Dedicated + Package Changes

The move to a dedicated server went great, no downtime and no problems that I can see - everything should work exactly the same as it did before (but faster!). Please check your sites to see that they work as expected.

As a bonus, I've set all packages as unlimited now - there's no limit on bandwidth or disk space. I'm also reducing the cost of all accounts to £5 a year (plus £6 for each domain).

(Important) Going Dedicated

Over the next few days I'll be switching from the current Virtual Private Server that we've used for several years, to a brand new Dedicated Server.

Without going into details, this is a big change and the new server will be much faster. It'll still run cPanel, so for users it won't seem too different - just faster and more reliable.

Due to the extra costs, I won't be running backups for this one, so it's important to regularly back up your files and data. Assume that things could disappear at any time.

The transfer will take several days, during which time there may be downtime. I'd strongly recommend backing up your data, though I'm hoping to move everything in one piece.

Upgrade

I'm upgrading the server from VS500 to VS1000. There might be some downtime today while these changes take place.

New Accounts

I started offering hosting a few years ago to cover the high cost of running a server, but as my own needs have increased I won't be able to offer hosting any more, and won't be signing up and new accounts or domains.

Unless I've contacted you already, there won't be any changes to existing accounts at this time. If you've been thinking about cancelling or transferring your hosting though, now would be a good time.

PHP Mailing to Gmail

Due to a high volume of emails to Gmail in the past few days, Google have blocked incoming emails from our server. If you're using a PHP mail form to send to a Gmail address, I'd recommend changing to a different email provider temporarily.

UPDATE - I've added extra authentication so emails won't bounce any more. As before, Gmail still has a habit of sending them to Spam, so set up a filter on 'vm4645' to prevent this (email me if you need help with this).

Scheduled Maintenance

Due to scheduled server maintenance, there may be some downtime between 12.00am Sunday 27th February and 7.00am Monday 28th February. This is expected to last between 10 minutes and an hour.

Please contact me if any of your sites are down for more than an hour this Sunday, hopefully it won't be noticeable.

Upgraded

I've upgraded the server from Tagadab's VS250 to VS500. This was necessary due to lack of disk space, but we also get the bonus of twice the memory as before, so I hope you find your sites run faster than ever. There won't be any change to packages or costs.

As there's plenty of space now I'm more keen than ever to sign up some new accounts - don't forget that you can get a 20% referral bonus if you recommend someone.

Disk Full

Sorry if you start getting Disk Full errors when you try and upload. I'm in the process of upgrading the server to give us more space. Check back for updates.

19/07/10 - The server is in the process of being upgraded today. Please allow for some minor downtime.

Domain Prices

If anyone purchased a domain last year for £5.75, they'll now be £6.00 due to the tax increase (this was in January, but I didn't realize until now).

Domains purchased before 2009 will still be charged at £7.95, but your package should be cheaper too (£5 for 5X, as opposed to £10). I'll to reset your price to the current rate if you want, though you'd end up paying more.

Let me know if you're unsure when you're due to be invoiced and how much it'll be.

20% Referral Discount

For a limited time I'm offering a 20% discount off your next hosting bill (package only) for every friend you refer to me. If you can find 5 people who want web hosting you'll get your year of hosting free!

Direct your friends to http://www.marklunney.com/web_hosting.php.

New Hosting Blog

I've set up this new blog for updates to the hosting on my server. Things I might post about:

-New features and performance upgrades

-Downtime and other problems

-Discounts and offers

You can subscribe to be emailed whenever I make updates. Major news such as severe downtime will be sent out by email as well (hopefully there wont be a need!).

Feel free to comment on posts! Hosting details are still available here.