Category Archives: Web Hosting

Before we begin, this has taken a long time to plan and I’m excited to share this story, provide all the tech specs and details we geeks love, and blast out pictures and video.

Why the new cage?

Thanks to all our clients over the 15yrs we have continued to grow and demand more space and particularly more power from our data centers. In Atlanta, we had two older cages from yesteryear that began on 110v power and reached their capacity in power long before space. In addition servers have changed alot since those cages were first setup, when we started with towers then but today and for many years every new server has been a new lower power consumption (though much more powerful) rackmount server.

The big objective was to get all our clients updated to our latest colo build, 208v, and specific pdu’s and switches that our staff and systems love and have grown accustom to but also require more capacity. So we found ourselves in the process over years of trying to get rid of old machines, towers, older cpu’s in exchange for the newer ones.

We use two data centers currently in Atlanta, AtlantaNap where we first opened our Atlanta presence and also ColoAT. We found ourselves in a unique situation with AtlantaNap the newest half of the facility received massive injections of upgrades and updates to become a premier health care facility. If you know anything about health care, you know they require all the perks for data. Our data center also needed space in the older area to improve upon its lacking power infrastructure.

So we gave up our older cages in exchange for new ones in the new space and took this chance to get all clients over to the 208v pdu, HP/Cisco routing/switching, and that promised backend we began but has taken a while to build out at all our locations for all clients. This is our project: setup a new cage with all new gear, fix any existing patchwork along the way, physically move all rackmount systems from our older cages to this newer one and to move all clients on a tower based system to a newer rackmount one in the new cage.

What kind of preparation goes into this?

An insane amount of planning has taken place for this from June 2012 up to and including last minute changes in Jan 2013. We have to coordinate with all our vendors to have the cage setup on time, power provided on time, distributed as we want, all our equipment and servers arrive ready to be racked on time, and get into a smooth “grind” of how to move nearly a thousand servers at this one location, from spot A to spot B.

First, what are we moving? We audit all our servers to prepare an accurate accounting of what was where, and where is it now, so throughout the process techs, clients, and NOCC admins can all find what they need. So we build a master list and begin to sort it via VLAN, comparing power draw @110v in the old cage to power @208v in the new cage, which actually runs from private pdu’s @ 3phase 480v. Anyway that’s nerd talk for lots of power. Multiple 100kva pdu’s are needed to fill this cage.

Ok, so when we know how many we are moving, we determine where and what power that will draw. Then we build our power plan on how to reach peek deficiency. This includes a mix of what type of server are we moving, is a small 1 drive 1u, or a mid 8xdrive 2u, or one of these 16 disk systems. Load each cabinet up heaviest and most power hungry at the bottom thinning to the top until we get our peak server per cabinet & power per cabinet usage. The two are designed to be one and the same. i.e. if you fill our cabinets copying the way each looks from purely aesthetics 2u’s, 1u’s you’ll find you can fill the cabinet fully and reach our ideal range of power consumption.

Well we better get rid of some of these really old things in the process, they will likely be the ones to give us problems anyhow. So we tally up how many potential problems we might have on our hands and order our servers, switches, pdu’s, cabinets, colo & power. The project’s tentative start date is set a few months out. This plan will be revised and scrutinized many times over before the start date.

We’re going to have to safe and cleanly power down each system one at a time, take it out of the rack, cart it over to the new cage, re-rack and re-wire it there. First, we plan to come in and start prewiring everything the first week.We know some systems won’t come back up on boot, they just won’t. Some systems haven’t had a reboot in 500,800,1100 days, we don’t know what will happen for sure with that. We also know through the years of upgrading systems for clients, ourselves, repairing bad hardware, that we may find other anomalies.
Ok, so we’re in Atlanta, we have only just arrived and we are  informed we will be behind already. They aren’t done preparing the cage which was due to be handed over Jan 1st. We had just a physical cage. 
Day – Zero

They have completed the power runs, cabling trays, most essentials minus the network. We begin to bring in our Dell cabinets, Cisco routers, HP switches, and get to cabling. After a good few days your cage is almost ready, almost.

What other ways does this help the clients?

This expanded power, expanded networking and expanded backend brings more network capacity. We can and did complete the phase to migrate failover systems to the Cloud as a result of this, and semi-dedicateds are being moved now, which will be done in a few weeks. We have managed to get many of our oldest clients on over to all new gear and this new setup without downtime.

And, this takes us to the last phase of a network project aimed at increasing capacity and reducing risk/downtime, adding more diverse carriers. As part of this there is increased backend capacity for offloading all backup processes, combined with the completion of Iderav5 recently, has provided remarkably improved backups.

Which takes us full circle the last bit of projects which include removing the tower systems from our inventory which has been ongoing for some time and will be ongoing for months to come.

Hello to all of our Current and Future JaguarPC Clients,

It is going to be another busy season here at JaguarPC. I spent a good part of the winter down in Atlanta planting more than a few new seeds for the company. The expansion at our data centers in Atlanta let us move into an entirely new cage area where my team and I installed new servers and cabinets which vastly expanded and improved our capabilities to better serve you. The benefits of the expansion should be apparent to everyone by now. Many accounts are now migrated off of older servers and they are now operating on the new ones we set up throughout January and into February. I also made the decision to add an enormous amount of NAS (Network Attached Storage) which allowed JaguarPC to enable the newest version of our backup software across most of our fleet of servers.

While I was delighted to get the new servers installed and everyone moved onto the new systems, the new backup software has me just about as excited, if not more so. The new backup software version will vastly improve our restore methods and times while continuing to bring all of you restore times and services that are beyond the scope of anything that has ever been offered before now. Our customers can take advantage of a new range of restoration services and plans for you own data protection and backups. Make sure you look into the purchase of one of these plans. Although full datalockbox services are not available on all types of servers at this time, backup services for PC’s are now supported. I am already looking forward to the next version of the software being able to support all types of servers.

In addition to a data center expansion and new backup services be sure you look into your cPanel setting if you are on a shared or reseller server.  CloudFlare is now enabled on these servers and the setup is free and it takes only a few clicks to get it setup through your cPanel. I strongly encourage you take advantage of this service which allows you to improve your site’s performance and security. VPS and dedicated users can contact CloudFlare for installation instructions and our technical support team is here to assist you if you have any trouble enabling it yourself. Everyone can enjoy the benefits of this addition to our servers.

All of these changes will allow JaguarPC to continue to bring you the best that hosting has to offer as we enter into a new season where these seeds of change will blossom into a vigorous and revitalized time for all of our customers. The expansion projects at the data centers have been a huge success and I’m pleased with the progress our staff has been able to implement throughout the last few months. Please, take some time to explore the topics of this newsletter to see how JaguarPC is offering to make this one of the best and brightest seasons that we have seen yet.

Greg Landis CEO

Enable CloudFlare for Improved Security and Site Performance
JaguarPC has partnered with CloudFlare to help you utilize new technologies to improve your website performance and security. Shared and Reseller plans can easily take advantage of the CloudFlare option through your cPanel interface. VPS and Dedicated users need to only sign up on the CloudFlare site to get more detailed installation instructions. It is free and easy and a new advantage that JaguarPC is bringing to you.

New DataLockBox Services and Backup Plans
Free daily backups are one of the many services that JaguarPC provides to you. But, we still encourage you to keep copies of your own data. Server failures can cause corrupt data and we may not always be able to retrieve your latest updates. Our new backup datalockbox services could be the solution for you. Our newest version for backup solutions is being implemented across our fleet of servers. The new version allows JaguarPC to offer you new backup features.

Let our Dedicated Managed Server Plans Free You of Tedious Tasks
You don’t have to be intimidated by the more complex details that many may think are involved when using a dedicated server. Our managed services can keep your server secure and updated which gives you more time to manage your business and/or the website assoicated with your dedicated server account. You can enjoy the benefits of a dedicated server when you use our managed services which give you two hours of administration time each month. Look into our bargin bin for dedicated server deals. It may be the perfect time for you to make the move to a dedicated server plan.

Our New Version of Backup Software Vastly Improves Restore Times
One area in particular that JaguarPC has been working hard to improve is our overall restoration times when servers fail. We have now enabled the newest version of backup software for hosting providers across most of our server fleet. We have also put together a dedicated backup team and added an industry backup expert to our team. This new solution will eliminate high restore times and provide better and more streamlined services to get your servers back online without hiccups and extended delays.

Did You Know?
Every year over 100 million hard drives fail. While JaguarPC takes every precaution to ensure that your data is safe we still strongly encourage you to keep an offsite backup copy. You can easily obtain backup protection services from JaguarPC. Our backup services won’t let you down when tragic events destroy your data. Your data can be your income or the sum total of years of efforts. The prompt recovery of your information can be priceless. Let us help you find a method that will preserve your efforts and hard work. Contact our sales team today to learn more about what options are available to you.

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Learn more about JaguarPC hosting, call 1-888-338-5261 or visit jaguarpc.com today.

Before you place an order for a web hosting plan, there are many things you can do to check the quality of the plan. You could examine the data centers and network infrastructures being used, the features of each individual service type, and the applications that will be available to use on your account.

Although these technical features are fairly easy to compare and contrast, they only tell one side of the story. Technology is important, but great customer service and support is priceless.

The best web hosting providers offer a wide range of support services, helping you find the assistance you need, when you need it. From self-support resources to toll-free phone support, make sure your hosting provider is committed to helping you succeed before you place your order.

Web hosting provider JaguarPC has put together the following information about the most common types of technical support available with a web hosting plan. Read on to learn why you should always have multiple support options available to you, allowing you to find help in the most convenient way that works best for you. In addition, you will learn how some hosting companies are proactive with support, helping you solve issues before you even know they exist.

To serve potential bloggers and make creating your online home easier, WordPress was developed as a simple and streamlined blogging platform. WordPress made it possible for people to write online content without worrying about design and web development.

But in the years since WordPress was launched, the platform has become so much more than just a blog tool. The same convenient interface and accessible terminology that made WordPress so popular among the blogging community have been extended to cover almost every type of online content.

WordPress has come full circle, from a platform that allowed inexperienced individuals to get online, to a tool that helps businesses save time and money.

Unlimited WordPress hosting provider JaguarPC has put together the following information revealing how WordPress has become a fully featured content management system, or CMS. Read on to learn the value a CMS provides for any business about to launch a website, and how the features of WordPress make it the leading choice for quick and easy content management. In addition, you will learn what you need in a WordPress hosting plan.

As one of the most popular blogging platforms in the world and, in the past few years, the leading choice of content management system (CMS), most people have heard of WordPress. What started as a website where you could launch a blog for free is now a fully featured platform for creating, maintaining, and updating your entire website.

But most people who use WordPress hosting only scratch the surface of what their WordPress installation can really do. The platform offers far more than the ability to create pages and post blogs, right out of the box. In addition, since WordPress is so easily customized with plugins, you can quickly install a range of more advanced features your website requires.

Read on to learn about three surprising things you can do with WordPress and WordPress hosting, and how these impressive additional features can help you to make your online content a success.

Using the best shared hosting service is an important first step of getting your website off the ground. When you finally find a hosting company that delivers the quality of service you need at a price that makes sense for your business, it is easy to sit back and feel like the hard work is done. However, things are only just beginning to get interesting.

There is no point in having a website nobody sees – your job is to create the type of online experience that attracts visitors in large numbers. By drawing large volumes of traffic to your website and converting this traffic effectively, your work will pay off in the form of new customers.

In this article from professional shared web hosting provider JaguarPC, you will learn the first steps of creating an attractive shared hosting-powered website. By considering the tips in this article, you will be on your way to creating an enticing, rich website that potential customers will love to visit. You will also learn how to encourage returning visitors and improve the likelihood of converting them into paying customers. Read on to start building your shared hosting site traffic today.

Choosing a web hosting provider is a difficult process, in part, because the hosting industry is so vast. Every hosting provider will claim to offer the world, with the best hardware, the best configuration, and the best support. What’s more, just as every host is different, so is every customer. That is why you will find budget hosting solutions alongside more expensive alternatives.

Once you have done your best to evaluate each hosting provider, there is no getting around the leap of faith involved with signing a contract. Even with extensive research, the only way to really know a web hosting provider is to place your order. Unfortunately, some customers later find that their hosting provider is not as in control of their services as they claim.

In this article, reputable web hosting provider JaguarPC looks at the most common areas of your hosting service that might not be under the direct control of your host. You will learn the truth behind the way web hosting services are sold and the importance of retaining control over your server. By reading this article, you will be better able to make an informed decision about which hosting solution to choose.

What is the most important component needed to run a business online? Some webmasters look for powerful web hosting services to process requests fast. Others prioritize dependable uptime to make content available at all times. However, even the best web hosting plan in the world is useless without the most important component of all: visitors.

Above everything else, finding success online is about delivering a service that suits your audience. From static content that describes your organization to ecommerce and social features, every element of your website should be optimized for your customers. The companies that dominate the Internet do so because they understand their visitors and tailor their content to meet visitors’ demands.

This article from experienced web hosting provider JaguarPC looks at the importance of understanding your customers. You will learn what kind of information is collected whenever a visitor navigates to your website, and how this information can be used to plan your online strategy. You will also learn more about the website log analysis tools that make it quicker and easier to target your content for the people who matter most.

As you try to find the right web hosting service to launch your web presence, the number of choices available can be overwhelming. From shared web hosting plans to virtual private servers (VPS hosting) and dedicated server hosting, most webmasters spend a long time considering the kind of plan that they want.

In practice, though, the type of web hosting plan you choose is not necessarily the most important choice you will have to make before you can begin developing your website. Even if a plan provides generous web hosting data limits and exceptional customer service, the web hosting provider may fall short when it comes to its web hosting data center, as many do. Unfortunately, without a state-of-the-art hosting facility to support your hosting plan, your web hosting provider will struggle to deliver the service that you require.

In this article, web hosting provider JaguarPC shares the four most significant criteria of quality web hosting data centers. You will learn more about how a professional web hosting provider selects data centers around the world, giving you insight into the features you need to support your website.

For any business or individual looking to choose a web hosting plan, it is remarkably easy to get caught up in the numbers. How much RAM will your virtual private server (VPS) hosting plan have? What is your bandwidth allocation on a shared web hosting service? Most web hosting providers use these kinds of figures to grab your attention and convince you to place an order.

But numbers only tell part of the story, just as your hardware specifications are only one element of what makes a good hosting service for your website. In practice, the services that really make a difference to the success of your website and your online business are not the kind of services that are measurable in exact figures. Whether you need technical advice, have issues with your plan, or need remote hands to perform a function on your server, it is customer service that you will eventually come to depend upon.

Before you order your web hosting solution, consider the following three must-have customer service features to look for in a web hosting plan.