Runrev cgi and Webhosting providers

[Richard Gaskin]

Alejandro Tejada wrote:
> I'm looking information and experiences about the
> webhosting services that allows to run RunRev
> as cgi.
> 
> Who are the most reliable providers? 
> 
> Did they charge extra for install or let you run the
> cgi engine in their servers? 
> 
> Could you install the cgi engine
> in their servers even if you are not paying 
> the more expensive premium hosting that they offer?
> 
> If i left out any important question, please include
> it in the response.

My criteria for hosting myself and my clients carries a modest list of 
must-haves, but I've been surprised by how many companies offering 
hosting don't meet these basic core competencies:

- 24/7 support:  I need to know there's a least one person with
   a pocket protector staring at the server farm at all times.

- on-site generators:  power failures happen, but they should
   never affect my storefront.

- multiple redundant T1 and T3 lines:  traffic should never be
   a bottleneck.  I don't mind paying extra for spikes if I get
   slash-dotted, but I need the server to be able to handle the
   load.

- automatic backups:  even though I have my own local backups,
   if a server hiccups I need to know they will restore it
   within 24 hours.

Any small-fry that doesn't offer these basics doesn't get my business. 
I've used such companies in the past and have learned better.  And until 
my clients grow to be able to have these things themselves, maintaining 
their own server is usually less cost-effective; who wants to be a slave 
to a server pager when the alternative is only a few bucks a month?

I use Tierra.Net, on which RevNet runs.  They offer a unique value:  as 
a smaller company they're able to offer excellent service, but they 
lease infrastructure from Verio, one of the largest hosting companies, 
so they have all the benefits of the really big companies without the 
downsides.

Tierra.Net has no problem with running compiled apps as CGIs at no 
additional charge.  They don't provide technical support for them of 
course, but they don't restrict them either.  In fact, they maintain a 
server farm preconfigured with the libraries needed for Rev (Tierra.Net 
uses FreeBSD).  If you decide to go with them just ask for server group 
2 to run MC and they'll know what you mean. (Extra bonus points if you 
note that you were referred by fourthworld.net, as they'll recognize 
that domain as belonging to "that MC guy", and referrals help offset 
RevNet's hosting costs).

And as a small extra, Tierra.Net has probably the fastest FTP handshake 
I've seen in a commercial hosting company.  This isn't a big deal for 
most folks, but near-instant access can make a difference when you 
connect to the server as often as I do.  The other companies I've used 
in the past took anywhere from one to ten seconds to connect via FTP, 
but Tierra.Net is commonly less than a second for me with DSL.


> By the way, i've read about an offer of
> http://www.lifetimewebhosting.com , in which
> you make only one payment and they host you
> files forever. I've seen this offering at $67, $150
> and $250 dollars.

"Forever" is not logically possible to offer.  I would be wary. After an 
initial blitz, companies like that tend to run out of operating capital 
very quickly.

-- 
  Richard Gaskin
  Fourth World Media Corporation
  ___________________________________________________________
  Ambassador at FourthWorld.com       http://www.FourthWorld.com