There are a couple of ways for you to access your server after signing up. You will receive a welcome e-mail containing your username/passwords and server assignments. If you use linux or unix you can use Secure Shell (ssh) this service is similar to telnet but it encrypts the data between your computer and the server. To connect to the server from the command line, issue the command:
> ssh servername@domainname.com -l username
The server will prompt you for your password and you will have access to your console after supplying it. To disconnect, just type logout. If you are accessing your servers from a windows-based machine you can use PuTTY to access your server(s).
Your server can also be accessed via the webmin control panel. To access via the control panel do the following:
1. Open a Browser
2. https://servername.domainname.com:10000
You will be presented with a logon page enter your username and password.
Subject: How to make support request
First, all support requests should be sent to admin@leeware.com Please include your server name in the subject of your email message along with your request. This information can be found in your welcome email e.g. cipher.leeware.com [reboot| reinstall | help | question | etc] Doing this will allow me to address issues more quickly.
Subject: Default Server Configuration
By default servers are configured with the following options - GNOME Desktop Environment for Virtual Desktop Access + FreeNX Server The servers have been patched. You are responsible subsequent updates.
Subject: Administering Your Server
This is an Unmanaged Service --Translation: You are responsible for installing, configuring and troubleshooting issues related to your server. I will handle pretty much anything that you can't do for yourself like: Restarting a crashed server, Turning off a firewall [you should always include instructions on how to disable it.], network issues that might keep you from accessing your server if those issues originate from my end of the connection. Regarding system backups: It is your responsibility to make and maintain them.
Subject: Value for the money
One question I get asked often, is why are my prices lower than the competition? The simple answer is, actually they are not, in fact, they are competitve and granular i.e. buy what you need. This gives you flexibility, you can upgrade and downgrade at your renewals. Low overhead. Finally, by focusing on the basics that is, not trying to be a host for everyone. I can focus on providing a service that works. Your subscription fee gets you a box, and an Internet connection. The rest is up to you. In other words, no frills at a great price.
Subject: Bandwidth Management
Like all providers, the backbone bandwidth is shared. However, it is not oversold. Due to the bandwidth allocation policies, all subscribers will be able to use 100% of the bandwidth they have purchased for the subscription period. Each connection can burst up to 100Mb/s . There are no carry-overs for unused bandwidth however, you can always downgrade/upgrade your bandwidth allocation at your subscription renewal. You can monitor your bandwidth consumption via webmin. Webmin --> Networking --> Bandwidth Monitoring turn it on. The system will keep a tally of your bandwidth consumption.
Subject: Bandwidth Throughput / Performance
First, let me explain why the number of Servers on a segment is not a reliable metric for determining performance. It assumes that all of the Servers on the segment are busy accessing the network with high-volumes of traffic when in fact, the vast majority of Servers on a network segment(s) are idle or using very little traffic. Sure, there are some exceptions but this isn't the norm. Because each subscriber is pre-paying for a bandwidth allocation that subscriber has indicated what they think their bandwidth needs will be for a month. (See SLA)
Subject: Bandwidth Abuse / Overages / Caps
While I don't mind if people go over the monthly allocation within reason, the determination of how much of an overage constitutes abuse is at my sole descretion. I will not hesistate to cap abusers e.g the guy that subscribes for the 25GB per month plan. Burns through the entire allocation in less than an hour will be subject to a 512Kbps cap until one of the following happens a) the renewal period arrives. b) He purchases more bandwidth.
Subject: Control Panels
All servers come pre-configured with the ability to manage the server from a GUI interface alternatively, the webmin control panel is also supplied. Once you know yow to use it, you can pretty much manage your entire server using a web-browser. I know that I could sell more servers if I offered cpanel - However, that would increase the base-price of the server due to the licensing cost. Most customers who require those control panels save enough money on the server costs that they can just purchase their own licenses and install them on the servers.
Subject: Distribution Choice or Lack Thereof
While I could technical offer other distributions such was Debian and FreeBSD. I decided that for this service, CentOS 5.x would be the best option for the vast majority of the users. This could change in the future but right now this is the only option for my dedicated server products. If you need OS flexibility, you should request a link to my VPS services.
Subject: IP-KVM and Out of Band Access
Another question I'm asked often, is if I provide any type of management console for people to restart, or reinstall the OSes on the Server? The short answer is NO. The longer answer is, those solutions costs money and will increase the costs significantly. Therefore, if you lose access to your machine you will have to send an email to admin to have it restored or rebooted so that you can get access to it again. Now, while this may seem like a pain for a provider it actually helps to cut down on carelessness. The incidents of lockouts and poor configurations are kept to a minimal. I think when there are real consequences for getting locked out of a server people naturally become experts at working on remote machines. Think before you type. There is a charge for OS reloads and IP-KVM is available for short-term use which also requires a charge.
Subject: Unmanaged Service Overview In Simple Terms
1. By default all machine are patched. However, you are responsible for patching after you become the owner of the server.
2. The servers are already setup to a degree for basic things. That is basic tools are available such as editors and yum.
3. The firewall is turned off by default you have to turn it on if you want it.
4. The machines come with Webmin Control panel. (Web-based Server management). If you need anything else you can install and configure it yourself.
5. Additional IP address can be rented for $1.50 each (request a link)
6. Servers are located in an unstaffed privately held Lights Out Facility.
Currently my upstream bandwidth provider is Cogent If you need premium bandwidth I can put you on a VM in another DC.
A - You get a box with an Internet connection
B - The machine has an OS installed that has been patched and a running ssh and webmin control panel (The firewall is turned off.)
This setup is provided so that people can go either way. Remove the stuff I installed or simply adjust the settings for continued use.
If you turn the firewall on (can be done from the command line) You will only be able to access the Webserver, ssh and nothing else unless you create a rule to allow it. You will lose access to the webmin control panel.
C - If you need a DNS, FTP (MAIL SERVERS ARE NOT ALLOWED!). You should know how to install and configure those things. If you don't you can ask and I can give you step-by-step instructions on how to do it or point you in the right direction to information and documentation which outlines how to do it. However, nothing stops you from doing this yourself. .e.g use Google.
D - I TAKE A HANDS OFF APPROACH TO PEOPLES MACHINES Outside of administrative actions. (reboots and reloads) All of which do not require me to logon to your machine. Finally, most people change the root passwords which are assigned to them when they sign-up I suggest that you use good password practices when selecting a password for your box.
E - If you jack up the machine really bad. I won't waste anytime trying to figure out what you've done to it. I will just blow it away and give you a fresh one. (see fee schedule for reinstall charges.)
F - The machines I provide can be used to learn how to manage a dedicated server or get started on a probject while keeping your costs low. When you are ready for Enterprise Class Service, you can move on to another provider.
G - Finally, it is always good to remind those who would SIGN-UP and after three days of fooling around with the machine demand their money back because they don't know how to install and FTP server. You will NOT BE REFUNDED YOUR MONEY!
The aforementioned information has been provided to help the dedicated server shopper make an informed decision.
Subject: Community Support Forums
My customer-base is largely self-sufficient. Because I run a relatively large infrastructure I communicate problems and issues to Individuals as problems and issues are likely to only impact certain users and will remain irrelevent to all others.
Therefore, If you need a certain level of comfort i.e. 24/7 support you should probably select a provider that offers that.
It's not a secret that am a solo operator. However, the nature of my business and my work requires that I have access to a computer(s) for up to 10-16 hours a day. With that being said, as per the TOS/AUP. You will generally get a response within 24 hours. Realistically, anywere between 15 min - 4 hours. In otherwords, it could be more but usually less. (It should be obvious that I need time to, sleep, eat, exercise, have dinner with my wife, go on vacations, do research and development, setup new servers, work in the datacenter, solve problems, promote the business, do accounting and take a mental health break.) Also, because my customer base is spread out across the globe, non-us users need to mindful of the fact that while it may be in the middle of the day where you are, the opposite is true here so, I might be in bed and won't see your emails until I start the next day.
Subject: Service Reliability / Redundancy SLA (Best Effort)
#1 Network SLA: (Best Effort) Network Outages are beyond my control. Performance issues related to peering between ISPs are beyond my control. However, if I have any information about a planned outage or other issue that might cause problems I will post a notice on the status page http://www.leeware.com/status.html
#2 Hardware SLA: (Best Effort) If any hardware component fails I maintain enough spare equipment to replace the spare component or the entire machine within 24 hours.
#3 Power SLA: (Best Effort) Primary power is supplied by a public utility the service is generally reliable. Each service is protected via UPS against spikes, sags and short-term power outages. In the event of an extended outage, Secondary power will be supplied by generator.
#4. Backups Customers should backup their own data!
In a nutshell, I have customers from every corner of the planet and they try not to bother me too much and I try not to bother them unnecessarily. So, to make a long story short, I'm not trying to convince you to use my service. I think it pretty much sells itself. However, I am trying to give you information that could help you to make an informed decision which includes, managing risks so that you can pick a provider that suits your needs even if it is not my service but one of my competitors.
Subject: Running IRC and Mail Servers is Prohibited!
Running IRC is prohibited I don't care if it is a client or a server. I don't want it on my network. You risk server disconnection by breaking this rule. The same goes for Mail Servers in fact there is a policy in place to prevent the servers from originating mail. You can you an external mail server or webmail service for your email.
Subject: Bittorrent & DMCA NOTICES
While I support the use of bittorrent technology for non-infringing purposes and generally don't care what people use their machines for as long as that use doesn't violate any laws for which I am bound to respect. I feel it necessary to clarify my policies regarding DMCA notices.
1. As a copyright holder and a big supporter of P2P technology, I understand both the appeal of the technology for the consumer and the concerns of copyright holders regarding the unauthorized distribution of their content.
2. As the owner and operator of this hosting service, I have a legal obligation to definitively address complaints regarding users activities. Because I own and maintain ultimate administrative control over the systems that are being used, when legal notices are forwarded to me for resolution, I have a legal obligation to address them. In the past, I gave end-users an opportunity to address the situation however, there have been instances where those end-users ignored the warnings, the issues were legally escalated to the point it put parts of my operation at risk for the actions of a few. This is really unfair to the majority of subscribers who are not engaging in such activities. As stated in my AUP/TOS, I maintain the ultimate right to terminate accounts without warning or refund. This action does three things:
a) It definitively addresses the situation to avoid legal escalation.
b) It creates a record that it was addressed to meet legal requirements for the service, the Data Center and the complainant.
c) Acts as a penalty to the end-user for causing problems which in turn, cost me time and money to address.
ith that being said, you are welcome to re-subscribe to the service if you think that you can use it without causing problems. If not, keep in mind that no provider worth a grain of salt is going to take the legal heat for an end-users activity it's just not worth it.
This is probably not the best service for P2P because you are paying for every Gigabyte your server consumes. Furthermore, once you reach your allocation your server port will be capped at 512Kbps. This cap will remain in effect until one of the following happens a) your renewal period arrives b) you purchase more bandwidth.
Good luck and happy hosting.
Subject: Cancellation Policy Explained
Sometimes I get emails from users who are frustrated that their servers were disconnected. These disconnections are usually the result of a subscription cancellation or payment failure. Customers are under the incorrect impression that a subscription payment covers 30-days of services. However, when a provider doesn't charge setup fees they are taking a risk that the customer will continue the service beyond the first month. Your first month subscription payment goes towards provisioning costs. Customers should also keep in mind that every slot that is allocated to a customer who doesn't plan to continue the service he/she is using a slot that could be allocated to someone who does. In addition to all of this, the very first line of the AUP/TOS indicates that payments are non-refundable.
Subject: NRC and MRC Explained
NRC (Non Recurring Charge i.e. one time payment) vs and MRC (Monthly Recurring Charge i.e. perpetual payments)
Subject: ON-DEMAND Bandwidth Blocks
ON-DEMAND bandwidth blocks basically allow you to increase your bandwidth allocation for a short period of time without changing your basic subscription e.g. you subscribe to the $56.25/month plan which comes standard with 25GB of Bandwidth but for a month you will work on a special project that will require a 100GB of transfer for a one time payment of $25.00 you will be able to exceed your monthly allocation by 100GB. Additional bandwidth can be purchased in 25GB, 50GB, 75GB and 100GB increments. You can combine allocations by mixing the allocations for e.g. to add 250GB of bandwidth you would purchase 2 x 100GB + 50GB for a total NRC of $62.50 ($25+$25+$12.50) These temporary Bandwidth allocations does not roll over. The idea here is to only purchase what you need.
Subject: The High Cost of Low Prices
It is very important that you understand the risks associated with using this service. First, it is 100% no frills unmanaged service that is primarily intended for people who have experience administering machines remotely. Your server is housed in an unstaffed facility where issues are addressed once every 24 hours. Therefore, it is highly recommended that you not engage in activities that could keep your server from booting: In other words, try to avoid newbie errors such as; excessively rebooting your server after every change, implementing creative and untested startup configurations, screwing around with the system firewall (expecially if you have no idea what you are doing!) installing software that trashes your system etc. Servers that have hung or crashed should be reported using the appropriate procedure for reporting such issues. These issues will be addressed during the daily server check. OS installs are a line-item and can be purchased for a fee. Good luck and happy hosting.
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