Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with host

Help me identify a 70's-80's home repair show

wylde21 — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 21:50:48 -0800

TV FILTER: I am looking for the name of a 70s-80s home repair/gardening TV show, and the female host's name. I used to watch the show, in syndication, on local Seattle TV in the early 80s. I believe the show was made in Canada, but maybe the US. The hostess was a thin woman with light brown hair and the shows premise was that she was a housewife working on her house and garden while the husband was away. They had a dog. She would have sections on the show showing how to pot plants, change light bulbs, grout tile, etc....

Quality Dedicated Hosting that allows Bittorrent Tracker? Have Budget.

mrflip — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 18:01:41 -0800

I will soon be distributing a bunch of large scientific and research datasets, all entirely legal for redistribution, many as large as a few gigabytes. Bittorrent is the best solution for this. Many respectable webhosting sites don't allow Bittorrent trackers; too many of those that do seem fly-by-night. I have a budget for this and want something respectable and reliable. Recommendations? My current host (Bluehost) has 6000GB/transfer a month, but I hear that these large caps can often be illusory; I want to be prepared for one to ten TB of traffic per month. I also need to be able to receive similarly large datasets, which I think will be much easier over bittorrent than asking folks to POST >1GB over ADSL and have it crap out after 3 hrs transfer (not to mention hitting CPU limits).

Amazon S3, at $0.18/GB, would be ~ $1000/mo for 6000 GB. I've reviewed most of the previous hosting q'ns, including Dealing with spikes in website popularity, but none of those suggestions make this work financially.

This clearly calls for bittorrent, but I've had real trouble finding dedicated hosting that will allow me to install a tracker. Bitrot has happened to the last question along these lines, and too many of the directories for tracker sites seem populated by rug merchants and fly-by-night operations.

I'm willing to spend money -- preferably in the $100-$200/mo range -- and want something respectable and reliable. If you tell me it will cost more than that then so be it. I'm figuring that the bittorrent solution (combined with throttling, ratios and a cooperative userbase) will keep me in the 1 TB/month range.

Can you recommend dedicated hosting that will allow me to run a tracker?

Servlet Host Recommendations

badstone — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 16:52:19 -0800

Please recommend a good host of Java servlets, very preferably one that runs Tomcat 6. This question was asked once before, but that was in '05. I suspect the answer may be different now. My needs are not too intense. E.g. - the Bronze or Silver service here would be perfect, other than the fact that I don't know whether I should trust that particular company.

Document management on a shared hosting server?

sprocket87 — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 12:43:18 -0800

Help me find an online document management system / digital asset management system. I'm looking for a document management system (DMS) / digital asset management system (DAM) for my scanned documents. I plan to store all of my important documents, from credit card statements to bills to receipts to insurance info, etc, digitally. I'll be using a scanner with ADF & duplexing to digitize my papers. I need a management system to organize and archive them.

Ideally, I'd like to have some software that can be set up on Dreamhost for a hosted solution. However, to allow for more flexible responses, here are my overall stipulations:

1. Must be free or inexpensive. See 2.

2. Must be hosted online. I don't trust local copies (hardware failure/fire/theft/etc). This applies to portable (DVD, etc) media as well. It does NOT need to be a hosted system per se, in that Company X provides the DMS/DAM software and hosts it. I am willing / would prefer to use a 3rd party host, such as Dreamhost, for cost reasons. They are much more flexible in that they offer tons of storage and bandwidth and whatever else you want for a much lower cost. I don't want to pay $X/mo just for an online DAM. I am willing to pay $X/mo for a shared host that allows me to host anything else I want as well though.

3. Must be somewhat easy to install, configure and use, whether it is a provided & hosted service or a service I set up on a shared host.

4. Does not have to control my scanning experience; I can use a separate tool to get the files digitized but I'm looking for the DSM/DAM service to organize them. Obviously an online service wouldn't have much control over my hardware anyway :)

5. Should have the usual DMS/DAM features: File indexing for a wide array of filetypes (doc/pdf/all images/tiff/archives/etc), support OCR if possible, allow categories and advanced naming/file control, exporting, etc.

I love the looks of Linux DMS tools like DocMGR, but the setup looks somewhat overwhelming. I'm comfortable with basic Linux tasks, but configuring a shared host is a bit confusing to me. Is there any way to even set up such services on a shared host? For instance, is it possible to install DocMGR on Dreamhost? I suspect not, as it uses PostgreSQL and Dreamhost uses MySQL. But beyond this limitation, how does one go about installing their own applications on a shared host? I mean, Dreamhost provides a shell prompt, but not root - are you even allowed to install software? And what about dependencies, etc?

I know Dreamhost offers several "One-click" installable services, like MediaWiki, Wordpress, Joomla, etc, but I don't think any of these are exactly what I'm looking for. I'm assuming it's possible to set up some other service, albeit with more work, but I'm not having much success finding documented "How To's" for this. For instance, how to set up docmgr/doxfs/etc on a shared host.

Also, I know there are some basic Windows tools like PaperPort and Docsvault that do a great job of managing local copies of digital files, but I want them online. I understand I could simply backup a directory to an online host, but I'm thinking a hosted database would be preferable for advanced administration, etc.

Obviously I have a lot of "wants" so this is pretty wide open. Understand that I'm not a corporation and don't need any huge DAM solutions, but I'd like something a little more advanced than a basic client-side software.

Advice needed re: website which will (hopefully) be hosted in Jordan

zharptitsa — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 19:13:46 -0800

Does anyone have experience with domain registration and/or hosting companies in Jordan? Let me preface all this by explaining that the reason I ask is because the website in question will ultimately be managed entirely by Jordanians with limited English skills. Arabic speaking tech support is essential, so it seems to make sense to go with a local domain registration service and/or hosting company assuming we can find one. I also have someone in Jordan looking into this, but since he has no experience in this realm, I thought I'd see if any of you had suggestions.

My first question might be obvious, but I'm a novice here. Can a Jordanian domain registration service register a .org domain? Or can they only register a .jo domain? If they CAN register a .org, can anyone refer me to a well-established reasonably priced service? If not, I guess I'll be registering the domain here in the U.S.

With regard to hosting companies, has anyone had a good experience with a particular company? Are there any we should stay away from? My preference would be to go with a company that could both register the domain and host the site (like you can with GoDaddy). If they also provided design services, that would be ideal but not necessary.

Any other suggestions, insights, etc. regarding working with Jordanian domain registration/hosting companies are welcome! Thanks.

Why isn't ONE of my emails working?

pikaboy202 — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 19:56:01 -0800

I have a home network that is working fine except for emails from one server. The problem is not the server. What else could it be? more inside... I have a home network of 4 computers. I use a Cable connection, hooked up to a wireless router that splits the Cable connection to the 4 computers. It's a very basic system.

I am having problems accessing emails from my website (my_name@mywebsite.com). All emails from my website are experiencing problems. The emails sometimes gets through, and a lot of times, it does not. Emails sent sometimes goes through, and most emails overseas don't go through.

I had to resort to using other email accounts such as aol or gmail, which works fine. I thought that the problem was with the server or host, so I switched from my original hosting site, domain discover, to another hosting site, yahoo. However, this did not solve the problem.

I am now out of ideas as to what the problem could be. My last theory is that it could be the cable connection. However, it's odd since my other emails seem to work. I am planning on switching to Verizon's fiber optic connection to see if it helps. Is that a wise choice? What could be the problem? Hive - please help!

What is the service that shows you a server on a map?

criticman — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 16:50:52 -0800

What is the name/URL of the tool that allows you to see a physical map of where a domain name's server is? I recall seeing this summer a service/tool (maybe even Firefox extension) that you input a domain name into and it would, based on IP, locate where the server is and show it on a map. I believe it was a Google Map based tool, because it showed you a map and gave the option of satellite view too. I have tried at least 15 different Google searches and gone through the first few pages of results for each without finding it. Thanks for the help!

Where will my blog live?

benjh — Sat, 28 Oct 2006 13:28:53 -0800

Where will my blog live? My current web hosting service term is up, and I need to look at my options. I just do some basic blogging, and use services like Flickr to handle posting my photos online, so I don't need something too elaborate.

Right now, I use Wordpress hosted at Dreamhost. I am looking at both what to manage my blog with, as well as where to host it.

I used to use TypePad, which I loved for the simplicity and no-hassle hosting, but remembering that it wasn't as versatile as I would have liked.

Welcome any suggestions of not only where but how to host my site.

How to migrate to a new mail server?

Lokheed — Wed, 20 Sep 2006 09:06:22 -0800

Migrating email when changing web hosts. How to make it less painful? I currently have two domains hosted in a Unix environment. I am moving both domains to a new host, using a Windows environment. I currently have about twenty email users, several of whom primarily use the web email client and who leave messages on the server.

During the transition, I can change the mx settings on the current mail server so any new arriving mail gets sent to the new host's mail server, that's not a problem. My question is, is there any way for me to actually move the contents of the various mailboxes from the current mail server to the new one, or will I need to require my users to pull down all of their messages locally or else lose them?

Need wiki host

deeman — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 13:26:45 -0800

What's the best host to run my wiki created using MediaWiki? Using MediaWiki and a LAMP server, I want to play around with creating my own wiki site. All hosts are not created equal which is why I need one that will host my site that plays nicely with MediaWiki, is relatively inexpensive, is reputable, and is relatively user-friendly. Any suggestions?

She wants to move

mordecai — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 19:02:44 -0800

I have a Wordpress site hosted on www.mydomain.com/site/ and I'd like to move it to www.anotherdomain.com. What's the best way to do this?

How to get individual (permalinks) to work in Wordpress?

TrueVox — Sun, 02 Jul 2006 12:02:40 -0800

WordPress Filter: I've set up my wordpress site in a hosted enviroment (SSH access, FTP OK, etc). I had it running as truevox.nfshost.com/blog while the domain was resolving, then recently I switched it over to just truevox.net. Now, the main blog comes up, but no indiviual pages. As usual, there is I've checked my .httaccess and as near as I can tell it's ok (I can include it if it would help anyone, it's pretty basic). For some reason, no matter what I set permisions to, Wordpress can't write to the .httaccess (even with 777, let alone 666, or better, 664!). I don't know if that would matter, because I think I just put what it tells me to into the .httaccess manualy.

Beyond that, I can't imagine what could be wrong. Is there anyone who can tell me?

Thanks! If need be, I may be able to give out temp. FTP access. Oh, and the host is Nearlyfreespeech.net, if'n it matters.

1and1's visitor stats bite donkey balls

Foam Pants — Fri, 16 Jun 2006 14:18:37 -0800

My host doesn't count some visitors to my website. Why the heck not? I use 1and1 to host my portfolio website. When I look at the user statistics, not once has it registered a user accessing my website using GCI.com, the cable internet provider in my area nor does it show any visits from anybody accessing from a state government computer (the largest employer in town and my workplace as well). I would suspect that these two sources should be the bulk of my visitors and, at the least, I should register when I visit my site from work. Obviously, these are errors. Why is it not counting them and what do I need to do to get a better idea of who is visiting my site? I hate the fact it is missing the very people I want so badly to see.

How to Find a High Bandwidth & Secure Webhost?

jbelkin — Tue, 06 Jun 2006 21:48:34 -0800

How to Find a High Bandwidth & Secure Webhost? Recommendations? Directory? I work for a company that wants to launch this promotion along with weekly web video updates - the promotion has a pretty big prize so I imagine there will e much interest - how do we find a professional business web host that can handle add'l bandwidth and scale up as it goes?

We do have a website now but it's pretty minimal and the company is pretty smalltime. We have posted video before and playback can be slow.

For companies like Akami (sp?), do people negotiate separately with them or are they a webhost also?

Or hire a consultant? How much would that be?

Thanks.

How can I force my current hosting company to let me transfer my domains to another hosting company?

k8t — Fri, 07 Apr 2006 09:25:39 -0800

How can I force my current hosting company to let me transfer my domains to another hosting company? My current hosting company, Way2Host.com has gotten worse and worse over the past year. They got bought out by a bigger hosting company. Since then not only did they stop allowing relaying with e-mail, but they LOST 24 hours worth of incoming e-mail of mine.

Now I'm using GoDaddy.com and love it. I want to switch all of my domains (which are .org!) over to GoDaddy. I need permission from my existing hosting company in the form of an a code.

I've called them and e-mailed them and I get no response. The phone tech support says that they'll put it in the queue, but nothing ever happens.

Can I FORCE them to give it up?

How much do they make?

sharksandwich — Wed, 15 Mar 2006 20:48:25 -0800

Adam Sesler and Morgan Webb. How much are they pulling down a year? G4tv hosts of X-Play.

I'm thinking $90,000 each. Maybe Sesler gets more.

Moving My Site

NotMyselfRightNow — Fri, 03 Mar 2006 18:09:59 -0800

Website hosting and transfer. I know Point A, and I know Point Z, but I'm a little hazy on Points B through Y... One of my websites is hosted with a fairly crappy hosting company ("Old Host"). I'm tired of some of the shit that's taking place with my account, and I want to move to a new hosting company ("New Host"). I don't care about moving all of the web files that Old Host has; I have duplicates in backup and can easily recreate my site. I don't care about getting any money back, either. I'm just looking to be done with them and get moved.

The site is registered in my name, and I've got the URL for another 10 years or so.

Do I just go to New Host, tell them I want them to start hosting my site, and they take care of the rest? Do I have to do anything with Old Host to get this taken care of? I'd love to avoid dealing with Old Host if at all possible.

Suggestions? Help? I know it's not a deep, complicated question, but I just don't have a freakin' clue where to start.

web host reccommendations?

weaponsgradecarp — Mon, 19 Dec 2005 17:53:59 -0800

2ndWebHostFilterofthedayFilter: Some time ago, my friend gave me access to his FTP server, a luxury which I have enjoyed until now, when the server has become increasingly unreliable...so I pose the following question: What is the best (from your collective MeFi experience) free or cheap (>$150/yr) web hosting service with FTP access, preferable a large chunk of it.
Basically what I'm asking is...what's the best cheap/free web host out there on the glorious intarweb...?
Also, this must be very n00b friendly...

Getting remote IP with email in PHP

punishinglemur — Mon, 07 Nov 2005 21:17:22 -0800

I need to record the IP address of people using my email form. The script I have isn't working. The remote IP should be captured with this line:
$remip = $_ENV['REMOTE_ADDR'];

And then it is inserted into the message like this:
$message="Name: ".$Name."
Message: ".$Message."
Remote IP: ".$remip."
";

But when I receive message the space after "Remote IP" is blank. What's wrong?

How can I setup Windows 2003 server using a Dynamic IP Address?

nserrano — Wed, 28 Sep 2005 08:13:40 -0800

I want to setup a Windows 2003 server using my dynamic IP address that I have from Comcast. How can I make this happen? I have a linksys Gateway (WCG200) that has the server and a few other computers connected to it. I am trying to setup a small server for my printing/web hosting/file sharing/remote access needs. I need to see how to setup my DNS & DHCP settings for this to happen. Also I have my own domain name which I would like to use. Can I use programs from companies like no-ip.com to setup my web site so if anyone types my registered domain it will find my site? Remember that I will be using a dynamic address. Or the last straw is to get a static IP address. Where can I do so(for the cheapest price)?

its pleasure is to serve

grumblebee — Thu, 22 Sep 2005 13:47:58 -0800

I need to serve some example files to my (programming) students. My old host gave me a public FTP site, but I just switched to dreamhost, and no longer have this option. I'm looking for a simple solution. What I loved about the ftp solution was that it was SIMPLE for me and for my students. My old host had a web control panel which included a file manager. So from any browser, I could upload files to the ftp folder. My students could then go to this ftp folder and download the files.

In addition to not giving me a public ftp folder, dreamhost also has a control panel with fewer features. It won't let me upload. I'm supposed to do this via an external ftp client or by dragging files into the browser. Firefox doesn't allow me to do this without an extension (which I can't guarantee will be installed at all the locations I work from).

So I need a new solution. My idea is a simple PHP script (I know how to install them) that would let me upload files. The PHP script would then create a HTML page with links to that file and all the previously uploaded files. I would just give my students the URL of this page.

I am open to other solutions, as-long-as they meet the following requirements:

-- easy & quick to install (I understand permissions and can edit php files, change path variables, etc.) If possible, I would prefer NOT to mess with mysql.

-- I can upload MULTIPLE files at one go (i.e. a form with 10 or more upload fields -- NOT just one).

-- I can do the upload from any web browser. I don't want to rely on ftp client apps or extensions.

-- ALL I have to do is upload. The script (or whatever) takes care of building web pages to serve the script to the students.

-- Students can easily download by just going to the URL and clicking the filename link.

-- Free

Recommendations for Linux Virtual Server Hosts

costas — Tue, 26 Jul 2005 07:13:12 -0800

Recommendations for a good, reliable Linux Virtual Server host? Any good experiences? Any really bad ones? things to look out for? Root access and ability to install custom software is a must as is serving multiple domains. Price is definitely a factor, but reliability is more important. I am looking for a host for my small software business as well as a few websites I maintain. Due to the nature of the business we'll need the ability to move very large data sets occasionally, and we'll definitely need support at odd hours (so 24-7 would be nice, albeit not a deal-killer). Having the option to move to a dedicated setup at some future date would also be nice.

Any version of Linux would do, but Fedora or other Red Hat derivatives are preferrable.

how to be a good guest?

jessamyn — Mon, 18 Apr 2005 19:37:13 -0800

What are your recipes for being a good guest, for weekend or overnight stays? I will be travelling a lot over the next few months and will be staying with a few relative strangers and some friends. As a guest, I try to find a balance between trying to be low maintenance but also trying to be helpful and responsible. I was sort of raised by wolves and don't have an ingrained sense of how to behave in many social situations. It's not that I feel awkward as much as I worry that I may be missing something obvious. I didn't learn that "give each guest their own towel" thing until fairly recently, for example.

When I was in my 20's just doing all the dishes and not leaving a mess made me a near-perfect guest. Now that my hosts often have dishwashers and enough wine that one more bottle chosen by a non-wine drinker won't be too special, I'm looking both for tips and etiquette suggestions along the lines of:

- do you make the bed when you leave, or leave it unmade assuming the sheets will be washed anyhow?
- if there is no specific guestroom and you're in a semi-public sleeping room, do you tuck all your stuff away if you're out for the day or leave it where you were sleeping?
- if you're a smoker, is going outside for a smoke well after your hosts have gone to bed liable to freak them out when they hear the door open/shut?
- is there some nice "thanks for having me" thing you can bring to a house of relative strangers that isn't wine?

Any other "how to be a good guest" or even "how to be a bad guest" advice welcomed.

Question number 14076

Orkboi — Sun, 16 Jan 2005 13:14:14 -0800

I am running a free Web-based service for friends and acquaintances. Lately, the volume on this service has been growing greatly. The next step is to move the service to a professional host. I am thinking of putting a paypal donation button on the site to help pay for it. Are there any legal or tax issues I need to worry about? Do I need a business license? What if I want to start selling Cafe Press items or running Google ads? I am located in the USA.

Question number 13416

oflinkey — Tue, 28 Dec 2004 19:11:27 -0800

Emergency guest-hosting a tiny, AM radio show..... [+]