What’s the difference between an stcPlan (virtual dedicated) Server, Shared Hosting and a Dedicated Server?
Good question? Shared hosting essentially provides you with the ability to serve web pages to the Internet. You are provided with some storage space on to which you load your web page(s) and the web server software ensures that when a user wants to look at your page, it is ‘served’ to them. You can utilise databases and other specially developed routines but most hosting companies have strict rules about the level of access and capability you have to run particular types of software/utilities. This can seriously compromise the ability of your website / application to deliver the service you require to your prospective customers and is a real headache for web developers. The good news is that shared hosting is cheap but if it doesn’t deliver what you need, it is of little use to you!
Until recently, the only option – should you not be able to use Shared Hosting - was to use a totally dedicated server….a Windows, Linux or Apple Mac server on to which you could effectively load what you wanted – although some hosting companies even limited this on servers they rent to their customers (most inflexible!). The problem with dedicated servers is the jump in cost – typically from less than £100 per annum to £000’s per month!
Enter Virtual Dedicated Servers / Virtual Machines - there are many names for them and we call our stcPlan Servers (stc stands for Slice The Cloud). This can almost be viewed as a best-of-both-worlds hybrid solution – a single server split into several (virtual) dedicated servers. Unlike Shared Hosting, an stcPlan Server provides each user with their own ‘complete’ server, with access to the core operating system so that you can load whatever software is compatible with your OS. There are a few limitations (for example, see FAQ “Can I run database software?”) but in the main, you have all the benefits of a dedicated server at much lower prices.
If you are in doubt which one best suits your needs, just call our Business Development Team on 0800 5426 555 or email sales@jpci.net.
Do you offer virtual server backups?
Yes. All our stcPlan Servers are stored on RAID enabled hardware, meaning you get protection from disk failure. User backups are provided as an add-on service and priced according to the size of the stcPlan Server. You can backup your data without affecting the operation of the stcPlan Server. If you take our standard backup service, at any time, you can maintain two copies of your data. If you take the enhanced service, you can have up to five copies. Please note that JPCi Web Hosting can only restore the server to its initial configuration, it is the customers responsibilty to back up the data and files contained on the server using 3rd party software or other processes.
Can I upgrade my Virtual Dedicated Server?
Absolutely - and without any financial penalty. You let us know which product you require and we will quickly add the additional RAM and disk space required and start billing you the new (no contract) monthly fee. This will require us to take your server offline but only for a few minutes. If you prefer to have this done outside of core business hours, we can do this for a modest additional charge.
Can I have additional IP addresses?
Yes. We will ask you to provide us with a brief justification for the additional IP addresses – to keep the guys at RIPE NCC happy! Each
Can I go over my bandwidth and what happens if I do?
Absolutely! Our limits are ‘soft’ i.e. we do not stop serving your data if you reach your agreed limit. In such cases, we will contact you by email and inform you of the overage. Providing the overage is not excessive, we can be flexible on modest volumes. However, if the overage if greater than twenty percent of your agreed limit, we will need to issue a request for additional payment. This is charged at £25 per 100 Gbytes per month. Just because one month incurs a charge, it doesn’t mean that you will be charged again the following month – unless of course your bandwidth usage is outside of the agreed limits – in which case, you must be doing something right with your website(s) and the additional traffic you are receiving should justify the modest additional charge.
Can I buy extra storage or bandwidth?
Yes. The prices for all our options are detailed on the “Our Services” page. We cannot however, provide additional RAM without upgrading to the next product level.
Can I reboot my virtual dedicated machine?
Yes. What more can we say. You are in control!
How many other customers am I sharing the main hosting server with?
This will depend on the size of the main server and the product mix of the virtual machines that we sell and deploy on it. It is not our intention – nor is it in our interest – to over-populate any machine so we keep a close eye on performance and always welcome your feedback on any performance related issue. Of course, if we don’t live up to your expectations, you can always leave us (and we don’t want that to happen) as there is no contractual term – all VMs are provided on a monthly basis.
Am I supported 24×7?
Yes. We maintain our own and our customer’s infrastructure 24 x 7 x 365. You can log issues via our online ticketing system or you can email our support team directly or you can call us 24 x 7 and log your incident. Your support details will be issued to you when you sign up for an stcPlan. Of course, anyone using one of these products is very ‘techie-savvy’ but if you desire to (for some weird reason) you can still fax us or send us a letter!
What SLA is provided?
There is no specific Service Level Agreement (SLA) provided with the stcPlans. Why? Well the main reason is that any SLA only guarantees when you start getting a refund for your services or whether you are able to break out of your contract – there is no ‘real’ guarantee that any provider can keep your service running all the time. The nature of computers and networks is that no matter how much you invest in them, there will be something you didn’t expect which ‘gets’ you’. As our stcPlans do not have a contract, there is no need to negotiate an exit – if we don’t deliver, you vote with your feet - and as we have already said, we do not want that to happen. So your SLA is that we will work tirelessly to ensure that your stcPlan is available 100% of the time excluding all the usual and necessary evils such as planned maintenance, patching updates, system upgrades and the like.
I have found a cheaper service which appears to be the same – why are you charging more?
Well, we are not the most expensive but neither are we the cheapest. We could give a myriad of reasons why this is but the bottom line is that we have to make a profit to survive and as a privately owned and operated business, we are not trying to buy market share so that we can sell out to the highest bidder – and we never employ the ‘stack them high and sell them cheap’ approach! We’ve been providing Internet services with the same management team / owners for the last 14 years and our plan is to continue to do so. We provide a high quality, high availability; well supported business-to-business service. We wouldn’t dream of insulting our customers and prospects by trying to justify outrageous premiums for these benefits but as we all know, there’s no such thing as a free lunch.
Do you provide Windows & Linux virtual machines & dedicated servers?
Yes, absolutely. We believe that this choice is fundamental to customer satisfaction and flexibility.
Which Linux distributions can I have?
- Ubuntu 8.04 x86 and x86_64
- Centos 5 x86 and x86_64
- Fedora Core 9 x86 and x86_64
- Debian 4 x86 and x86_64
Am I stuck with the same version of the Operating System
No – you can choose an alternative distribution or migrate to Windows (or the other way around). You may need to check data compatibilities before doing so. If in doubt, we can provide consultancy services starting at £50 per hour.
Can I run database software?
In the Linux world - definitely. On Windows servers, whilst it is technically possibly to run SQL Server on our platforms, testing has indicated issues with ‘memory grabbing’ which may eventually cause the stcPlan to freeze. Wider investigation shows that this is a recognised issue, so if you need SQL Server, an stcPlan is probably not the product for you at this time. However, our low-cost GranitePack™ product range will provide a low-cost dedicated server which will suit this need. There should be no issues with MS Access databases.
Do you have a management panel?
Yes – you manage your stcPlan via Windows interface.
Do you provide a control panel within the VPS Hosting?
Yes. We provide the option of a Plesk Control Panel as an additional add-on or you can install a panel of your choice as you are free to install your own software in the stcPlan.
Can I firewall my Virtual Dedicated Server Server?
Every stcPlan Server is hosted on a device which is firewalled. We do provide a range of other firewall services and our Business Development team will be pleased to discuss any bespoke requirements which you may have.
How many domains can I host on my server?
As many as you feel comfortable fitting on to your stcPlan Server.
Do you provide other server hosting services?
Of course! As are part of the JPCi Group, we are able to provide the complete range of services from the JPCi GranitePack™ range of Internet Hosting and Internet Essentials. This covers everything from domain name registration, email management, shared (single web site hosting) through to dedicated & co-located servers or even entire / dedicated racks in one of our datacenters.
