Dedicated Servers FAQ's

1. Will I get a control panel?
2. Will you install SSH? 
3. Will there be a statistics program installed on my server? 
4. Can I create mail accounts on my server?
5. What is name-based hosting? Do I need an IP address for each domain on my server?
6. Can I use debian dedicated servers as my secondary DNS?
7. Does debian dedicated servers provide DNS service? Can I have my own DNS name servers configured?
8. Can my hardware be upgraded? What are the fees for this?
9. How do I upgrade from a shared hosting account?
10. How do I place an order?
11. What methods of payment do you accept?
12. What is the minimum contract period for dedicated servers?
13. What is your turnaround time for having a server set up? 
14. What is the difference between SCSI and EIDE? 
15. Is there a restriction on bandwidth?
16. Will I have root access?
17. Can I do live broadcast streaming?
18. What is debian dedicated servers's policy on upgrading OS or other software that comes with the hosting plan?

1. Will I get a control panel? 
   Yes, every dedicated server customer will have access to SiteControl. Advantage users will have the full-featured SiteControl that allows for easy administration. Standard Linux users will also have a choice of using Webmin or Plesk administration software for server administration.
   
   
2. Will you install SSH? 
   Yes, we install SSH by default on all Linux servers.
   
   
3. Will there be a statistics program installed on my server? 
   We will install the program Analog at no additional cost. Analog webstatistics provide statistical profiles for all domains hosted on your server, which enable you to track traffic for each domain, as well as where the traffic has originated.
   
   
4. Can I create mail accounts on my server?
   Yes, you can create as many email accounts as you like and setup up auto-responders, forwarding, and aliasing through SiteControl for Advantage line users. For Linux, email services can be setup through your Webmin or Plesk web interface.
   
   
5. What is name-based hosting? Do I need an IP address for each domain on my server? 
   Name based hosting is a method used to allow a server to host multiple domains with only one IP address. You do not need an IP address for each site; in fact, you only need one IP for the entire server. Name based hosting does not affect the performance or appearance of the domains hosted. Standard Linux servers offer name based hosting.
   
   
6. Can I use debian dedicated servers as my secondary DNS?
   No, the customer is ultimately responsible for managing their own DNS. debian dedicated servers recommends DNS management through a third-party provider such as ZoneEdit.com.
   
   
7. Does debian dedicated servers provide DNS service? Can I have my own DNS name servers configured?
   For Advantage customers, debian dedicated servers will manage your DNS service. For Linux Standard users, the customer is ultimately responsible for managing their own DNS so you can choose to run your own DNS. If you do not want to be responsible for running your own DNS, debian dedicated servers recommends DNS management through a third-party provider such as ZoneEdit.com.
   
   
8. Can my hardware be upgraded? What are the fees for this? 
   You can upgrade any component of your server at any time to increase your resources, as demand requires. Upgrade fees generally range from $35 to $125 depending on the size of the upgrade, in addition to the incremental price difference. To request a hardware upgrade, please submit a request at our work order request form.
   
   
9. How do I upgrade from a shared hosting account? 
   If you are upgrading from a shared hosting account, we strongly recommend the Advantage platform. Once your server is set up, we will seamlessly transfer your account and all its contents to your machine. There will be no downtime and nameserver information will be updated automatically.
   
   
10. How do I place an order? 
    You can purchase the server online through our order form and a salesperson will contact you to verify your request.
    
    
11. What methods of payment do you accept? 
    debian dedicated servers accepts all major credit cards (AmEx, MC, Visa and Discover), check and bank wire. You will not be charged until your server goes online, and then each month thereafter. 
    
    
12. What is the minimum contract period for dedicated servers? 
    The minimum contract period is three months. 
    
    
13. What is your turnaround time for having a server set up? 
    It usually takes us 48-72 hours for us to have your server set up and released from the day we receive your order. 
    
    
14. What is the difference between SCSI and EIDE?
    The primary difference is that SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) has a processor built into the drive which allows for faster read / writes. The IDE (Enhanced IDE) drives rely on the CPU. SCSI is the recommended option if you are planning to run a database. EIDE is suitable for standard Web serving. 
    
    
15. Is there a restriction on bandwidth? 
    There are no bandwidth restrictions; your traffic is burstable beyond what your plan includes. If you exceed your plan for the month, you will be billed at the overage rate of $40 per 10 GB. You can upgrade bandwidth at the beginning of the next billing cycle to avoid overage charges in future months. Bandwidth is calculated from invoice to invoice. You can check your bandwidth usage per server by logging into SiteControl. Pre-paid bandwidth allotment upgrades may be requested by going to  our work order request form.
    
    
16. Will I have root access?
    Root access is only available with our Standard platform. Such access is not available with our Advantage line.
    
    
17. Can I do live broadcast streaming?
    Yes, once your dedicated server is set up, debian dedicated servers administrators can open up a specified port so that broadcasts can be delivered by the server through various multimedia technologies. 
    RealServer is supported on Linux. 
    Both RealServer and Windows Media are supported on Windows® 2000 
    
    
18. What is debian dedicated servers's policy on upgrading OS or other software that comes with the hosting plan?
    You probably have some experience with upgrading software. If so, you are probably also aware of some of the pitfalls involved with such upgrades. As we are responsible for the reliability and stability of hundreds of thousands of web sites and email systems, we are very careful when it comes to modifying our software. As a matter of policy, we do not roll out the latest changes unless they are subjected to our extensive internal testing for at least several months. Also, we believe that it's wise to let the new release 'burn-in" for several months, rather than roll out the changes hot off the press. Of course, there are some exceptions to this. When new security holes are identified and new patches released to fix them, we generally apply it right away.