increase member fee's

[turnkey]

Ok, this is the situation.

I have a P4 2.4 Ghz with 1 GB memory and I have been considering upgrading the server to a Dual Xeon 2.4 with at least 2 GB memory or more. Would be a awsome machine.

To cover my cost (cost goes up grately) I would have to take on more customers or increase my current customers fee's.

Now, if you were a current customer and has had somewhat good service would you pay more? I was thinking somewhere $3 - $5 more per month per customer.

This is not set in stone and I want to see what you would do in this situation. The P4 is running ok but a faster machine is needed.

 

[BlackStorm]

Do the current customers need the upgrade in the machine?
If their sites are running slow then maybe they could pay a bit more monthly but if there are no problems with speed at the minute then maybe an upgrade in their price so more people can use the server isnt what the current customers should cover.

Maybe sending a survey around the current clients about this and seeing what the feedback is like would be the best thing to do.
Find out if people are happy with how things are going and if they would be happy to pay extra to upgrade the machine

 

[GordyMac]

What about adding another server instead?

 

[turnkey]

I could probally do a 2nd machine. I think 2 P4 @ 2.4 GHz might be about the same price as a Dual Xeon. But yes, the current customers are stressing the server. Not all the time but some of the time the load gets up to 5 and sometimes higher. I know a Dual Xeon with 2 GB memory would make the current server very fast. I will post a feedback email to the users to see what they think.

 

[imported_maxhest]

Maybe go all out and put all your customers in a RackSpace datacenter Sure it's expensive, but it's like running nothing at all

 

[Anjay]

<< To cover my cost (cost goes up grately) I would have to take on more customers or increase my current customers fee's.

Now, if you were a current customer and has had somewhat good service would you pay more? I was thinking somewhere $3 - $5 more per month per customer. >>

Turnkey, if it were my company - I'd simply try and find more clients. Raising your prices is fine, I agree, but maybe then they have to raise their prices so on it goes. If I were a client? It'd depend on whether it's reseller or shared hosting. Shared hosting, I wouldn't want to at all - mainly because I wouldn't need support so wouldn't care not getting any. If I were a reseller - it'd probably be the same.
Like John said, maybe ask your clients and see what they say. Maybe you could just upgrade to a Pentium 4 2.8GHz with SCSI hard-drives? It won't be increased as much as a Dual Xeon 2.4Ghz, although it is better than a Pentium 4 2.4Ghz.

 

[turnkey]

Actually problem solved. I went to Redhat Enterprise Linux 3 and from a P4 2.4 to a Celeron 2.4 and the server is faster now and not to mention the monthly fee is about $50 less now then the old server. This new operating system is what is making it perform so well.

 

[GordyMac]

The Celeron is doing better than the p4?

 

[turnkey]

Yes, it is due to the new operating system. The celeron is out performing on RHEL3 vs Redhat 9 with a P4

And I have less memory

 

[Anjay]

Cool.

Well then turnkey, imagine how better the P4 would do with RHEL3.

 

[turnkey]

Yep, once I am ready to expand again I will get a P4. Also, there is always the oppertunity to upgrade the server.

 

[GordyMac]

Wow I didn't thank an OS could make much a difference at all.. learn something new each day..

 

[Anjay]

<< Yep, once I am ready to expand again I will get a P4. Also, there is always the oppertunity to upgrade the server. >>

Nice. But wouldn't it be nice to get an Intel Dual Xeon 2.4Ghz with lots of ram and SCSI drives from the start.


<< Wow I didn't thank an OS could make much a difference at all.. learn something new each day.. >>

lol - Gordy, wonder why Windows is so slow yet why Linux is so fast and stable?
heh, but yes an OS can make a lot of difference to speed and so on.