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LazMan
Premium Member
join:2003-03-26
Beverly Hills, CA

LazMan

Premium Member

Static IP or webhost/VPS for email/http/streaming audio

I'm looking for some input/thoughts on setting up a website for a local service club...

They are looking for a website, email for their members, and a low-bandwidth audio stream (8k audio stream from a radio-repeater).

I've got the know-how and 'stuff' to do it out of my house - run a dedicated server, etc... I've done similar setups in the past that way...

BUT - I'm wondering if a VPS would be a better way to go? I've never setup a system that way.

If I host it locally, it would be a dedicated box running Ubuntu, Apache for webhost, sendmail(?) for the email, and IceCast for the audio - nothing exotic - if I go the VPS route, would I have access to a virtual machine I could run all my normal services on, or would I be somewhat tied to their supported/allowed/designated applications?

There's also a cost component - I'm doing this as a freebie for the club - what's a VPS going to run me (good one, in Canada, preferably in Ontario...)? Who's good in that space, anyways - that side of things would be all new to me...

Thoughts/comments/questions all welcome...

rogersmogers
@start.ca

rogersmogers

Anon

If you go VPS it will do all you need. There are sites like buyvm which do pay for a year VPS for like 15-25 bucks. The boxes are anything massive but if you keep your ram usage down they should do what you want.

Once you get the VPS it's all upto you as to what you install on it from the OS to the services.
Cloneman
join:2002-08-29
Montreal

Cloneman to LazMan

Member

to LazMan
on openvz vps, you get complete root access so you can install any streaming software or services (on linux).

with a kvm or vmware vps, you can install windows or other operating systems as well, but more expensive and perhaps sometimes slower.

Guspaz
Guspaz
MVM
join:2001-11-05
Montreal, QC

Guspaz

MVM

Avoid OpenVZ at all costs. It's not a real virtual machine, and will lead to endless headaches due to bizarre memory management. It also gives you zero control over your kernel and kernel modules. Your machine only gets a kernel update when your host decides to reboot your machine. Not when you do.

If you're looking at Linux, then Xen is where it's at. It's what all the real VPS hosting companies (Linode, Rackspace, Amazon) use. KVM is also decent. vmware is not often seen for hosting VPS, it's used more for private cloud stuff.

Considering the low starting costs for REAL virtualization (Linodes start at $17/mth on a term, $20/mth otherwise), there is no reason to put up with fake stuff like OpenVZ.

LazMan
Premium Member
join:2003-03-26
Beverly Hills, CA

LazMan

Premium Member

I'm good with Linux - you seem to know more about the space then I do - who would you suggest I look at? I'm hoping for a Canadian (Ontario/GTA) provider - but that's not carved in stone...

lowendbox
@electronicbox.net

lowendbox

Anon

If you don't know already, have a look at lowendbox.com and their forums if price is a factor.

LazMan
Premium Member
join:2003-03-26
Beverly Hills, CA

LazMan

Premium Member

I took a look at LowEndBox... Some of their recommendations seems to be bogus - I was hoping for input from users on here; who have experience with VPS providers.

Guspaz
Guspaz
MVM
join:2001-11-05
Montreal, QC

Guspaz to LazMan

MVM

to LazMan
My experience has been only with US providers, since there is a better selection there.

LazMan
Premium Member
join:2003-03-26
Beverly Hills, CA

LazMan

Premium Member

I`m fine with US, if I have to - I`ve found a few interesting Canadian ones, but having a hard time getting what I take as `honest` reviews...

Either people REALLY love their VPS providers, or the reviews are being seeded by the provider themselves...

Guspaz
Guspaz
MVM
join:2001-11-05
Montreal, QC

Guspaz to LazMan

MVM

to LazMan
I've been very happy with Linode, although they're a higher-end provider. On a 24-month prepayment, their cheapest service level is about $17 per month.

KnownHost also has a good reputation, although they're OpenVZ based and I haven't dealt with them in years.
Guru
join:2008-10-01

Guru to LazMan

Member

to LazMan
Why don't you visit webhostingtalk and read the reviews of all the providers. There are some good deals on their advertising sections..

LazMan
Premium Member
join:2003-03-26
Beverly Hills, CA

LazMan

Premium Member

Ended up going with Linode... Not the cheapest, and not Canadian; but seemed to be one of the best reviewed.

Was very easy to setup; took a couple of hours from start to finish, and is in service already...

Guspaz
Guspaz
MVM
join:2001-11-05
Montreal, QC

Guspaz to LazMan

MVM

to LazMan
They're not ideal for bulk storage or bandwidth (due to pricing), but Linode is the cream of the crop. The saying "you get what you pay for" definitely applies.