Reseller hosting with Cpanel + SSH

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Posted by mainstreetexile, 07-16-2009, 02:32 PM
Hi I've been spending a lot of time trying to sift through threads and reviews and roundups trying to find a good reseller host that fits our criteria, can anyone recommend a reseller host that meets these needs: Big / reliable company - we're looking for corporate / enterprise level uptime with a good community / forums etc, not some small hosting startup in the back of some guy's garageCpanel / WHM - not a big fan of pleskSSH Access - I really only need this for our main account but it needs to have access to all of the hosted client folders etc (not sure if this is possible, if not, it would need ssh access enabled for each client account)Able to edit PHP Memory Limit - We're going to be running mainly drupal installations and we need to be able to bump the memory limit up above 64 for particular installations for gd/image processing Thanks for any advice.
Posted by rv_irl, 07-16-2009, 02:40 PM
What is your monthly budget? What are your webspace/bandwidth requirements?
Posted by AquariusStorage, 07-16-2009, 02:44 PM
Your needs should be met by most... Most providers allow a memory limit of at least 64 out of box unless their machines are overloaded, and you should avoid providers who overload their machines anyways. SSH Access should be enabled by default. It's beyond me why some providers try to handicap your hosting by not providing it, and then claim because its "insecure". cPanel, it's the market leader, so you shouldn't have a problem there. Best of luck on your search.
Posted by mainstreetexile, 07-16-2009, 02:51 PM
thanks for the responses. we don't have a specific monthly budget, we have been using Mosso / Rackspace Cloud for a while which is $100/mo and meets all of our needs pretty well except for the absurd lack of ssh access (and slow database speeds due to separate servers / grid setup). none of our sites use a tremendous amount of disk space or bandwidth, but the drupal installations use a large number of files so the host should have no or very liberal inode / file count limitations we've been testing hostgator shared hosting for some sites but they have a locked memory size of 64mb and we need to go above that because the image/gd processing routinely hits the memory limit. also, we don't want to use the hostgator reseller plan because they charge a $10 fee to enable ssh per client account (!) which would add up quickly with multiple sites.
Posted by rv_irl, 07-16-2009, 02:57 PM
Perhaps a fully managed dedicated server or VPS is an option for you to explore as well.. May want to have a look at WiredTree.. Why do some hosts (big and small) demand some form of ID before enabling SSH? Surely if it's so secure, it would be enabled without a 2nd thought universally.. For example you don't really have to send ID to get POP3 access, but some require it for SSH.. The explanation of it not being secure or has it's associated issues does carry merit IMO.
Posted by domaincart, 07-16-2009, 05:25 PM
I recommend Hostdime. If you don't need phone support then Surpasshosting(same company). Their services(uptime, support etc.) are great. But contact them for your requirements.
Posted by thewiredman, 07-16-2009, 11:45 PM
I think you're looking for VPS, for example servint has a good starter plan $45/month that will give you the freedom and resources to fulfill your needs. Besides, ssh is enabled by default, you have access to whm and can edit whatever you want.
Posted by cartika-andrew, 07-17-2009, 12:32 AM
for cpanel-WHM - check out innohosting - probably your best option... they run an extremely good company over there... thoughtful and fair people from what I can tell.. its not that some require ID (though I know they do) - some, like us, just will not provide it in shared hosting.. now, I certainly get what you are saying, and why you are saying it.. but, POP represents a risk, as does FTP, as does even hosting websites.. the issue is - how many risk factors do you want to open up exactly? it is all about probabilities.. obviously everyone needs pop and FTP - but, I see very little reason for end users to legitimately need Shell access.. there are several tools which will give people as much or close to as much flexibility as shell access (ie webshell for example) - also, you need to consider that more complex systems utilize SSH for interaction between servers - and even allowing remote connections can lead to problems in such environments... I get what you are saying - but command line access is command line access - and additional ports that are externally accessible with automatically lead to additional probabilities for issues.. I am not against SSH - and it is possible we will offer it one day in our shared environments - but, there are some pretty strong arguments for why it should not be available.. anyway - to the OP - if you require SSH and cpanel, look at someone like Innohosting - they know what is required to lock this down properly and they likely have an environment built for this type of access for their customers...
Posted by PeakVPN-KH, 07-17-2009, 12:47 AM
I agree to the above. I'd never offer SSH with Linux. On the other hand, we offer it on FreeBSD. BUT there is a huge difference between the amount of security you can place on a users shell in FreeBSD -vs- Linux. In a Linux environment, I completely agree. It is incredibly unsafe and what you will notice, over time, is the hosts that offer full shell functionality in Linux have been hacked or will be hacked at some point. There just isn't enough of an ability to restrict a user. There is also a fair chance that someone will accidently lock-up the box in some form or another with some script or compile they are trying to do. So if you do, I understand the need of a form of ID. This will weed out anyone likely to use it for dishonest reasons. As for a reseller having access to all of their resold accounts via SSH... This is a huge security risk if you're letting any user/reseller/customer browse the /home folder. Not to mention, it simply allows an easy list of usernames to be passed around on the internet for the next time someone wants to run a brute force on your server. Which, they know already allows SSH for all of your clients. It's about risk. Risk of not only your business but your clients data and providing a response as nonchalant as stated above is what will get you hacked one day. It's serious, so I'd recommend for the sake of your clients, treating it seriously. None of my business but just my two cents.. Last edited by PeakVPN-KH; 07-17-2009 at 12:56 AM.
Posted by mainpipe, 07-17-2009, 01:45 AM
I suggest you checkout ServInt as well. You will get a lot of resources (vs. Mosso) with ServInt and they are a well established managed vps provider.
Posted by rv_irl, 07-17-2009, 04:55 AM
Thanks for the kind words Andrew! I completely agree with you and you bring up some very good points... And for that reason, we actually don't provide SSH access either and never have..Our answer is just to have responsive and prompt support. If a customer needs something done by SSH, then can ring us up and ask a tech to perform the necessary functions they require.. It is as Andrew and serverorigin say, all about risk.. we believe the risks involved do not justify the benefits..

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