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UK Dedicated Servers
| Posted by djorgensen, 08-30-2016, 10:28 AM |
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I need some decent recommendations for dedicated servers in the UK.
I have been with Softlayer for years and want better value for money. I think the current pricing is just too expensive.
The storage is my biggest complaint, its too expensive.
Over the years I've had dedicated servers elsewhere whilst at Softlayer and I've not been convinced.
I want initially:-
Quad Core (at least)
16 to 32 gb of ram
4 Drives of at least 2TB
ESX 5.5 (I have a license so eval will be fine)
Firewall (Cisco, PFSense or similar)
Low Bandwidth (10TB max really) as the machine is currently used for automotive technical data.
I don't want to know ANYTHING about UKServers, I tried them years ago and they were Amateur and I tried them again today and now they are a Circus.
RedStation? I used them on another project for video sharing, seemed ok but their email stuff was a bind.
Any other ideas?
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| Posted by CyberHostPro, 08-30-2016, 10:29 AM |
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HI
10TB isn't really low bandwidth! What is your budget for this server as a cisco fw and 10TB bandwidth likely won't come cheap!
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| Posted by djorgensen, 08-30-2016, 10:33 AM |
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Well the traffic is a guess as with Softlayer the VPN traffic isn't billed for we IPSec in but I believe from memoery with Softlayer we have 10TB as it was part of the deal when I upgraded the dedicated servers.
Id guess I wouldn't use more than 1TB.
I suppose I'd need options when it comes to bandiwdth
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| Posted by JSCL, 08-30-2016, 10:42 AM |
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Out of interest, how much are you currently paying SoftLayer for that kind of setup?
I can think of a wide number of British providers, what kind of price point at you trying to hit by moving? I don't think 10TB is a lot looking at what's out there at the moment.
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| Posted by djorgensen, 08-30-2016, 10:46 AM |
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£2k pcm which last year I got down from £4k a month after changing the machines
I still have a lot of over capacity which is the real motive for me considering the move.
Whilst there are a lot of UK providers I don't want a headache dealing when them. I remember when I first used SL and it was hassle free. If they said it would be ready in 2 hours then I want it ready in 2 hours. I dont want to plan for something then find its BS.
I don't want to consider Azure or AWS as I don't like the pricing model.
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| Posted by HostWithLove_Cody, 08-30-2016, 10:50 AM |
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SoftLayer's pricing is indeed ridiculous. We had been working with HostDime in several locations, including UK and they have been superb for us. Do give them a consideration if you had not already. Pretty sure they can give you much better hardware for a lower price than what SoftLayer is quoting.
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| Posted by JSCL, 08-30-2016, 10:50 AM |
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In complete agreement with you, if someone says something is going to happen and in a certain timeframe, they should be making sure that is the case.
I think you can expect to make some considerable cost savings, but still get exactly what you need and expect from a provider.
Are you specific as to where in the UK you'd be looking? Or just anywhere in the country?
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| Posted by djorgensen, 08-30-2016, 10:54 AM |
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I need low latency. I used SL when it was Dallas only then moved to Washington then to London when it opened and it make a huge difference. I'm paying big bucks for a leased line so I want to make use of it.
I have already moved some of the workload from Softlayer back on site over the weekend as to save myself £500 but I dont want to keep it onsite.
Today I tried UKServers but after being made promises it didn't workout as they were out of stock on stuff despite being told it was in stock in a ticket. I just don't need this c**p.
Redstation I'd consider again, but if I move from SL them I want to move nearly everything and the email is going to be an issue. I read somewhere about them not changing failing drives which is a deal breaker.
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| Posted by JSCL, 08-30-2016, 11:00 AM |
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They're both budget providers.
If you want an enterprise quality that you're used to from SL there's only two other providers I'd recommend to you on this scale. They're UKFast in Manchester (https://www.ukfast.co.uk) and VI (part of UK2 Group - http://www.vi.net).
These are both companies that you'll need to contact to get pricing, there's no real set plans because it's all bout what you want, but if you explain that you're with SL looking to move... I'm sure they'll do their best to make you some savings too.
Jumping from SL to RedStation really isn't comparing apples to apples, they're a proper budget entry level provider and as I recall, they used to have some network oversubscription issues too.
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| Posted by djorgensen, 08-30-2016, 11:05 AM |
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Those two look good. I've not head of VI before, their website looks good and the pricing at first glance is good too. I read about UK2 being sold, is VI something to do with that?
UKFast, I've seen their site but dismissed it. I will certainly take a look at it now.
Thanks for the info
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| Posted by JSCL, 08-30-2016, 11:08 AM |
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Last I saw was a few years back when one of Lloyds' investment vehicles bought UK2 Group.
VI is basically UK2's high-availability fully managed, mission-critical brand.
I know of several large organisations that rely on UKFast here in Manchester for their infrastructure too, I used to work for one of their customers also and they were an absolutely awesome team of people to deal with.
Best of luck with the search, hopefully you can save some £.
Last edited by JSCL; 08-30-2016 at 11:20 AM.
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| Posted by djorgensen, 08-30-2016, 11:10 AM |
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Does UK2 still resell SL?
Only issue with VI is it looks like its fully managed which I don't want.
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| Posted by JSCL, 08-30-2016, 11:14 AM |
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I think they used to for non-UK ops and their 100TB.com brand. Maybe they still do for certain brands, but I've always been of the impression that in the UK it was their own infrastructure. But they'd be best placed to answer that Q for you.
Another brand which just jumped to my mind for unmanaged would be RapidSwitch too.
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| Posted by djorgensen, 08-30-2016, 11:17 AM |
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I'd forgotten about RapidSwitch their price seems good
I've sent them an email with regard to their firewall pricing and private lans.
Last edited by djorgensen; 08-30-2016 at 11:25 AM.
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| Posted by djorgensen, 08-30-2016, 11:55 AM |
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I've placed an order with Rapidswitch now, very good value for money it seems
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| Posted by JSCL, 08-30-2016, 11:58 AM |
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You're welcome
To be fair, I'd actually forgotten about them at first, it's been a good few years since I've used them. Hope the quality of service meets your expectations and glad you've been able to save some ££.
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| Posted by djorgensen, 09-02-2016, 04:00 AM |
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It seems Rapidswitch are worse than UKServers. I ordered the server on the 30th and its still not online despite them claiming it would be running within 2 days.
No ticket updates, no comms, no emails.
Whilst I might be used to Softlayer, clearly these other companies need to learn something about customer service.
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| Posted by HostWithLove_Cody, 09-02-2016, 04:19 AM |
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Have you considered HostDime, the recommendation I made above? They had always provided us with fast and accurate turn-around.
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| Posted by djorgensen, 09-02-2016, 04:35 AM |
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I'll take a look at HostDime now, thanks.
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| Posted by djorgensen, 09-02-2016, 04:45 AM |
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HostDime whilst a little more expensive I will give them a go next.
I'm yet to receive a refund from UKServers despite being promised on the 30th it would happen immediately.
I have just sent a cancel request to RapidSwitch as I won't accept a broken promise.
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| Posted by Tom_WebhostingUK LTD, 09-02-2016, 04:51 AM |
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Thats pretty odd with no update for 2 days.. I guess they offer chat support did you try contacting them via livechat?
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| Posted by Clouvider-Dom, 09-02-2016, 06:38 AM |
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You don't have high requirements, a good supplier should be in position to help you out and save money on what you currently pay to Softlayer.
Are you looking for any particular location within the UK?
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| Posted by HostWithLove_Cody, 09-02-2016, 06:56 AM |
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If you are purchasing multiple servers from them, they can often provide a slightly better deal than what is offered on their website.
I think the main benefit of hosting with them is the fact they are a well-established business with many years of reputation to their name. They often go unnoticed due to the bigger players such as SoftLayer overshadowing them, but we've been working with them for many years and have not encountered any issue that couldn't be resolved in a reasonable fashion. Hopefully you will find them to be suitable for you as well. Best of luck!
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| Posted by JSCL, 09-02-2016, 08:41 AM |
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Doh. I'll return to my cave.
Hopefully you have better luck with your next provider!
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| Posted by DimeNOC Marcos, 09-02-2016, 08:46 AM |
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Thanks for the recommendation, Cody!
If you have any questions at all, I'd be happy to address them accordingly. We appreciate being amongst your considered providers
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| Posted by jeromehaynes, 09-02-2016, 09:18 AM |
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What's your actual issue with UKServers? I've never had a problem with them maybe you could tell me more? As for dedicated servers in the UK has RackSRV been mentioned? (I did skim the thread I may have just missed them) https://www.racksrv.com
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| Posted by HostXNow_Chris, 09-02-2016, 10:28 AM |
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I think once they have the server up and running you will be happy with their hardware/network. I believe they are excellent from personal experience and so recommend them. I would rather try to be a bit patient than to go with just anyone for a quick turn-around time but have nothing but headaches with them afterwards. RapidSwitch support is good. Also, consider VeloxServ and RackSRV.
All the best with whoever you choose.
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| Posted by Jon-RackSRV, 09-02-2016, 03:14 PM |
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Thanks jeromehaynes & HostXNow_Chris
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| Posted by HostDime, 09-12-2016, 10:37 PM |
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Thanks for the opportunity! Once you processed your order we would be happy to get it setup for you.
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| Posted by net, 09-12-2016, 11:17 PM |
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No reasons for the delay? Not a good sign there.
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| Posted by djorgensen, 09-13-2016, 09:21 AM |
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I thought I'd give this thread an update since I last posted.
Rapidswitch convinced me to give them a go by offering a free trial for 14 days on the server I paid for.
I wasn;t too keen on the idea but they seemed genuine so gave it ago.
I then ordered a firewall to go in front of the server. This took an AGE to install, I mean an AGE. It would seem only some staff could configure a VLAN etc
However the quality of the product seems very good. Certainly the ping time from my TalkTalk leased line is about 8ms better than the typical 11ms I get from Softlayer.
I will probably stick with them as at least they "try" and put things right.
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| Posted by yellowstones, 10-20-2016, 12:39 PM |
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Hi Damien,
I was thinking of leasing a dedicated @ rapidswitch. Could you post a feedback on your experience so far with them?
Also could you post more details on your negative experience with ukservers, as they were amongst my selection of candidate hosts.
Thanks in advance for your help!
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| Posted by yellowstones, 10-20-2016, 12:51 PM |
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Could anyone recommend any good dedicated server host in the UK with:
Monthly contract (I don't trust signing for a year upfront with anyone)
Servers available in a short time frame (1-3 days)
Possibly unlimited bandwidth 1gbps
Good and fast network
Good support
SSd hard drives
behind firewall
The specs really fitted redstation, but I have read here some bad feedbacks on their bandwidth. I dont care much about their mail rules.
Also does anyone knows any host (UK DC) that provides IP geolocation / ip failover for seo with dedicated servers? (Various European countries)
In alternative a site that sells or leases IP form different European countries?
Thanks in advance for any help with my query.
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| Posted by ayksolutions, 10-20-2016, 01:51 PM |
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Redstation was bought out by IOMart and they are on the same network/family as Rapidswitch. There is no more email issue there either. We do have a server with RS for a client's project and have not had any complaints at all. I would recommend to try them, maybe they will give you a free trial as well?
UK2 also has a facility in UK which works well. I think both providers can setup a firewall for you.
Good luck.
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| Posted by yellowstones, 10-21-2016, 10:37 AM |
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thank you very much for your feedback which has been truly apprectiated.
On the other hand I am somehow weary of choosing them after reading some threads related to them on this forum.
Some users recommend rapidswitch while warning about the other iomart host.
I understand most reviews are anonymous and that web reviews have to be treated with a grain of salt. I also understand that most tend to write a review only when something goes wrong.
Still I would be weary of contracting one or more production servers with them after reading the threads.
It's a pity as the specs, unlimited bandwidth and monthly billing clearly fitted our needs.
Here are some of the threads I came across:
webhostingtalk.com/showthread.php?t=1572152
webhostingtalk.com/showthread.php?t=1357724
webhostingtalk.com/showthread.php?t=1349477
webhostingtalk.com/showthread.php?t=1342592
I will give it some thoughts. Has anyone else had any good/bad experience with them?
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| Posted by ayksolutions, 10-21-2016, 10:57 AM |
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Try contacting them and see if they are willing to setup a test server for you for maybe a week. If they say "No" then move on.
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| Posted by HostXNow_Chris, 10-21-2016, 11:01 AM |
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What about https://zare.com/dedicated-servers or https://www.bandwidth.co.uk
I haven't used Zare, but they both seem to offer a lot of what you need.
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| Posted by UK Servers, 10-25-2016, 08:36 AM |
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I believe we were out of stock of drives when the server was ordered which delayed setup by 24-48 hours.
I should point out Damien has previously made a significant number of posts endorsing our services so it came as a bit of a shock when we read this review!
http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showth...21#post6396521
http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showth...27#post6130927
http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showth...63#post6317963
http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showth...06#post5335506
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