Virtual Server Hosting

[Coded-Dude]

We've used 1and1(dedicated - for several years) and have since moved away. We are now on godaddy(virtual - for about a year now), and want to move for similar issues(email).

IIRC some of you work for(or own) companies that provide hosting services. I am looking for some suggestions on where to go from here. Thanks in advance.

My boss has had his domain for quite sometime(15 years). It was spoofed back in the day(when that was easier to do) and was blacklisted(one of the reasons we switched from 1and1). We started using godaddy and changed the domain(added -mail.com to the end of it for email services) and things were working fine on godaddy. Now we are getting quite a bit of rejected mail because some of godaddy's relay servers(*.phx3.secureserver.net) are listed in spamcop(its not us its godaddy/spamcop)....and the issue is unacceptable.

Godaddy's response to me: We are aware of the 3rd party website that has added our IP address to their block list. We are actively attempting to have our email relay server IP address removed. However, we do not control this 3rd party website and are unable to provide an ETA as to when this issue will be resolved. You may instead use the email relay server dedrelay.secureserver.net as an alternative.

I have tried to change the relay server, but we still seem to be experiencing issues. The issue is ongoing and affecting many people.

http://support.godaddy.com/groups/email/forum/topic/unreliable-relay-servers-spamcop-blocking/

We have a need for a virutal windows machine to run our web and email services. I am searching for providers online, but if there is a calguns member that can offer us reliable services at a competitive price, I would much rather help the community.

[Fizz]

Have you considered colocation services and managing your own equipment?

Are you guys using Godaddy hosted exchange or their POP service?

Is godaddy doing your domain registration as well as your nameservers/DNS records?

Have you considered alternatives such as Google for business which includes Postini spam filtering services and the ability for POP access?

The company I work for offers Virtual Private servers which include Server 2008 R2 Standard, unlimited support, automatic failover in the virtual cluster and implementation and maintenance are covered. However, it's a monthly commitment. Something basic would start you about ~220 a month, depending on your storage and other needs. This is all run by us and I'd be your rep for technical support issues. I speak English and we'll never under any circumstance send you to India.

We'd also be willing to work with you if you wanted to sublease space in our rack at our Colocation center we use. We could be your hands-on if need be.

EDIT: Reread your post and realized you already indicated you're using their pop services.

Give me a ring if you want to chat. 858 268 4774 (have whoever answers page me -West) I'm on lunch currently and about to step out, but I'll be available at work otherwise until 6.

[Coded-Dude]

We run Mailenable for our mailserver and Microsoft software(IIS/SQL) to manage our website(s). We really don't need anything more than a dedicated IP address and a virtual server with decent bandwidth(mostly for email). Hosted email is not a viable option because we have a need for thousands of accounts(and most places charge per account). This is why we run our own mail server software. We are looking for something in the $40-60/mo range, as all we need is a windows machine with RDP access.

Buying hardware and finding datacenter space to rent/lease is also not a viable option at this time. Thanks for the info, I may give you a call if I have more questions. Currently leaning towards a few sites: nqhost, hostgator, myhosting, superb, etc. They all offer about the same - 50+GB HDD, plenty of bandwidth, and a dedicated IP for anywhere from $40-60/mo.

[TMcC]

Years back I had good luck with Hurricane Electric (he.net). Not sure how they are these days, might be worth a look. Also heard some good things about linode, and plenty of bad about nodaddy, err godaddy. Email is tricky with so many blacklists, and so many uninformed ISP's using outdated static lists. I still run into this on occasion for part of the address space I use. Pain in the ...

edit: scratch that, looks like you're on windows...

[Coded-Dude]

I have sent an email out to our programmer to see if its possible for us to migrate to a linux environment(I would prefer it), but have yet to hear back. I'll updated this thread when I hear back from him. Thanks so far for the tips/suggestions. Most of our stuff uses the .Net framework with aspx web files.

[Rand B. Wilson]

I also recommend collocating/leasing your own box..
I run a dedicated leased box and ran into the same blacklisting issue because whoever had my IP in the past was apparently a naughty-boy. Because for all intents and purposes that IP and the entire server was now 'mine', it was relatively easy to get unblacklisted (even from MSN/Hotmail!) ..
FWIW, i lease from Surpasshosting.com - good service, good prices, great support.. Only problem is that if you have been on a VPS/Shared type server you may be in for a bit of sticker-shock when looking at colo/dedicated boxen..

[Rand B. Wilson]

edit: scratch that.. i just saw your post about cost..
Surpasshosting also has shared/VPS, but they're pretty much all the same in that they are ALL better than GoDaddy...

[Fizz]

We run Mailenable for our mailserver and Microsoft software(IIS/SQL) to manage our website(s). We really don't need anything more than a dedicated IP address and a virtual server with decent bandwidth(mostly for email). Hosted email is not a viable option because we have a need for thousands of accounts(and most places charge per account). This is why we run our own mail server software. We are looking for something in the $40-60/mo range, as all we need is a windows machine with RDP access.

Buying hardware and finding datacenter space to rent/lease is also not a viable option at this time. Thanks for the info, I may give you a call if I have more questions. Currently leaning towards a few sites: nqhost, hostgator, myhosting, superb, etc. They all offer about the same - 50+GB HDD, plenty of bandwidth, and a dedicated IP for anywhere from $40-60/mo.

You guys may be better suited to self hosted solution. Is there any reason that you can't host what you need at your location? Seems like you have the technical personnel to manage and setup what you need; you just need the hardware to do so and bandwidth. Setting up some Virtual Machines on your own hardware would give you ultimate portability should want to expand/move in the future.

What kind of uptime do you guys need to maintain?

I agree with your assessment of most hosted email solutions; in your environment this won't work due to the pricing models. This would be further complicated by what I'd imagine to be a large amount of data that needs to reside in the cloud.

[tbhracing]

OP- I have used SiteGround in the past. Hope that helps.

[Fizz]

I also recommend collocating/leasing your own box..
I run a dedicated leased box and ran into the same blacklisting issue because whoever had my IP in the past was apparently a naughty-boy. Because for all intents and purposes that IP and the entire server was now 'mine', it was relatively easy to get unblacklisted (even from MSN/Hotmail!) ..
FWIW, i lease from Surpasshosting.com - good service, good prices, great support.. Only problem is that if you have been on a VPS/Shared type server you may be in for a bit of sticker-shock when looking at colo/dedicated boxen..

Colo/Self hardware solution isn't appropriate always. Unless it's part of a virtual machine host cluster (Ex. vSphere) you can expose yourself to downtime that you can't resolve until someone is able to physically visit the rack in such an event and subsequent lead time on replacement parts. Some applications this doesn't work and most people aren't willing to upfront the cost their own cluster as for single users such environments are prohibitive cost and administration wise. Really depends on the application.

[Fizz]

I have sent an email out to our programmer to see if its possible for us to migrate to a linux environment(I would prefer it), but have yet to hear back. I'll updated this thread when I hear back from him. Thanks so far for the tips/suggestions. Most of our stuff uses the .Net framework with aspx web files.

What's the ROI to moving to the Linux other than reduced licensing cost? Such platform transitions usually involve a lot of man hours to implement so futures aren't realized for a long time.