Website hosting rant!

Guru Drums

Senior Member
Finally cutting ties with the super expensive & super slow service website hosting company we've been saddled with since before my tenure at Guru. I cancelled the deal today, but still wanted to keep some of the traffic that's organically built up on the old website address. The hosting company offered to put up a holding/divert page up on the old address. They wanted $400 to design the divert page (1 f@^%^& line of text & a link to the new page). On top of that insult, the wanted $35/month to "host" the divert page.

This, generally crappy service, a site that requires html skills to update, & stupid update charges, is why I built my own website. It might not be perfect, but at least I don't feel like I've been reamed with a f*&%*g barbed totem pole every day!!!!!
 
Ouch, $35/mo is kinda old school pricing (I remember when it was $50 and up to host a site back in the '90s!) GoDaddy.com and the like will happily host a page or a site for between $5-8/mo and there are less-expensive hosts than that.

But to simply forward the original domain name to the new site/host should be a small annual charge, maybe $10? That can be enabled with the domain's registrar, but of course that's not hosting, just an instant forward when the old name is visited. Sounds more like what you need.

Bermuda
 
Something doesn't stack up here.

You're changing where website.co.uk is hosted, you're not changing to differentsite.co.uk are you?

In which case Shirley all you need to do is change the DNS record(s) so when somebody types in website.co.uk they go to where your site now lives.

Either I'm missing something, or you left something out...
 
Lots of reasons for the site's slow behavior. Is it coded properly? Are images optimized? Is this a dyanmic site and if so, are the SQL and FTP servers separate (GoDaddy) or joined (cPanel/Plesk)?

So many variables to consider.
 
Wow, Bermuda knows this stuff. Yes, to change your hosting provider should involve simply (1) developing the new site on the new provider, and then (2) changing the DNS record to point to the new site's new IP address. There should be no further obligation to your old hosting provider (unless they're also your DNS).
 
Something doesn't stack up here.

You're changing where website.co.uk is hosted, you're not changing to differentsite.co.uk are you?

In which case Shirley all you need to do is change the DNS record(s) so when somebody types in website.co.uk they go to where your site now lives.

Either I'm missing something, or you left something out...

+1

When you change hosters, you should not really need any sort of 'forwarding'. DNS does that.
 
+1

When you change hosters, you should not really need any sort of 'forwarding'. DNS does that.

+2

Andy, you OWN your web site name. You take WITH you when you change hosts.

And you can even have multiple site names point to the same site.
 
I'm under the impression Andy's got a new domain name & web site, but wants the original name to also point to the new site/host. The problem is, only one name can point to a hosted site by designating its DNS (because the host is expecting that specific domain name.) Any additional names that need to point there have to be forwarded instead, and that usually results in a nominal fee from the particular domain's registrar. But certainly not $35/mo!

Actually, I think if it's the same host and registrar has all of the names in question, it's probably free to forward the other registered domains within their system. I have a few names that point to my main site, everything registered/hosted with GoDaddy, and I don't think there are additional charges for the forwards.

Bermuda
 
I'm under the impression Andy's got a new domain name & web site, but wants the original name to also point to the new site/host.

Bermuda
Yes Jon :) The original address was gurudrumworks.co.uk the new address is gurudrums.co.uk We changed company name a year ago to coincide with the company's new registration status. I took the opportunity to change host because the existing one was so difficult/expensive/slow to work with. Their wire frame setup was incredibly rigid, meaning even the most simple of changes needed to be done by their "designers", at a cost! :(

Lots of reasons for the site's slow behavior. Is it coded properly? Are images optimized? Is this a dyanmic site and if so, are the SQL and FTP servers separate (GoDaddy) or joined (cPanel/Plesk)?

So many variables to consider.
Bill, the slowness I refer to wasn't the site speed, it was the host's ability to respond to change requests. Not only were they slow, but very expensive too.
 
You can have multiple DNS names point to the same IP address (same hosted site). There should be no need for any forwarding. (We may be talking past each other on what is meant by "forwarding". By "forwarding" I've been assuming that what is meant is an HTTP 302 response. A DNS 'A' record would not be "forwarding".) Sorry if I'm just adding confusion; just hoping that Guru's provider isn't taking him for a ride with false information.
 
You can have multiple DNS names point to the same IP address (same hosted site). There should be no need for any forwarding.

If that's true, that would be the simplest solution, and there's no cost involved! (other than keeping the original name registered)

Check into it Andy!
 
You can have multiple DNS names point to the same IP address (same hosted site). There should be no need for any forwarding. (We may be talking past each other on what is meant by "forwarding". By "forwarding" I've been assuming that what is meant is an HTTP 302 response. A DNS 'A' record would not be "forwarding".) Sorry if I'm just adding confusion; just hoping that Guru's provider isn't taking him for a ride with false information.

Usually, but not always. Some programs can host multiple domains on a single IP, it's been around forever. It looks at the url to determine what site the user is trying to get to. Lots of ways around that issue as well, but just wanted to mention that sometimes pointing multiple domains at the same IP doesn't work, though this is usually the more budget minded hosts that offer this scenario.
 
You can have multiple DNS names point to the same IP address (same hosted site). There should be no need for any forwarding. (We may be talking past each other on what is meant by "forwarding". By "forwarding" I've been assuming that what is meant is an HTTP 302 response. A DNS 'A' record would not be "forwarding".) Sorry if I'm just adding confusion; just hoping that Guru's provider isn't taking him for a ride with false information.

+1
There may be restrictions based on the hosting company, and SSL can throw some wrinkles into the mix, but it is certainly possible to have multiple names (DNS A records) point to the same website.


Yes Jon :) The original address was gurudrumworks.co.uk the new address is gurudrums.co.uk We changed company name a year ago to coincide with the company's new registration status. I took the opportunity to change host because the existing one was so difficult/expensive/slow to work with. Their wire frame setup was incredibly rigid, meaning even the most simple of changes needed to be done by their "designers", at a cost! :(

Additionally, this still comes back to the same solution, move your old domain name to the new provider you are happy with. Then, do whatever you have to do to "forward". There is absolutely no reason you need to continue to do business with a provider you are unhappy with. You can take your name and your site and your business somewhere else. As previously pointed out, you own gurudrumworks.co.uk , and it is yours to take elsewhere, in its entirety.
 
Sorry no real help here, but your "phrase"

reamed with a f*&%*g barbed totem pole every day!!!!!

Cracked me up!!
 
Requiring a unique IP address for SSL not true anymore. Apache supports multiple SSL certificates bound to a single IP address. It's called Server Name Indication (SNI). Microsoft currently does not support SNI but I suspect they will soon enough.

At any rate, any hosting company with a brain can make this happen. It'd take me about 60 seconds to build this out. Web Hosting 101.

+1
There may be restrictions based on the hosting company, and SSL can throw some wrinkles into the mix, but it is certainly possible to have multiple names (DNS A records) point to the same website.
 
Requiring a unique IP address for SSL not true anymore. Apache supports multiple SSL certificates bound to a single IP address. It's called Server Name Indication (SNI). Microsoft currently does not support SNI but I suspect they will soon enough.

Good to know, thanks!

Bermuda
 
I've obviously missed something here. So Andy is posting under 2 different usernames now?

Yes, but one just forwards to the other via a DNS lookup to the hosts table to synchronise the .wtf extensions.
 
You probably don't want to be restricted to SNI (since, as already pointed out, not all browsers support it, and the main offender doesn't seem to be going away), but you can have a single SSL certificate with multiple hostnames in it. It's called a SAN cert.
 
Thanks for chiming in guys, although I must admit, it's all a bit above my head.

I built the new site myself (with some excellent advice from some members) on a WIX package. It's short on detail, because I'm waiting for the new range releases, but overall, I'm happy with it. Most importantly, I can update/change it without cost.

I want nothing more to do with the present hosting company. Anything they do, & I mean anything, they charge "taking the piss" money for. I have no idea (on my own) how to go about creating all these fancy things y'all referring to :( Maybe I'm best just leaving the old address to die & concentrate on building traffic on the new site. Would be nice to take some of that "presence" with us though.
 
Back
Top