My last hosting company didn't allow me access to log files and were just an overall pain to work with. I can tell you that if Alan Shimel had had my hosting company the guys that took over his domain probably wouldn't have had the patience to wait out what it took me to move mine...anyway I digress.
Slicehost is great, here is a breakdown of their plans:
RAM PRICE HD BW
| 256 slice | $20.00 | 10GB | 100GB | |
| 512 slice | $38.00 | 20GB | 200GB | |
| 1GB slice | $70.00 | 40GB | 400GB | |
| 2GB slice | $140.00 | 80GB | 800GB | |
| 4GB slice | $280.00 | 160GB | 1600GB |
You start with a slimmed down version of one of the following OS's"
Arch 2007.08
CentOS 5.2
Debian 4.0 (etch)
Fedora 9
Gentoo 2008.0
Ubuntu 7.10 (gutsy)
Ubuntu 8.04.1 LTS (hardy)
My Ubuntu install was only about half a gig, so I had plenty of space for the carnal0wnage site even though the blog really takes all the traffic. I'm not going to do a lockdown guide, there are so many on the net, but you basically SSH in (also has a web console if you get locked out) and start "apt-getting" what you need to set up your box they way YOU want it. You also have full reboot privileges or if you really hose up your install you can just reformat.
Things I did:
installed stuff I probably don't need :-)
locked down sshd
installed apache2 and modsecurity
configured DNS for web and google mail
installed and configured denyhosts
started tweaking iptables rules
You can't beat 20 bucks a month for an IP and root on your own box ;-)
They also have an API so you can script management and status tasks
http://articles.slicehost.com/2008/5/13/slicemanager-api-documentation
Extra Help
http://cactuswax.net/articles/slicehost-configuration/
http://www.usefuljaja.com/2007/4/setting-up-your-domain
http://www.vinno.net/linux/server/how-to-install-mod-security-2
2 comments:
I really like the idea of Slicehost. I remember when I first saw the idea at the beginning of the year I definitely thought that is what I'll use next time I setup a blog, or if I decide to move my setup.
I also touched on some of the security concerns about it when I first read about it here (http://tinyurl.com/6lqkto)
I would think that shared hosting runs almost as much risk if you let an idiot run their site badly as well. admin panels with weak passwords, databases with weak passwords or inappropriate permissions.
I do agree that the potential is there for someone to set up an insecure slice (same with any internet facing box), but i really don't think the people you speak of are the ones that are going to be interested in admining their own box.
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