How hard is it to administer a VPS hosting package?

Howdy KnownHost,

I'm awfully excited about the reputaion you've built for yourselves... and the possibility of finding a fair-priced VPS host with great service and reliability.

But, before I make the splurge and order, I've got a couple questions for you.

I plan to use my VPS server to run a PHP-MySQL based email list management package called SendStudio:

http://www.interspire.com/sendstudio/

You folks have been the top contender in my list of options, but the one thing that has me concerned is your statement that KnownHost is a semi-managed VPS host.

I'm not sure what to expect as far as what kinds of server admin tasks I'll be responsible for. My experience level is that of managing many sites on shared hosting environments, and occasionally telneting into the server to execute some basic Linux commands (setting up CRON manually, etc.) but for the most part I:

1) Am far from a server admin in terms of expertise; and

2) Won't always be available to notice when/if my site goes down.

If my site goes down because of something amiss in my little VPS sandbox, then is it true that you folks won't know about it, and it will be my job to either get it running again, or submit a ticket to you to help me get it running? I was told by your reps that hardware failures are KnownHost's responsibility, and failures inside my little quarantined space are my responsibility.

I'll have clients depending on this server for running their email campaigns, and if it goes down and I'm not immediately available, I'd hate to have them waiting hours to access the system (and meanwhile losing unsubscribe and subscribe requests).

Can you tell me more about what I'm responsible for for keeping this system running well... and for fixing it if/when it goes down?

I just about submitted my payment information to WestHost.com ( http://www.westhost.com/ ), but something in my mind said I should check with you folks one more time.

Here's the plan on WestHost I was thinking of going with:

http://www.westhost.com/value-business-hosting.html

Their system is sort of a mix between shared and VPS hosting. The price is good, but I'm concerned that performance-wise it won't be much different from a shared hosting environment.

If you look at all the features this plan has, can you tell me how a plan with you would differ (let's assume I buy the VPS Mtx plan with Cpanel). Are there a lot of other admin tasks I'd be doing outside of the normal tasks in CPanel? Are there any major tools/features/programs I'd gain or lose if I went with your plan?

Thanks a lot!

Tim
 
Ive always thought the "semi-managed" statement was a little odd, as i would consider KnownHost to be full managed. I think they say this because if you only perform 99% of requests then you are not truly fully managed. So far, ive used the support ticket system quite abit, any important problem was fixed within a few minutes of me submitting the form. If they do not do it them selves, they tell you how, so you can do it your self.

I was in the same situation as you almost when i joined KH. Ive lernt alot just from the support desk answering questions for me. The support is so good, you cant really go wrong..
 
Hello Tim,

Thanks for your interest in KnownHost. Regarding what we are responsible for with VPS's, we make sure your VPS is up and running but if something like Apache or MySQL lock up we don't monitor each application. The good thing is if you have cPanel you can enable it to update itself automatically as well if something locks up it can automatically fix itself. You can check with our Support team on the best approach with that. We have lots of customers with no admin experience at all moving from shared hosting and they enjoy the freedom the VPS provides. We are always here to help so just ask. Hope to see you signup.

Thanks,
Joel
 
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