The THC Support Team have got to be the best. I'm so impressed with this group, I have to send this note. Both times that I have needed help it has been provided 'in spades'. Today's chat with Mike Vasquez saved me hours of stumbling about. Mike was quick to understand my abilities (not very advanced!) and my needs. Great customer service. I will recommend THC to my friends.
Absolutely! We don't set any limits on the number of sites you can host. You'll just need to ensure that you give your server enough memory, disk space and processor to handle the demand. If you're not sure how much to allocate, get in touch and we can advise you.
Can I install Windows?
If you need to use Microsoft Windows as your operating system, please get in touch as this may be available on a custom basis.
Do I get root access?
Yes - unless you take a fully managed server, in which case we administer everything for you and as a security precaution no root access is provided.
Do I need to be a server guru?
Not at all! If you've never managed a server before, we can help you. Our range of management plans mean that even a complete novice can take advantage of the benefits of the cloud.
Of course if you do know how to manage a server, you'll find it to be just like any other Linux-based dedicated server you've used in the past.
How is my data backed up?
Every file you upload to your cloud server is 1:1 mirrored elsewhere in the cloud. Should hardware fail, your data will remain available. We can additionally provide Snapshot backups of your entire server for a small extra fee. If installed, H-Sphere can also be configured to automatically schedule daily, weekly and monthly backups of your data within your available space.
How many IPs do I get?
As IPs are a scarce resource, each server is supplied with one IP. If you have a legitimate requirement for more, you may purchase more on request.
How much bandwidth is included?
We include 500GB of monthly data transfer free of charge with each server up to 1.2Ghz CPU, 1000GB between 1.2GHz CPU and 2GHz CPU and 2000GB over 2GHz CPU. Additional data transfer can be purchased over and above this amount.
What happens if hardware fails?
The Cloud has a completely self-healing architecture. This means that if any hardware node should fail, any cloud servers running on resources on that node will be re-provisioned on alternative hardware. This happens without the need for any human intervention.
We can also engineer solutions for instantaneous failover for customers with specific availability requirements. Get in touch and we can discuss the options available.
What's the minimum contract?
We just require a minimum of one month. You can even scale up or down within the month should you experience a sudden change in demand for your web site.
Will it function like a regular linux box?
Yes! It will function like any other dedicated server, just with much more flexibility and built in high availability.
Pre-sales Questions
How do I place an order?
Orders are placed from the order page. All plans other than Linux/Windows Shared Hosting plans will be manually set-up. Please complete the order form to order VPS or dedicated servers. Custom plans should open a sales ticket from the helpdesk, please register and post your question to here.
How soon will my account be set up and ready for use?
When you order your Linux or Windows shared plan account online, our automated system will set up your account immediately. You will receive a welcome email with your login and other important information. All other accounts are setup manually. Such accounts are typically set up within one day. As soon as your account is set up you can immediately begin uploading your web site files. It may take up to 3 days for your DNS to resolve. Most resolve within 1 day or less. But don’t worry, with THC we give you a temporary domain name that will be effective right a way after your signup and this will permit you to start your upload. Please signup for a shared hosting plan by clicking here.
Is there a minimum time contract/commitment?
There is no commitment or contract. You can pay monthly or yearly. You can also cancel at any time.
What kind of support can I expect?
We have an excellent and well-trained support team in place to help you 24x7. While we do not troubleshoot users' code, you can expect us to resolve and technical issues relating to the server, or programs we provide on the server, in a timely manner. To view the complete list of support options available to you, please see the support page by clicking here.
How can we offer such a good deal?
First of all, we are a true wholesale hosting provider. Most hosting sellers on the web are not wholesale web hosting providers but just hosts offering reseller plans. Second, most of our customers run small businesses or personal web sites, which don't use much disk space or bandwidth on our servers. As a result, even our most demanding business clients are able to save money by signing up for the same packages as everyone else. Third, we don't spend a lot of money on advertising. We rely primarily on word-of-mouth advertising, which doesn't cost us anything (we just have to offer a product that people want to tell their friends about). For more details, please refer to our blog.
How can you offer an "unlimited" account? Is it really unlimited?
Unlimited hosting accounts have no defined limit as per our Terms of Service (TOS), which states that shared account usage must be reasonably accommodated by a shared server. Think of an account offering unlimited email addresses. This does not mean you can host 34 billion accounts on a shared web server, but at the same time there is no defined number you must stay under. The idea is for us to give resellers freedom to grow their accounts large enough that they can easily afford to upgrade to their own dedicated server. Please signup for a shared hosting plan.
Are there any restrictions to the content I can host?
Yes, there is a specific list of items which violate our Terms of Service. Please read our TOS here before signing up. In general we don't allow adult content, and our shared servers can't be used for hosting/streaming media, download mirrors, or storing large amounts of archives. Please request a custom quote if you are in need of these services to ensure you have adequate resources for your content.
Is my site backed up and how often?
We do backups of all accounts nightly onto a second physical drive and off-site backup. Clients are encouraged to make local backups of their site from their control panel account. If, in the unfortunate event, something happens to your files, it is your responsibility to have a local copy of your files.If you needs files restored, you may request to have us restore them from our backups or from your local copy. Optional off-site backup solutions are available on the services page and are encouraged, as there is no such thing as having too many backups (A fee might be charge for the restore).
How fast are your connections?
The primary data center that we utilize for shared servers has joined eight (8) different Tier one backbone providers together to form the best network infrastructure in the industry. Their backbone border routers are Juniper M20's and their fully redundant switching layer comprises a certified six pack design of Cisco™ 6500 series switches. All customer access switches in the data center, and there are hundreds of them, are Cisco™ 2950 series switches designed for maximum performance and uptime availability.
Technical Questions
How do I create and use custom name servers?
This is such a popular question that we had to make a special page dedicated to showing you how to create your own custom name servers. Please go to the custom name server tutorial page.
How do I get my email?
If you're familiar with your email client's setup, use the following information to retrieve email from your POP account:
Incoming mail (POP3) server: mail.tophostingcenter.com
Outgoing mail (SMTP) server: mail.tophostingcenter.com
See our knowledge base subject about SMTP servers on our helpdesk page if this does not work for you. * set SMTP authorization to on in your email program . WEBMAIL: You can login to your webmail via your Control Panel or through mail.tophostingcenter.com, click on the second option ( IMP-webclient ) and then enter your email address plus your password.
I want to get started right away, but my domain name hasn't transferred yet. How do I do it?
You can ftp directly to the server IP using your account username and password provided in your welcome mail. You can also upload files using the file manager in your control panel.
What is the path to perl?
/usr/bin/perl
What is the path to webmail?
/usr/sbin/sendmail
What is the full server path to my home directory?
/home/username
Where should I put CGI scripts for my domain?
All CGI scripts should be uploaded to the cgi-bin folder, for your domain. Be sure to follow the instructions for the script you are uploading regarding setting permissions on the files and folders you create, as they vary from script to script. The full server path to your cgi-bin is /home/username/public_html/cgi-bin. Contact us before uploading any CGI scripts that could potentially require excessive CPU resources to ensure uninterrupted service for your account.
I uploaded my files, but I don't see my page?
First, make sure you have placed an index file (ex. index.html) in the public_html directory. Next, make sure your domain has resolved to our name servers. You can do this at http://www.internic.com/whois.html. If you have verified that you can see the index file in your public_html file, AND that your DNS has resolved to our name servers, try one more thing. Close your internet browser, delete all temp internet files, cookies, and clear the history. Then turn off your computer, and turn off the power to your modem and router to reset the DNS information. Then turn everything back on again and try to access your site. If you still cannot access it, please contact the support department.
Account and Billing Questions
Can I upgrade my plan or features later?
Yes, you may upgrade your account at any time. If you would like to upgrade your account, please contact the sales department with your request, and they will send you instructions for upgrading your account. There are no additional fees for upgrading; you pay only the pro-rated difference between the two plans.
How can I change my account or billing information?
If you need to update your account or billing information please contact the sales/billing department by clicking here.
What happens if I go over the bandwidth limit for my account?
If you go over your allotted amount of bandwidth in a given month, your account will not be suspended but you will receive a warning through an email. You will be contacted by a THC staff for overuse and may be given positive options. If you are on a dedicated server, then you will be invoiced at the rate of $0.60 per GB. Discounted Bandwidth is available if prepaid before the 1st of the month.
What methods of payment can I use?
We accept payments via Paypal and using any credit card via 2Checkout.
How do I cancel my account?
You may cancel your hosting subscription in your Paypal or 2checkout account. If you paid by 2Checkout, in addition please send a cancellation email to support@tophostingcenter.com. Your account will be removed from the server upon cancellation.
What about billing and over-due policies?
Shared hosting accounts will be given a grace period of 6 days, if payment is not received within the grace period the unpaid account will be deleted from the server. Dedicated servers have a grace period of 3 days.
