In the modern, competitive Web Hosting market, one of the top priorities for all hosting companies is to attract new customers. Before paying for, and setting up an account with a specific host, most people like to email the company’s sales department to ask a few questions, and find out exactly how good the sales advice and response times are.
在竞争激烈的现代网络托管市场中，所有托管公司的首要任务之一就是吸引新客户。 在付款并设置特定主机的帐户之前，大多数人都喜欢给公司的销售部门发送电子邮件，询问一些问题，并确切地了解销售建议和响应时间。
Yesterday, under the alias of Dave Jones, I emailed 39 of the top Web hosting companies with one message. My objective: to measure how good their response times were, and how helpful the advice given was. I posed as a personal homepage owner who didn’t know much about the Internet, mainly to see whether they explained things in a way that site owners at all levels could understand.
昨天，我以戴夫·琼斯(Dave Jones)的名义给39家顶级网络托管公司发送了一封电子邮件。 我的目标是：衡量他们的响应时间有多好，以及给出的建议有多有用。 我冒充个人主页所有者，他对互联网不太了解，主要是看他们是否以各级站点所有者可以理解的方式来解释事情。
In my message, I told the various hosts that mine was a personal site that attracted only 30 to 40 visitors each month. Despite this, I told the hosts I used a MySQL database for news management. I also said that I used the site primarily to manage my email. After I received a reply from each vendor, I then sent another message with a few more detailed questions, to find out how they responded to those. I set a response timeframe of 24 hours from the point at which I mailed the first message. All companies who had not responded within 24 hours would be given a “No Response” rating.
在我的信息中，我告诉各个主持人，我的网站是一个个人网站，每月仅吸引30至40位访客。 尽管如此，我还是告诉主持人，我使用MySQL数据库进行新闻管理。 我还说过，我主要使用该网站来管理我的电子邮件。 收到每个供应商的答复后，我又发送了一封包含一些更详细问题的消息，以了解他们如何回应这些问题。 我设置了从发送第一封邮件开始的24小时的响应时间范围。 所有在24小时内未响应的公司将被评为“无响应”等级。
The results of this survey were very interesting. Here, I’ll explain the various types of replies I received, but at the end of this article you’ll find a chart that shows the response times for each host.
这项调查的结果非常有趣。 在这里，我将解释我收到的各种回复，但是在本文结尾，您将找到一个图表，其中显示了每个主机的响应时间。
At 11:10am yesterday morning, I sent an email to the sales departments of 39 hosting companies. I acquired the list from the UK Top Hosts Website, and the classifieds section of .net magazine. I then send this message to each host:
昨天上午11:10，我向39个托管公司的销售部门发送了电子邮件。 我从UK Top Hosts网站和.net杂志的分类部分获得了该列表。 然后，我将此消息发送给每个主机：
"I am currently investigating moving hosting companies for my personal Website, and was wondering if you would be able to provide hosting for me. My site is very small, only a few pages, but uses a small PHP script and a MySQL database to allow me to post news. I don’t have many visitors, only about 30-40 a month, so it is a small site. I use it primarily for my personal email account (I’m using my work one now).
“我目前正在调查我的个人网站的托管公司，并且想知道您是否能够为我提供托管。我的网站很小，只有几页，但是使用一个小PHP脚本和一个MySQL数据库来允许我发布新闻的人不多，每个月只有30到40个人，所以这是一个小型网站，主要用于我的个人电子邮件帐户(我现在正在使用我的工作)。
Could you advise me about which account I should go with, or whether you could create something special for me?"
您能告诉我我应该使用哪个帐户，或者您是否可以为我创建一些特别的东西？”
I sent this email from one of my own domain names, under the alias of David Jones. I then waited for the responses to come back. As each reply came in, I sent back the set of extra questions, as follows:
我以自己的域名之一(大卫·琼斯的名字)发送了这封电子邮件。 然后，我等待响应返回。 收到每个答复时，我都发送了以下额外问题集：
"Thank you for your quick response. I have a few questions. Could you answer them for me please?
“感谢您的快速回复。我有几个问题。能否请您为我回答？
How many people do you have available to provide support? 您有多少人可以提供支持？ What access speeds can I expect from the Website? 我可以从网站获得什么访问速度？ What kind of redundancy do you have available if the site goes down? 如果站点出现故障，您可以使用哪种冗余？ What happens if I exceed my diskspace/bandwidth allowance? 如果我超出磁盘空间/带宽配额，会发生什么？ Do you offer backup on your servers? 您是否在服务器上提供备份？ Can I transfer my domain name in? 我可以转让我的域名吗？ What happens if I want to leave? 如果我想离开会怎样？I am relatively new to hosting, so any additional help you could provide would be excellent!"
我是主持人，还比较陌生，因此您可以提供的任何其他帮助都非常好！”
These questions received various responses.
这些问题得到了各种各样的答复。
As you might expect, the level of information provided in the reply to my first email varied for each company. For example, I received a one line reply from SupaNames:
如您所料，每家公司对我的第一封电子邮件的回复中提供的信息水平各不相同。 例如，我收到SupaNames的单行答复：
"From the sounds of your requirements our Value Host account should be suitable for you."
“从您的要求来看，我们的Value Host帐户应适合您。”
Not very informative, nor does this message explain why that account would be good for my requirements. CWCS also sent me a 1-line reply, while Virtual ISP sent me a 2-liner.
信息不是很丰富，也无法解释为什么该帐户可以满足我的要求。 CWCS还向我发送了1行回复，而Virtual ISP向我发送了2行回复。
Rackspace
机架空间
I was very impressed with the response from ‘Scott’ at Rackspace. It was probably unfair to include them in the survey, as Rackspace don’t provide shared hosting, which is what I required. However, Scott said that I would require a shared hosting account, and though Rackspace couldn’t provide this, I could purchase a dedicated server from them if I wished:
Rackspace的“ Scott”给我留下了深刻的印象。 将它们包括在调查中可能是不公平的，因为Rackspace不提供共享托管，这正是我所需要的。 但是，斯科特说我需要一个共享的托管帐户，尽管Rackspace无法提供此帐户，但我可以从他们那里购买专用服务器：
"After reading your email, it seems to me that you are looking for a shared hosting solution. I think what you are looking for is a low cost solution that offers some Webspace and email accounts. Although you could host your site at Rackspace, I think we are a little larger scale than what you need."
“在阅读您的电子邮件之后，在我看来，您正在寻找一种共享的托管解决方案。我认为您正在寻找的是一种低成本的解决方案，该解决方案提供了一些Webspace和电子邮件帐户。尽管您可以在Rackspace托管站点，但我认为我们的规模比您所需的规模大一点。”
I responded to his recommendation with the standard questions, which he answered well. He even gave me a URL to trace route to, so that I could see the real speed of the connection, which was impressive. He also sent me a 6 page PDF all about RackSpace and how I could benefit from their services. Although this is not what I needed for my small site, it shows how they deal with their potential customers.
我用标准问题回答了他的建议，他回答很好。 他甚至给了我一个URL来跟踪路由，以便我可以看到连接的真实速度，这令人印象深刻。 他还给我发送了一份6页的PDF文件，其中包含有关RackSpace以及我如何从其服务中受益的所有内容。 尽管这不是我的小型网站所需要的，但它显示了他们如何与潜在客户打交道。
Hostway
车道
The response from Hostway UK was very good. Before I had sent the 7 questions, I was told exactly what features were included in the plan they recommended to me (Linux Gold), and the cost of it. Paul also picked up on the fact that I wanted to use the account for email, and said that I could use their Webmail facility and manage email accounts via their control panel. However, this plan was probably a little too much for what I needed, and, at £14.95 per month, quite expensive for a simple personal site with email. Also, their Linux Silver account only comes with 1Gb of bandwidth, which might be a problem. But overall, very good service.
英国Hostway的React非常好。 在向我发送这7个问题之前，我被告知确切的内容包括在他们推荐给我的计划中哪些功能(Linux金牌)以及其成本。 Paul还了解了我想使用该帐户发送电子邮件的事实，并说我可以使用其Webmail工具并通过其控制面板管理电子邮件帐户。 但是，这个计划可能对于我需要的东西来说太过分了，而且每月14.95英镑，对于一个简单的带有电子邮件的个人网站来说，这是相当昂贵的。 另外，他们的Linux Silver帐户仅配备1Gb带宽，这可能是一个问题。 但是总体来说，服务很好。
Positive Internet
积极的互联网
Positive Internet replied second-fastest to my enquiry, with a useful amount of information. They also picked up on the fact I wanted email, and told me that I could control all my mailboxes via their control panel. They mentioned that I could use either their Webmail, or my own email client. They also provide very good support: a maximum response time of 3 hours, as well as an emergency SMS service. But I’d expect that for the price they quoted me: £250+VAT. Way too much for my needs! I was also offered a direct contact number to speak to Darren if I wanted!
积极的互联网回答了我第二次询问，提供了大量有用的信息。 他们还了解了我想要电子邮件的事实，并告诉我可以通过其控制面板控制所有邮箱。 他们提到我可以使用他们的Webmail或我自己的电子邮件客户端。 他们还提供了很好的支持：最长3小时的响应时间以及紧急SMS服务。 但我希望他们能为我报价：250英镑+增值税。 我的需求太多了！ 如果需要的话，还提供了我的直接联系电话与Darren通话！
9NetAvenue
9NetAvenue
9NetAvenue told me I needed to buy their corporate service just to use MySQL ,even though I only needed a small site. This was a huge £39.95 per month, although if I paid up front, I could get the second year free. That price is, of course, too high for a personal site.
9NetAvenue告诉我，即使我只需要一个小型站点，我也需要购买他们的公司服务才能使用MySQL。 这是每月39.95英镑，尽管如果我提前付款，我可以免费获得第二年的费用。 对于个人网站来说，这个价格当然太高了。
Virtual Internet
虚拟互联网
VI told me that:
VI告诉我：
"Our standard VI Host would be perfect for your requirements. This costs £120.00 a year with no set up costs. You get 25 Mb Web space, 12 pop 3 accounts, PHP and MYSQL as standard. You would also get a VI control panel to create pop accounts and manage any mail or Web forwarding you may require."
“我们的标准VI主机将非常适合您的要求。每年的费用为120英镑，没有任何设置费用。您将获得25 Mb的网络空间，12个pop 3帐户，PHP和MYSQL作为标准。您还将获得VI控件面板来创建弹出帐户并管理您可能需要的任何邮件或Web转发。”
They even offered me a free .co.uk domain name as well, unless I had my own domain name I wanted to transfer in!
他们甚至还为我提供了一个免费的.co.uk域名，除非我想转让自己的域名！
Easy Space
易空间
Easy Space sent me a huge email, which almost told me about every package and service they provided! I was disappointed to see that some of their accounts come with banner adverts, which is not ideal for a paid service. However, the reply to my initial email was good and included links to examples of a few Websites that were hosted with them, which I could check out.
Easy Space向我发送了一封巨大的电子邮件，其中几乎告诉了他们他们提供的每一个包裹和服务！ 我很失望地看到他们的一些帐户带有横幅广告，这对于付费服务而言并不理想。 但是，对我的第一封电子邮件的回复很好，并且包含指向与之托管的一些网站的示例的链接，我可以检查一下。
Datex
Datex
Datex UK went out of their way to help me. Steve offered to create a special account for me as my needs were minimal. He offered me their ‘Level 1’ plan for £185 per year if I prepaid, and said he would throw in PHP and MySQL for free! This is what I wanted to see from the companies I emailed! Even though they have set prices, it’s nice to see that they’re willing to create specific plans for specific requirements.
Datex UK竭尽全力为我提供帮助。 史蒂夫提出要为我创建一个特殊帐户，因为我的需求很少。 他向我提供了他们的“一级”计划，如果我预付的话，每年185英镑，并表示他将免费提供PHP和MySQL！ 这是我想从我发电子邮件的公司中看到的！ 即使他们已经设定价格，也很高兴看到他们愿意为特定需求创建特定计划。
Purple Paw
紫爪
Purple Paw, who I’d never heard of before, replied the fastest, in an astonishing 4 minutes! They recommended their Small Business package at £45 for one year, which includes MySQL. They also offered the Personal package for £25 per year, but I would have to pay an extra £5 per year for the MySQL database.
我从未听说过的紫爪子，在惊人的4分钟内回答了最快的！ 他们推荐了45英镑的一年小型企业套餐，其中包括MySQL。 他们还以每年25英镑的价格提供了Personal软件包，但我必须为MySQL数据库每年额外支付5英镑。
Mistral
米斯特拉尔
Mistral provided a disappointing response, saying that they didn’t support MySQL on any accounts, unless I purchased a managed server, which was definitely not what I wanted for a personal account! Of the companies that responded, they were the slowest, taking almost 24 hours to reply.
Mistral的回应令人失望，说他们不支持任何帐户MySQL，除非我购买了托管服务器，这绝对不是我想要的个人帐户！ 在做出答复的公司中，它们是最慢的，需要近24小时才能答复。
After receiving the response to the initial query, I sent out some more questions in an effort to obtain more detailed information. The responses to these were mostly good.
收到对初始查询的答复后，我发出了更多问题，以期获得更详细的信息。 对这些的React大多是好的。
1. How many people do you have available to provide support?
1.您有多少人可以提供支持？
Most companies had people available 24/7. Rackspace had the most, with 300 employees, 2/3 of them being ‘techs’. It is obvious that there would be fewer people available in the evening, although Donhost provided the very literal response of:
大多数公司的人员全天候24/7。 Rackspace拥有最多的员工，拥有300名员工，其中有2/3是“技术”。 显而易见，尽管Donhost提供了以下字面上的直截了当的答复，但晚上的人手会减少：
"We have 4 people available."
“我们有4个人。”
This made it difficult to work out if they were available 24/7. Joshua Internet provided the best response to this question:
这使得很难确定它们是否全天候可用。 Joshua Internet对以下问题提供了最佳答案：
"Sorry, that’s commercially sensitive information I’m afraid."
“很抱歉，我担心这是商业敏感信息。”
Virtual ISP also decided not to answer this question fully:
虚拟ISP还决定不完全回答此问题：
"We offer support to all our customers mon – fri, with out off hours cover being via email."
“我们为所有客户提供周一至周五的支持，而非办公时间则通过电子邮件提供。”
2. What access speeds can I expect from the Website?
2.我可以从网站获得什么访问速度？
Most responses to this question were that it depended on my connection, but a few provided specific connection details, such as who their data carriers were and the speeds of their Internet backbones. As mentioned earlier, Rackspace even provided an address so I could trace route it.
对这个问题的大多数回答是，它取决于我的连接，但是有一些提供了具体的连接详细信息，例如谁是他们的数据载体以及他们的Internet主干网的速度。 如前所述，Rackspace甚至提供了一个地址，因此我可以跟踪路由。
3. What kind of redundancy do you have available if the site goes down?
3.如果站点出现故障，您可以使用哪种冗余？
As expected, the respondents had multiple connections to the Internet in case of failure. Positive Internet carry spare parts for all their servers. Datagate have mirror servers ready to take over in case of the main server failing, which is a very good feature. Joshua Internet gave an interesting response again:
不出所料，如果发生故障，受访者可以连接到Internet。 积极的Internet为其所有服务器提供备件。 Datagate已准备好在主服务器发生故障时接管镜像服务器，这是一个非常好的功能。 约书亚互联网再次给出了一个有趣的回应：
"As these are budget hosting accounts, sites are not load balanced or mirrored across multiple servers (it would double our prices). But our servers are carefully looked after, so such an event would be rare."
“由于这些是预算托管帐户，因此站点无法在多个服务器之间进行负载平衡或镜像(这会使我们的价格提高一倍)。但是我们的服务器会受到精心照料，因此这种情况很少发生。”
Dziner Solutions gave a detailed reply about how their drives are hot swappable for extra redundancy. Virtual ISP do not appear to have any kind of redundancy:
Dziner Solutions提供了有关其驱动器如何可热插拔以实现额外冗余的详细答复。 虚拟ISP似乎没有任何冗余：
"It’s very rare that we loose servers for long period of times."(sic)
“很少会长时间松开服务器。”(原文如此)
4. What happens if I exceed my diskspace/bandwidth allowance?
4.如果我超出磁盘空间/带宽限额会怎样？
The general view on this was that most hosts didn’t mind if you exceed your allocation by a small amount, but arrangements would need to be made if this occurred frequently. Only Aventure Host said they might close your site if you went over your bandwidth limit.
对此的普遍看法是，大多数主机不介意您是否超出您的分配量，但是如果这种情况经常发生，则需要进行安排。 只有Aventure Host表示，如果您超出带宽限制，他们可能会关闭您的网站。
Host Supreme appeared to be very generous with their allowances:
主持人Supreme似乎对他们的津贴很慷慨：
"If you exceed your diskspace allocation, simply notify us and we’ll increase it at no extra charge. If you exceed your bandwidth, you will be notified but your site will not be shut down."
“如果您超出了磁盘空间分配，只需通知我们，我们将免费增加它。如果您超过带宽，则会收到通知，但您的站点不会关闭。”
This is one of the main things to look out for with hosting — will they shut your site down if you exceed your bandwidth?
这是托管时要注意的主要事情之一-如果您超出带宽，它们会关闭您的站点吗？
5. Do you offer backup on your servers?
5.您是否在服务器上提供备份？
Generally, the data on the server was backed up, but only for the recovery of data in case of failure. Most hosts said I’d have to backup my own data. Aventure Host did not provide any form of backup on the servers at all for privacy reasons.
通常，备份服务器上的数据，但仅用于在发生故障的情况下恢复数据。 大多数主机都说我必须备份自己的数据。 出于隐私原因，Aventure Host根本不向服务器提供任何形式的备份。
6. Can I transfer my domain name in?
6.我可以转让我的域名吗？
This obvious answer to this was yes, for all hosts concerned.
对于所有相关主机，对此的明显答案是肯定的。
7. What happens if I want to leave?
7.如果我想离开会怎样？
Again, there was no problem with this for any of the hosts.
同样，对于任何主机，这都没有问题。
Of the 39 hosts contacted, I was disappointed to see that only 20 of them responded! The table below shows the response time for each host. Note that NR = No Response.
在联系的39位房东中，我很失望地看到只有20位房东做出了回应！ 下表显示了每个主机的响应时间。 请注意，NR =无响应。
It’s obvious from the chart above that Purple Paw responded the fastest. However, the best response has to go to RackSpace. Even though they couldn’t provide what I needed, they had the best response and answered the questions most clearly and comprehensively. A close contender was DZINER Solutions. Datex UK are highly commended for creating a special package for my needs, even if it was reasonably expensive.
从上表可以明显看出，Purple Paw响应最快。 但是，最好的响应是去RackSpace。 即使他们不能提供我所需要的东西，他们的React也最好，并且可以最清楚，最全面地回答问题。 DZINER Solutions是最有力的竞争者。 Datex UK为满足我的需求而创建特殊包装受到高度赞扬，即使它相当昂贵。
This survey has provided some very interesting results, which I hope you can use to your advantage next time you’re assessing hosts!
这项调查提供了一些非常有趣的结果，希望您下次评估主机时可以利用它！
翻译自: https://www.sitepoint.com/which-web-hosts-worth/
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