How To Be Happy with Smokyhosts

[TheCrymsonLegends]

Before I start in I'd just like to say that no matter how much you pay or how free any web hosting account is, there are still some things you should do on your end to prevent any problems.

While any host provider of web space should keep a back-up of their server's they are no required to ever restore any information unless the incident has been done on the end of the servers. Example: If a server is blown and a back-up must be restored to continue smooth hosting. If your account was to get hacked or your best friend figured out your information and removed everything then no host should be responsible for restoring any accounts.

About a year or so ago smokyhosts decided to upgrade to new servers whom I suppose didn't offer a transfer from the old servers so it was urged for everyone to back-up everything they had on the server before the exchange. Even though I didn't back my information up I couldn't hold Smokyhosts accountable for restoring my information since it was error on my behalf. While smokyhosts offers a wide variety of great extras there will be times that everyone will face a problem with something.

Now that I've said that I will go in to how you can get the most out of any service from a web host without the constant problems that come with them.

1) Always back up anything and everything you do on the server to ensure that if anything goes wrong you will have a great place to restart your site. While server data would only need to be backed up when it changes I would urge to back-up any database files/information on a daily or sometimes twice a day depending on the size of traffic to your website. If something happens on your end and you have nothing to start from, then you will have to start over and no one's visitors will accept that.

Even though you back-up your server files to your computer you must still remember things can happen to your computer the same way, I would suggest backing up to your computer, a CD-RW and keep a 2nd CD-RW in a safe place such as a safe.

2) Update any files you have when they are available. Most advanced scripts have something that allows you to know when an update is available. These updates are not just for kicks they are security updates which secure your scripts from giving people access into your account. Even if you use a stable version it could still have potential problems which wouldn't only give people access to your website but to your server account as well.

3) If anything happens please give the administrators and those who are hired to handle such events enough time to access the problem and handle it. While everyone knows people depend on our websites it is more important to let the employees do the job correct the first time which could take a little bit of time. If they are rushed they could miss something and the problem could get worst or be prolonged to more downtime.

4) Expect downtime and let your visitors/clients know they could face some downtime. Even with 98% uptime guarantee throughout any given year, you could see a total of 175 Hours of downtime. If the business has been in business for 10 years and the downtime has been minimal for those ten years you could see up to 1,750 hours of downtime in a single year and they would still have 98% uptime guaranteed. Even if the server goes down only the IT guys are the location of that server would know what is happening, do not blame late information on your host as they won't be aware of this as soon as it occurs. Please be patient.

5) Submit suggestions to what you think would help out, don't just be a client. Try to be part of the company by getting involved in things. If you are well known to the administration then you could quicker results since you are now just not another account. While that is said also report posts to which you think would be inappropriate or against the rules of the site, help take the load off the administration.

6) Try to stay calm under any **** as causing a big scene isn't a problem for the business, it just shows negatively on you. Just stay calm, try to get some more information and remember to be patient. Just because things are not posted on the forums doesn't mean they are not being taken care of, it just means that the people haven't had time to completely understand it or they want to get it taken care of before posting anything about it.



If you use this how-to and realize that you are only one small fish in a pond, you will have a much better time here at smokyhosts. SHAdmin offers more than any other host provider and doesn't require much for it. He also has been around a lot longer than many free hosts to show that if you plan on using smokyhosts for your hosting services, then you won't be disappointed. Remember that he is giving you a great service and in order for him to continue to provide that service we much allow him to do what he does best, because after nearly 3 total years it has been shown he most definitely knows what he is doing.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, I hope you take my advice and keep your scripts updated and your data/databases backed up. Think of it as no one else has control of your account and do what you would do if it was your own server. Back it up and secure everything you have, you may thank me one day when you take this advice and find yourself in a situation where it's saved your website.

[SHAdmin]

Man! None other than you can even think about posting such information in 'How To'.

Crediting you with atleast a 100 points will be just a piece of appreciation for all your efforts you always have put in to keep forums under control

[z327774948]

These're very good advices, especially the "don't be just a client" part. Thank you!!!

[ya_ch_yv]

OMG, it's too long for a person who is not a native english speaker...

[SHAdmin]

All thanks to a very very helpful member TheCrymsonLegends who's been long missed!

[Juniper]

Good tips (not just for Smokyhosts) applies to all hosts really.

I really wished I had taken a backup of one my main websites a year ago, as the paid host I was using went under.

[Xception]

Very well written post with very smart information. Having run web hosting operations before, and been a customer with many different datacenters running VPS's, dedicated servers and clusters of servers, I know how important these things are, from both sides of the fence.
Really in the end, it comes down to attitude and composure. Everything in the universe comes with challenges, bumps in the road and whatnot, and if you come together with a positive attitude and believe that you can help to achieve the most favorable outcome possible given the situation, everything works out a lot better for everyone.

[phantom]

I like this post for sure. This is realy usefull and like said before by a member, not only for smokyhost.
Thank you very mcuh!