1 and 1 hosting, package choices

[newshopbloke]

Hi all,

I am about to politely sack my web host for changing my dedicated i.p. address without my permission which means I am again in the market for a new hosting package. In the past I have spent hours / days / weeks / months searching through all the terms and reviews for god knows how many companies and I really cannot go down that road again.

So im looking directly at 1&1 because they have received good reviews on this forum and was wondering if the budget package is definitely ok to run actinic without problems ?

Answers on a postcard to -

fed up with naff hosting companies,
badgeek lane,
liarsville,
u.k. u.s.a. everywhere

[Duncan Rounding]

I have mutple domains on Linux Bus Pro with 1and1, but you would be OK with the standard Bus package which includes shared SSL - depending on the additional features etc you want. Certainly no issues with Actinic and many users here who can help if need be.
You won't get your own dedicated IP though - I think that's only possible with dedicated server solutions.

[wjcampbe]

I have one Actinic site and five other sites running on 1 & 1 Business Linux (standard package). Only significant downtime was caused by me, total 1 & 1 generated downtime less than one hour total in 18 months.

[pinbrook]

Current RIPE guidelines are that hosting companies give dedicated Ips to SSL sites and dedicated servers only

This is what we do, all other sites on shared hosting are limited to shared IP addresses.

See http://www.ripe.net/rs/index.html

also see http://community.actinic.com/showthr...highlight=RIPE where the contensious issue of dedicated IP was hotly discussed before

[newshopbloke]

Thanks for the replies,

I dont need ssl, just the right perl version to run actinic. I will also be hosting another couple of small sites on the same space.

Jo, thanks for the tip about dedicated ip's I was unaware that there is a resource problem although I cannot understand the argument because surely its just like phone numbers and the more needed then the more created ? Maybe im missing something else but in my own experience I have received faster address redirections via a dedicated ip than a shared one.

Regards

Mick

[newshopbloke]

1 and 1 sales / tech support

Ive just phoned 1and1 to ask a very very simple question and it took 15 minutes to get the answer and im still unsure if the answer is genuine.

I asked - "If I have the home package, can I call you up to add on a mysql database or will I have to upgrade to a new plan"

The answer - "No need because the home plan has one"

Me - "Are you sure, I cannot see it listed in the comparison chart"

This went on for ages and I had answers ranging from yes, no its not mysql, yes it is on comaprison chart, no its not on comparison chart, woops sorry im looking at our u.s. chart not the u.k. chart, yes it will simply be an add on at minimal cost, no it will need a full upgrade to next plan etc etc etc. In the end I think he would have been happy to tell me anything I wanted to hear, just to get me to sign up.

I was very polite, patient and provided excellent descriptions of what I wanted.

This is exactly the kind of untrained nonsense that im trying to avoid from my next host, if any 1and1 customers want to chime in on this thread I would be glad to hear from you.

Cheers

Mick

[Duncan Rounding]

You only get SQL with Bus and above, not Home. Many people here (inlcuding myself) are with 1and1 and have had no problems. You should be fine with the standard Bus package and can always upgrade later without loss of data should you feel you need to.

[I-CC]

Thanks for the replies,
Jo, thanks for the tip about dedicated ip's I was unaware that there is a resource problem although I cannot understand the argument because surely its just like phone numbers and the more needed then the more created ? Maybe im missing something else but in my own experience I have received faster address redirections via a dedicated ip than a shared one.

You are right in the idea that it should work like phone numbers, but you can only issue so many phone numbers before the entire range is expended, which if you think back to the original London telephone numbers, that had to change twice over a very short period of time to the now 0207 and 0208 scenario due to lack of numbers.

IPs are xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx which is an IPv4 range (the original and only mainstream range in use now).. that means 255.255.255.255 is the maximum, which is split across the globe and not just the UK.

Issue comes when you want to add more xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx (IPv6). it is not like an internal BT routing of local numbers within the UK, but the whole world needs to first of all know and understand that if it has 6 sets to use one completely different system than a four set, as they could both start with 111.111 for example...

The number of IPs available for the IPv4 standard is running short. The new IPv6 system is still in its infancy, but is designed to combat the shortage, so guidelines are to not give away IPv4 IPs out for any old reason and for legit reasons of dedicated SSL certificates (which is not so much a problem now with the invent of multi domain certificates (that can operate SSL bound to domains on the same IP address) and device IPs where you of course need to hit a specific device with a single IP etc.

To the outside world, it should not be an issue and using static IP or name based services for a domain should not affect anything for site operators in speed of a noticable nature, just part of the Internet and its growth that shortages of IPs exist which is being worked on (and has been for a long while)...

[newshopbloke]

Thanks for your reply,

I knew I didnt get mysql from the home package but was trying to find out if it can be bolted on at minimal cost without upgrading, other hosts include mysql as standard on all packages and most will bolt one on for a small fee.

Nevermind, I am far more concerned with the support guys lack of knowledge about the products they sell. The conversation was very similar to the one I had with 'farcehosts' when I asked if I got perl scripting for actinic shop and the answer was yes absolutely we know all about actinic and it is supported, I then setup only to find that it was not supported and another tech guy told me that I was misinformed. It took ages to get a refund out of them.

As far as im concerned, my search continues because I have only found one host that can actually answer all of my questions without hesitation or lies and that is the host im currently with, I just have to decide whether to forgive and forget about having my dedicated ip address changed without my consent.

Cheers

[newshopbloke]

IPs are xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx which is an IPv4 range (the original and only mainstream range in use now).. that means 255.255.255.255 is the maximum, which is split across the globe and not just the UK.

Makes sense and I can see the problem clearly now, but what happens to ip's that are cancelled / unused / disowned ? Are they fed back into the system for reuse or is it simply that too many people own and use IPv4's.

Who decided 255.255.255.255 in the first place ? Surely 999.999.999.999 would have been a tad obvious

[I-CC]

hindesight is a wonderfull thing - but - when the Internet was created, no one knew it would take to the size it is now, so the IPv4 was thought to be massive and would never be used up (hahaha)...

IPs are allocated to the providers of services on the Internet, and they are called RIR and LIRs (local and regional) Internet Registries...

LIRs / RIRs get allocated blocks (ranges) of IPs which they have routed to them, which they then route internally within a local network within the data centre.

You can not however, pick out a single IP from a range and route it to a completely different data centre in its own right (only through rewriting of the IP) which then means 2 IPs are needed instead of the one and just adds to the already complicated routing that exists to keep the Internet operational.

If an IP is cancelled, then it depends on who cancelled it and whether it is part of a bigger range (which it will be) but what size of range, which could be /26 (128 IPs), /24 (256 IPs) and so on... so no straight answer as it depends who cancelled it... i.e. is the host a reseller? in which case the host does not have a range of IPs, just what the actual host gives them within there bigger range of IPs, so if it was cancelled by the Host against the reseller, then the host controls it...

If you take it up some notches, then if the host has had it cancelled against them, then it could go up a level to the RIR or if they were the RIR then it goes to Ripe and so on... Small question with tons of answers...

You can find some info out about who is assigned IPs and the like within www.dnsstuff.com

For example, type in the www.domain.tld you want to check within the DNS lookup and look for A records, which will then report the IP address it is using, then go back to the previous page and type the IP listed in the previous check within the IPWHOIS lookup which will then list who the IP is allocated onto.

There are a number of checks you can conduct in that site along within www.dnsreport.com which will reveal the names of the real mail servers in use (i.e. hosts or resellers, PTR records and lots more) - a lot more info than many need to know to be honest, but will give you lots to play with when looking up hosts and the like.

[newshopbloke]

Thanks for that info, interesting stuff indeed.
So my current webhost allowing me to have a dedicated ip and then reassigning to yet another dedicated ip because of a server change are basically adding more problems to the overall network by using up 2 dedicated ip's willy nilly.

It tells me that webhosts who do this obviously have the attitude of 'worry about it later when the whole network crashes due to lack of resources' instead of 'we should be careful and prudent that we take care of the future right now' pretty much like all politicians and world leaders then !

At least I am now a little wiser, but still unsure about my new choice of host.

[I-CC]

Can not say why your current host did the change and you would have to ask them, but it could be to keep down on downtime for example, i.e. they needed to replace the machine you were on, so deployed a new machine on a new IP (as could not have 2 setup with the same IP), created all of the accounts on it, transfered the customers data to the new machine and then switched you over, which seems fair enough, but you should have been told that this is what they were doing I guess, for which it is not on 2 IPs, but still on 1 IP, just changed.

[I-CC]

Also, if this was because of a server change, then not cancelled as such and could be reused by them for further changes maybe...

There are lots of reason...

As you no doubt have the original IP and of course the new IP, then use the dnsstuff site to trace where the 2 IPs route through... If they go to the same location, then maybe simply the server change and reducing downtime... If to a completely different route/end, then could be other reasons - but this is all subjective and guesses...

Anyway... glad the info is of interest.