XDnet are pleased to announce we have now launched a new dedicated server for our shoutcast customers, the new server enables XDnet to provide a more stable and flexible shoutcast hosting service.

If customers have any questions or comments please feel free to get in contact via Live Chat, support@xdnet.co.uk or just leave a comment below!

Just a quick note to let users know, we have upgraded our Monty server with a little more RAM and diskspace to ensure the new users have plenty to go around.

We are also planning a major upgrade in the next few months, so watch this space.

We are pleased to announce that we are currently completely revamping out shoutcast structures and packages.

We are currently putting together the new packages, which we hope to get into our system, and the website within the next few days.

Existing Shoutcast users:

We are in the process of setting up your streaming accounts on the new server (info about the new french DC will be added soon) and will email you the details once everything is complete.

Also it should be noted that unlike the US shoutcast which includes hosting we have chosen not to include this, to provide a better hosting experience for all users the shoutcast server will be used exclusively for shoutcast.

Of course we aren’t going to leave users without web hosting for their sites, so we are transferring the streaming to a similar package and providing all existing shoutcast users a FREE Basic web hosting account (you can of course upgrade hosting should you need to).

We are also in the process of transferring clients website files to the new hosting accounts, please bare in mind any changes made to your settings or files on the US Shoutcast account may not be fully synced to the hosting and/or stream. If you have made changes inform us and we can make sure everything is properly synced to avoid issues.

Domains, any users who currently have domains for their shoutcast, domains managed by XDnet will automatically be re-configured to point to our server when required, domains managed by other registrars please contact support so we can advise on required changes.

Any questions or comments, please leave a comment below, open a ticket or chat to us live using the live chat.

XDnet is happy to say the server is now configured and stable and further issues should be minimal.

Apologies to any clients effected over the past few days during and after transferring accounts to the new server and issues which may have occurred when trying to access or use services during configuration.

XDnet has decided that because of the nature of the downtime and where users may have been effected differently we will asses any claims on a case by case basis on if credit should be issues as compensation. Clients have 7 days to put forward possible claims.

We will be launching our Reseller packages within the next few days and plan a boost in resources within the next few weeks and months.

Dan Rodgers,

XDnet Web Services

Okay, after 5 hours, 3 cups of tea a bowl of noodles and lots an lots of bad language, the accounts have been transfered.

Unfortunatly we experienced a few hiccups with our account which has xdnet.co.uk on it so the site was doing all sorts of funny things, but now appears to be fine.

It appears all other accounts transfered fine, however if anything seems wrong please do tell us so we can get right on it.

Over the next few weeks we will be optimising the server to make the most of the new power and security.

Also look out for new reseller packages coming soon.

EDIT:

Apologies to all users effected by this morning issues, the issue has now been resolved, and we are still smoothing the cracks.

Sorry for any inconvience caused.

Dan

XDnet Admin

We are currently setting up a new server, and will be moving shared accounts over to the new server over the next couple of days.

What this means for you…

With this change most users should experience little if any difference in settings or downtime. However with this upgrade it will mean more features can be provided to users and a better hosting experience.

All users who’s domains are setup using ns1.xdnet.co.uk and ns2.xdnet.co.uk should be fine, as we will change the details our end, so you should have nothing to change.

All users will be informed when the transfer is complete, please note during the transfer process there maybe a few minor issues with accounts mid-change but this will be very very short time scales and should be completed within a day of initiating the transfer.

Any questions or comments please email support@xdnet.co.uk, open a ticket or leave a comment below.

XDnet, and web hosting in general has a lot of different types of hosting and finding whats right for you can be hard, hopefully this guide should help to break down the different types of hosting which XDnet offers, examples of it’s usage and what might suit you.

No Choice…
While there are many choices sometimes, sometimes you simply don’t have that luxury. If your site is getting thousands of hits, or if XDnet has advised you need to upgrade to dedicated, also if you run large amounts of dynamic PHP/MySQL sites which requires lots of memory (RAM) and processing power (CPU). Then you need dedicated, there are a couple of different types of dedicated servers which are explained below.

Fully Dedicated Server:

A fully dedicated server, as the name suggests is when you have ful control over the entire server computer, you can do anything you like to it and it won’t effect anyone else other than you.

With dedicated you not only have all the choices of which server specifications will best suit you, which you can consult XDnet and we can advise you which is best for your situation, but there is also the choice for managed and unmanaged servers.

Managed:

A managed server is one in which XDnet gives you a helping hand with, we will help keep your server up-to-date, patched up and online. This is the default server type, and all our advertised plans (unless otherwise stated) are managed.

Unmanaged:

An unmanaged server is one which you, the client, are fully responsible for, you update it and it is solely your responsibility to keep it running smoothly and in working order.

But don’t worry, this decision isn’t as important as selecting the right specs for your server, as you can easily switch to and from the different types so, if you dive in with unmanaged and find it all a bit too confusing, we can help, and vice versa, if you start off like most with a managed server and after a while start getting your teeth into the nitty gritty feel free to ask to be changed to unmanged

XDnet offers many differenet Dedicated server packages, ranging from basic set ups to advanced systems, as well as custom builds on request – Just Ask for details!

Take a look at XDnet’s Dedicated Servers.

Virtual Private Server (VPS):

A Virtual Private Server (VPS), AKA Virtual Dedicated Server (VDS), appears to be identical to a fully dedicated server. VPS provides the same features, but without the cost. XDnet’s VPS’s usually have around 2-6 other users sharing the same physical server, but each is virtually divided, so Bob can run Cent OS, shutdown, restart and do a whole lot more to his VPS without effecting Fred’s VPS, even though they are on the same physical server.

The only situation where one user can effect the other is through hogging the RAM, each user is given a portion of the total RAM they may use, and sometimes users whose sites run intensive scripts and get an unexpected spike of users can cause excessive usage, but don’t worry, it shouldn’t effect you too long and we actively monitor servers to ensure users are on the appropriate package.

The VPS alternative is often chosen by small businesses that wants full control over their website(s) but cannot afford a dedicated server. Some advanced users may like to run multiple VPS servers so they can run multiple configurations for testing purposes for instance they might use one server for the development-level site, another for testing seeing how a new idea works without putting it live and another for the live site.

XDnet offers both Windows and Linux VPS hosting, in both the UK and the US, however Windows hosting is currently only available on UK servers.

Take a look at XDnet’s varied VPS plans.

Shared Hosting:

Shared Hosting is by far the most popular choice and the large majority of websites function perfectly fine, shared hosting is great for websites from small to medium.

Shared hosting or derive host is when multiple websites are hosted on the same server, each website (account) has its own partition, and is assigned different permissions and features depending on the package the user has signed up for. This is generally the best option because server maintenance costs are shared, administration, including updates, patches and module installation etc is taken care of by XDnet (the host) and users can focus on their website.

Power hungry users who need or want the extra control over their account and hosting, firsly may wish to consider reseller hosting, which is the same as shared hosting except you have the ability to create, delete and modify accounts and have greater control, and then the next step is VPS hosting (details above).

Take a look at XDnet’s Shared Hosting Plans.

Media / Streaming Hosting:

Sometimes you need something special, like Streaming. We offer excellent SHOUTcast packages, which include additional features and software which isn’t included with shared or even dedicated hosting, such as WHMsonic Admin Pro to manage your stream or Web Cast, these packages are designed for streaming media, the servers are specifically built with it in mind and you have much larger bandwidth to disk space ratios compared to other packages.

Take a look at XDnet’s streaming packages.

Not only do we offer streaming packages but for those which need the extra resources dedicated maybe the only option, we can equip your server with everything you need to be streaming an array of media and can suit almost any requirment – Just Ask and we will do our best to accomodate your need for as cheap as possible.

Weighing the differences:

Sometimes the choice is clear cut, if money is the issue shared is your answer, cheap reliable and hassle free. However if power is your driving need you will need a variety of dedicated or VPS but the cost will be much higher when compared to shared, but remember you pay for the power, you pay for more, you will get a lot more.

Still not sure, don’t worry – Just Ask…

XDnet is more than happy to help you find the package which suits your needs, just drop us an email to sales@xdnet.co.uk

We are planning a major server upgrade which should make clients accounts faster and more reliable. We expect this to take place in a couple of weeks. XDnet will post updates for here as they come.

Apologies to all users who experienced any down time on Friday (20/06/08) the downtime was unplanned.

Why?

We had a filesystem issue which took longer than normal to resolve.

Downtime only lasted for a couple of hours, and was resolved ASAP.

XDnet Support.