottom up. Plesk like Ensim comes as a ready-to-use packaged control panel and you should be able to use it right out of the box.

I tried Helm in the past but a week of trying to figure how to use it, I still got nowhere. It is probably apt for those who understand how it works.


For most purposes, there is really no noticeable speed difference between the 10mbps and the 100mbps line unless you are hosting intensive contents like streaming media or game servers. If it is pure websites then no real issues. What you can do is to opt for the 10mbps line first then monitor your bandwidth usage and if it is perpetually peaking at 10mbps then consider the upgrade.

Note that the faster pipe, there is a higher risk of having to pay lots more excess charges for bandwidth. A 10mbps at full peak 24/7 would consume about 3.25tb of data. You are only provided with the first 1tb free.

Yes, you can upgrade at a later stage but as always there is a one-time setup charge for any item you require installed after the initial set up.

I would like to thank both of you for your detailed responses.

I think I will stick with Plesk if it is offered at no additional cost. I have been playing with demos of both Plesk and Helm, both are really nice, so I guess it is up to price. The order page stats that no control panel and 100 domain plesk are both $0/month.

As for the uplink speed, I guess that we'll try the 10Mbits and monitor it later. We do not have such a high traffic site yet, and we serve mostly very small files (less than 20kB) very often, so it shouldn't be a problem. I'm not afraid about the bandwidth limit - 1000GB is pretty much enough for us now.

I would prefer if I could manage the database from outside, but if I can do this from the server then I guess it's OK. I guess it is done this way due to security reasons.



OK, so the mail server will either come with the control panel software, or I will have to install it myself (MailEnable for example) and configure the control panel to be able to manage email accounts from the control panel?



So the nameserver will be the same SM box, or is a separate nameserver provided by ServerMatrix?

Thanks again!

rado

Since you have your own dedicated server, you have the option to host the DNS server on your machine. Alternatively, SM does provide free usage of their DNS servers.