Hyper-V Windows VPS

[billinghamn]

I currently have a Windows 2003 VPS using 512Mb dedicated RAM with EUKHost. I am fairly happy, but am suffering problems with memory. I host 10 domains and have about 20 websites running (some on sub-domains). All websites run standard .Net Framework and also utilise SQL Server Express.

1. Could I easily migrate to a Hyper-V Windows VPS? This comes with 1Gb dedicated memory doesn't it in your cheapest package?
2. Have all of the Hyper-V Windows VPS setup issues been resolved now?
3. How quickly can you get one setup?
4. How does this compare to me simply upgrading my existing 512Mb package to one running a dedicated 768Mb? Considering it is a similar price, it looks like I would get significantly more performance for my money with Hyper-V.
5. How many customers will you host on a single Hyper-V server? And how will this compare to Windows VPS servers?
6. How does Hyper-V compare with Semi-Dedicated? From the Semi-Dedicated specs, it looks like I would get 2Gb dedicated memory for an extra £10.
7. Will I be able to install SQL Server Express on Hyper-V Windows VPS?

Thanks,

Nigel

[jennifer]

Hi Nigel,

Welcome to eUKhost community.

With regards to your questions:

Could I easily migrate to a Hyper-V Windows VPS? This comes with 1Gb dedicated memory doesn't it in your cheapest package?

Certainly, you can upgrade to a Hyper-V VPS anytime. That's right we have 2 Hyper-V plans; Hyper-V-VPS 01 with 1 GB RAM and Hyper-V-VPS 02 with 2 GB RAM. Just keeping the prices reasonable, so we can give our clients the opportunity to experience the benefits of a solid, reliable virtualization platform with us.

Have all of the Hyper-V Windows VPS setup issues been resolved now?

Honestly, we have never had a complain about it until now, looks like every customer is doing well with it so far.

How quickly can you get one setup?

It takes around 12hrs for the Hyper-V VPS setup (just keeping you on a safe side)

How does this compare to me simply upgrading my existing 512Mb package to one running a dedicated 768Mb? Considering it is a similar price, it looks like I would get significantly more performance for my money with Hyper-V.

That would mean upgrading to the highest VPS Plan we have i.e W-VPS-03 that comes with Guaranteed 768 MB RAM. From what I understand you're already using 512 MB RAM with your current package, 768 MB RAM (according to me) may not be sufficient.

Although you may want to try upgrading to the highest Windows VPS plan for now and see if things work well for you on it. Upgrades are a breeze with us, request them anytime of the day

However the best recommendation is, considering future requirements and choosing a suitable plan now. Your server may demand enough resources later and force you to upgrade again.

Again, a Windows VPS (your current package) is on Virtuozzo which happens to be a software virtualization & hyper-v a hardware virtualization. Basically on a Hyper-V you will have dedicated Space, RAM & CPU.

How many customers will you host on a single Hyper-V server? And how will this compare to Windows VPS servers?

We do not give out the exact figure as a policy. However, I can safely tell you that about 35 to 40% resources are kept free on the node. This is done to cover up for any emergencies or spikes in usage. This applies to both.

How does Hyper-V compare with Semi-Dedicated? From the Semi-Dedicated specs, it looks like I would get 2Gb dedicated memory for an extra £10.

Semi-dedicated again can use the same Virtuozzo technology for virtualization & acts much like a VPS but with more space & more RAM.

Basically this completely depends on a client's requirements. All you need to get started is an idea of what you want

Will I be able to install SQL Server Express on Hyper-V Windows VPS?

Certainly!

Hope that helps, and if you have any other questions - please feel free to ask. Thanks!

[bobslob3556]

thanks that answered alot of questions i had as well!

[billinghamn]

Thank you for the information. Some subsequent points of clarification:

2. Have all of the Hyper-V Windows VPS setup issues been resolved now?

You said "Honestly, we have never had a complain about it until now, looks like every customer is doing well with it so far".

From the thread posted by Qube (I am not allowed to post the url), it's clear that there have been significant problems in setting up some accounts. Can you confirm the problems encountered by Qube have been resolved?

6. How does Hyper-V compare with Semi-Dedicated? From the Semi-Dedicated specs, it looks like I would get 2Gb dedicated memory for an extra £10.

You said "Basically this completely depends on a client's requirements".

My requirements were included in my original post: I host 10 domains and have about 20 websites running (some on sub-domains). All websites run standard .Net Framework and also utilise SQL Server Express.

Could you advise on which plan would best suit my requirements? Both plans look very similar:

Plan 1 - Hyper-V-VPS 02: Dual Quad Core Intel Xeon E5420 16 GB RAM; 2Gb dedicated RAM; 50Gb webspace; 800Gb bandwidth; Windows 2008 at £65pm
Plan 2 - Windows Semi-Dedicated: Dual Quad Core Intel Xeon 2.5 GHz 12 GB RAM; 2Gb dedicated RAM; 60Gb webspace; 800Gb bandwidth; Windows 2003 Enterprise Server at £59pm

Many thanks,

Nigel

[Ryan]

Hi Nigel,

The issues we had initially with the setup of Hyper-V Windows VPS plans have been resolved completely so you can rest assured. Some initial teething problems were encountered by us since it is a new product but we are pleased to let you know that we have overcome those and setup process for the subsequent orders has been pretty smooth.

Both Hyper-V Windows VPS as well as Windows Semi Dedicated Server would suffice for your requirements. Windows Semi Dedicated Server comes with 2 GB RAM and Hyper-V Windows VPS also has a 2 GB RAM option available at an additional fee of £6.00 as compared to Windows Semi Dedicated Server.

Windows Semi Dedicated Server is Virtuozzo based which happens to be a software virtualization & Hyper-V is a hardware virtualization. Even though both the plans would suit your requirements, I would recommend Hyper-V VPS to you.

[Jack]

One point I would like to add here is on operating system. You will have Windows 2003 server OS on Windows semi dedicated server whereas Windows 2008 OS on Hyper-V VPS. The specification would be same on both except the operating system.

[billinghamn]

Many thanks for everyone's answers/thoughts on this.

I would like to opt for moving to Plan 1 - Hyper-V-VPS 01 which is the Hyper-V with 1Gb of memory. My next set of questions relate to migration:

1. Once I place my order, will you be able to transparently migrate my existing Windows 2003 VPS onto the new Hyper-V server?
2. How long would this take?
3. Will there be any impact from a web or email service perspective? I.e. will my websites and email addresses be unavailable for any time during the migration?
4. Assuming there will be some level of impact on web and email services could I plan this migration in for the bank holiday weekend to maximise the amount of time available for bug fixing and minizing the impact on my websites?
5. Will all of my settings be maintained? E.g. Spam training, additional apps installed on the server etc.
6. As an alternative to a migration is it possible to run the new VPS in parallel and move things over in sections? I would commit to being able to do this over a weekend for example. This might give me more control, and take less effort for yourselves.

Apologies for so many questions but any migration is a big task and something I need to make sure is well planned and considered.

Many thanks,

Nigel

[Jack]

Hello Nigel,

I've answered all your questions below:-

1. Once I place my order, will you be able to transparently migrate my existing Windows 2003 VPS onto the new Hyper-V server?
Ans: We'll help you with migration as you have Plesk on your existing windows VPS.

2. How long would this take?
Ans: Migration of data will depend on size of data and plesk backup creation time. We'll take care that all your data is migrated.

3. Will there be any impact from a web or email service perspective? I.e. will my websites and email addresses be unavailable for any time during the migration?
Ans: Your Websites will be down at the time of plesk backup creation. Once the backup is restored, we'll change "A" record of all websites to new ip. You won't face any downtime during name server change.

4. Assuming there will be some level of impact on web and email services could I plan this migration in for the bank holiday weekend to maximise the amount of time available for bug fixing and minizing the impact on my websites?
Ans: No problems. Weekend is the best time to schedule migration.

5. Will all of my settings be maintained? E.g. Spam training, additional apps installed on the server etc.
Ans: All the settings will remain same.

6. As an alternative to a migration is it possible to run the new VPS in parallel and move things over in sections? I would commit to being able to do this over a weekend for example. This might give me more control, and take less effort for yourselves.
Ans: We won't suspend your VPS until all the data is migrated.

Feel free to post if you have any questions

[billinghamn]

Assuming I go with Plan 1 - Hyper-V-VPS 01, can I just pay a little extra for an extra 1Gb of memory? I won't need the extra webspace nor the extra bandwidth.

Or would I have to upgrade to Plan 2?

[Jack]

There is no other option to increase RAM as you will need to upgrade to Plan 2 for more RAM.

[billinghamn]

How much is Plesk Power Pack on the Hyper-V plans? On standard VPS and on semi-dedicated it's £3pm isn't it?

[jennifer]

How much is Plesk Power Pack on the Hyper-V plans? On standard VPS and on semi-dedicated it's £3pm isn't it?

That's right, Plesk Power Pack is £3.00 GBP per Month on a VPS.
On Hyper-V Plans - Power Pack costs £10.00 GBP Monthly.

[billinghamn]

So on a 6 monthly basis, the Hyper-V VPS-1 (1Gb memory) will cost:

• £225 base cost
• £50 Plesk Control Panel
• £60 Plesk Power Pack (not sure whether any reduction for 6 month)
• £335 Total

The Windows Semi-Dedicated (2Gb memory) will cost:

• £275 base cost
• £15 Plesk Control Panel
• £18 Plesk Power Pack
• £308 Total

The webspace and bandwidths are almost identical. So unless I have missed something doesn't this make the Semi Dedicated far better value for money? And better in terms of resources?

[Ryan]

Hi Nigel,

Windows Semi Dedicated Server is a virtual environment with 2 GB RAM as it happens to be software virtualization while Hyper-V is a hardware virtualization platform which means you get 1 GB dedicated RAM on a Hyper-V VPS and other resources similar to a physical dedicated server. Another major difference between the two is the operating system. Windows Semi Dedicated Server comes with Windows server 2003 OS while Hyper-V Windows VPS comes with Windows Server 2008 OS.

[billinghamn]

Many thanks for your response, but you don't say whether one is better than the other.

On paper it's a no-brainer. Unless the fact that the Hyper-V is hardware virtualisation really makes that much of a difference.

Semi-dedicated has twice as much memory - that's surely got to be the biggest factor here doesn't it?

If it was you, would you go for the Semi Dedicated, or would you go for Hyper-V. If you would go with one rather than the other, why?

To be blunt, I need advice, rather than facts. And your advice would be greatly appreciated.

[billinghamn]

Jennifer/Ryan/Jack,

What would you guys go for?

[Jack]

As an existing Windows Server 2003 VPS hosting user you may find the leap from using one technology a big one, but at the end of the day you will find that Windows Server 2008 is able to offer you advantages that just aren’t possible with existing Microsoft server operating systems. If you wish to learn new things and latest features offered with Windows 2008 operating system, I would recommend you to go with Windows 2008 Hyper-v VPS.

You will learn new things and that is best part of Hyper-v technology and if price is the main concern then go with semi dedicated server

[jennifer]

I would say a Semi-Dedicated account might get the job done for you.

So my advice to you would be picking up a Windows Semi-Dedicated Server for now.

No offense or anything though

[Ryan]

Taking into consideration your requirements, if it is between Hyper-V VPS-01 and Windows Semi Dedicated Server, I would suggest Semi Dedicated server for obvious reasons. If the choice is between Hyper-V VPS-02 and Semi Dedicated Server, I would choose Hyper-V VPS-02 even though both come with 2 GB RAM as Hyper-V is a new and advanced virtualization technology.

[billinghamn]

Many thanks all for your responses - I think this helps a great deal.