For example: someone orders a plain server and decides to add a control panel later. What would it take to start using a SM provided license?

We would install the cp, configure everything... We'd just need a key installed or sent to us.

And vice versa - if we'd decide to stop using a SM license and start using our own (or just uninstall the cp alltogether), what's the procedure?

Any additional "setup" costs to start or stop billing for the cp & install or mail the keys?

It is actually best to plan this before you get your server to prevent any issues involved.

You could get a plain server now and opt for a control panel later. You will begin paying the standard monthly fees if you opt to use one of the ones they rent and there would be a set up charge involved to add the control panel. Since they own the license, they will install and apply the keys for you. I am not sure about the set up charge, it could be a standard fees of between $25 to $40 or the $75/hour charge. All depends on the amount of work involved. If you opt for it at the offset with the server, there is no set up fees for the control panel.

If you decide to stop their license, there is no charge to stop but at times, the Control Panel may be tied into the system such as Cpanel/WHM which would require an OS Restore. Basically you lose everything on the machine and pay $75 to get the restore. If you have a backup, you could restore it from there. I am not sure about the issue of removing the license. I guess it all depends on the control panel in question.

It is best if you want your own license to do it at the offset.

For a more accurate answer, just email them at sales[at]servermatrix.com with your queries.

Eh, sure, I can email sales. This is a pre-sales forum, if I was wrong to think that SM will reply here, than I apologize for wasting any thread viewer's time.

Anyway, please stay on topic. I'm simply interested in the official SM fees for adding or removing license keys.

So - no need for general rants about control panels, what it takes to install them, how they interract with the OS, when do you think that they should be ordered, restore pricing or *guesses* about possible cp license addition pricing. I'm perfectly aware of all that

What type of OS will you be running?

What Control Panel will you be using?

These questions will make the difference on whether or not you can add the Control Panel later on.

Example: Windows 2000/2003 Server, and add Plesk later, not a good idea. Plesk comes with it's own MySQL, PHP, Mail Server, etc. The only reliable way to setup Plesk is with a clean install. Also if you choose to go this route SM will not support the control panel, or any issues related to it. If you request techinical support for such a problem you would be required to submit to the $75/hour Admin Fee.

Just an example for you, I'm sure many other Control Panels on different systems have similar characteristics.

I'm sure you haven't seen it since your a new member, but listed many times throughout these forums it states that this is a "Peer-to-Peer" forum. SM Techs and Reps drop in as much as possible, but their time is spent where it is most needed, answering emails, phones, and customer service.

lol... I don't know why everybody assumes I've been asking for oppinions whether you can or should install a control panel later on or not... Is my english that bad?

We've been running servers for years and I'm perfectly aware what can be done and when. If you really must know, we sub-lease and manage servers for others. It often happens that we need to install or remove control panels later on and thus this info is important to us when decing if and which servers we'll lease here.

For those of you that might find this info useful: there is a $20 setup fee to install a Plesk key later. They won't email the key, they want to install it themselves. I haven't asked about other control panels as I'm not interested at this time.

Peace

I did not assume you were asking for an opinion, I merely posted my past experiences. I recently requested Plesk to be installed and I was informed that they would not support it if I did not also get an OS Reload. This is also stated on SW-Soft's site.


Since you've been running servers for years then I would assume you would go straight to the source instead of public forums for information that is critical to your business.

All else aside, good luck to you!

fwiw, I asked this here so that someone else can get the same info later without bothering SM sales again... My mistake. I guess "Pre-Sales Questions" combined with "We're happy to answer all of your questions." got to me...

The simple answer: Yes the control panel can be added later, adding helm cost me $25USD for the setup. Prices may have changed since then.

As its almost 9AM CST im sure Kevin or SM Rep should give a more official answer soonish

You would need to open a ticket to Sales with your request. The monthly fee would depend on the Control Panel you chose. Cpanel is $20 a month, HELM is $25 a month, Plesk for 100 domains is $20 a month and Plesk with unlimited domains is $30 a month. You are paying for the license only as we do not make any money on the control panels. We have been recommending OS reloads when you want to add it later because we have found that it works better that way. You run the risk of having server issues if you do not do a reload. OS reloads are $75 and the Control Panel installation fee is $20. If you wanted to have the Control Panel removed from your bill you would need to submit another ticket to Sales and we would remove the license from your server and you would not be charged anymore.

Why do you get $75 dollars for a OS reload :shock: ?????
If a system Fails to boot ... you get in any case $75 dollars???
as also stated on other Ded Server providers ... it's not a good
really a difficult thing to do an OS reload for several box with the SAME hardware. and would take 1 hour of work and the initial cost of less than 2$ to save the image of the OS .
A different scenario would be setup a different OS (and the price would be still high imo) or a control panel.

Just the same for other things except for the base server prices.

Some control panels would control several aspects of the servers and may install their own customized version of some other applications and if you already have those on your machine, it may interfere with the set up of the control panel. Typically control panel installation requires a clean server or else problems would arise.

If an installation is successful without a clean machine, all sites and settings done prior to the control panel installation may not be seen by the control panel and thus would not have control over.

The safe solution would be to do an OS restore than start fresh from there, this so to prevent the many hours trying to troubleshoot installation and reconfiguring stuffs changed by the installation of the control panel.

It is true, cp vendors ask for a clean server with a reason. If you don't know how to prepare a server properly, you will have problems afterwards.

In our case, we 're the only ones with a root access. Our customers usually get Plesk access on a dedicated server, we admin everything in the background. In this case, we can clean up an old Plesk install in about half an hour without the need for a restore. Same if we have a customer without a cp, and then resell the server to someone who wants Plesk.

I can't speak for cPanel or Ensim, but Plesk on linux or freeBSD is very straight forward (not on Windows!). Sure, it has some pecific packages, but nothing complex. In any case - if there was anyone else with a root access, I'd want the server to be wiped clean before reselling it to another customer... that's a different story entirely.

As to the restore price - IMHO, it isn't low but it isn't high either. In any case, there are many more issues involved in setting a price than just the exact time or effort to perform a single task that the price is set for... Prices are set according to the entire economic model of a company. E.g. "that other company's" restore price is much better... while the servers are more expensive there... now take your pick

Ensim for Windows requires a clean system or else it would not install.

Plesk for Windows too, not even a server role can be set previously... No uninstall either

Eh, atleast linux and freeBSD versions are better...

Helm for Windows does allow for uninstall and I've done it successful.

I guess the thing is that the people who develop Plesk and Ensim are familiar with the Linux platform and tries to apply cross-platform components on the Windows platform. Some of which do not have uninstall of their own and probably that's why there is some headache is removing them.

I am using Ensim for Windows on my server here and you could actually uninstall it using the Add/Remove Programs in windows. I have not done it yet since I have no plans to removing it.

The $75 charge is basically paying for the admin time to do the work of the OS reload itself. We tell the customers also that they need to backup their data before the OS Reload takes place. We no longer backup data before hand and then restore it. We do not want to be responsible if something were to happen to your data.