What is a Virtual Server?

Also referred to as a Virtual Dedicated Server, a VPS (Virtual Private Server) empowers you with the flexibility and freedom of a dedicated server at a fraction of the cost. Unlike shared hosting which uses a single file system shared by all users, a VPS, like a dedicated server, resides in private environment with its own independent operating system, web server, mail server, and software instances. VPShosting.net.au's VPS plans give businesses the reliability, scalability, and security of hosting on an enterprise-quality dedicated server. With root access, you have full control. You can install any software or make practically any OS-level configuration change.

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What is 'Virtual Disk Space'?

The virtual disk space allotted to you in your VPS plan is an alternate set of memory addresses used by your applications and programs. The virtual memory addresses are used, rather than real memory addresses, to maximise data storage and enlarge the set of addresses a program can utilize. For example, a program using all of the virtual memory would not be able to fit in the main memory all at once. Nevertheless, the computer can execute the program by copying the required portions of the program into main memory as needed during execution.

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What is a Virtual Private Server (VPS)?

Virtual Private Servers are isolated server environments located on a single partitioned physical server. A VPS performs and executes exactly like a stand-alone server for its users and applications:

Each VPS has its own processes, users, files and provides full administrative access
Each VPS can have its own system configuration files and can house applications
Each VPS can have its own versions of system libraries or modify existing ones
Each VPS can have its own IP addresses, port numbers, tables, filtering and routing rules

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What can I do with Virtual Private Server (VPS)?

A virtual private server (VPS) is capable of hosting a business website, a database driven online store, or a corporate intranet. Many companies use virtual private servers as dedicated mail servers or development platforms. Other uses of a VPS include: reselling hosting services, offsite data storage, web-based CRM, groupware, managed email services, and more.

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What are the advantages of a VPS?

VPS gives you the features and functionality of a dedicated server without the cost of building and maintaining one. If you need to host unlimited domains, have complete control of your environment and run your own applications, then you will benefit from having a VPS. In addition, a VPS provides the ability to manage your dedicated environment directly through SSH. VPS can also add a control panel like Cpanel and Directadmn.

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What are the disadvantages of a VPS?

VPShosting.net.au carefully controls the priority and scheduling of processes, memory and network flow, in order to prevent any single user from negatively impacting shared resources. Although VPShosting.net.au partitions your VPS from other clients' VPS on a single server and maintains a high level of control, there are still risks associated with sharing hardware with other users. For this reason, certain clients prefer the complete isolation of their own dedicated server environment.

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How is a VPS different than shared hosting?

A VPS eliminates the restrictions of shared hosting by giving you the power and flexibility of a dedicated server with your own set of services and customizable disk space. Shared hosting is limited in comparison because its users do not have administrative access and software configurations cannot be customized, despite the fact that physical resources are also multiplexed. With a VPS, you can control your own unique file system and CGI-BIN, disk space, system resources, bandwidth and memory allotments.

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Who needs VPS?

The short answer is - every system administrator or someone who is serious about their online presence needs it. Some examples of practical applications:

	Hosting
	All ranges on the same platform, from low-level shared to medium-power virtual server to powerful dedicated servers - seamless scaling up in the same safe virtual private server.
	Server consolidation
	Put together your existing servers and use more powerful and reliable hardware.
	Increase availability
	Keep an up-to-date copy of your virtual private server on another server, and start it in seconds in case of failure
	Education
	Each student gets its own virtual server with root access
	Testing
	Safe experimentation on the machine that runs another services
	Clean sandbox
	Install each service in its own freshly created Vritual Private Server, and you will never have to resolve dependency problems.
	Multiversioning
	Keep "snapshots" of the project you are working on and be able to switch back and forth in seconds
	Improve network services security
	Run each server in its own Virtual Private Server. If the application has a security hole, only this particular virtual private server will be compromised, never the whole system.

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What operating system is available with VPSHosting.net.au VPS plans?

All VPSHosting.net.au are hosted on Linux servers.

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Will my OS count against my disk space?

Your operating system files will count against your disk allocation. Operating system footprints vary between 300-1500 megabytes. More diskspace might be used if control panel are installed.

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What Control Panels do you offer?

We offer cPanel, and DirectAdmin.

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Do you offer control panel skins in other languages?

Non-English language Skins are available from individual control panel manufacturers. Both Plesk and cPanel are give you the power to change all text displayed to whatever you want. Plesk offers the option of adding language packs for a small fee. If you're using cPanel/WHM, check out this page, and the links on this page, for more information: http://www.cpanel.net/docs/whm/Languages.htm.

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What software do you use to provide VPS functionality?

VPShosting.net.au uses OpenVz to provide our VPS environments. OpenVz has recently been released by Sw-Soft to the Linux community. Plans are underway to add it to the core Linux kernel as well. OpenVz is the base of SW-Soft's popular commercial VPS platform. There are few differences between OpenVz and it's commercial conterpart from the end user prespective. Using OpenVz allows us to provide a rock-solid low cost VPS alternative to everyone!

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Are backups included?

VPShosting.net.au backups are available for complete system failure only. Customers requesting file restores will be charged a $50 one time fee to retrieve data. We will soon be offering FTP backup space allowing you to control your own data retention schedules.

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What development languages/tools are included?

GCC, python, Perl, and PHP are available for installation or preinstalled to run today's most popular opensource applications.

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What type of content am I allowed to place on the VPS?

We allow legal content. You're not allowed to send SPAM or host any content that would be illegal in the Australia. You may not run IRC BOTs or utilize any network unfriendly devices commonly used to attack other network users. Your network activity must fall within the scope of our Acceptable Use Policies:

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Is adult content allowed?

As long as your content is legal inside of Australia VPShosting.net.au is happy to host any content you have.

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Is IRC allowed?

We do not allow hosting of IRC servers of any sort. This include bouncers, bots, and daemons.

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Can you make me a custom VPS?

Unfortunately we do not have the ability to make custom plans for users. Please view the tables above for available upgrades and associated pricing.

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Is the APF firewall supported?

Yes APF is supported.

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Can I upgrade my kernel?

VPShosting.net.au does not allow for any kernel modifications. You will be running a variant of Linux 2.6.x which is the latest stable Linux kernel.

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Can I upgrade to another plan later?

VPShosting.net.au allows you to upgrade to another plan at any time in just seconds. Even a dedicated server can't do that!

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Do I have root access to my VPS?

Yes. You have full administrative control over your hosting. You can configure your server at root level and even reboot your VPS. Your operating system is your own secure environment.

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How long should I expect my VPS setup to take?

VPS setups happen within 24 hours of sign-up, assuming payment is properly processed. During the normal Monday-Friday workday (9am-7pm AEST) most VPS turn-ups happen within just a few hours.

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What does Level 1 Managed Services mean? How much hand-holding can I expect?

Level 1 Managed Services means is that we accept complete responsibility for everything installed and delivered with your VPS. We maintain responsibility for the integrity of your data, including free restores if you experience even a full data loss of your VPS. We can also patch and upgrade the OS, as well as primary applications such as Apache, PHP, and MySQL when necessary.

We make sure that what you were provided works, and stays working. When it comes to what you do with it afterwards, we will do our very best to help you out if you run into trouble. We simply cannot guarantee support for third party scripts and applications added to a server. There are thousands of 3rd party applications, and when they are added, it introduces millions of variables and millions of possible issues associated with those variables. Not all of these are foreseeable or easy to fix, nor are they necessarily fixable at all.

While we support all standard server applications, we are unable to support every 3rd party application that exists. Committing to install, support, patch, upgrade, and fix everything from A to Z, including many things we have never seen or heard of, and many things that just simply may not work, is not realistic. Though we have to draw the line somewhere - when we do, we still do our best to point you in the right direction. We will never leave you hanging without anywhere to turn.

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Is it OK to run Tomcat on my VPS?

You can install Tomcat on your VPS however do take note that Tomcat and java application takes up alot of resources and your experience with your VPS account may not be pleasant as a result of this.

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I am currently hosted on a virtual/reseller package running cPanel. Is the cPanel / WHM you offer for VPS the same one I am currently using?

Because this is a dedicated server product and not a virtual/reseller product, there are some things to keep in mind. If you're using cPanel/WHM, you'll need to do things you wouldn't normally have to do in a reseller package, such as configure the nameservers in WHM. We can certainly help, but if you have not worked with a full version of cPanel/WHM before, be prepared for a learning curve, and certainly allow yourself several days to get familiar with the functionality, and get yourself set to move in. Many people who use reseller accounts are switching to our VPS, with an expectation that it will be the exact same environment, but it is not. On the VPS, you have a great deal more freedom and power, but with power comes responsibility. VPShosting.net.au's support staff can work with customers to answer many questions, and we also assist in the VPShosting.net.au VPS Forums with things like this, but you are still responsible for deciding what you do within cPanel/WHM, and this takes a certain amount of experience and understanding of the server environment as well as your individual needs.

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If I need help setting up my nameservers or any other aspect of my account, where else can I turn?

Our Network Operations team can help to guide you in the right direction. VPShosting.net.au maintains a VPS Forum available only to VPShosting.net.au VPS customers. We do our best to assist in the VPShosting.net.au VPS Forums with anything and everything having to do with hosting on a VPS. Better still, users contribute their experience and knowledge, and help each other achieve common goals.

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Do I have to use a shared MySQL server or will we have our own MySQL server on our VPS?

Every VPShosting.net.au VPS comes default with MySQL preinstalled. Because this is a dedicated product, every one of your applications is your very own to configure as you see fit.

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What do you mean by 'burst RAM'?

Bursting means that while you are always guaranteed a certain amount of system resources, far more is available on each box than simply these guarantees. Hence, should you require your loads to spike higher than your guarantees, as long as the resources are available on the box at that time, you can use them, up to your 'burst' level. We are constantly monitoring the loads of each server to make sure that nothing is oversold, and that customers always have their guaranteed resources.

We make sure that an ample amount of burst resources are always available on each host machine. Your burst allottment is not the same thing as your resource guarantee. You cannot count on constant, sustained utilization of your burst resources. If your VPS constantly requires greater resources than your package guarantees, we can work with you to quickly upgrade you to a package with greater guaranteed resources.

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Can I resell webspace on your VPS package?

Yes! You can certainly resell space with the VPS. In fact, many of our new customers are resellers, typically moving from a reseller package on someone else's dedicated server. Do keep in mind that if you are used to using a control panel, such as cPanel/WHM or DirectAdmin in a reseller environment, you will have a few extra things to configure. This is because our VPS is just like a physical dedicated server.

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Can I host as many accounts as I want on my VPS?

The short answer is yes, but the long answer is a bit more complex. If you choose to use a control panel, you will be granted an unlimited software license and can set up as many accounts as you wish. However, that does not mean that every package has the physical resources capable of hosting infinite accounts. We grant you enough resources to set up an ample number of accounts at each package level, but you will find that once you reach a certain level, you will require more resources in order to add further accounts. The types of resources you need will depend on the types of sites you are hosting, and the individual resource requirements of those sites. Because of this, it is difficult to arrive at a specific number of sites you can expect to host. That being said, if an upgrade is ever required, we make the process quick and easy.

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Will we be able to easily upgrade to a larger VPS package at a later date?

Yes, This can be done easily and at minimal downtimet. We can retain your IP numbers and it won't actually cost anything except the change in the package price beginning the day of the upgrade.

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Do you offer a money back guarantee?

We do not have a money back guarantee. We feel that our longstanding reputation lends significant credibility to our service, and we provide exactly what we promise. We did a trial offer of a money back guarantee, and found that some people attempted to exploit it by using our service just long enough to cancel without paying. Some even abused it further by performing illegal activities such as spamming, which also hurt our other customers. We want to ensure we're focusing our time and energy on reliable, paying customers who deserve our attention. We trust that once you've become a customer you'll be happy we protect you in such a way.

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I don't speak English. Do you offer support in my language?

We do not have a large enough number of non-English-speaking employees to offer satisfactory support in any language other than English at this time.

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Can I get a trial period and test out the VPS for free?

This is not something that we can offer. It has been our experience that offering "free test accounts" opens our network and customers to a number of potential security risks. There really isn't a reliable way to screen a potential customer from a resourceful hacker, outside of having received a payment. We have tried offering free trial accounts in the past and have found that it attracts Internet abusers such as spammers who jump from network to network quickly, staying long enough to cause damage to legitimate customers. Though surely many legitimate users would benefit from a trial period and decide to stay, we must focus our attention on policies that best protect our existing customers.

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What do I agree to when signing up? Are there contract lengths associated with your plans?

When you sign up for service, you agree to our Acceptable Use Policies and standard Terms of Service, found here: Acceptable Use Policy Terms of Service You also agree to a short Contract Term, which is written as follows: "I understand that I am entering into a 'Month to Month' agreement, and will provide 30 days advance written notice should I elect to cancel my server contract."

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