1&1 Blog: News and Views

Got the email below from 1and1.


-------------------

Your Hosting Platform Scheduled for Upgrade


We are pleased to inform you that 1&1 is performing a comprehensive upgrade
of its Linux hosting platform as a continuous effort to provide you, our valued
customers, with a robust hosting infrastructure. To offer you even more superior
security and performance, we will be upgrading to Debian/Linux 4.0
(code name Etch), a highly stable version of Linux.

What's more, the platform upgrade, which is handled by our seasoned in-house
developers, ensures that your applications continue to run trouble-free, while
achieving high performance. You benefit from our proven and practical approach.


Please be aware that the migration of your hosting platform of the above contract to
the new environment will be performed early March 12, 2008 between 12 am EST and 6 am
EST. At some point during this period, your website/server will be temporarily unavailable for approx. 15 minutes.

Enhancements with the Upgrade
******************************

Following the platform upgrade, newer versions of supported scripting and
programming languages will be made available – Perl, Python and Ruby. Your old
scripts shall continue to run properly as they are downward and upward
compatible. However, you will be able to use the new functionalities available
in the latest versions of the programming and scripting languages. Click on the
scripting languages for more information about the new functionalities.

* Perl Version 5.8.8  (http://perldoc.perl.org/perl588delta.html)
* Python Version 2.4.4 (http://www.python.org/doc/2.4.4/whatsnew/contents.html)
* Python Version 2.5  (http://docs.python.org/whatsnew/whatsnew25.html)
* Ruby Version 1.8.5  (http://eigenclass.org/hiki/ruby+1.8.5+changelog)

Python is available in both versions 2.4.4 and 2.5 because Debian requires some
features of Python 2.4. If you have the web development scripts PHP4 or PHP5,
these scripts will continue to function without any tweaking or configuration
required after the upgrade. Furthermore, MySQL Database 4 and 5 will also
continue to run, needing no actions on your part.


Sincerely,
Your 1&1 Internet Team
1and1.com

Fckk! Most of our corporate exchange account are down. This has been going on for 4 days now.
How long should I wait 1and1? Heck! Your *MS offerings are truly bull.

As you have noticed in my previous post, I'm not really having any issues with the service of 1and1. That's true! Their linux shared server rocks! I just love the package that I have with them, it comes with SSH access, mysql database console which can be access from my webspace (of course, I need to connect first to my webspace via SSH.) and most of all, the connectivity, it's very fast. Also, I have to mention their centralized SMTP and IMAP server, didn't have major problem with it ever since. You see? They offer a good service. But not really, the technical support team sucks! 1and1 technical support team sucks!

I knew that their technical support department is located in the Philippines. I'm not saying anything about the race here. It's not because they are from Philippines, maybe they are not just hiring clever people. AFAIK, the Philippines has huge pool of talent in software engineering and information technology. Some of the big names in the IT world that were having a R&D branch in the Philippines are Trend Micro, Dell, Lexmark, Accenture, HP and many more.

Now I'm really surprised that the technical support team of 1and1 are clueless! I called up the other night, I asked how if it's possible for me to edit the httpd.conf file in my Managed Server. Guess what the rep has told to me? He said "there's no httpd.conf file right now in your webspace Sir". WTF!!! We started to argue, then I look for his supervisor. The supervisor was quick enough to answer the question, he said NO. The only way to modify some settings for apache is to use .htaccess file, it will automatically over-ride the settings in the httpd.conf. Good! Fair enough for me! However, the supervisor can't just answer some of my question. Apparently, she's clueless with zone files and SOA records. I guess next time I'll just figure it out for my self instead of calling them.

That info is coming from web-hosting-top.com. That is just coming from their review. Though I believe it was in year 2002 or 2003, when netcraft reported that 1and1 is the world's number 1 web host. Up to now, 1and1 is carrying that banner. Or maybe they can carry that, they have a huge market in Germany and UK.

I guess web-hosting-top.com has also to make a review about their uptime, because while I was browsing, the site went off. Tried to ping their IP and got no response. =)

Anyways, below is their review. Credits goes to them.

General Impression
World Number One
At a time like this, when only the strongest companies survive, choosing the right one is imperative. 1&1 is proud to be both the world's biggest web host, and the fastest growing. Their global community is 6 million people strong. They are financially very stable, profitable, and will be serving and protecting your website for many years to come.

Combining over 40,000 fully-tuned servers with the renowned performance of Juniper and Cisco routers, 1&1 utilizes the best products from the world's leading technology manufacturers and service providers. 1&1 is a Microsoft Joint Development Partner, and works with other paramount companies such as Google, Plesk, Symantec, and HP/Compaq.

No matter what the cause, network downtime hurts your credibility, your sales, and your business. 1&1 uses its experience and expertise in hosting to deliver 99.9 % uptime, so your website is there when you need it.


Price & Cost Effectiveness
All 1&1 products have been designed to provide the ideal combination of features and affordability, with no pricing gimmicks or hidden costs. You simply won't find a better value for your money!

Proven Products, Honest Pricing
From convenient Instant Domain and Instant Website packages to all-inclusive Shared Hosting plans, powerful Dedicated Servers and ready-to-run eShops, 1&1 offers a complete range of web services for every need, every skill level and every budget.


Reliability
At 1&1, even their fail-safes have fail-safes. Backup generators, multiple hard drives, dual routers, cooling systems and gel battery power banks give them real redundancy so their fleet of 40,000 high-end servers will continue to operate regardless of external conditions. In the event the grid is down, five huge 16-cylinder diesel generators supply constant, reliable power for all systems.

Eight high-powered cooling units rated at 5,600 KW and two spiral vortex compressors work alongside bespoke heat exchangers to keep everything cool. Every system is n+1 redundant

They use their own backbone and top carriers like Sprint and Level3 to power your website all over the world. Compare with other web hosts and you'll see why 1&1's speed and reliability make them the clear choice.


Data Center (toured)
They guarantee the highest product quality, top security, and unshakeable reliability. 1&1's advanced Data Centers have been built from the ground up using the most advanced technology available, giving their global network a strength that is beyond doubt. The power and stability of 1&1's systems allows them to be first to market with web products that are innovative yet dependable.

Powered by advanced information storage technology, 1&1's state-of-the-art Data Centers keep your website running and your valuable information safe.

24/7 monitoring by Internet specialists, 150+ permanently recording video cameras, safety locks and more ensure that only authorized personnel can enter 1&1 Data Centers, your data is always safe and secure.

The security airlock ensures that only authorized personnel can enter Data Center IV. Only one person can pass through the airlock at one time.

Their industry-leading 18,000 MBit Connectivity allows for no-nonsense, fast transfers at all times. The result is that more users can access and interact with your website, faster.

When it comes to reliable web hosting, connectivity is everything. At 1&1, you'll have access to over 18,000 MBit of external connectivity. That means faster loading times and higher multi-user capacity for your website.

All 1&1 Data Centers are protected and monitored by automated support systems that permit real-time analysis, review, and maintenance for all clients. All technology used has been n+1 engineered throughout to avoid any single point of failure in connectivity, redundancy or power and is monitored around the clock by specialist network technicians.


Customer Service
All products come with "90-Day Money Back Guarantee" "24/7 Phone & E-mail Support" and "Online FAQs" and support is fast, no worries from this point of view.

Contact Information and Support
Information by Phone
1-877-GO-1AND1 (1-877-461-2631) for information about products, features or prices
Representatives are available Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 8:00 pm EST, excluding national holidays.
Your questions about products, features or prices to info@1and1.com
1&1's Technical Support team is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and can be reached by phone and e-mail.
From your Control Panel
Log in to the 1&1 Control Panel, select your contract and click "Help & Contact" to locate our support team Contact Form as well as the phone number for our toll-free support line.
Online FAQs
Use the in-depth FAQ section on their website to get additional tips. It's a great way to learn how to fine tune your website, enhance your e-mail features and more.
US Headquarters

1&1 Internet Inc.
701 Lee Road, Suite 300
Chesterbrook, PA 19087
Phone: 1-877-GO-1AND1
Fax: 610-560-1501

Website Development

1&1 Internet Inc.
Website-Management
701 Lee Road, Suite 300
Chesterbrook, PA 19087

Conclusion
1&1 has grown into the largest web hosting company in the world for good reason. With affordable products and impeccable service, you can trust that 1&1 will do a great job hosting your site!

William J. Kornik III for web-hosting-top.com, 11/14/2007

A friend of mine who's asking my web developer regarding on the error messages that he encounter when installing DotNetNuke on 1and1's Microsoft Hosting. My web developer, Clark, didn't have any idea as he's not used to it. However, we found out in their website that the said application is not supported. As far as I know, before this works on their server. I hope there's anyone out there who can clear this thing to me if it really works or not in their shared hosting.

http://faq.1and1.com/scripting_languages_supported/asp_net/dotnetnuke/2.html

Here it is again. Another upgrade on 1and1's linux shared servers. They will be saying goodbye to php3 and it will be fully replace by php4. See their email below.

Dear xxxxxx,

We are writing to inform you about planned maintenance work on our web and server hosting platform.

It is essential that we upgrade our platform for hosting your websites and servers regularly in order to maintain a state-of-the-art infrastructure and provide you with the best hosting performance and security.

Following this maintenance work on our platform, a number of features and elements will be modified and you may have to reconfigure your settings for your applications to continue running smoothly and also for you to benefit from the enhanced performance and security measures.

Please note the following change:

PHP4 to Fully Replace PHP3

PHP is a web scripting language for creating dynamic and interactive content. Your website and applications may rely on PHP scripts for certain functions. Since PHP exists in several versions and there are often incompatibilities between the older and newer versions, you are advised to use PHP scripts supported on your hosting platform. 1&1 currently supports PHP4 and PHP5.

Please be advised that due to heightened susceptibility to security breaches and lack of future support for PHP 3 by the development community, this old version of PHP will no longer be supported on 1&1 hosting platforms from November 20, 2007.

Therefore, we kindly request that you upgrade your PHP3 scripts to newer versions of PHP, for example PHP4 or PHP 5.

You can upgrade your PHP3 scripts to PHP4 or PHP5, however it is recommendable to upgrade from PHP3 to PHP4, since the difference between PHP3 and PHP4 are minimal, thus requiring little effort. You may also choose to upgrade to PHP5 since this version is likely to have a longer development support period than PHP4.

For more information please visit the following FAQ articles for more details on upgrading from PHP3 to PHP4.

How can I find out which version of PHP I am using?
http://faq.1and1.com/scripting_languages_supported/php/upgrade/4.html

What is the difference between PHP 3 and PHP 4?
http://faq.1and1.com/scripting_languages_supported/php/upgrade/5.html

How can I parse .php3 files using PHP 4?
http://faq.1and1.com/scripting_languages_supported/php/upgrade/6.html

If you have any questions please contact support anytime at support@1and1.com or call 1-877-435-7281.

Sincerely,
Your 1&1 Team
1and1.com

See the email that was sent to me, well a good news actually. How I wish they've done this earlier. Anyway, still good to hear this news.

Dear xxxxxxx,

We are writing to inform you about planned maintenance work on our web and server hosting platform.

It is essential that we upgrade our platform for hosting your websites and servers regularly in order to maintain a state-of-the-art infrastructure and provide you with the best hosting performance and security.

Following this maintenance work on our platform, a number of features and elements will be modified and you may have to reconfigure your settings for your applications to continue running smoothly and also for you to benefit from the enhanced performance and security measures.

Please note the following changes:

SSH2 to Replace SSH1

Secure Shell (SSH) is a program that allows secure network services over an insecure network, such as the Internet. SSH is mostly used to facilitate remote login sessions between a PC and a trusted host over the Internet. SSH encrypts all traffic including logins and passwords to effectively provide defense against network network-level attacks.

1&1 will be replacing the current version SSH1 with the latest and more secure version SSH2 for even better security on November 6, 2007. Because SSH1 is no longer actively supported by the development community, the availability of future upgrades and defenses against new threats are limited.

SSH2 incorporates built-in protection against a number of known vulnerabilities in SSH1 and provides stronger security features to facilitate secure network connections.

We recommend you use an SSH client that supports SSH2.

§ For Windows, you may use the current version of Putty, a free SSH client downloadable at: http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/download.html.

§ For Linux, you may use the current version of OpenSSH, downloadable at: http://linux.softpedia.com/progDownload/OpenSSH-Download-4474.html

Please visit our FAQ for more information and details on how to configure your settings to support SSH2 in Putty and OpenSSH.

http://faq.1and1.com/scripting_languages_supported/ssh_secure_shell/upgrades/

If you have any questions please contact support anytime at support@1and1.com or call 1-877-435-7281.

Sincerely,
Your 1&1 Team
1and1.com