Let me start off by saying thanks to all who read and reply.

I currently host about 25 sites for myself and friends. I have a reseller plan that I purchased off Ebay and have been using it for about 2 years. I am happy with the provider, but they do not offer dedicated servers. So, I am forced to look for a dedicated server for various reasons. With that said....

1. I do not want to pay a tremendous amount since I am starting out. However, I do not want to get a cheap host that will be down too much.

2. I will want root access in order to install a few apps to help me out.

3. I will eventually sell space, and want to make sure the provider is reputable.

I looked at ThePlanet, and a few others. If anyone has any good providers with a great price please let me know. I have seen on Ebay a dedicated server for $500 a year..

Dell Poweredge
80G storage
200G Bandwidth
512MB

Thanks in advance

If you get a Dedicated Server, Unmanaged or not you will have ROOT (Superuser) access, and you can do whatever you want (under the TOS)...

You can resell the space if you want, you can run a Game Server if you want, a Ventrilo server, a much more...... Depends on what you can run with the Server (if it's a P4 or Celly)...

Hey and welcome to HostingRefuge
Have you thought about a VPS/VDS (Virtual Private Server/Virtual Dedicated Server).
With that you get root access and you install your own software and basically do whatever you want, much like a real server.
The difference is that the server is split into sections, you have a section of the server, and other users have a section of the server.
This means it will be a lot cheaper for you.
This is normally just as stable as a full dedicated server and you have all the options you want, including the ability to reboot the server if you are having any problems, without effecting the other VPS owners on the same server.

To be honest also, I wouldn't go with a company from eBay. You might have been lucky and got with a good company, but there are a lot on there that aren't the best..
Most people on eBay compete solely on price, that's not what you want.
You want the best service available but a good price tag, but a price tag that matches.

You mentioned ThePlanet, it is a great location for servers, that is where HostingRefuge is hosted
Their prices can be a little more expensive than other places, but it is well worth it.

Another option is www.ev1servers.net
You are more likely to get something cheaper there but still with a great server and good network.

John

Wrong. FS with Defcon1. It's not unmanaged, yet there isn't root.



To topic starter: If you decide to go with VPS, go and look at Dinix and ServInt. Both are great companies, and with VPS you'll have no problems with them.

For dedicated servers, well LiquidWeb and FastServers are both great companies. LiquidWeb is fully managed, and very affordable. FastServers is very good as well, and for an extra $100 can be fully managed (However there won't be root with Defcon1, however Defcon2 has root).

But, are you able to managed your own server? If not, it's best to go with a managed provider such as LiquidWeb or FastServers with Defcon2 or Defcon1. Otherwise, ThePlanet/ServerMatrix and EV1Servers are both very good places.

I looked at VPS but all the plans I saw were like $20 cheaper than a dedicated server with 2x as much specs. So, I was hoping that I could get some help here and come across a good deal.

As for Ebay, Yea....I agree with not going there. I think I got lucky in finding a great provider but do not want to chance like this.

Dinix and ServInt aren't too expensive, however the quality you'll receive is far from that of getting a cheap dedicated server. You need to realise, ServInt is a fully managed VPS; meaning you don't need to handle much except for running your business. When you get an unmanaged dedicated server, you'll have to manage the server as well as your business.

But check out:
http://www.tomsyer.net/index.php?area=premium

They are pretty good, how AFAIK they are unmanaged.

Also, check out www.vpscolo.com
I used them for a long time and they are great.

Like Anjay said, with a VPS, it is also normally managed.
Do you need a dedicated at this stage or is it more for planning for the future?

What spec of server do you think you need?
How important is uptime? It is a business server so you need close to 100%, or are you hosting not to make profit but for personal use, and for hosting your friends for free.

Depending on what the server is going to be used for, you could select the DC to go with from that.

Right now it is a mix of both..personal and business. I host my sites (about 6), 20+ sites for friends, and my church website. So, uptime is VERY important to me. What I want to go towards is more business

If I can do this.....

I just posted a request for price on a server HERE

Couldn't be happier with Rackspace. If service and uptime are factors, you couldn't hope for a better host IMO.

Planned for future if possible....

if you don't need it right now you might be better waiting until a provider is doing a special offer.
Some providers do great specials and if it is money off the monthly price then you will end up saving a lot of money over time if you try hold out another while.

I agree with Rob. You may want to wait around until a provider is having a special, unless you can find a provider offering what you want for a great deal.

Planning for the future is good and all, but how far in the future are we talking? If it's a month, two or even five it's ok. But are we talking one or two years here? If it's planning for within the next five months, then sure, I can understand your want; however anything more is a bit OTT in my opinion, as even five months is a bit far ahead (However that isn't to say you mustn't plan ahead).

I agre with Rob and Anjay, but I think 5 months in advance would be far too much.
As he is looking for a cheap server, I doubt he wants to have a live server for 5 months while he is paying for it, but not actually using it.

Buying one month in advance might help you to ensure it is setup and secured properly, but if you are trying to save as much money as possible, try wait for a good deal then go for it, when you need the server.