Basic Reseller Questions

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Posted by Billaferd, 01-07-2010, 11:34 PM
Hello all, I have been working on an application for a couple of clients and they have said that they are in need of hosting. I said I would look into if I could do it for them. For me to do this I would need a couple of things: PHP5 and sendmail installed 1 Shared MySql database or 1 Mysql Database per account The ability to put PHP scripts above the web root 1 SSH certificate per domain (Rapid SSL is fine, It's for logins.) Also, the disk space would be about 10 - 20 mb per user the band width would also be low per user. I know this for particular because I would only be hosting one application on many accounts and I wrote that application . Is this something that is common? I have looked at a few different reseller packages but very few of them give any real details. It's mostly a bunch of buzzwords with check marks that offer no clear explanation. Lastly, does anyone have any recommendations that I might research? Thanks.
Posted by RDSNetworking, 01-07-2010, 11:48 PM
This is common and any reseller should be able to provide you with it. Most will be offering larger reseller plans then you require so you may be able to get them to cut you a deal on a custom reseller plan. Good luck in your search. Scott
Posted by htbsales, 01-07-2010, 11:50 PM
I think your requirements can be met by most hosts. It depends on the type of plan you are looking for though but this all seems very reasonable. The majority of the reseller plans will always come with at least 1 MySql database, a few GB of disk and in most cases a dedicated ip address which would be good to have since you plan on having a few ssl certificates installed. I would say take a look at the reseller section here: http://www.webhostingtalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=130.
Posted by IfHost, 01-07-2010, 11:50 PM
Find a host that offers multiple domains. Then buy your ssl from namecheap.
Posted by Jedito, 01-08-2010, 12:09 AM
Are you going to provide them access to modify things through FTP or create/modify email accounts, Mysql Databases, etc?
Posted by net, 01-08-2010, 12:27 AM
Moved > Reseller Hosting .
Posted by davet, 01-08-2010, 01:28 AM
I would suggest finding a cPanel Reseller Host. If you want to handle billing your customers directly you can use WHMCS. If you don't want to handle billing them an affiliate program might be better for you.
Posted by Billaferd, 01-08-2010, 11:20 AM
Wow, I wasn't planning on getting so many responses so quickly. First off, thanks for all of the responses. @Jedito : I will probably only want them to create and maintain their own email addresses. Script access would be a no-no as my clients are not tech savvy. I wouldn't allow ftp access either for the same reason, I would allow them to upload images via a script of my design though. @enotchnet : Thanks for the link, I have been comparing the different offers and am formulating a list to send pre-sales questions to. @net : Sorry, for posting in the wrong forum. @davet : I have been looking into WHMCS and it looks like something that I would want. It allows me to start taking payments of other forms besides Cheques and Cash. Also, if it does receipt generation then I am sold. Again, thanks for the responses. I feel a lot better about this already.
Posted by FIAHOST, 01-08-2010, 11:45 AM
I would go for a VPS. As long as you want to be specific about the location of the path of your PHP scripts or you want to play with Apache to install certificates, Reseller hosting is not for you. Reseller environments are the same for all users and resellers sharing the same machine. No host would change them to accommodate the needs of a specific reseller.
Posted by Jedito, 01-08-2010, 11:45 AM
Then you don't need a reseller account, search for a host allowing you to host multiple domains on the same account.
Posted by Mekhu, 01-08-2010, 11:54 AM
Keep in mind that this option is going to cost you more money if you want it done right. I actually just spent the past 3 days researching and contacting all the "quality" Resellers on here only to find out we're in the same boat... we needed some minor custom changes to the server environment that can only be performed on VPS or Dedicated. Anyways, if you go with the VPS option make sure it's 100% managed (and read their definition of managed) as you don't want to worry about security and optimization. Best of luck with your search. Here are some company names we looked into over the past few days. Reseller: www.innohosting.com (end user support for your clients) www.ezpzhosting.co.uk (end user support for your clients) www.mddhosting.com www.hawkhost.com Managed VPS: www.servint.net www.liquidweb.com www.wiredtree.com www.futurehosting.com Regardless if you choose reseller or VPS, make sure you send in your Pre-sales questions to each company and make sure you feel 100% comfortable signing up. Any doubt, walk away. And of course, in this industry especially, YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR! Keep that in mind as it will trickle down to your own clients! Best of luck. Hosting can become very exciting and addictive!
Posted by FIAHOST, 01-08-2010, 11:59 AM
When you manage a server with different resellers, each one would ask you for a specific configuration that can break websites of other resellers in the same machine. For this reason, as an admin, you go for a setting choice that would fit requirements of most resellers. If many or most of them request a change, you can do it. But you can't change settings to accommodate one specific reseller.
Posted by davet, 01-08-2010, 12:34 PM
Yes WHMCS emails a receipt after an invoice is paid and closed. It's a complete billing solution.
Posted by mellow-h, 01-08-2010, 01:18 PM
I do not see any need of it from his requirements. A simple Cpanel based Shared Hosting account might do the work for him. Isn't it? He just need the cpanel which allows him to use SSL. In vps, users are still sharing the same resources. The activities are just divided with some virtualized conception.
Posted by davet, 01-08-2010, 01:47 PM
He wants to resell to his clients... he needs a reseller account and a billing system such as WHMCS. Last edited by Harzem; 01-11-2010 at 09:56 AM. Reason: removed sig
Posted by Jedito, 01-08-2010, 01:55 PM
No, he does not.
Posted by mellow-h, 01-08-2010, 01:55 PM
His requirements are slightly different than usual reseller accounts need. I presume, a shared hosting with unlimited parked/addon domain can suit his need as long as he can create the email accounts from his cpanel or use a custom Mail Script like the following:
Posted by Billaferd, 01-11-2010, 11:09 AM
Again thanks for all of the replies. I have been looking over a lot of the offers in the web hosting section. I still haven't made a decision yet but I now have a lot more information to go off of. I will be checking out the possibility of shared hosting with more then one domain as well, that may be all that I need for now.
Posted by rodrigg, 01-11-2010, 02:53 PM
Consider also that if you purchase only a shared hosting, you can only install one application in the root (public_html) directory as the root will only take one index file and the second one to point to a folder.