http://www.server4you.com/us/dedicated/index.html

while was browsing at office I found that offer for a dedicated web server. That surprised me a lot since the price is quite low compared to other services (like servermatrix, rackshack, etc).
Has anyone tried it? or maybe there's something that I am missing there... (where's the trick? :p)

i've seen that they use T1 lines, that may be too slow for online distribution? (here in Italy not for sure, hehe :))

Haven't tried it, but I just started using a 79$ servermatrix box and I'm pretty happy with it "so far" - its been up for less than 2 weeks though so time will tell if it was a good decision.

Well servermatrix has really a good reputation :)
Another friend of mine is going to have one soon.

Talking around, I've discovered that the server4you offer isn't a MANAGED server. That means that if you get hacked you have to pay to get everything reinstalled and you have also to deal with security problems yourself... :eek:

That may explain the low price? it is usual to get hacked? :D

Most companies don't offer managed hosting. ServerMatrix is more expensive, but I guess you pay for it :)

About being cheap or not, their servers are actually 69 a month (if you dont pay yearly) which isn't tha tmuch saving ! )

And yes, its common to get hacked, mostly is harmless tho, just for the kicks kind of thing, but it can be serious if the idiot that decides to hack you goes and does something that isn't acceptable by your server provider and your server ends up being unplugged as a result

I still think 50 a month for a HW firewall that servermatrix is a bit expensive, but it sure gives you some peace of mind :)

And yes, its common to get hacked, mostly is harmless tho, just for the kicks kind of thing, but it can be serious if the idiot that decides to hack you goes and does something that isn't acceptable by your server provider and your server ends up being unplugged as a result

Uhm :(
that's not a great thing, having an important part of your business in the hand of some idiot :D

My problem (it is NOT an actual problem but may be I hope in near future!) is: when I'll release 5-6 games or a bigger one of 15-20 mb , how can I deal with the bandwidth problem?

I can use a file storing system like fileburst, but I pay 1$ per Gb.
With a server like the one of server4you or servermatrix, I get 750Gb/month and I spend much less than 750$!!! :P
Also I get a server that could be useful for other things :)

But I have to deal with those "common problems"... :(

well, the reason you pay for more is the fact that most file serving services like fileburst are alot faster than others. The other thing is that all the transfers and cycles wasted are not on your server. While 100 punks are downloading your game with no intention of buying it, there will be a guy trying to browse your site searching for a buy button but just can't find it cause the site shows so slowly since there are 100 punks using multiple connections wasting your resources. Ok those 100 can be legit customers, but they are still take resources from you main site to downloads. :)

My advice ? Take a dedicated server and host your game there for now, when you get to the point where if a single person downloaded all your games and it the total combined is more than 15-20 megs, move the files to fileburst or something and continue using your server for cvs, site, mailing lists, etc.

[...] Ok those 100 can be legit customers, but they are still take resources from you main site to downloads.
I partially avoid that thing placing <buy-now> links either inside the game, or also as shorcut in installation folder.
Those links point directly to esellerate.net site (my e-seller) so it's not anymore a problem for my site's speed :P

But I think that in future (remote future for now!) when I'll release 10th game (eheh!) problems may arise :) so I think I'll really follow your advice, which seems the right choice to me!

Originally posted by Akura
My advice ? Take a dedicated server and host your game there for now, when you get to the point where if a single person downloaded all your games and it the total combined is more than 15-20 megs, move the files to fileburst or something and continue using your server for cvs, site, mailing lists, etc.

There is no reason at all to do that... A dedicated server can handle a ton of downloads, and still be lightning fast.

We are doing over 2000 downloads per day, averaging about 1.2 mbit/sec sustained transfer rate. My cpu usage is about .05% and the site is just as fast as if it was empty.

As for server4you, they are supposedly fine after you get the server set up, but support isn't the greatest. You might want to check out http://www.valueweb.com, they are owned by Affinity and have a solid reputation- and they have some pretty cheap servers.

Personally, I have used The Planet / Servermatrix for quite a while. I have been satisfied.

EDIT: I also use an iptables firewall, which does most of the same stuff as a hardware firewall, and it's free :)

I also use an iptables firewall, which does most of the same stuff as a hardware firewall, and it's free
Uhm, be sure that I'll ask you again about that when I'll get a dedicated server :p